27/6/2019 0 Comments Beer Review - Fat WhiteSonnet 43I love discovering new breweries, and that's exactly what happened with this latest beer. Browsing the shelves at Hop Shop Aberdeen, I came across a rather funky looking beer, with an even funkier name - Fat White. Brewed by a brewery that is totally new to me - Sonnet 43 (S43) from Durham. Fat White is a rather lovely sounding 6% ABV Milkshake IPA, and here's what the brewery have to say about it: "OUR MILKSHAKE ONE – What’s cool for cats, fruity, and pours creamy thick just like milk? This drink. Although milk-like, it’s not really for cats because it’s a proper New England-style IPA made for humans like you. Taking flavours and textures to the max, expect a mango tropical taste with a hint of pine that’s dry-hop heavy but makes bitterness take a backseat. If you lack toes and tolerance, we’re sorry. If not then get your paws on this. One sip and you’ll feel like the cat’s pyjamas. There’s also Carapils malt, oats, a barely named after an Otter (of all things) and aged vanilla beans to enhance the milkshake taste." Milkshake IPA's have been one of my favourite styles of late, so it's safe to say that I was looking forward to cracking this one open! Starting off with the can - because that's what attracted me to this beer in the first place. The colour scheme and the font make this one such a stand out, it is hard not to pick it up! Fat White pours from the can a hazy, dark, golden yellow colour, and in my case, leaving behind a very lively off-white head. In the nose there's bags of passion fruit, orange, citrus, along with a whack of hop resin and you can also get whiff of the thick, creamy lactose. Flavour wise - those juicy fruits are at the forefront with more passion fruit, orange and citrus, along with some mango. These all combine with more bitter, hop resin whilst being laced with creamy, oats and lactose to give this beer a silky smooth mouthfeel and a great finish. This is an absolutely lovely beer. Silky smooth, full of juicy fruit flavours and just the right amount of bitterness - everything you want in a great Milkshake IPA. I really enjoyed this beer. It's fruity, smooth, creamy flavours made it incredibly drinkable, and I would have happily drank another straight after finishing. This beer has also put S43 on the map for me, and I very much look forward to checking out more beers from these guys and if they are anything like this one, then I'm in for a real treat!
Fat White gets 4.5 out of 5 from me 🍻
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20/6/2019 0 Comments Beer Review - Tremendous IdeasCloudwater X Other HalfIt's great when someone gives you a beer...even better when it is a beer of epic proportions! That's exactly what happened when fellow beer, and running enthusiast, Mark Ramsey (aka the_king_of_aberdeenparkrun on Instagram) messaged me on Instagram to ask if I fancied a can of Tremendous Ideas, the DIPA collaboration between brewing giants Cloudwater & Other Half. Needless to say, I said yes. I haven't had a Cloudwater beer on this blog for quite some time (no reason in particular), so I couldn't think of a better beer for them to make their return, in collaborating with Other Half. Tremendous Ideas is an 8% ABV DIPA, and here's the official description from Cloudwater: "Tremendous Ideas was the first collaboration brewed in Manchester with our friends from Other Half back in 2017, and we've revived it just in time for the second edition of their Green City festival. Combining a huge, pillowy body with vibrant citrus and tropical fruit flavours from a selection of punchy, modern hop varietals, this is a smooth and decadent DIPA." I was super excited to try this beer. I'd seen so much hype around it on Instagram, and kudos again to Mark for sorting me out...go and give him a follow if you don't already! Tremendous Ideas pours from the can a slightly murky yellow/orange colour, leaving an almost non-existent head. There's loads of citrus in the aroma, with lemon, grapefruit and orange all combining with a hit of tropical mango pulp and a dose bitter pine. Lovely stuff so far. Those citrus aromas are there at the forefront of your first sip with a juicy tangy assault on your taste-buds before those dank, bitter pine flavours round everything off in stunning fashion. Wow. This beer is so easy to drink, it's sweet, juicy and just bitter enough - there's also little to no carbonation present too. As far as DIPA's go, they don't come much better than this. There's no doubt about it, deciding to brew this beer was a helluva tremendous idea. This was a phenomenal beer, and has easily made it's way in to my top three of the year so far. To be honest, I didn't expect anything else with the level of talent involved. There are two breweries at the top of their game here. I would encourage anyone to seek this out and get their hands on it - you will not be disappointed in the slightest.
Tremendous Ideas gets 5 out of 5 from me 🍻 10/6/2019 0 Comments Beer Review - MultitrackBrewDog x Bearded IrisWhen it comes to collaborations, BrewDog have a habit of making rather excellent ones. The have produced some absolute bangers in recent years, with some of my favourites being Eight-Bit, along with some stunning efforts with Fierce Beer & Cloudwater. So when I learned of their collaboration with Bearded Iris - a brewery I have yet to experience, but I knew plenty of their reputation, I just had to get my hands on it. The beer in question is Multitrack, a 8.5% ABV NEIPA - this beer is right up my street. Here's the official description from BrewDog: "More than a duet, this IPA is set to storm the charts thanks to a high fidelity of hops and a bassline of wheat and oats. Juicy stone fruit, citrus and smooth bitterness broadcast in perfect pitch. Multitrack - Collaboration in the digital age." I had a feeling this beer was gonna be great, and I'd read so much good things about it. I couldn't wait to get it open. Before I get started - just a quick word on the can art. It is such a cool looking label! The simplicity of it, mixed with the colour scheme makes this one really stand out. Multitrack pours from the can a hazy, bright, golden orange colour, leaving a thin off white head behind. Initial aromas are lovely and fruity with pineapple, grapefruit, orange and melon, with a slight grassy backbone and a big hit of hops. Great start so far. Taste is sweet and juicy at the forefront with plenty pineapple, stone fruits and melon that are all laced together with a hoppy bitterness and combine with a beautiful creamy texture from the oats. This beer is very easy to drink - the booze is there, but not too overpowering and the silky smooth creamy mouthfeel just makes it all work. This was a great beer, and I really, really enjoyed it. It was full of amazing flavours, and the oats in there gave it an awesome creamy mouthfeel, making it extremely drinkable. This is another stellar example of BrewDog pulling off amazing collaborations - it is something they do so well. You should get your hands on this beer whilst you can.
Multitrack gets 4.5 out of 5 from me 🍻 |
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