Staple

Brewery: Top Out Brewery

Supplier: Beer52

From a Scottish brewery that started less than a year ago in July 2013. This is their pale ale and I served this straight from the fridge.

Appearance: A slightly opaque dark caramel colour. Practically no head, the faint remnant is pure white.

Aroma: Nice hoppy aroma, the typical citra notes, really nice.

Flavour: Practically no flavours at all, hints of grains with a little bit of bitterness.

Body: Refreshing with a average body, good carbonation.

Aftertaste: A little more bitterness, but nothing more.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 3, The smell made it seem really good but there was practically no taste.

Price Range: Another of the monthly beer subscription at £14 (usually £24) for 8 beers, so approximately £1.75 for a 500ml bottle; not worth it.

Food Pairings: Practically anything as it has so little flavour, but I'm going to go with tortilla chips and guacamole.

Lion Stout

Brewery: Lion Brewery Ceylon Ltd

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This Sri Lankan based brewery was established in 1881 by Sir Samuel Backer as a cottage industry, developed into a brewery, and was eventually bought out by the Carlsberg Group in 1996. This is the exported version of their stout. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Black with a maroon tint around the edge. A large latte coloured head which reduces quickly but lingers for a long time. 

Aroma: Grapes, Iron, and some chocolaty roasted notes, also a slight musk undertone.

Flavour: Super sweet and creamy with some chocolaty notes.

Body: Nice and thick, perfectly comforting. Maybe a little too carbonated.

Aftertaste: More of the chocolate and roasted notes with hints of sherry and coconut.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, a really delicious beer, very close to a 9. Maybe a little too sweet.

Price Range: £1.99 for a 330ml bottle, definitively worth it, a fantastic price.

Food Pairings: A nice chocolate and berry dessert such as a Black Forest Gâteau.

Tipsy Gypsy

Brewery: Gypsy Inc.

Supplier: Luvians Bottle Shop - St Andrews

Another from the collaboration brewery between Brewdog and Mikkeller, based in Denmark and brewed at Brewdog in Scotland; part of their set of four planned to be made (I reviewed Pale Trail before). This one is their hoppy pilsner, hopped with American hops. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A Peach blushed gold colour with a thin and lasting white head.

Aroma: Green mango and spicy malt aromas.

Flavour: Not much on the front then a faint hint of sherbet on the back.

Body: A really thick body, but still quite refreshing.

Aftertaste: An odd and slightly unpleasant bitterness coupled with a faint dry taste of slightly off grain.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 3, not really tasting of anything.

Price Range: £2.40 for a 330ml bottle, too much for what it is.

Food Pairings: Some potatoes, preferably in chip form, the sweetness from the potato would cancel out most of the bad flavours in it and enhance the sweetness from the malt.

Point Black Ale

Brewery: Stevens Point Brewery

Supplier: Beer52

Another from this US brewery that has production in the UK, this beer is only produced for the British market. Made using  Pale, Munich, and Roasted Malts (including some 6-row, which is unusual in Europe), and with Cluster, Saaz, and Cascade hops. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Black, looks like coke around the edges. Very sparkling with a chocolate head that dissipates very quickly.

Aroma: Grapes mixed with sugar that has caramelized to the point of burning. Hints of wood as well.

Flavour: Not much flavour on the front at all.

Body: The body makes the flavourless not taste like water as it has a substantial body and is quite smooth.

Aftertaste: Nice aftertaste. It has a big taste of molasses coupled with some delicate roasted notes. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, close to a 5 as it is quite nice and surprisingly light, but lacking in flavour. Probably would be one of those stouts that would do well chilled.

Price Range: Another of the monthly beer subscription at £14 (usually £24) for 8 beers, so approximately £1.75 for a 355ml bottle; an OK price for a nice and drinkable beer.

Food Pairings: Would go with some nice British pork sausages and mash, along with some caramelized onions.

Brugse Zot

Brewery: De Halve Maan

Supplier: Gift from my sister and her husband

This is their original Townbeer, that I mentioned when reviewing Brugse Zot Dubbel. This uses a total of four different malts and two different hops. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: An amber-gold colour, with a white head that lasts for a long time.

Aroma: Citrus, grapes, and a smell that I associate with really good lagers. 

Flavour: Grapes and citrus again but a lot smoother and with hints of Belgian spices.

Body: A nice thick body, unexpected but delightful and smooth. Dry on the back.

Aftertaste: There is a large pilsner malt flavour coupled with a slight tart rubber taste that is common in Belgian beers. There are also some green notes with drinking.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, but only just. I'm not a huge fan of Belgian beers, but this is probably my favorite so far (bar some of the Belgian IPAs).

Price Range:  I don't know the price as it was a birthday present, but it would be worth the price you would pay for any trappist beer.

Food Pairings: A fish dish with a strong sauce, maybe something like teriyaki salmon.

Royal Weisse

Brewery: Sly Fox Brewing Company

Supplier: Luvians Bottle Shop - St Andrews

This is a German inspired hefe that is produced by Sly Fox only in the spring. Containing wheat and pilsner malt, and German hops; this beer, whilst in a can, is unfiltered. Hefe's are one of the few beers in which I will try to get the yeast in the beer. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A deep golden colour with a thick off-white head that lasts for a fair while.

Aroma: Some spicy Marmite-esk notes with hints of bubblegum

Flavour: The typical banana esters coupled with a nice malty base. Hints of some spices. Just like a typical German hefe.

