Redchurch Brewery Soreditch Blonde

Redchurch Brewery Soreditch Blonde
Style: Blonde

Alcohol Content: 4.2%

From: Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom

Purchased From: Beer Boutique, Putney

https://theredchurchbrewery.com/

Everyone loves a good blonde. Both literally and figuratively.

Redchurch brewery started life back in August 2011 after being founded by ex solicitor Gary Wood (I'm starting to see a rising trend of ex legal employees entering the brewing trade here). Based in Bethnal Green, East London, this small brewery currently brews three times a week and spends the other two hand bottling. Like many London based breweries, red church have a small tap room which opens every Thursday evening at 6.30pm.

Colour: Pours a bright sun bright yellow complimented with a brilliant white head. This head will fizz down to a light dusting after five minutes but it will linger in your glass for the entire duration of the beer. If you hold the beer to the light, you will notice that there is a slight hazing as the yeast slowly settles in the glass.

Aroma: I generally find that blondes are very delicately scented, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that Soreditch Blonde bucks this trend by launching a full frontal assault on your nostrils. A light infantry of grassy notes land early on the palate to help capture the key taste buds. Soon after, the howitzers of oranges and lemons open up to pummel the beaches until the earthy GI notes storm forward to relieve the bridgeheads. Top stuff!

Body: Just like a game of  football; this is a beer of two halves. Firstly this beer is extremely light and refreshing due to the soft carbonation that tickles the back of your throat on every sip. However, as the drink rises to room temperature, the body begins to develop into something slightly creamy, almost akin to a Weiss beer. This morphing causes the drink to clog slightly on the tongue and eventually leaves your mouth feeling as dry as the Sahara desert.

Taste: Full of fresh lemon which are perfectly complimented by soft delicate elderflower. The lemon flavouring adds a tart, sour edge to the after taste which dries your mouth out. As I eluded to above, the characteristics of this beer change as the drink warms. Hints of creamy cereal and spicy coriander begin to reveal themselves encouraging you to drink more. What I find most remarkable about this beer is that all of these complex flavours come from the use of Warminster maltings paired with the Classic European Saaz hop and the US Chinook hop. Sometimes it's simple ingredients that can provide remarkable flavours. A real surprise (just like Everton signing Romelu Lukaku for £28 million. Chelsea, what are you thinking!!!)

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/nogne-o-blonde.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/sambrooks-brewery-no5-barleywine.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Blanche De Bruxelles

Blanche De Bruxelles

Style: Wit Beer

Alcohol Content: 4.4%

From: Quenast, Rebecq, Belgium

Purchased from: Beer Wall, Bruges, Belgium
http://www.brasserielefebvre.be/en/page/3/home

If you live in the UK, no doubt that you would of heard that the river Thames broke its banks last night and flooded the surrounding area. Whilst this is no surprise given the amount of rain we have had over the previous months, it does however impact the lives of people living in the area. My office has been noticeably quieter today, as more and more employees choose to work from home. It times like these that make me feel grateful that my friends and family are safe. For those that know me well, I live close to Staines Upon Thames and my grandparents live in rural Somerset. Both these areas have been greatly affected by the recent floods, but luckily they are far enough away for the water to cause any meaningful damage. But with this in mind, I dedicate this blog entry to those that are not so fortunate. My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

The origins of the Lefebvre brewery, located at Quenast (in the Brabant region of Wallonia, the French speaking district of Belgium) in the valley of the Senne, goes back to 1876. In this year, Jules Lefebvre, gamekeeper, farmer, inn keeper and brewer, inaugurated his new brewery. Pubs were opened around the neighbouring porphyry quarries so that the numerous workmen, made thirsty by stone working, could come to refresh themselves. Even in 2014, the brewery is still a family affair with no less than six generations have passed though the brewery over time. They have expanded and diversified to include lines such as Belgian Framboises and the subject of this review, the famous Blanche De Bruxelles.

Colour: Pours a bright yellow will a dense brilliant white head. The head will slowly dissipate down to a heavy dusting of foam in the glass. It looks like a Classic Belgian wit beer, good start!

