East River Lager

Brewery: Sigtuna Brygghus

Supplier: St Andrews Wine Company

I've had this one before, when I first got it I thought it was from the USA what with the Brooklyn Bridge theme; but nope, it's from Sweden. This is a regular and one of their most popular beers (according to Untappd). I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: An opaque straw/yellow colour with a thin and short lived white head.

Aroma: Sweet hop resin and peach with underlying notes of a malty vanilla and a slight off note.

Flavour: A nice blend of malts and a bit of bitterness from the hops, the malty note is a little bit flour-like.

Body: Crisp, fresh, and ideal for the style.

Aftertaste: A nice hoppy bitterness after, but this is mixed with a slight flavour of ear wax (this makes it sound very disgusting which it is not, just that tang in a very very small but noticeable amount). There are also some rose water notes.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, not as much floral hop notes as I remember but still very flavorful for a lager.

Price Range: £2.40 for a 330ml can; Good price for a beer that is nice and easy to drink

Food Pairings: Some sharp cheeses like cheddar would go well with this.

Pay the Ferryman Porter

Brewery: Dia De Los Muertos a subgroup of the Cerveceria Mexicana

Supplier: Kris Wines

It just has "Porter" on the bottle but I've seen the name "Pay the Ferryman Porter" too often for it to be coincidence, it also has a better ring to it. Brewed by the Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos) Brewery as part of the Cerveceria Mexicana breweries Craft beer project. I served this at room temperature. Also, twist top, not expecting that!

Appearance: Jet black with a milk chocolate head that disappears almost instantly into nothing.

Aroma: Smells like honey mixed with balsamic vinegar.

Flavour: Very light on the front with hints of chocolate on the back, very low in flavour

Body: Seems like a beer flavoured soft drink, highly carbonated and very light. It is, however, very smooth.

Aftertaste: This is where the taste comes in with honeyed chocolate malt. This goes with some drinking and a more vinaigrette flavour comes out. Some black olive notes.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 3, almost a 4 as it has some nice flavours but the soft drink characteristics are too hard to get over. Would probably be better served from the fridge (which I should have expected seeing as it comes from Mexico...).

Price Range: £1.99 for a 330ml bottle. Not a bad price but not a great beer, probably wouldn't get it again. However, I would try some of their lighter beers as the flaws in this could be less noticeable in those types.

Food Pairings: A strong salad, such as one with anchovies.

Rams Head

Brewery: Fordham Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Fordham joined forces with another brewery (Dominion) in 2007 and consolidated operations in 2009, thus they share a base of operations. This if Fordham's year round IPA, made with a little rye malt but not enough to distinguish it as a rye beer. The hops used are not rare but not the most commonly use; Bravo, Chinook, and Motueka. This one is a little out of date i think as the date on it is March the 15th 2014; it says that is the bottling date but I bought it on the October the 11th 2013.... I served this straight from the fridge.

Appearance: A peach gold colour with a thin and short-lived white head

Aroma: Honey and hop resin, with some fresh fruits in the back-ground (maybe grapes). Also, some hints of sourdough bread.

Flavour: Fresh and then sweet on the back, no distinct flavours just the skeleton of flavour. Some fresh fruit notes do come with time

Body: Quite syrupy for a beer such as this, especially as the front flavours are so fresh.

Aftertaste: A very hoppy bitterness, too bitter for me, with a soapy note.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 3, good at first but it gets cloying and less enjoyable to drink as time goes by. It is like they have taken a refreshing beer and boosted it so it has lost the drinkability but hasn't got the flavours more commonly associated with a bigger beer.

Price Range: £2.99 for a 355ml bottle, too much for what it is.

Food Pairings: Something strong, spicy, and juicy; like piri piri chicken.

Ond

Brewery: Bevog

Supplier: St Andrews Wine Company

Hadn't heard about this brewery until recently but has been going since 2012 I think, and was ranked third in "RateBeers' best new breweries in the world" in 2013. What caught my eye was the amazing artwork on the bottle (see below), this is an example of care and creativity going into marketing (not just trying to find what sells best). They have a limited range (usually a good sign as it is in restaurants) and this is their Smoked Porter that uses Slovene and American hops. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: An impenetrable black with a large mocha colour head that shrinks but lasts for quite some time.

