Blog & White

“… derived from a traditional Celtic recipe. Wickedly smooth chocolate dominates the flavour…”

I wouldn't call that taste “chocolate”, but rather flowery with something of berries? Anyway, it is slightly bitter and quite good.

Harviestoun Brewery, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. 6.0% alcohol.

“… brewed to an original 1795 Thames Valley recipe, with a very special pale amber malt that is rarely used nowadays, and balanced by a modest addition of English Fuggle aroma hops.”

Very flavourful, quite mild. Very good.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 7.5% alcohol.

“The Crystal malts int the brew give a sweet, nutty character to the beer, whilst the Target, Challenger and Northdown hop varieties, help balance the strong, satisfying dark ale.”

Just another ale, but a good one, not bitter. Contains malted barley.

Fuller Smith & Turner, London, England. 5.3% alcohol.

“For 30 days this honey-hued beer sleeps in hand selected oak barrels, locked inside a bonded warehouse, gradually assimilating the subtle flavours that reside in the wood. Barrels are then emptied and maturation continues for a further 47 days in a marrying tun… Aromas of vanilla and toffee, hints of citrus with a malty, lightly oaked palate.”

Very soft taste, that reminds of whisky and of chocolate mint. Delicious. Made of barley malt.

Innis & Gunn, Edinburgh, Scotland. 6.6% alcohol.

“aromas of dark fruit and a palate boomig with ripe malt and hops followed by a deep port wine finish.”

Very sweet and quite bitter, very strong too.

Frederic Robinson Ltd, Stockport, England. 8.5% alcohol.

“Yet another bummed-out holiday? Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout is liquid consolation. It's a deep, rich, sweetly rewarding stout to take the edge off of that grim family gathering, that cheerless annual festival of alienation. This brew is as dark as it gets, as black as the lump of coal you'll be getting for Christmas. Because, let's face it, you've been pretty bad this year.”

Very sweet and very strong.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 8% alcohol.

“Classic Kentish ale… using the best English Golding hops and only the spring water from a 300 years old well.”

The text on the back of the bottle was in Swedish…

Just another ale, quite bitter.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 3.5% alcohol.

“… fruity English Golding hops and Maris Otter malted barley.”

Just another ale, not bitter. Made of barley and wheat.

Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire, England. 4.2% alcohol.

“Light and golden in colour with wonderful bursts of citrus fruits and an unforgettable hoppyness at the finish.”

Wentworth Pale Ale, a.k.a. WOPPA. Not bad for a pale ale, quite fruity.

Wentworth Brewery, Wentworth, Rotherham, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“Tempered over burning witches”

A funny, attractive label, but it's an ale like many others. Not my favourite. Made of malted barley and wheat.

Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire, England. 4.7% alcohol.

« Brewed using 100% Golden Promise malt, one of the olders varieties of brewing barley. … full-flavoured malt, popular with Scotch Whisky distillers … all the distinctiveness of a fine single malt whisky. »

Neither bitter nor sweet, with a little something that reminded me of whisky (or was my sense of taste influenced by the name?)

Marston's Brewery, Burton upon Trent, England. 4.2% alcohol.

« a unique light golden colour, … a refreshing burst of sweetness on the tongue and … a complex dry finish »

A very sweet smell that reminded me of peach. The taste is quite bitter, and not fruity as the smell would have let it being expected. Made of malted barley and malted wheat.

Okell's Ltd, Kewaigue, Douglas, Isle of Man. 4.4% alcohol.

“Whitstable Bay is brewed using organically grown English barley malt together with the finest New Zealand Gem and Hallertau organically grown hops.”

No bitterness and a taste of ale. Made of malted barley.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 4.5% alcohol.

Slightly bitter, with a perhaps flowery smell and a taste of ale. Made of malted barley and wheat.

Paul Theakston's Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire, England. 4.4% alcohol.

“A traditional English porter finished with honey for a truly unique aroma. … Our beautiful flask-shaped oval bottle is a faithful copy of one produced c. 1770 for Thomas Gerrard of Gibbstown, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. The original is now kept at St. Peter's Hall and is a rare example of an oval Eighteenth Century beer bottle.”

A surprising smell and taste of raspberry and honey. Very sweet and slightly bitter. Made of wheat and barley, contains honey flavouring.

St. Peter's Brewery, Bungay, Suffolk, England. 4.5% alcohol.

The smell reminded me of caramel and of coffee. Sweet and bitter. Made of malt, barley and wheat.

Carlow Brewing Company, Carlow, Ireland. 4.3% alcohol.

« … still brewed in oak casks… classic smooth full flavoured taste… »

A reddish beer, with a slightly flowery smell and maybe a bit of yeast too. Not too bitter.

Marston's Brewery, Burton upon Trent, England. 4.5% alcohol.

« A light coloured beer with a full bodied tasete, the sweetness is offset by a strong hopping rate. This gives the finished beer an over all roundness with very spicy lemony notes and a fine dry finnish to counteract the initial sweetness. »

A quite fruity smell (apple? not really, but I can't put a name on it). Not too bitter.

Okell's Ltd, Kewaigue, Douglas, Isle of Man. 4.5% alcohol.

« Pure, fresh water from an ancient artesian well, the finest Kentish hops and malted barley combine to make this distinctive, typically Kentish, ale. »

Quite bitter, with a taste of… well, ale. I can't put a descriptive name on its taste. I didn't like it that much, actually.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 4% alcohol

“A dark combination of malt and roast with true hop character. Strongly flavoured and well balanced, this is a real old-fashioned stout.”

A very sweet and slightly bitter stout with a strong malt smell and taste.

Titanic Brewery. Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. 4.5 % alcohol.

“Blond in colour, Bitter & Twisted has a superb hop profile, combining the aromatic Hallertau Herbrücker with the spicy Challenger. It's finished by ‘late hopping’

with Styrian Goldings which gives a sharpness like a twist of lemon.”

Quite bitter, but has a smell of peach and a taste that is not unlike bitter orange (rather than lemon IMHO). Contains barley, oats and wheat.

Harviestoun Brewery. Hillfoots Business Village, Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. 4.2 % alcohol.

“Brewed by Camerons at the Lion Brewery in Hartlepool … It has a rounder flavour with a good balance of malt, hops and bitterness and its more distinctive feature is its unique ruby red colour.”

It definitely is dark red, going slightly brown. Its taste is very slightly fruity and quite bitter, with a definitely bitter aftertaste.

Brewed and bottled by Camerons Brewery. Lion Brewery, Harltepool, England. 4.0 % alcohol.

Käytiin eilen iltapäivällä Seppälän Citymarketissa. Kaupassa on iso englantilaisten oluiden valikoima. Ostin yksitoista erilaista pulloa:

• Bitter & Twisted (Harviestoun Brewery, Clackmannanshire, Scotland)
• Black Sheep Ale (Yorkshire, England)
• St. Peter's Honey Porter (Suffolk, England)
• Doctor Okell's India Pale Ale (Isle of Man)
• Okell's Mac Lir (Isle of Man)
• Master Brew (Shepherd Neame, Kent, England)
• O'Hara's Celtic Stout (Carlow, Ireland)
• Marston's Pedigree (Staffordshire, England)
• Camerons Strongarm (Hartlepool, England)
• Titanic Stout (Stoke-on-Trent, England)
• Whitstable Bay Organic Ale (Shepherd Neame, Kent, England)