Aroma: A beautifully sweet, lemon meringue like nose with underlying biscuit and a little floral touch from the Styrian Goldings and Hallertauer hops. Coriander and orange peel added during wort boiling lends a slight but unobtrusive spiced nose. As the drink warms, the tart lemon intensifies followed up by hints of creamed wheat.

Body: A smooth medium body that will slightly clog the back of your throat. This is due to the addition of wheat, curaçao orange peel and coriander during the creation of this beer. The mouthfeel is one of pure silk which leaves you wanting more and more.

Taste: The initial flavour is almost like lavender, until the citrus re-asserts itself. The flavours of tart lemon can initially overpower the palate until the creamed wheat finish silkily washes the mouth. The additional curaçao orange peel and coriander blends perfectly with the mild hops to round of this drink. Perfect for any fish much like these salmon noodles Emma cooked for me. Yum yum!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/nogne-o-blonde.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/tiny-rebel-full-nelson.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Urthel Hop-It

Urthel Hop-It
Style: Blonde Belgian Style India Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 9.5%

From: Ruiselede, West Flanders, Belguim

Purchased From: Bruges, Belguim

http://www.urthel.com/en/home.htm

Hildegard (Odette) Overmeire began brewing in 2000 alongside her husband Bas van Ostaden. The cheeky chap that appears on their bottles is called Urthel and his adventures in the fantasized world of the Erthel legends.  Urthel beers are brewed in the Koningshoeven brewery in Ruiselede, West Flanders. Whilst in Bruges this October, I saw a number of Urthel beers on sale. Seeing as I could not bring them all back, I decided to go for Hop-It, a blonde Belgian Style India Pale Ale with a whopping 9.5% ABV. From memory, this will be the second strongest beer I have ever tried. Let’s hope that I survive to tell the tale.

Colour: This drink pours a bright, straw yellow topped with a bubbly white head. Be careful not to pour this drink too quickly, as the foam will rise out of the glass.

Aroma: Big upfront notes of freshly cut straw will present themselves straight away. These playfully mix with warming coriander notes, that will sting your nostrils with every sip. Rather unfortunately, these aroma completely die away after just a few minutes in the glass.

Body: Very similar to the Duvel and the Alken-Maes Judas i reviewed earlier this year, this is a drink of two halves. The first, is a light, heavily carbonated drink that has a similar mouthfeel to Champagne. The second could not be any more different. A sticky, almost BBQ sauce like sensation will coat your throat on every sip. A very strange sensation that's for sure.

Taste: Wooo! The alcohol will hit you straight away and can be extremely overpowering to the uninitiated. After picking myself off the floor, i braved another sip. Strong notes of crisp hay and grass are present on the palate. If you swill the drink around your mouth, a sticky, sweet lavender honey porridge can be tasted. Perfect for those cold winter nights! As the drink naturally warms, the ale will assume these sticky characteristics in the glass. For me, it needs a little bit more to make it not just another heavily hopped Belgian IPA. Alken-Maes' Judas, is a much better example of this style.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/alken-maes-judas.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/ommegang-hennepin.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Nogne O Blonde

Nogne O Blonde

Style: Blonde

Alcohol Content: 4.5%

From: Grimstad, Norway

Purchased from: UtoBeer, Borough Market, London, United Kingdom
http://www.nogne-o.com/ 

Nøgne Ø is an independent brewery, founded in 2002 by Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun in Grimstad, Norway. Nøgne Ø was founded late in 2002 by Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun. The brewery name, Nøgne Ø, is old Danish for "Naked Isle". It was selected from a well-known 19th century Norwegian poem called Terje Vigen by Henrik Ibsen, who worked for a time as an apprentice pharmacist in Grimstad.

The brewery does a range of beers, including an amber ale, which is a 6% abv semi-dark ale using Chinook hops, and a 4.5% abv bitter using East Kent Golding hops. In all, 32 varieties are made as of January 2009. In 2009, about 50% of the production was exported to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, USA, Canada, Australia and Japan.

Perhaps the most sought after beer from this brewery is called Dark Horizon 1st Edition, which was a Gold winner at the World Beer Cup 2008 in San Diego, California for the category of "Other Strong Ales." It is a Russian Imperial Stout with an abv of 16%. Nøgne Ø's Porter got a silver in the category "Robust Porter".

