Windsor and Eton Brewery Canberra

Windsor and Eton Brewery Canberra

Style: New World Commonwealth Ale

Alcohol Content: 4.0%

From: Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Purchased From: Brew shop

Windsor and Eton Brewery was founded On the 1st March 2010, St David’s Day. It took them a mere 53 days to get the brewery open and brewing. Their first beer was called Guardsman Best Bitter which went on sale on St Georges day 2010. Since that day the brewery has gone from strength to strength. In 2012 they brewed three new lines to celebrate the queen's diamond jubilee. These three lines are called tree tops (a stout), Kohinoor (IPA) and the subject of this review Canberra (amber ale infused with maple syrup). All three lines have been a roaring success and have helped put this brewery on the map. I must say at this point that i am a big fan of this brewery. So keep up the good work!

And now a little history lesson. As you read above, this beer was brewed to commemorate the queen's 60 years on the throne. On that fateful day back in 1952, a British Canberra jet took the BBC footage of the coronation over to Canada. It was the first time that Canada had seen footage of the coronation the same day that it had taken place. Truly amazing given the time period. Lesson over, time for the review.

Colour: On the pour you will notice the glass will be filled with a dark brown liquid. A rich luxurious white head white head will join the beer in the glass. Damn this beer looks good enough to eat. As the drink will settle to rich chestnut brown with a small amount of foam.

Aroma: As the beer is poured you are bombarded with warm spicy notes with hints of sweet molasses. It's a lot like hot sweet chestnuts that you can buy from the Christmas market stalls.

Body: This drink is quite rich and sticky. This stickiness can be felt on the back of your throat as it covers it with every sip. The stickiness comes from the small amount of maple syrup that has been mixed into every batch. Normally, I am not a fan of sugary products being mixed with beer but this really works. There is an amazing but subtle inter play between the sweet maple syrup and the bitterness from the hops. Truly something special.

Taste: The beer is subtly sweet and sticky to taste. The bitterness of the hops helps to cut though the sweet maple syrup. There are a lot of flavors on display in this beer. You can pick out notes of spiced orange, ginger, cocoa, fruit cake and cloves. It's a bit like Christmas in a glass. It's a perfect drink to have in the autumn while you watch the rain fall outside.

Sweet to the bone

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Windsor and Eton Conqueror Black IPA

Windsor and Eton Conqueror Black IPA

Style: IPA

Alcohol Content: 5%

From: Windsor, Berkshire, England

Purchased from: Windsor and Eton Brewery Market Stall

So last weekend England played Scotland in the rugby (England won 38-18 if your interested). When England scored there first try, the camera panned over the crowd. Most of the crowd where drink Greene King IPA or Guinness (I know this as i go to Twickenham to watch the rugby myself). Then it dawn on me, I have a hybrid of these two beers sitting in my beer cupboard. So i ran to the cupboard and moved the Conqueror Black IPA to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Luckily England where conquering Scotland by this time, so when i opened this brew and i was on a high. The badge design is based on the shield used at the battle of Hastings by William the Conqueror who subsequently founded Windsor Castle in 1075. Now it has been used to represent England with the three Lions.

Windsor and Eton Brewery was founded On the 1st March 2010, St David’s Day. It took them a mere 53 days to get the brewery open and brewing. Their first beer was called Guardsman Best Bitter which went on sale on St Georges day 2010. Since that day the brewery has gone from strength to strength. In 2012 they brewed three new lines to celebrate the queens diamond jubilee. All three lines have been a roaring success and have helped put this brewery on the map. I must say at this point that i am a big fan of this brewery. So keep up the good work!

Time to enter the darkside

Colour: Jet black. This is the first black IPA i have ever drunk so i have high hopes for this beer. On the pour you get a nice thick white head and the drink looks very much like a stout. The dark colour come from the use of five different malt including Chocolate, dark Crystal, Carafa and Smoked malts.

Smell: On the nose you are hit in the chops by citrus and mango notes. This comes from the Summit and Cascade hops. There is also a faint smell of freshly cut grass and chocolate from the dark malts used in this brew. The smells are much richer and deeper than most IPA's. So far this beer has got me very excited. My two favorite styles of beer; IPA and Porter seem to be contained in this one beer. Yippee!

Body: Light but also quite rich (if such a thing exists). The body is very similar to an IPA, but after the first sip you realize your drinking something a bit heavier. This is a very confusing beer. If you where expecting a pure IPA, then you are not going to get it . This is a classic example of what the UK does best; mixing it up to make it more interesting.

Taste: This is a very complex beer as it's really a hybrid of styles. As soon as you take a sip you get the taste of sweet crisp citrus fruits. Then you are bombarded with a rich malty finish. This finish is a bit like having a dark chocolate coated hobnob. There is also the faintness bitter in the after taste which helps to cleanse the pallet. Very nice indeed!

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