Blog & White

“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.

“Brewed with Marris Otter barley, English Goldings & Fuggles hops using the unique Brakspear Double Drop system that provides a robust second fermentation stage”

It's definitely a bitter, quite light in alcohol. Contains barley malt.

Brakspear Brewing Co., Oxfordshire, England. 3.4% alcohol.

“We have matured this specially brewed Innis & Gunn beer for for 107 days, with every single drop spending equal times in both American oak barrels and barrles which previously contained rum. the result is a beer with a fruity, spicy character”

Very soft taste, that reminds of nuts and cake. Delicious. Made of barley malt.

Innis & Gunn, Edinburgh, Scotland. 7.4% alcohol.

Fruity smell, maybe peach or something. Only slightly bitter, not bad. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 3.9% alcohol.

“If Maris Otter malt is the body of uour beer then hops are its spirit. Each year we choose our hops not just by farm but by individual garden and time of harvest. One older variety, Challenger, and one new, Boadicea, used as unprocessed whole leaf hops.”

Just another ale. Contains malted barley.

Ridgeway Brewing, South Stoke, Oxfordshire, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“A very clean, pale brimstone-coloured beer. East Kent Goldings, Pioneer Tettnang and Saaz hops.”

Flowery smell, very light and efficiently thirst quenching. Just what I needed after sauna. Contains barley and wheat malts.

Hop Back Brewery, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. 4.2% alcohol.

“Organically grown barley malt is difficult stuff to brew with. Unpredictable at best. Organically grown hops are a different matter. Harvests are poor, the hops often look terrible, but their brewing quality can be spectacular! Perhaps it's like grapes and terroir – The plants that have the toughest time produce the most flavour.”

Smells very nicely, but the tastes has something of a cold ashtray. Contains malted barley.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 4.3% alcohol.

“crystal malt and roast barley… hand cradted… using Britain's last remaining direct-fired open coppers.”

Sweet and with a hint of some kind of red fruit. Contains malted barley.

Caledonian Brewery, Edinburgh, Scotland. 4.1% alcohol.

“A nutty richness derived from a blend of pale and crystal malts is balanced with a dryness from the use of three hops: Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles. The aroma has a hint of spirit…”

Just another ale. Contains barley and wheat.

S.A. Brain & Co. Ltd., The Cardiff Brewery, Cardiff, Wales. 4.2% alcohol.

“sweet like California raisins, but bitter and pungent like a freshly peeled grapefruit”

I'm not sure about the raisins, but the smell has something of grapes, the taste is a bit grapefruity and quite bitter. Contains barley.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 4.7% alcohol.

“Brewed with a blend of Golden Promise and Optic malts […] Fuggles, Willamette and Styrian Golding whole hop flowers […] dry hop flavours, with hints of fresh citrus and a floral finish”

Very flowery smell, yeasty taste, moderately bitter. Contains wheat and barley.

Caledonian Brewery, Edinburgh, Scotland. 4.4% alcohol.

Tastes mostly of lemon, very sweet, with a faint hint of beer. Contains barley malt and rice.

Cobra Beer Ltd., London, England. 4.1% alcohol.

« bière de fermentation spontanée au vieux et jeune Lambic de Lembecq mûri en futs de chêne… emploi exclusif de vraies cerises. »

Fort goût de cerise avec un fond de bière, pas trop sucré.

N.V. Brouwerij Boon, Lembeek, Belgique. 4% d'alcool.

“malt undertones… spicy hop aroma from Styrian Goldings.”

Very flowery, otherwiswe just anoher ale. Contains mallted barley.

St. Peter's Brewery, Bungay, Suffolk, England. 4.3% alcohol.

“session ale with the distinctive aroma of citrus hops. A blend of Pale, Lager and Crystal malts supplemented with torrefied wheat, Progress, Mount Hood and Styrian Golding hops.”

Quite bitter, smells of citrus, with a bit of imagination. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“sweet biscuit and subtle fruit flavours, with a hint of chocolate bitterness.”

Fruity, but slightly too bitter, maybe. But chocolate? Contains malted barley.

Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“a palate rich in malt and fruit, … bitter finish. Pale and Crystal malts, supplemented with torrefied wheat, honey, Fuggle, Progress and Mount Hood hops.”

Slightly bitter, but not too much, and very fruity smell. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“brewed using a blend of Pale and Crystal malts with Fuggle and Progress hops.”

Strange smell, almost like red wine. Slightly sweet taste, maybe notes of red fruits. Contains malted barley.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“A pale golden potion with delicate red hues, Wychcraft has a heady burst of fresh citrus aroma derived from three infusions of Styrian Goldings hops.”

Flowery, slightly bitter. Contains barley malt.

Wychwood Brewery Co. Witney, Oxfordshire, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“UK's newest and […] most energy-efficient brewery… lightweight bottle, ingredients locally-sourced from the east of England… Light golden beer, subtle citrus and grassy hops aromas… UK's first Carbon Neutral Beer”

Slightly bitter, yet just another ale. Made of Maris Otter malted barley, Boadicea hops.

Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk, England. 4.3% alcohol.

Very flowery, not bitter. Contains malt and roast barley.

Guinnes & Co., Dublin, Ireland. 4.3% alcohol.

Very nice flowery smell, but otherwise tastes just like any other pale ale. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 3.9% alcohol.

Smells like bitter cocoa, tastes very sweet, roasted and something spicy. Made of barley malt.

BrewDog Ltd., Fraserburgh, Scotland. 8.0% alcohol