O this is going to be interesting!

Colour: Pours a bright, fizzy yellow. It reminds me of my girlfriends hair in some ways. A big, bushy, foam head is created once first poured into the a glass. This dissipates very quickly and leaves no foam in the glass. Another feature of this beer is that the liquid is actually completely clear.

Aroma: As soon as you pop the cap, you will be presented with hints of spicy cloves mixed with notes of freshly cut straw. Once settled in the glass, fruity notes of mandarin, apricots and peaches rise from the glass. These are held together by a sweet lavender honey perfume.

Body: For a blonde beer, this drink actually feels quite heavy in the mouth. The body is very malty and it will not feel very sticky in your mouth. For me, this beer feels more like a saison rather than a blonde. Very easy to drink which makes it a great beer to compliment salads or fish dishes.

Taste: On my first sip, I actually thought that I was drinking a Weiss beer. Hints of cloves and banana swam over your taste buds. The second sip is where the beers true character lies. Coriander and citrus notes will being to reveal themselves. Also, like a Weiss beer you can pick out the notes of the fresh yeast used to create this beer. The aftertaste is something to be desired however. It is quite acidic or metallic, like a corked wine. For me, this unfortunately spoils my experience.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/adnams-southwold-spindrift.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/magic-hat-brewing-number-9-not-quite.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Robinson's Dizzy Blonde

Robinson's Dizzy Blonde

Style: Golden Zesty Ale

Alcohol Content: 3.8%

From: Hillgate, Stockport, UK
Purchased from: Morrison's

Robinson's is a family-run regional brewery founded in 1838 by William Robinson at the Unicorn Inn, Stockport, England. The brewery is now called the Unicorn Brewery. Robinson's brewery was founded by William Robinson at the Unicorn Inn, Lower Hillgate, Stockport, on 29 September 1838. It continues to be run by the fifth and sixth generations of the Robinson family. The company took over the Hartley brewery in 1982, closing down the Ulverston plant in 1994 and transferring the Hartley brands to the Unicorn brewery. Robinson's have acquired a number of other breweries over the years, including John Heginbotham, Stalybridge (1915); T. Schofield & Son, Ashton under Lyne (1926); Kay's Atlas Brewery, Ardwick (1929) and Bell & Co, Stockport (1949).

The brewery supplies its own estate of just over 360 public houses, mostly in North West England, but including more than 30 in North Wales; it also sells to the free trade. In addition, the company provides casking, kegging and bottling services to other brewers from its site at Bredbury, a short distance from the main Unicorn Brewery.

On the front of the bottle you are greeted with an image of a very buxom blonde named Peggy. Peggy is very reminiscent of the ladies the America bomber crews, used to paint on their planes during World War Two. As a keen reader of military history, this image drew me straight to the bottle.

Colour: This beer is a beautiful golden yellow with a ever so slight brown hue. On the pour you get a glorious white head that unfortunately disappears after a couple of minutes in the glass. The beer is also very heavily carbonated. Perhaps that is why they call it zesty? This beer is really going to tingle on the way down I can already tell.

Aroma: When you first wake up and fancy some breakfast, what would you go for? If you are like me, you may reach for marmalade on toast. This beer ouzes orange marmalade notes with hints of freshly cut grass. If you sniff deeper you can pick up a few herbal notes like the warmth of ginger and the crispness of dill.

Body: This ale is extremely light and refreshing. The bubbles will tickle your throat all the way down. This is a very easy to drink beer. Dizzy blonde started life as a seasonal summer ale and as it was so popular Robinson's decided to brew this beer all year round. I can certainly see why as it will refresh you after a long hard day at the office. Time to get busy with the fizzy as soda stream would say.

Taste: So we come to the most important element of the review. The tasting. First thing I noticed about this beer was that it was not overly flavorsome  You really have to think long and hard about the flavors that come from this beer. But, I like a challenge so here we go. Just like on the nose you get a lovely citrus orange taste that contains warming ginger notes. This taste comes from the Amarillo hops used in the making of this beer. These hops give of the taste and aroma that is best described as flowery, spicy and citrus-like with a distinct orange bouquet.

Sweet Peggy Sue!

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