Blog & White

“A traditionally crafted beer, infused with mixed bramble berries”

Very sweet and fruity, smells more like strawberry than bramble berries, verging on tasting too much like fruits. Contains barley malt

Wychwood Brewery Co. Witney, Oxfordshire, England. 4.2% alcohol.

“We use the term lager/IPA hybrid because we cold ferment this beer with a classic lager yeast. The initial fermentaion takes at least 2 weeks, after which we lager (store) the beer at zero degrees for a minimum of 4 weeks, during which period we add a chock load of classic IPA style hops”

Quite sweet and slightly bitter, rather fruity. Contains barley and wheat.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 4.1% alcohol.

“American Chinook hops… citrus flavours and aroma… grapefruit bitterness”

Very fruity, but also quite bitter. Smells more like apples to me than citrus. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Buxton Brewery, Buxton, Derbyshire, England. 3.6% alcohol.

“malt flavours and citrus, orange zest and tropical fruit aroma, fresh orange and grapefruit taste… Cornish Gold and Maris Otter malts… Fuggle, Willamette and Styrian Golding hops”

Very fruity, barely bitter, quite good. Contains malted barley.

St Austell brewery, St Austell, Cornwall, England. 4.2% alcohol.

“English malted barley and wheat, European hops…”

Just another ale. Contains malted barley and wheat.

T&R Theakston Ltd., Masham, North Yorkshire, England. 4.1% alcohol.

“peach and melon flavours”

Very sweet, smells definitely like peach, not sure about the melon though. Contains malted barley.

Hall & Woodhouse Ltd., Blandford, Dorset, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“Prior to the 1850s many Scottish coastal alehouses brewed their own ales using local malted barley grown on fields fertilized with seaweed. We have recreated the unique flavour of this traditional ale with the inclusion of fresh seaweed, Bladder Rack, which is taken fresh from the water on the Argyll coast and masehd in witht he malted and roasted barley. Kelpie is a rich, chocolate ale with an aroma of fresh seabreeze and a distinctive malty texture.”

Kind of chocolatey, but I can't really find the seaweed in the taste. Contains malted barley.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 4.4% alcohol.

“chocolate malts giving rise to hedgerow fruit, espresso and liquorice”

Quite strong, sweet, coffeeish and with a chocolate aftertaste. Contains barley malt, oats and wheat.

Black Isle Brewery, Black Isle, Highlands, Scotland. 7% alcohol.

“using Hersbrücker Lager hops…grapefruity tastes. Hops: Challenger, Styrian Goldings and Hallertau Hersbrüker.”

Quite flowery and a bit bitter. Quite nice, but not extraordinary. Contains barley and wheat.

Harviestoun Brewery, Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. 4.8 % alcohol.

“fresh and tangy flavour and a light, citrus aroma”

Just another ale. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

Hooker Brewery, Roscommon, Ireland. 4.3% alcohol.

“aromas and tastes of light bitter lemon, hints of subtle herb spiciness and a long hoppy finish”

Very strong first whiff of flowers (kind of honeysuckle?), quite bitter but very nice nonetheless. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Thornbridge brewery, Bakewell, Derbyshire, England. 3.5% alcohol.

“light biscuit palate… frsh, grassy aroma”

It reminds me a bit of apple juice, otherwise just another ale, not bitter at all.

Black Isle Brewery, Black Isle, Highlands, Scotland. 4.5% alcohol.

Just another ale. Contains malted barley.

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

“classic country ale… First Gold are dwarf hops that grow in log hedgerows… hints of orange and spice from the hop”

Orange? maybe, not really convinced. Bitter but not too much. Just another ale.

Hall & Woodhouse Ltd., Blandford, Dorset, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“pithy bitterness, malty backbone and lemon and lime aroma”

Quite bitter (but reasonnably so); the first sip tasted a lot like lichi in my opinion. Contains malted barley.

Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“sweet nutty palate, hoppy aroma and a hint of Seville oranges”

Just another ale, but quite good. Contains malted barley.

Hall & Woodhouse Ltd., Blandford, Dorset, England. 4.4% alcohol.

“a blend of traditionally crafted beer infused with Cider Apples”

Smells good, very sweet, even too much. But it has this I-don't-know-what taste I don't like in some styles of beers, and mixed with the over sweetness, it made me a bit queasy.

Wychwood Brewery Co. Witney, Oxfordshire, England. 4.2% alcohol.

“Fugles and Challenger hops plus a blend of 4 local barley malts… dark chocolate cream stout… bittersweet aftertaste”

Defintely chocolaty, and with a hint of the strange fruity taste found in the the brewer's Honey Porter beer. Oddly, the aftertaste sometimes (but not systematically) reminds me of a cold ashtray.

St. Peter's Brewery, Bungay, Suffolk, England. 6.5% alcohol.

“a combination of five different malts, some heavily roasted for a near jet black appearance… red berry notes, toasty aromas and a dry, bitter finish.”

Just another stout, tastes clearly of roasted malt, but red berrys? Contains malted barley.

Fuller, Smith & Turner, London, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“thrice hopped with three types of hop… Goldings and Cascade combine to provide a citrus-grapefruit and floral aroma, while First Gold carries the bitterness… match with roast lamb and spicy Thai dishes”

Very flowery, only slightly bitter, overal quite good. Contains malted barley.

