7/5/2018 3 Comments Beer Review - SharknadoNorthern MonkSometimes a beer comes along that is just bat-shit mental. That's exactly what Northern Monk have done here. Teaming up with UK movie distribution company Tribal Films, they have brewed a beer to celebrate the home release of the 5th instalment in the Sharknado movie franchise, titled Sharknado 5: Global Swarming. Sharknado is a 5.5% ABV blood orange & sea salt IPA. Here's the official brief from Northern Monk: "To coincide with the Home Entertainment release of Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, the latest in the comedy-horror-disaster film franchise, UK distributor Tribal Films has partnered with us to produce a limited run of Sharknado themed beer! A Blood Orange and Sea Salted IPA with milk sugar addition for a smoother mouthfeel." Now, I have absolutely no idea how this collaboration came about, and it seems utterly mental...but I love it. It will be interesting to see how this beer compares to other blood orange IPA's such as the mighty Bloody 'Ell by Beavertown. First up, the can looks absolutely awesome - it is basically a movie poster, featuring the lead characters, wrapped around the can.
Sharknado pours from the can a translucent ruby red colour, leaving a slightly pink, foamy white head. The aromas are instantly zesty bloody orange, sweet sugar strawberries & a hint of grapefruit. Taste wise, the blood orange is full on from the first sip; sweet, juicy & ever so slightly sour. It's then all rounded off with the slightest hint of the sea salt - it's there, but it's definitely not overpowering or off putting, it all tastes rather great. This beer is very easy to drink, it has the perfect balance between an IPA & a sour beer that I can imagine would make for perfect summer drinking. Overall, this was an awesome beer that I didn't want to end. For something that could be laughed off as a marketing gimmick, and whilst their beers rarely disappoint, Northern Monk really have pulled it out the bag here. It doesn't quite edge out Bloody 'Ell as my favourite blood orange IPA, but it is still a damn great beer. Sharknado gets 4.5 out of 5 from me 🍻
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Is It Worth It?The premise is simple; three brand new, experimental small batch beers delivered to your door every fortnight, all for £11 including delivery (UK prices). Pretty straightforward right? But is it worth it? That's the real question here. I've been pretty hot and cold when it comes to new BrewDog beers this year, so with six new beers every month...could we start to face some BrewDog fatigue? I certainly hope not, because I do love BrewDog - Elvis Juice & Hazy Jane remain two of my favourite beers to date. I sceptically decided to sign up. I think FOMO (fear of missing out) took over me - BrewDog really have nailed it here with the marketing strategy. I imagine there will be loads of people out there like me, purely signing up because they don't want to miss out. Time to find out of these beers were worth signing up for. The BeersThe beers themselves arrive neatly packaged in a typically BrewDog branded cardboard box. Inside the box, the beers come with a tasting card that details all the tasting notes. As far as branding & packaging goes, it's definitely all pretty cool & eye catching & certainly does the job of making a good impression. Jet TrashFirst up is Jet Trash (v1), a 6.9% ABV West Coast IPA. Here's what BrewDog have to say about it: "A quintessential and super-fresh India Pale Ale flying the flag with a huge payload of US hops on both aroma and flavour backed by a toffee-forward malt base" Jet Trash pours from the can a deep amber colour, leaving a foamy white head. Aromas are citrus; orange, lemon & grapefruit with a backbone of hops & malts. Taste wise there is loads of grapefruits, prominent malts & a good splash of bitterness rounding it all off. I enjoyed this beer, it's a like a baby brother of Jackhammer & I certainly enjoyed it more than Native Son, their West Coast DIPA released earlier this year. 4 out of 5 ZephyrNext up is Zephyr (v1), a 4.6 ABV Citrus-Infused Session Sour. Here's what BrewDog have to say about it: "Brewed with pale malt, wheat, Perle hops and a healthy addition of citrus, Zephyr is a tangy session pale with a pronounced aroma of grapefruit and lime and a juicy acidity on the palate" Zephyr pours a clear amber colour leaving a foamy white head. Aromas are mainly grapefruit & sherbet lemon. Taste is prett much all tangy lemon up front before an overpowering soapy flavour takes over - for me, it really wasn't that nice. I really didn't get on with this beer. Initial flavours were OK, but I found the aftertaste quite unplesant - like washing up liquid or something. 1.5 out of 5 NebulaFinally we have Nebula, a 10% ABV Russian imperial stout and here's what BrewDog have to say about it: "A brand new imperial stout brewed to be a decadent beast – packed with flavours of chocolate, coffee, cinder toffee and roasted malt." Nebula pours a deep oil black, leaving a foamy beige head. Aromas are coffee, brown sugar & some forest fruits. Flavours are quite similar to the aromas - big coffee & chocolate flavours combine with sweet brown sugar & toffee before a jolt of bitterness rounds it all off. For being such a heavy hitting beer, I found it rather smooth & easy to drink. Overall, I found Nebula to be another decent beer. Full of interesting flavours that work well together. 4 out of 5 Overall, I still remain slightly skeptical if Fanzine will prove to be a worthwhile long term investment; whilst Jet Trash & Nebula were decent beers, I really didn't like Zephyr. But I guess I can't be too quick to judge, the premise is they are experimental beers - they aren't going to be perfect. It's certainly a solid start and I look forward to seeing how this subscription evolves.