Aroma: An acrid Marmite like smell mixed with chocolate. There is also a savoury note that is similar to soy sauce.

Flavour: Surprisingly refreshing on the front, this leads to a chocolate and burnt toast taste.

Body: Nice and silky smooth, with perfect carbonation

Aftertaste: Bitterness from the burnt flavour dominates here making it less pleasant, this flavour also clings to your tongue. Some smokey notes and some fresh fruit notes are present (something like apple juice).

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, a good beer technically but too much roasted notes in it.

Price Range: £3.30 for a 330ml bottle, would be a good price for someone who liked these flavours a lot. It is a good beer so I would be keen to get one of their other three beers.

Food Pairings: Something heart and something spicy, maybe like a Chorizo stew.

Doggie Style

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is Flying Dog's Pale ale that is produced all year round. Made with four different hops -  Northern Brewer, Cascade, Simcoe, and Citra - and fermented with their in-house strain of American Ale yeast. It has won multiple awards including silver in the 2010 European Beer Star and the 1999 Great American Beer Festival. I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: More on the amber side than golden with a thin off-white head that lasts.

Aroma: Classic sweet resiny hops on the nose mixed in with copious amounts of honey.

Flavour: Quite watery on the front leading into a dry malt flavour with some perfume hops.

Body: Perfect body for this beer, not too thick that it is clingy and not refreshing, but enough that it doesn't feel like water.

Aftertaste: Develops gradually, leading into a wave of the more grapefruit like hops, and then a nice bitterness

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, a refreshing taste with a nice bitterness, not any strong flavours (good nor bad).

Price Range: £2.19 for a 355ml bottle, good price for a good beer to drink.

Food Pairings: Quite an unassuming beer with a nice bitterness at the back so nothing too strong; bar snacks would go very well with this kind of beer, especially sweet potato fries.

Dubbel

Brewery: The Ticketybrew Company

Supplier: Beer52

This brewery was set up in Greater Manchester not long ago in late 2012. This is one of their core range beers inspired by the Trappist Belgian beers, using a low quantity of hops and lots of dark candi syrup. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: A dark brown colour the turns maroon in the light. There is a thick tan head with an orange hue that thins but lasts for a while. 

Aroma: Dried apricots and the typical spicy Belgian esters, also hints of washing up liquid which is often found in Belgian styles.

Flavour: Quite a savoury note but still quite fruity, a bit like apricots and lamb in cous cous. This is followed by some burnt toast notes on the end.

Body: The bubbles are quite small but there is a bit too much carbonation.

Aftertaste: The flavours are continued in aftertaste, more of that savoury note I'm having a hard time identifying. Also, hints of metal start to develop with drinking.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, that savoury flavour is unique but it is overall a bit rough.

Price Range: Another of the monthly beer subscription at £14 (usually £24) for 8 beers, so approximately £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; Unusual and nice to try but I wouldn't get it again.

Food Pairings: Due to the complexity of the flavours I would pair it with a Moroccan style dish, probably one airing on one with more sauce.

Caterpillar

Brewery: BrewFist & Beer Here

Supplier: St Andrews Wine Company

A collaboration between the Italian brewery BrewFist and a Danish brewery Beer Here, but is brewed and bottled by BrewFist. This regular(?) pale ale is brewed using rye malt and NZ hops. Maybe a little out of date as its best before date was November 2013. I served this chilled.

Appearance: An opaque browny amber colour, with a medium, lasting, off-white head.

Aroma: Classic sweet hop resin nose but maybe with a bit more melon aromas.

Flavour: Not much on the front but then a the melon hops come through along with some apricot notes, backed with a solid orangy malt with hints of pepper.

Body: Decently thick but a bit too much fizz for me.

Aftertaste: A nice clinging bitterness in the back with very subtle bread/malt notes.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, nice display of the slightly different NZ hops with a really good supporting body; even with it being slightly out of date

Price Range: £3.20 for a 330ml bottle, worth the price and would get it again (although I would try getting it in Italy where you could pick it up a bit fresher).

