Glastonbury Ales Thriller Rare Cappuccino Porter

 Glastonbury Ales Thriller Rare Cappuccino Porter

Style: Porter

Alcohol content: 5%

From: Glastonbury (Somerton), Somerset, UK

Purchased from: Brew Shop

Last weekend, I took a trip to visit my Grandparents in Somerset. They live around fifteen minutes away from Glastonbury; the site of the famous music festival. As the big supermarkets now tend to stock more regional ales, it was the perfect excuse to get some new brews. In total i came home with 15 different ales. I think my poor Nan thinks i have a drinking problem (that was was a interesting conversation to have). As part of my trip i really wanted to visit the brewery at Glastonbury ales. Over the past few years, my dad has been bringing back some of there product to try and i have always wanted to meet the team behind the beer.

I got to the brewery on a very wet Saturday morning where i was greeted by owner Paul. I began looking at the range they had on offer when Paul over heard me talking to my Dad about how i was not to keen on one of their beers. Paul asked me why i didn't like it and i told him that one of their amber ales was to bitter for my tastes. I then explained that this could of been due to the temperature i served it at. I learnt the hard way not to drink ales straight from the fridge. For about 20 minutes myself and Paul chewed the fat about the craft brewing industry and i ask what his plans were for 2013. His mission was simple: expand into London. As i live near the city, i offered him some help and advice. In return Paul gave me a bottle of Hedge Monkey to try. (Thanks mate!) I also brought three different beers from Paul; The Mystery Tor, Love Monkey and Thriller. All of which will naturally appear on this blog. (Aren't you luck!)  As i have yet to review a Porter, i though that Thriller would be a good place to start. So onto the review. 

Thriller Night?

Colour: Black as your hat (which is actually the name of one of Glastonbury's other brews). If you hold the glass up to the light, you can not see thought it. In my eyes, that a sign of a good porter. On the pour you get a light brown head which will stay with you throughout the drink. 

Smell: On the nose you get a big hit of Coffee. The coffee smell comes from the roasted malts and ground coffee beans the brewers at Glastonbury add during the brewing process. You can also smell hints of dark chocolate. As i was drinking this with my old man, i asked him his opinion. He described the smell as "nutty". I'm not entirely sure how he got that from this drink but each to their own.

Body: In the glass you can see that this porter is quite thick. It looks very rich and luxurious. Now since i have been drinking craft beers, i have come across only a few drink which have a body similar to Guinness. As a fan of the black stuff, i was thrilled to see that this porter had a similar body. On the palate, the drink is very smooth and creamy due to the low levels of carbonation in the bottle. This is a beer that you can take your time over. Perfect for those cold evenings by the fire. 

Taste: Since i have been writing this blog i have learnt not to take a large first sip. The first sip should be one where you can get to know the character of beer. Explore real flavors so to speak. So when i had my first sip of the Thriller, I was pleased to say i was blown away. It was like drinking a black Americano with a lovely milky latte finish. The beer is so rich and satisfying that you always want to go back for more. However, the drink is surprisingly light compared to Guinness and you will not feel bloated after a session. Quite frankly this beer has entered into my top 5 beers of all time (so far). I just wish that i could get it down here in West London. Pull you finger out craft brew pubs!

Proper Job!

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