I've actually paused my subscription after the first week, a combination of Hop Shop Aberdeen having an insane beer haul last week and going on holiday this weekend meant there wasn't enough room in my bank account for all those beers. I do plan to reactivate it after my holiday and seeing what comes next. I'll be sure to keep you updated of future Fanzine releases when they arrive. Have you signed up to Fanzine? What did you think? 18/4/2018 0 Comments Beer Review - IPA KolataEvil Twin Brewing"...If you like Piña Coladas..." Someone at Evil Twin Brewing clearly does, because they have gone and made a Piña Colada inspired beer; IPA Kolata is a 8% ABV IPA brewed with lactose, pineapple and coconut. I spotted this beer on Instagram a while back & and been wanting to try it ever since, so kudos again to Hop Shop Aberdeen for getting it on the shelf. Here's what Evil Twin have to say about it: "Inspired by an iconic tropical cocktail with a twist of what a modern beer should taste like. An IPA shaken up with lactose and with coconut and pineapple added. It’s creamy, fruity, comforting, annoyingly good and basically the epitome of poolside drinking." I love a Piña Colada & I love a good beer, so this should be interesting. First up, the can looks so cool - I'm a huge fan of what Evil Twin do with their can designs, they are usually so simplistic, bold & eye catching. IPA Kolata pours a cloudy golden orange with a foamy white head that disperses quite quickly. Aromas are mostly pineapple & citrus hops along with a touch of coconut & sweetened milk - very interesting aromas.
Taste wise, this beer is pretty much as advertised - loads of pineapple, coconut & lactose alongside more tropical fruits & a touch of bitterness. This beer tastes great, and it is extremely drinkable! It is so smooth & creamy, with very little carbonation - it goes down so well. Overall, this has been one awesome beer. The flavours work so well together, and the creaminess from the lactose makes it so drinkable. I'm hoping to feature more and more beers from Evil Twin Brewing on here as they are such an exciting brewery - the Danish born company are set to open their first every brewery/tap room later this year in Queens, NYC. IPA Kolata gets 4.5 out of 5 from me 🍻 Tiny RebelNext up we have Peaches and Cream IPA by the kings of Wales, Tiny Rebel Brewing Co. I've previously reviewed two of their beers on this blog - Captain Insano & Clwb Tropicana, with both gaining very favourable reviews. So when Hop Shop Aberdeen dropped an issue of their newsletter a couple of weeks ago & I seen the words "Peaches", "Cream" & "IPA" together, I knew this was a beer I had to try. Peaches & Cream IPA is exactly what it says on the label - a 5.5% ABV Peaches & Cream IPA and here's what Tiny Rebel have to say about it: "Does exactly what it says on the tin! Peach flavours from, you guessed it, peaches! The cream comes from sweet, smooth lactose and the IPA from the bucket loads of Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe that compliment the sweet fruit flavours." Tiny Rebel certainly have a reputation when it comes to jamming their beers full of awesome flavours, so I was looking forward to this one. Before we go any further, lets talk about the bottle. Seriously, how cool is the label?! It features "Princess Peach" doing some spray painting and the signature Tiny Rebel Logo.
Peaches & Cream IPA pours a hazy orange colour leaving a creamy white head. The aromas are predominantly loads of sweet, juicy peaches with a touch of citrus. This is without doubt a beer that does exactly what it says on the bottle - on your first sip you are met an awesome juicy peach flavour & load of milky creaminess before coming to a every so slight bitter finish. Wonderful stuff! This beer is extremely easy (and enjoyable!) drinking & could easily see myself enjoying a couple of these in one sitting. Overall, this has been another extremely enjoyable beer from Tiny Rebel. These guys are without doubt one of the most exciting breweries in the UK right now & I can't wait to see what comes next. Peaches and Cream IPA gets 4.5 out of 5 from me 🍻 6/3/2018 0 Comments Beer Review - Soup IPAGarage Beer Co.You know sometimes you get a beer & you just know it's going to be great? Soup IPA by Garage Beer Co. from Barcelona is a beer I've seen doing the rounds for a while now & a beer I've been extremely keen on getting my hands on. So when Hop Shop Aberdeen delivered the goods a couple of weeks ago, I made no mistake on getting my hands on a can. "A big, juicy IPA from Spain's hottest new brewery. This New England style beer is loaded up with hops to give you a burst of juicy, tropical fruit, then as with their US cousins, a delicate malt base makes this silky and delicious on the finish. 6% ABV." It sounds like an utterly fantastic beer...if only I'd known about these guys when I was in Barcelona... The moment you open this beer you are transported to beer heaven. Wow. The aromas are incredible - HUGE pineapple aromas along with mango & orange are backed by the slightest hint of hoppy bitterness. Soup IPA pours a thick, extremely hazy golden yellow with a foamy white head - it looks almost exactly like boozy mango juice.
If pineapple flavoured beer soup is a thing...then this is it...and it is glorious! This beer is outstanding, and one that you simply must try. Garage Beer Co. are well & truly on my radar now, and I cannot wait to see what comes next. Overall, Soup IPA gets 4.75 out of 5 hops from me You can check out the latest updates from Garage Beer Co. on their social media channels: |
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