Food Pairings: As it is Italian and the melon and stone fruit flavours shine through, I would pair this with a plate of Charcuterie.

Pale Trail

Brewery: Gypsy Inc.

Supplier: Luvians Bottle Shop - St Andrews

Went back up to St Andrews for a reunion and did some beer shopping at Luvians and St Andrews Wine Company. This is a collaboration brewery between Brewdog and Mikkeller, based in Denmark and brewed at Brewdog in Scotland; this is one of four planed to be released, and one of two already released. More than that I cannot tell you as there seems to be very little on it. The guy at the shop said that one of their aims was to make beers all at 4.7%, but I'm not sure if that is accurate. I served this chilled.

Appearance: Deep, clear amber colour with an thin and fading off-white head.

Aroma: Definitely peach and tropical fruit hops on the nose, with an underlying maltiness.

Flavour: Very light in malt flavour, with a back of flour-like hops (that's right, flour not flower), that give a passion-fruit like note. Hints of more roasted notes come through with drinking.

Body: Odd, not too light or heavy but an unusual mouthfeel, good carbonation though. 

Aftertaste: This leads into a flavour that I can only describe as like dough around Chinese sticky pork buns... 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, I'm making this sound a lot weirder than it is. It's interesting, but basically a hoppy pale ale with limited support from the malt body. Nice, but gets a bit lacking after some time.

Price Range: £2.40 for a 330ml bottle; good price, worth a try, but probably wouldn't get it again.

Food Pairings: Singapore noodles (or Hong Kong noodles if you are in Singapore); some Asian noodles basically would go well, especially some with a little heat.

3.1.6.

Brewery: Grain Brewery

Supplier: Beer52

This is a pale ale  regular of theirs and is made with lager malt and Amerillo hops. They say the name comes from a code that the brewers use that refers to the grade of stainless steel, why they chose this to name their beer I don't know. It says it has been chill filtered by the brewery and I served it slightly chilled (like they suggest).

Appearance: An incredibly crystal clear golden colour with a thick and long lasting airy white head. It also has a very champagne like stream of bubbles.

Aroma: A slightly sour version of that typical hoppy aroma, mixed with a hint of soap

Flavour: A slightly flavourless profile, hints of malt on the front and then hints of sherbet hops on the back

Body: Refreshing body with a bit of a back, too fizzy though, however, the bubbles are small so it is tolerable.

Aftertaste: This hop taste perpetuates into the aftertaste along with a weak underlying sour/bitter note. After some drinking there are some floury notes along with a little bit of an astringent taste.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, good, crisp, nice and not too common flavours and refreshing to drink, but nothing special.

Price Range: Another of the monthly beer subscription at £14 (usually £24) for 8 beers, so approximately £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; great price for a summer beach beer.

Food Pairings: Barbecued Mediterranean vegetables like Aubergine and Zucchini, or maybe Barbecued lettuce with mixed herbs.

Point Belgian White

Brewery: Stevens Point Brewery

Supplier: Beer52

The fifth oldest, privately owned, brewery in the USA with production in the UK (which is where this bottle is from). This is their year-round Witbier made with barley, wheat, and oats. Flavoured with Noble Hallertau and Saaz hops along with Curacao orange peel and coriander

Appearance: A cloudy, pale yellow (not gold) colour with a slightly thick white head that thins quickly

Aroma: A very typical but sweet Witbier nose, with corn, citrus and a floral note present.

Flavour: The corn notes are coming through, but not unpleasantly, with some spicy notes. However, they taste like they are watered down.

Body: Medium body with a solid finish, a bit too fizzy for me, but again that is just my preference. 

Aftertaste: That tangy spice of a witbier.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, its got good flavours but it tastes like a nice witbier watered down. Pleasantly drinkable, but that is it; like flavoured water.

Price Range: After my first Beer52 subscription I got a £10 off voucher, giving me 8 beers for £14 (usually £24), so that would make this approximately £1.75 for a 355ml bottle; good price, would get it if I was going to drink a lot.

Food Pairings: Some salty breaded white fish would go well, or even calamari.