12/5/2017 0 Comments Beer Review - Old Harbour BeerHermanus BreweryRecently on a trip back to his home land, my South African colleague Rory was kind enough to bring me back a bottle of some local craft lager. The beer in question is Old Harbour Beer, a 4.5% ABV lager by South African based Hermanus Brewery. Here's what the brewery have to say about it: "Brewed in Hermanus with Overberg barley and southern hops. Its golden colour, balanced depth of flavour and smooth finish, make Old Harbour Beer a delicious celebration of our proud Hermanus heritage." Served in 440ml bottles, when opened this beer gives off a light, hoppy, honey like aroma. It pours a light golden amber colour, leaving a small foamy white head.
The resulting taste is a clean, hoppy lager that is full of flavour. A malty, break like profile is combined with a slight citrusy sweetness to give a nice finish with little to no bitterness. Overall, a pretty solid, yet unspectacular lager - certainly more flavourful than most of the big commercial lagers out there. 3 out of 5 hops from me http://www.oldharbourbeer.com/
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9/5/2017 0 Comments Brew Toon BreweryCraft Beer Comes To The Blue ToonIt seems we have new craft brewery in the North East...craft beer has arrived in the Blue Toon! Brew Toon Brewery are a micro brewery based in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. Formed earlier this year, they have spent some time kitting out their HQ with brewing equipment and brewing their first batch of beers. They will also be opening a café bar; scheduled for this month, that will serve cakes, speciality coffees and locally sourced deli food. They currently have 3 beers listed on their website: Loose Cannon - Indiana Pale Ale (4.6% ABV): "Our American IPA is fully loaded with a juggernaut of hops that will send earthquakes crashing through your taste buds. Its strong floral and herbal aromas and sharp grapefruit notes are well balanced by its rich malt base. Its finish is edgy and uncompromising and leaves for an expressive, almost spicy palate... This IPA is a loose cannon!" Raspberry Cannonade - Raspberry Cream Ale (5.0% ABV): "Our Raspberry Cream Ale is jam-packed with locally sourced Scottish Raspberries, combined with a sweet malt base making for a smooth, creamy finish. When you first open the bottle there is an explosion of raspberry aroma...and the blend of citrus hops paired with the raspberries creates an intense palate that really pushes your tart tolerance to the brink!" Weekend Hooker - Lager (5.0% ABV): "Get hooked on our new craft lager! Reinvented with a bold variety of malts and left to condition until the optimum moment to ensure a smooth head with a soft, refreshing finish. Earthy in aroma, expect a full bodied malt character, with citrusy undertones and an assured bitter finish." It's great to see new breweries popping up in Aberdeenshire and hopefully Brew Toon Brewing can follow the trend of producing quality beer.
I'm definitely looking forward to trying out these beers; especially the IPA & the raspberry cream ale. Hopefully Westhill Service Station will get their hands on some 🍻 https://www.brewtoon.com/ Buxton x OmnipolloWhen life gives you lemons...make beer. That's what Buxton & Omnipollo did anyway. Original Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie is a 6% ABV fruit beer, that is described as; "This beer beer sits right between sour and sweet. In my mind it is the closest we’ve ever come to balance. Kettle-soured and brewed with added lactose, it is then conditioned on buckets of lemon juice. Perfect, like lemon meringue ice cream pie." I have previously reviewed Original Ice Cream Pale Ale and found it utterly spectacular, as well as sampling Original Rocky Road Ice Cream at #PunkAGM2017. I can now also confirm that Brewdog DID actually mess up at #PunkAGM2017 - I was DEFINITELY served this twice instead of the Original Ice Cream Pale Ale. I knew it. Not that I'm complaining too much, this is a great beer... Well, this is one zesty little number!
Pouring this into a glass instantly releases the sour, tart, zesty lemon aromas. The beer fills the glass a light, hazy yellow; like a cloudy lemonade, leaving a thin fluffy white head. The first taste is EXTREMELY sour & tart, clearly from the lemon juice, and is the followed up with a nice sweetness from the added lactose. After a few sips, the sourness becomes less extreme and it settles to become a very enjoyable beer. It may seem like a simple sour fruit beer, but I could happily sit and drink a few of these. Although it hasn't quite matched the heights of Ice Cream Pale; a rather special beer, Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie is a great beer that is perfect for a sunny day. 4 out of 5 hops from me 🍻 |
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