12/3/2019 0 Comments Torr LagerFresh From the Mountains [GIFTED]There's a new lager in town! Brewed in Insch, Aberdeenshire, under the shadow of the mighty Bennachie comes Torr Lager. Brewed by the team at Beer Story Tor Lager is the latest entry into Scotland's bustling lager scene. The team at the brewery were kind enough to drop off some samples and glasses so I could try this beer out for myself. Named after a torr rock foundation, it is hoped that this lager will help put Aberdeenshire on the map as a premium lager producer. Here's the official description from the brewery: "Torr Lager is a Scottish lager made with pure ingredients and a traditional brewing method to create a golden lager with a crisp and refreshing taste. Our yeast is propagated in water from the mountains, taken from a river that begins in the Cairngorms and flows for over 80 miles through Aberdeenshire before entering the North Sea at Aberdeen. Only 4 ingredients are used in our lager. No rice or corn. No chemicals. No fish bladders. No GMO corn syrup. 100% natural, giving Torr a uniquely malty taste." I've spoken before on this blog about how lager isn't my go to style of beer - but I do appreciate a well made one, and the work that goes into it, so I was intrigued to see what this one was all about. Torr lager pours from the bottle a crystal clear straw colour, leaving a thin white head at the top. Initial aromas are extremely fresh, and refreshing with notes of malts, bread and some fresh citrus. On the first sip, there is an overriding sweetness there, that I can't quite put my finger on where it's coming from - it's not at all a bad thing though. This is then followed up by some crisp, zesty citrus flavours, ending on a slight grassy taste. All in all this beer is light, crisp and refreshing, and the sweetness really sets it apart from a lot of other lagers. Overall, in a week where I've drank a few different lagers; including this, Lost Lager from BrewDog, and the lager that was in the Tiny Rebel box, Torr has definitely been my favourite. I don't think that a lager is ever going to blow me away, but Torr lager is different enough to stand out amongst the crowd in Scotland's lager scene. If you are a lager drinker, then I would 100% recommend giving Torr a try, and even if you're not - I'm sure you will appreciate the work that has gone into it.
Torr Lager gets 3.75 out of 5 from me 🍺
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Three More Beers Put To The TestHere we are with Fanzine Week 4. Following Week 3's roaring success, I had high hopes for this one. Week 3 set the bar pretty high with Pulp Patriot, and I am dubious if they will reach that heights again any time soon. Again, if you are reading this then you are probably familiar with how it all works, but if not - refresh yourself here the BeersThis week we have the following beers:
Definitely an interesting selection of beers there. Obviously the DIPA immediately catches my eye, because I am a sucker for a good DIPA! I'm also interested to check out the lager, especially how it compares to Kingpin, and Indie Pale Ale to a lesser extent. Hop ShopFirst up we have Hop Shop, the 9% ABV DIPA. A good DIPA is usually a go to style of beer for me, and while is was slightly underwhelmed by Native Son by BrewDog earlier this year I had high hopes for this one, especially off the back of Fanzine Week 3. Here's the official description from BrewDog: "This hop-forward big IPA is intense, dank and resinous, with bursts of stonefruit and citrus. Grapefruit and apricot sit on top of a building bitterness, with a honeycomb malt base followed by a dry yet bittersweet finish." Hop Shop pours a deep amber colour, leaving a foamy off white head. Initial aromas are stone fruits, caramel malts & resin. Flavours are grapefruit and some slight peach from the off, strong caramel malts are rounded off by a hoppy resin flavour. There's nothing too overwhelming in there for me, it's tasty enough, but it's certainly no Elvis Juice. Overall, I found this an enjoyable enjoyable enough, yet unspectacular beer. It certainly did more for me than Native Son did earlier in the year, but it doesn't immediately make me want another can of it like Pulp Patriot in Week 3. 3.75 out of 5 English IPAFirst up we have English IPA (Small Batch) which is a 5.2% ABV Retro IPA. I can't say I'm too familiar when it comes to English style IPA's so this was an interesting one for me. "An old school English IPA brewed with the addition of traditional English hops which bring lavender and bergamot to the front of the beer. Supporting the hops is a light biscuit malt flavour, followed by a dry, bitter finish with a touch of warmth." English IPA pours a clear amber colour, leaving a foamy white head. Aromas are zesty citrus, caramel biscuit & floral hops. Flavours are pretty much in line with the aromas; citrus up font, backed with some slight biscuit & an overriding grassy earthy taste. Overall, this was OK. I didn't particularly find it to be anything special. It's not necessarily a bad beer, just not too my taste. 2.75 out of 5 InterstateAnd lastly we have Interstate, a 4.6% ABV Vienna lager. Lager isn't my go to style of beer, and I can't say that I drink BrewDog's flagship lager Kingpin much either. But I was certainly interested to see their take on a European style lager, that's for sure. "A perfectly balanced Vienna-style lager brewed with subtle spicy German hops over toasty-base malts which bring out bread crust and biscuit in the beer, followed by a bittersweet finish." Interstate pours a pale golden colour, leaving a big foamy white head. Aromas are slight citrus, malts & biscuit with a hint of toffee/caramel. Flavour wise, it's pretty similar to the aromas; big malty, biscuity flavours are at the forefront before being rounded off with a crisp, clean, citrus flavour. This is a refreshing take on a proper European lager, and certainly enjoyable to drink. Overall, I found this to be a pretty tasty lager - maybe even more so than Kingpin. If lager is your thing, then this should be right up your street. 3.5 out of 5 So overall, another round of decent enough beers from BrewDog, however, this is going to be my last Fanzine for a while. There is unfortunately just too much good beer to be drinking right now, and I want to be in control of what I drink. Drinking craft beer is an expensive hobby, and I don't want to take the risk that I end up paying for three beers where I don't enjoy two of them.
Whilst I'm not trying to discourage anyone from Fanzine - quite the opposite. I think it's a great service. I just don't think it's quite right for me - someone who wants to handpick the best beer out there, enjoy them, and then review them on here for everyone 🍻 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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