Blog & White

“ruby-red beer, floral and fruity, with notes of violets, cherry, toffee and caramel… hints of roasted malt, with a biscuit malt and spicy hop finish.”

Fruity yes, cherries maybe, the violets I haven't found. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

Sinclair Breweries Ltd, The Orkney Brewery, Stromness, Orkney, Scotland. 4.0% alcohol.

“malt body… passion fruit hop”

The first sniff reminded me of litchi, but after that it was just another ale. Quite bitter, it seems to be a characteristic of this brewer. Contains barley.

BrewDog Ltd., Fraserburgh, Scotland. 4.1% alcohol

“Traditional malts and English hops… delicate, fresh, grainy after-taste.”

Quite strong hop flavour. Contains malted barley.

St. Peter's Brewery, Bungay, Suffolk, England. 4.7% alcohol.

“Kentish hops and East Anglian malting barley”

Just another beer. Contains barley.

Meantime Brewing, London, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“tribute to the Vikings and their cultural legacy in Orkney… roasted malt aroma, bitter chocolate, dark roasted coffee and smokey notes balanced by hints of spicy Goldings hop… chocolate, toast and nut flavours… spicy hop finish.”

Definitely chocolatey and coffey, only slightly bitter. Quite nice. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

Sinclair Breweries Ltd, The Orkney Brewery, Stromness, Orkney, Scotland. 4.0% alcohol.

“aromas of tropical fruits, bitter-sweet mouthfeel and a lasting hop presence”

Very fruity smell (and kind of flowery too), not too bitter. Very nice. Contains barley.

Crouch Vale Brewery, South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“A black beer brewed with dark roasted barley malt and challenger hops. Freshly ground arabica coffee beans are then added…”

Yep, it definitely tastes like coffee. Contains barley malt.

The Dark Star Brewing, Partridge Green, West Sussex, England. 4.2% alcohol.

Just another pale ale, not bad, not too bitter and slightly flowery. Contains barley malt.

Timothy Taylor, Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. 4.1% alcohol.

“fermentated in ‘stone Yorkshire squares’… almost opaque, silky and smooth textured ale with a complex medium-dry palate and bittersweet finish”

Just another stout, quite good, not too strong. Contains malted barley, roasted malt, oatmeal.

Samuel Smith's, Yorkshire, England. 5.0% alcohol.

“Belgian style Wheat Beer… aromas of coriander and lemon”

Smells like vegetable stock, probably due to the coriander. Not my favourite. Contains barley malt and wheat malt.

Little Valley Brewery, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“a black Porter style beer… a blend of malted barley, oats and roasted malts”

A bit flowery smell, slightly sweet taste, otherwise just another ale. Contains malted barley and oats.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 5.6% alcohol.

“fruity nose… spicy notes… hoppy finish”

Quite bitter, as always with Shepherd Neame, otherwise nothing special. Contains barley malt.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“English Fuggles hops, dark malts and smoked malts… aromas of roast coffee, chocolate and vanilla… palate of roast chestnuts, caramel and molasses”

Slightly sweet, slightly bitter, vaguely coffee-ish. Contains malted barley.

Meantime Brewing, London, England. 5.4% alcohol.

“traditional Scottish recipe from the 1800s… triple blend of malts…”

Strong, sweet, very malty, almost a taste of dried fruits. Contains malted barley.

Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd., Dunbar, Scotland. 7.0% alcohol.

Quite sweet, tastes kind of like strawberries after eating vineagar chips. Otherwise just another lager. Contains barley malt.

Intoduff S.L., Santiago de Compostela, Spain. 4.7% alcohol.

“brew with Scottish peated whisky malt, English pale ale and roasted malts and boil with onlu whole leaf Goldings hops.Querkus is then cold matured over pieces of old French oak barrels. The flavours from the toasted wood then slowly seep into the beer. Bottle conditioned beer”

Definitely smokey and roasted. Contains barley.

Ridgeway Brewing, South Stoke, Oxfordshire, England. 4.5% alcohol.

Quite flowery, otherwise just another ale. Contains malted barley, wheat.

Lancaster Brewery, Lancaster, England. 4.1% alcohol.

“Crisp with a full bouquet of spices, fruit and floral aromas. Smell: coffee, roasted malt, smoky. Taste: dark chocolate, molasses.”

Quite bitter, too roasted, almost burnt. Contains malted barley, wheat.

Lancaster Brewery, Lancaster, England. 4.6% alcohol.

“When Nelson was killed at Trafalgar, his body was preserved in a cask of brandy during the long trip back to England. Legend has it that thirsty sailors snuck drinks from the brandy cask carrying Nelson's corpse. This gave rise to the phrase fo illicit drinking: Tapping the Admiral. Smell: toffee, spicy, roast; Taste: brandy, sweet, rich”

Strong hoppy smell, quite bitter, but less than other beers from the same brewery. Contains barley malt.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“session strengh ale… flowery and fresh, with very well developed hop characteristics”

Smells a bit like oranges. Tastes terrible after eating a piece of Gruyère. Contains malted barley.

