London Fields Brewery Love Not War
Style: Red Ale
Alcohol Content: 4.2%
From: Hackney, London, United Kingdom
Purchased from: Nobel Green Wines, Hampton Hill, United Kingdom
http://londonfieldsbrewery.co.uk/
London Fields brewery is a brewery based in the London Fields area of Hackney East London. The brewery was founded by Julian de Vere Whiteway Wilkinson (longest name ever!) and Ian Burgess around the same time of the devastating London Riots of 2011. Like most London based craft breweries, they set up home in some railway arches (either these arches are extremely cheap to rent or the brewers are secret train spotters I can't tell). The brewery has flourished during the past four years thanks to the success of their six core beers and array of seasonal offerings. However, clouds seem to be gathering on the horizon as in late 2014, co-owner Julian was arrested for suspected tax evasion. Fingers crossed this all gets straighten out and the brewery can look forward to a bright future.
Here I will review one of London Fields Core beers called Love Not War. This beverage has an interesting story behind it as it was initially first brewed whilst the brewers where barricaded in due to the London riots. With those steamy, danger driven days behind them, the team at London Fields emerged with a peace offering to the people of Hackney. A hoppy red ale which they aptly named Love Not War. Let's see if it will calm my nerves after a difficult day at work shall we?
Colour: Pours a warming reddish brown topped off with a off white head. The head soon dies down to a generous dusting of foam that lingers for the duration of this beer.
Aroma: As soon as you pop the cap your nostrils will be bombarded with heady notes of pine and sweet caramel toast. As the aromas settle, hints of summer fruits and crush hob nob biscuit begin to shine though. All smells very tempting I must admit.
Body: This beer is surprisingly deceptive. The level of sweetness provided by the taste should translate to a relatively thick mouthfeel. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Love Not War feels rather thin in the mouth and is more thirst quenching rather than full bodied. Perfect, after a long summers day at work, but not one for those short, cold nights in January.
Taste: As soon as this beer hits your tongue, the upfront notes of caramel malts will provide a moorish sweetness which begs you to drink more. As the beer slides towards the back of your palate, hints of pine, grass and pineapple begin to shine though eventually leaving you with a finish that is oily on the tongue and mildly bitter. As a fan of Meantime's Yakima Red, I was hoping this beer would match the perfect blend of malts and hops that Yakima Red provides. Sadly, this beer does not quite meet these standards as I personally feel it's a little to thin on mouthfeel. However, that being said the low ABV allows Love Not War to fall into the category of a session beer which I would certainly return to before the next Arsenal game.
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