Bring Out the Imp

Brewery: Alechemy Brewing Ltd

Supplier: Marks & Spencer

This is a special beer from this Scotish brewery. Though it doesn't say this on the ingredients list, this is an Imperial Oatmeal Stout - brewed with molasses and liquorice then fermented with a Belgian yeast and aged in côtes du rhône casks. I served this slightly chilled.

Appearance: A super thick black colour with bottle brown on the sides when held to the light. The head is a light tan colour and reasonably thick, but thins to a single layer of bubbles quite quickly. 

Aroma: Strong roasted and raisin notes, coupled with a hint of dish washer liquid and very faint traces of aniseed that I can only detect because I was searching for them.

Flavour: Sweet roasted notes on the front with some mint like fresh notes going into a herbal bitter tones coming in the back. This opens up to a fresh raspberry flavour on the sides of the tongue. 

Body: Very thick, good for the style, turning dry in the back. 

Aftertaste: The bitter herbal notes intensify, turning into a dry bitter wood note. There's a little bit of malt as well.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, the bitterness gets a bit too much in the back and too dry, and there aren't many exceptional other flavours.

Price Range: I can't really remember, but around £3.00 for a 330ml bottle, an OK price, not fantastic and probably inflated because of the 10%+ alcohol as oppoesd to the taste. I wouldn't choose to get it again.

Food Pairings: I think the dry and bitter notes of this would go well with the fresh and salty notes of something like prawns or crawfish.

Fade to Black, Vol. 1

Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company

Supplier: Beer Hawk

A seasonable brew from this Coloradoan brewery. They call this their Foreign Stout and apparently it's a 4X Gold Medal Winner (3 at the Great American Beer Festival and 1 at the World Beer Cup). I served this chilled.

Appearance: Black all the way through, even when held to the light. A mocha coloured head that thins to a single layer of bubbles. 

Aroma: A little bit of dark cherry and a litttle bit of brunt toast, but with some overlying notes of washing up liquid - but this fades when it warms up a little.

Flavour: Lots of green coffee notes with some raspberry and chocolate. There is a little sweetness underlying. 

Body: A little too much fizz at first, but dies down. The body is reasonably thick, which is expected with this style.

Aftertaste: The sweet note goes all the way throught, with some burnt notes coupling it. With drinking though, this sweetness transforms into a slightly salty note.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, started off quite bad but it opened up when warmed to cellar temperature so I would recommend not storing it in the fridge. What it seems like though is just a standard strong stout.

Price Range: Another of the Mystery box, so about £1.50 for a 355ml bottle; it's a good price, especially as it's quite a strong beer, but it's not usually this price and would be too expensive for what it is otherwise.

Food Pairings: As it is a rich drink I would suggest a rich meal, maybe something like a juicy steak with mushrooms.

Little Things That Kill

Brewery: Weird Beard Brew Co.

Supplier: Beer Hawk

This is one of their core beers, a session IPA made with oats, wheat, and lactose. I think this a series where they change the hops, this one was made with Warrior, Bravo, and Cascade. This was served cold.

Appearance: A deep straw colour with some gold coming through. The head is white but thins down to just a lingering 

Aroma: Lots of citrus and resin hop notes coming through, this is coupled with a little bit of malt/cereal notes.

Flavour: Lots of cereal in the front with some syrupy hop notes in the back.

Body: A little too much fizz on the front with lots of body in it. A litttle dry in the back. 

Aftertaste: Lots of green hops with that cereal note running throughout. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, nice and easy to drink, nothing unique though.

Price Range: Another of the Mystery box, so about £1.50 for a 330ml bottle; a nice beer for a good price.

Food Pairings: I would say a nice lightly battered fish in a white bap with Tartar sauce.

Golden Monkey

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company

Supplier: Beer Hawk

Another from this famous Pennsylvanian brewery, this one being a core beer but one that is quite strong. It's their version of a Belgian Tripel and thus comes in at quite a high percentage. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A thick gold colour with orange tinges, very opaque. The head is slightly off white, but thins out to nothing - though I didn't follow the instructions of pour vigerously. 

Aroma: Initially, loads of banana when the can was opened. This is a bit more understated after a bit, with lots of the classic Belgian spicy esters coming through with the sweet malt. 

Flavour: A slight but sharp tartness on the front initially but this dies down to a sweetness. 

Body: It's got some body in it as you would expect with a high alcohol beer. Still got a little bit of carbonation which is good.

Aftertaste: Lots of complexities in the afternote with lots of hop notes, and lots of melow mellon and spices complex. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, what I would imagine an American Tripel to be like, a low-medium level of the typical esters, coupled with some refreshing American hops.

Price Range: Another of the Mystery box, so about £1.50 for a 355ml can; absolutely fantastic price and I would definitely get it again for that price, though I don't think you will ever see it that low by itself.

Food Pairings: Mussels. With a nice spicy broth with chilli and lemongrass. The muskiness from the mussels would go well with the complex ester notes.

Sauvinova

Brewery: Tuatara Brewery

Supplier: Beer Hawk

This New Zealand based brewery is named after a lizard of the same name, that name being Māori for "peaks on the back". This is why the bottles from this brewery have bumps on the neck with a central ridge. This is one of their core beers, being a single hop pale ale, using my favourite hops - Nelson Sauvin. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A dark gold, slightly opaque when held to the light. The head is pure white but fades quickly into only a trace.

Aroma: Delecious meld of strong and sweet hop resin with concentrated grape juice. 

Flavour: There is a slight light malt note with a thick compliment of grape and resin hop notes

Body: Light on the front, following to a syrupy back. The carbonation is perfect. 

Aftertaste: A bit more of a tart note, with some gooseberry in there. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, really drinkable, lots of great hop flavours, but maybe a little too sweet.