Fuller, Smith & Turner, London, England. 3.5% alcohol.

“hoppy flavour and aroma with a citrus bite”

Just another ale. Contains malted barley.

Joseph Holt Limited, Cheetham, Manchester, England. 4.3% alcohol.

“subtle undertones of honey. Brewed with a blend of English malt, Mexican aroma honey and citrus flavoured whole hops”

Just another ale, with a faint aroma of hoeny. Contains malted barley.

Joseph Holt Limited, Cheetham, Manchester, England. 4.1% alcohol.

“dark, rich and hoppy ale… Founded by Joseph Holt in 1849 the brewery has remained in the family for five generations.”

Just another ale. Contains malted barley.

Joseph Holt Limited, Cheetham, Manchester, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“Black malt enriches the colour and gives a toast flavour whilst Brown malt gives it dryness.”

Slightly bitter, I'm not sure about the toast flavour, it's rather coffee-like. Contains malted barley.

Sovereign Beverage Company Ltd, Blackburn, England. 4.6% alcohol.

“Organically grown English Barley Malt & whole leaf Target Hops”

Fruity, hoppy. Contains barley malt.

Wychwood Brewery Co. Witney, Oxfordshire, England. 4.7% alcohol.

Mild taste. Contains barley and wheat.

Coors Brewers Ltd, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“malted wheat and German Hallertau hops. Fermented with a special Belgian yeast to give a European style Wheat Beer”

I'm not sure I would have identified it as a wheat beer, but then again I'm not a specialist. Pretty ordinary, slightly bitter with a metallic taste. Contains barley and wheat.

St. Peter's Brewery, Bungay, Suffolk, England. 4.7% alcohol.

“golden beer with a soft fruit flavour and a bit of sweetness”

Just another ale. Contains malted barley.

Daniel Thwaites, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. 4.1% alcohol.

“chestnut beer… a full malt flavour, a dry bitter finish and prominent hop aroma”

Quite strong malt flavour. Otherwise not so interesting. Contains malted barley.

Daniel Thwaites, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. 4.4% alcohol.

“…fruity, moderate bitterness and spicy. Hooky Gold marries English tradition with american pizzazz – it is the first of our beers to use an American hop – Willamette, together with English Fuggles and Goldings.”

Very flowery smell, but got boring near the end of the glass. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Hook Norton Brewery, Hook Norton, Oxon, England. 4.2% alcohol.

Nice malty taste, slightly sweet, reminds me a bit of Innis & Gunn, only less strong and less sweet. Contains malted barley.

Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd., Dunbar, Scotland. 4.2% alcohol.

“A gathering of ingredients from around the world: Hops fr the Czech Republic and the U.S, Belgian pilsener malt, German yeast, and Scottish water… citrusy lager.”

Slightly citrusy, yes, and a nice smell of I-don't-know-what. Contains malted barley.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 4.7% alcohol.

“Brewed using malted barley and wheat, it has a recognizably beery flavour although it contains NO hops. We use loads of fresh root ginger, some lemons and a small amount of organic cane sugar along with the malts.”

Beery flavour maybe, but it's sweet and mainly tastes of ginger. It's also hot like ginger.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 3.8% alcohol.

“The tayberry is a cross betwen a raspberry and a blackberry, originally grown in the Tay valley region of Scotland. Roisin (pronounced Rosheen)… distinct, delicate fruit aroma”

Tastes of raspberries, not much of malt or hops. Contains malted barley.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 4.2% alcohol.

“First brewed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory and affectionately named after an old MG car used as a factory runaround: The Owld Speckled Un.”

Just another ale, not bad. Contains malted barley.

Morland Brewing, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. 3.5% alcohol.

“Continental hops from Slovenia and Czechoslovakia hops… bottled to celebrate Concorde's final flight back home to Filton, Bristol… Citrus, floral hop”

Bitter, just another ale. Contains wheat and malted barley.

Butcombe Brewery, Bristol, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“English Fuggles hops…”

Flowery and fruity smell, bitter and with that strong, unidentified taste I've often found in Lagers. Contains malted barley.

Butcombe Brewery, Bristol, England. 4.7% alcohol.

“A light ale from a mix of barley and wheat malts and English hops. Pale Crystal and Amber malts, malted wheat; Fuggle, Progress, Challenger and Cascade hops with Styrian added late.”

Quite bitter, very flowery, I found a hint of strawberry when emtpying the glass. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 3.8% alcohol.

“full bodied, golden ale… malt and hop flavour complemented with a bitter sweet finish with distinctive hop aroma”

Very flowery, reasonably bitter. Very good. Contains barley malt.

Frederic Robinson Ltd, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. 4.3% alcohol.

“chocolate, liquoice, roast malt and fruit notes. Pale, Crystal and Black malts, Fuggle and Progress hops.”

Neither sweet nor bitter. Not bad, but just another dark ale.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 4.0% alcohol.