Hall & Woodhouse Ltd., Blandford, Dorset, England. 4.4% alcohol.

“Hops are added late in the brewing process… refreshing citrus aroma and flavours… pairs best with light flavours such as white fish and cheese”

Very nice, flowery smell, with a hint of fresh bread. Contains barley malt.

S.A. Brain & Co. Ltd., The Cardiff Brewery, Cardiff, Wales. 4.7% alcohol.

“hint of ginger and citrus”

Not as heavily sweet and gingered as other ginger beers, this one is even slightly bitter. Contains barley malt.

Little Valley Brewery, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“Crystal malt and whole flower hops”

Just another ale, malty and not too bitter.

Black Isle Brewery, Black Isle, Highlands, Scotland. 4.2% alcohol.

“straw coloured ale brewed with cascade hops adding a flinty, grapefruit aroma”

Just another ale, quite bitter. With a bit of imagination, you can taste the grapefruit. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Black Isle Brewery, Black Isle, Highlands, Scotland. 4% alcohol.

“beer infused with root ginger… spicy finish”

Very sweet, clear taste of ginger. Very nice. Contains barley malt.

Wychwood Brewery Co. Witney, Oxfordshire, England. 4.2% alcohol.

Falvoured with ginger, paprika, lemon, veronica, juniper berries and yarrow.

Not a real beer, but a real ginger ale. Tastes clearly like ginger and a little bit “medicinal” too, but in a good way.

Fentimans Ltd, Hexham, Northumberland, England. 0.5% alcohol.

“blend of malted wheat and barley, Saaz hops”

Yet another pale ale, but closer to the kind I don't like very much. Contains malted wheat and barley.

George Gale &Co. Ltd, Fuller's Brewery, London, England. 3.8% alcohol.

“A limited edition seasonal stout brewed with cocoa nibs and ginger stems”

Tastes like Finnish piparkakku. The ginger is very obvious, but somehow the cocoa is not very clearly present. I wouldn't be surprised if there would be also cloves in the recipe. Contains barley malt.

BrewDog Ltd., Fraserburgh, Scotland. 4.7% alcohol

“brewed with Maris Otter malted barley and hoped with Willamette and Celeia leaf hops”

Quite nice, sweet and a bit fruity. Contains malted barley.

Moles Brewery, Melksham, Wiltshire, England. 4.4% alcohol.

“Chestnut coloured, gruity, malty, well hopped bitter… brewed with English Maris Otter malted barley, some roasted barley and Fuggles and Golding Variety hops.”

Just another ale. Contains barley.

Moles Brewery, Melksham, Wiltshire, England. 4.7% alcohol.

“brewed with pale and crystal malts with a touch of roast barley. The hop additions are Challenger for bitterness and Styrian for its floral citrus aroma.”

Quite sweet, not too bitter. Not convinced about the floral citrus aroma, I found it had more of a kind of a very fresh red fruit nuance. Contains barley and wheat.

Harviestoun Brewery, Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. 4.5% alcohol.

“A classic red ale; brewed with large amounts of crystal malts, which give the beer a warm, red colour. Lots of whole hops – Cascade and Bobek – add a citrusy, hoppy aroma.”

Not bad, quite sweet and fruity/citrusy. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 4.3% alcohol.

Smells strongly of litchi and a bit of passion fruit. Also quite bitter and terribly strong in alcohol. Contains malted barley.

BrewDog Ltd., Fraserburgh, Scotland. 9.2% alcohol

“citrus fruit, apricot and hop-resin aromas… malt character… hoppy, zesty approachability”

What the hell is approachability? Anyway, the beer's quite citrusy, but the after-taste has this I-don't-know-what I don't like in Germanic lagers. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

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

Roasted, coffe-ish, both sweet and bitter. Contains barley (dark/light) malt and oats.

Wells & Young's Brewing Company Ltd, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. 5.2% alcohol.

“British ale malt, continental lager malt, German and Slovenian hops… crisp, refreshing attack and a lingering fresh green hop flavour.”

Slightly bitter, nothing really remarkable. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

Sinclair Breweries Ltd, Atlas Brewery, Kinlochleven, Lochaber, Scotland. 3.9% alcohol.

“gently roasted barley malt… ruby color and toasted flavour… light fruitiness”

Just another ale. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

Sinclair Breweries Ltd, Atlas Brewery, Kinlochleven, Lochaber, Scotland. 4.2% alcohol.

“toasted and biscuit-like malt aromas with spicy, resinous hop notes… biscuit malt and spicy citrus flavours… crisp, dry hop bitterness”

Just another ale, with maybe a hint of bitter almond. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

Sinclair Breweries Ltd, The Orkney Brewery, Stromness, Orkney, Scotland. 3.8% alcohol.

Quite bitter, otherwise just another ale. Contains malted barley.

Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk, England. 4.1% alcohol.

“Light version of the traditional IPA. Whitens is steeped with Cascade hops… floral aroma with hints of spice, citrus and orange”

Most probably the same as Little Valley's Withens IPA.

This time, I could easily notice the hint of orange in the taste. Contains barley malt and wheat malt.

Little Valley Brewery, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England. 3.9% alcohol.