Body: This is where it differs from the traditional German hefe as it is much more refreshing, whilst maintaining a certain body to it. The back does become a little dry.

Aftertaste: Some chewy wheat on the back, with some plant like notes. Maybe some orange notes as well.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, close to a 7 but the dry finish makes it a little less drinkable. Great flavours thought, and very refreshing; I can see why it is a spring beer.

Price Range: £2.60 for a 355ml can, a good price for a sound beer.

Food Pairings: Some fresh and spiced breads, maybe with some cured meat on to give it a bit of saltiness.

Harry's Heifer

Brewery: Church Farm Brewery

Supplier: Beer52

This brewery was established in late 2012 after they decided to transform their dairy farm into a micro brewery. This is the breweries core range bitter, but uses American hops such as Centennial and Citra. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: a light brown with hints of ruby, absolutely no head what so ever. 

Aroma: Smells like barley sweets mixed with concentrated apple juice, a hint of some tropical fruits in the back.

Flavour: A sweet but water barley sweet taste with hints of citrus and apple.

Body: Flat but quite sharp.

Aftertaste: The flavours just seem to continue into the aftertaste, nothing extra.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, very simplistic, nice flavours but an unpleasant body.

Price Range: Another of the monthly beer subscription at £14 (usually £24) for 8 beers, so approximately £1.75 for a 500ml bottle; an OK price but wouldn't get it again.

Food Pairings: Would pair nicely with a cheesy pasta.

Old Chub

Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery

Supplier: Luvians Bottle Shop - St Andrews

Another of the Oskar Blues Breweries year round beers; this malty ale is made with a range of malted barley including a beachwood-smoked malt. The sight says that Old Chub has won Top Rated Scotch Ale on Beeradvocate, but it doesn't say witch year. Whilst cans benefit hoppy beers the most there are still lots of benefits for the other beers as well, so it is nice to see such a strong and dark beer in a can. This particular can was canned in September 2013 so is only 7ish months old; I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Dark but maroon when held to the light, with a very thin tan head that is gone by the time you put the glass down.

Aroma: Raisins, fortified wines and a very very slight hint of soapiness. 

Flavour: It tastes pretty much exactly as it smells, all those flavours just a little sweeter.

Body: Very smooth and with a velvety mouthfeel, maybe a little flat but that is fine for a style like this. In the aftertaste there is a little bit of a dry mouthfeel.

Aftertaste: A very clean bitterness forms at the end, I can't tell that it comes from the hops. The downside about this aftertaste is that it goes "up" into that slightly sour taste like in carbonated water (despite no bubbles), instead of mellowing "down" into a sweet taste.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, but only just. Whilst I would have liked it to finish with a sweet note it is still a very good beer with some very interesting flavours. No smoky notes though...

Price Range: £4.00 for a 355ml can, a bit too much for what it is.

Food Pairings: A stodgy dessert such as bread and butter pudding or spotted dick.

Beer Camp #93 IPA

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Supplier: Kris Wines

Part of Sierra Nevada's 2013 beer camp series; the Beer Camp is where non-commercial brewers come together in Sierra Nevada’s 10-barrel pilot brewery and get a hands on education in brewing, creating recipes. They then pick a selection (in 2013 it was 3) to release to the public. However, I think the beer camp is changing this year to a different way of doing things. The beer is described as having a malty back bone and is uses Cascade and Citra hops. I served this straight from the fridge.

Appearance: An opaque golden orange colour with a hint of a pure white head, this head is very sparse but does linger.

Aroma: Huge amounts of lychee hops coming off with hints of caramel malts.

Flavour: Tastes like lychee juice with a hint of lemon, very simple but tasty

Body: Refreshing but still with some substance, perfect for this styles; along with a good carbonation level

Aftertaste: This then has a huge wave of hoppy bitterness, maybe slightly too bitter for me, but it fades with drinking. There are also hints of a bit of soapiness.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, a nice hoppy IPA, incredibly drinkable and thirst quenching with bold bitter aftertaste.

Price Range: £3.49 for a 355ml bottle, an OK price for a great beer, worth it but you could probably get just as good for cheaper.

Food Pairings: The flavours are strong but refreshing so are hard to pair, but I would say some pork with a sweet (maybe smokey) glaze done in the BBQ.

Dirty Stop Out

Brewery: Tiny Rebel Brewing Co

Supplier: St Andrews Wine Company

A brewery from South Wales set up in 2011 by two guys, they pride themselves on being visionary and "Retro".This is one of their regulars and is a Smoked Oatmeal Stout using nine different types of malt; I'm presuming one of them is oats but oddly it does not list oats as an ingredient, only barley. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: A think impenetrable black with a thin, short lived mocha head.

Aroma: There are the familiar roasted notes, but there are also some strong unusual smells such as tobacco and musk.

Flavour: Sweet at first followed by a sharpness similar to mint.

Body: Very slick mouthfeel but a bit to light and the carbonation is a bit too rough. The mouthfeel starts to cling unpleasantly with drinking. 

Aftertaste: This is where the majority of the flavours come, turning into a slightly salty and umami taste, with hints of a sweetness. There are also some grassy notes.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, an unusual and interesting flavour profile that would be better if there was better carbonation and a thicker body. Not any smoky notes either.

Price Range: £2.85 for a 330ml bottle, worth the price to try as it is very interesting, but probably wouldn't get it again.

Food Pairings: Some oily fish; maybe an anchovy pizza, but that might be because I was thinking about that earlier.... Either that or something sharp to cut through the mouthfeel, like a a salad with a strong vinaigrette.