Price Range: The Mystery box was 2 boxes of 15 for £45, so about £1.50 for a 330ml bottle; this is a really good price for a fantastic beer, I would definitely get it again.

Food Pairings: On the website they say a duck salad, and I would say that this is spot on. A little bit of fat on the duck would cut through the syrupy notes.

Christian Bale Ale

Brewery: Dry & Bitter Brewing Company

Supplier: Beer52

The last non-Mikkeller beer from the Mikkeller box, this one still being from Denmark. This is part of their core range, being a base for other variants. It's a sessionable IPA with lots of one of my favourite hops - Mosaic. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A golden straw colour when held to the light, slightly opaque. The head is reasonable thick, long lasting, and pure white.

Aroma: Lots of sugar, citrus and a hint of sweet semi-artificial cherry. 

Flavour: Some citrus and mango hop notes, with some more savoury grass notes.

Body: Quite thick for a IPA, and doesn't get too syrupy like other. Still reasonably refreshing though. 

Aftertaste: More bitterness from the hops comes through here, more of a dry bitterness. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, it has some nice points but it doesn't come together quite well and has a bit too much bitterness.

Price Range: The last from the box of 10 I got for £14 (usually £29), so it works out at £1.40 for a 330ml bottle, not a bad price, but I wouldn't choose to buy it again.

Food Pairings: Roasted pork; the slight citrus and mango will pair well, the light notes of the pork won't overpower the light flavours in it, and the fats will cut through the thickness.

Sjelefred

Brewery: Kinn Bryggeri

Supplier: Beer52

The first non-Mikkeller beer from the Mikkeller box, this being a brown ale from a little brewery on an island off the west coast of Norway. Named "Peace of mind", this is their version of an English brown ale using a variety of malts and Hallertau Northern Brewer & Fuggles hops. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A deep brown with a slight ruby hint when held to the light. The head is a light malt extract/ovaltine colour, it shrinks to a couple of mm but stays thick and lasts a long time.

Aroma: Sweet malt with a little smokey sausage and a small bit of metal in the back. 

Flavour: Quite light on the front, with some molassus without the sweetness, and a little bit of roasted notes. 

Body: A little bit watery, but only in the front, and more refreshing in the back, and a hine of creaminess.

Aftertaste: A mix of raspberries with a hint of marmite and coffee in the back. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, dark and fruity if not a little watery.

Price Range: Another from the box of 10 I got for £14 (usually £29), so it works out at £1.40 for a 330ml bottle, it's a good price and I would definitely get it again for that price.

Food Pairings: This would pair perfectly with Cranachan, the raspberry and dark notes working so well.

Yin & Yang

Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing

Supplier: Beer52

So this is a Black and Tan cocktail made from mixing the Imperial stout Yin and the Imperial IPA Yang, which is what they were designed for. I served this chilled.

Appearance: The black remains unpenetrable, but the head becomes lighter and remains for longer, though only a trace. 

Aroma: Not suprisingly, it seems to be a mix of the two with the hops, savoury notes, and roasted chocolate notes combining pleasantly. 

Flavour: Subtle hints of roasted chocolate notes folowed by a some slight lemon hop notes. 

Body: A fairly decent body, quite thick going well with the darker notes. 

Aftertaste: This becomes very dry and acidic with the hops and roasted malts contributing to both, along with a slight iron note.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, I think it's very nice, but I enjoyed the IPA by itself ever so slightly better.

Price Range: £5.00 for each 355ml bottle, it was nice to do the series, but the price is too high and it's not special enough for me to buy it again.

Food Pairings: Like with black IPAs this one is hard to place; because of the dry acidic back I'm going to go with a chocolate mousse with creme de menthe. The chocolate pairing well, and the freshness of the lemon and mint complimenting each other. However, this could end up just masking the flavour of both.

Yang

Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing

Supplier: Beer52

This is the second individual part of the pairing of the Yin & Yang series, the previous beer Yin being revied earlier. This one is the Imperial IPA, which makes up the Tan part of the cocktail. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A dark amber colour, turning orange when held to the light

Aroma: Smells a little savoury, with hits of paprika and hop oils. 

Flavour: A mix of salt, syrup and hop on the front followed by a soft but absolutly delightful blend of lemon and peaches from the hops.

Body: Full and syrupy on the front, then crisp and dry in the back.

Aftertaste: The afternotes turn a little bitter, but this dies down with drinking, leaving a sticky hop syrup note in its place.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, a little rough in places but the hop notes are really pleasant.

Price Range: £5.00 for a 355ml bottle, this one is a little more worth it, but still too much compared to what you can get for the same price.

Food Pairings: This has quite a complex profile so I would say something like a sharp, hard cheese with some white crusty bread.

Yin

Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing

Supplier: Beer52

So I saved this series for a special occasion and my birthday was this occasion (posting it late though). This beer was made with its counterpart Yang with the idea to mix them together in a Black & Tan cocktail called Yin & Yang. This individual part is the black part of that and is an imperial stout, I served this chilled.

Appearance: Thick black colour, unpenatrable when held to the light. The is a slight rusty brown foam that lingers around the edge of the glass, never enough to make a head. 

Aroma: Not much in the nose, just some traces of sweet toffee and toast. 

Flavour: Sweet syrup on the front flowing quickly into a dry brown sugar and roasted coffee note. 

Body: A reasonably thick, but with a refrshing sharpness in the back. 

Aftertaste: An acidic coffee note in the back along with a load of roasted barley notes.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, a decent imperial stout but nothing special as I was expecting.

Price Range: £5.00 for a 355ml bottle, probably a bit too much as you can get some really fantastic beers for that price, interesting to do the series.

Food Pairings: As it's a really rich beer I would say something rich as well, maybe a lamb stew with juniper.