Northern MonkI've had a pretty good experience so far when it come's to ice cream flavoured beers; original & lemon meringue by Buxton x Omnipollo being the prime examples. So when I seen that Northern Monk had released a class childhood ice cream flavoured beer; Neapolitan...I was rather excited. Neapolitan Ice Cream Pale ale is a 6.2% ABV pale ale that has been made in collaboration with York Cocoa House. Here's what Norther Monk have to say about it: "First, it began as a terrible idea. Then, it ended in a terrific result. We're talking about a pale ale brewed to mimic the shades of the classic Neopolitan ice cream with additions of lactose, strawberries, and chocolate sauce. Neopolitan Pale Ale became such a sleeper hit in 2016 that many of the Monks consider it one of the high points of the year as did many of our fans. Its soft creamy mouthfeel and nuanced sweetness are designed to trigger your sweet childhood memories... a reawakening of your inner child by means of a grown up bevy." I've had some pretty good beers by Northern Monk, with Peanut Butter & Jelly Brown Ale a particular highlight...so I was looking forward to this one. Now this is a beer that does exactly what it says on the can.
After cracking it open, vanilla pods and subtle chocolate aromas fill your nose. It pours into the glass a cloudy orange, leaving a thick foamy white head. You get instant ice cream flavours on the first taste; soft creamy vanilla fills your mouth followed by some sweet strawberry and a backbone of chocolate that just for a minute, leaves you thinking that you could be drinking a porter. The flavours really shine through in this beer - they are excellent, there is little to no bitterness and there's almost no trace of the alcohol in there. Northern Monk are onto a winner with this one. It really is like revisiting that childhood classic all over again...except this one is for the grown ups! You should definitely check it out if you get the chance. 4.5 out of 5 hops from me 🍻 https://www.northernmonkbrewco.com/
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6/4/2017 2 Comments Born In The BrewSAJuice Springsteen & The Yeast Street BandI love beer. I also love Bruce Springsteen, he's my hero. So when I was browsing Instagram the other day and came across a can of beer that looked like the Born In The USA album...my attention was grabbed. On closer inspection it turned out to be a beer called Juice Springsteen & The Yeast Street Band. Awesome right? Created by Amplified Ale Works, out of San Diego USA - this canned tribute to The Boss is a 7percent ABV Juicy Oat Pale Ale. Released in pint cans, the incredible artwork pays homage to one of the greatest rock albums of all time. I have a great appreciation for can art. I constantly big up Beavertown and Brewdog for their consistently unique efforts. However, this tops the lot; it's without doubt the coolest can I've ever seen. I don't know much about Amplified Ale Works, and hadn't heard of them before yesterday but I will certainly be keeping an eye on them now.
It's unlikely that I'll get my hands on this beer as I can't see it making its way to UK shores, however if it does I will be sure to shout about it, Springsteen style 🍻 http://www.amplifiedales.com/ 20/1/2017 0 Comments Magic Rock BrewingThe Kings In The NorthLately, I have been enjoying lots of awesome beer from Magic Rock Brewing. They make some seriously awesome beer. Beer that rival some of my favourites by Beavertown & Brewdog. I'm gonna give you a little rundown of some of the beers I have tried. They first came to my attention by seeing some of their cans in Brewdog's bottleshop. Thinking they looked quite cool, I decided to pick a few of them up. Cannonball & Inhaler were the first two I tried, and as my taste expanded, I tried more and more. They definitely provide some of the more interesting beers on the market, with High Wire, and Salty Kiss being prime examples. Magic Rock have a core range of 9 different beers, as well as a HUGE back catalogue of limited releases and collaborations. My local bottleshop, Westhill Service Station do a great job of stocking the core line of beers, and have also managed to get in some of the limited runs & collaborations. So far, I have tried the following beers by Magic Rock: Core Beers:
Without doubt my absolute favourite is High Wire Grapefruit, followed closely by Big Dipper. High Wire is awesome. Grapefruit works excellently in a Pale Ale, with another awesome example being Elvis Juice by Brewdog. High Wire, however, takes the crown for me. If you have never tried a beer by Magic Rock, I would recommend at least trying High Wire Grapefruit, and Salty Kiss...they are both packed full of awesome flavours, and I can guarantee, that will not be the only can of High Wire Grapefruit that you ever have. I have never had a bad beer from them yet. They have also today, announced their first collaboration of 2017 - with The Wild Beer Co. These guys have been doing awesome things lately, and I cannot wait to see what they can do together. Magic Rock were formed in 2011 by two brothers; Richard and Jonny Burhouse and their head brewer Stuart Ross. Within six months, they had built up and excellent reputation and were named 2nd best new brewery in the world, 2012.
In 2015 the brewery moved to a new Brewery in Birkby, Huddersfield, which increased their capacity to 10,000hl PA. Since then, The Magic Rock Tap launched and they did their first run of cans. In early 2016, their capacity increased by a further 100% to a total fermentation capacity of 70,000 litres. You can find out more about Magic Rock in the following places: https://www.magicrockbrewing.com/ https://www.facebook.com/magicrockbrewing/ https://www.instagram.com/magicrockbrewing/ I can't wait to see what they do next 🍻 22/12/2016 0 Comments Beer Review - Ice Cream Pale AleOmnipollo x BuxtonOne four Ice Cream collaborations between Swedish giants Omnipollo & UK based Buxton Brewery; Original Ice Cream is a 4.6% ABV Pale Ale. Described as being a hop laden Pale Ale brewed with oats, wheat, lactose and 1000 fresh vanilla beans, this was one beer I was eager to try! I had previously tried the Lemon Meringue Ice Cream effort between these two on draft at CASC in Aberdeen, which was excellent - so this beer had a lot to live up to. Needless to say, I was not in the slightest bit worried... Well this beer was something special! Pouring from the bottle into a glass, you are greeted with a cloudy yellow beer and a big fluffy white head. There's a big creamy vanilla smell present and again on taste. Vanilla flavours rule the beer, with a sweetness coming from the "ice cream" also and a light hoppy, slightly bitter aftertaste. The flavour here was absolutely nailed, the beer actually tasted like ice cream. It was amazing!
Overall a sterling effort from these two breweries, and I am eager to try the rest of the collaborations:
4.75 out of 5 hops from me 🍻 |
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