Alken-Maes Judas

Alken-Maes Judas

Style: Golden Ale

Alcohol Content: 8.5%

From: Waarloos, Kontich, Belgium

Purchased From: Brought back from Calais by my Friend Jon

http://www.alken-maes.be/fr

Alken-Maes was created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes located at Kontich-Waarloos and Cristal-Alken located at Alken. Both had specialized in pils (Maes was producing Maes pils and Alken Cristal pils) until Maes purchased the Union brewery (based in Jumet) in 1978, which produced Grimbergen beer among others.

After the merger, the group continued to purchase other breweries to expand their offer to a larger panel of beers. In 1989, the new brewery purchased a 50% stake in De Keersmaeker brewery, which specialized in spontaneous fermentation beers such as Mort Subite. In 2000, it bought Ciney and Brugs Witbier as well as the other 50% of De Keersmaeker.

In the same year, the brewery was bought by British company Scottish & Newcastle, which in turn was bought by the Carlsberg/Heineken consortium in 2007.

Rising from the depths of hell?

Judas was first brewed in 1986, probably as a Golden Ale that could compete with the highly successful Duvel  beer made by its rival, Moortgat Brewery. The similarities in title, label and goblet are evident. Can this drink live up to its devilish name? Lets find out.

Colour: From the bottle, this drink pours a bright golden colour with a thick white head. The head will dissipate slightly but it does stay around for the duration of the drink.

Aroma: Slight hints of lemon mixed with sweet lavender honey. There are also lovely spicy aromas that burn the nostrils slightly if you hold the glass close to your nose.

Body: Very light  mouthfeel for such a potent drink. Once poured into the glass, the drink will fizz up rapidly due to the high level of carbonation. This then dies down very suddenly to leave a very smooth liquid which when drunk, slides down very easily.

Taste: The overwhelming taste is that of wholemeal bread mixed with fresh lemons. This lemon sensation can be quite sharp so be careful if you take a large gulp (I did, and it was not a pleasurable experience). This beer has a slight sour ending due to the pre mentioned lemons mixed with freshly cut grass notes. As the drink warms, the strength of the alcohol become more apparent and the beer takes on whiskey like qualities. Slight hints of peat move to the fore of the flavour profile. That being said, the drink is not as potent as the the Duvel I reviewed earlier in this blog. It tastes like a more refined version of the original strong golden ale. Just be careful the drink doesn't stab you in the back with the alcohol content!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/duvel.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/kernel-brewery-ipa-columbus.html

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Adnams Southwold Spindrift

Adnams Southwold Spindrift

Style: Golden Ale

Alcohol Content: 5%

From: Southwold, Suffolk, England, UK

                                                                Purchased from: Tesco

Adnams PLC is a British regional brewery company founded in 1872 in Southwold, Suffolk, England, by George and Ernest Adnams. The company produces cask ale and pasteurized bottled beers. Annual production is around 85,000 barrels. The Sole Bay Brewery in Southwold was purchased in 1872 by George and Ernest Adnams. The company was incorporated in 1890, and has remained independent since then, producing a range of beers for distribution mainly in East Anglia. The Adnams family was joined in 1902 by Pierse Loftus and his brother Jack, and Adnams still has members of each family on the board, with Jonathan Adnams as chairman and Simon Loftus as a non-executive director.

In 1993, Adnams Extra won the Champion Beer of Britain, an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale at the annual Great British Beer Festival. Adnams remains committed to brewing cask ale and operating non-themed pubs.Cask ale is available in all its 70 pubs, and it supplies more than 1000 other outlets direct. New fermenting vessels were installed in 2001-3 to cope with demand, and the brew house was completely re-equipped in 2006-7, making it one of the most energy efficient in Europe.At the beginning of 2004, Adnams purchased land in neighboring village of Reydon to expand its business with a new distribution center designed by architect Jeremy Blake, which was nominated for the 2007 RICS East of England Award for Sustainability. Adnams was awarded a Queen's Award for Enterprise in the sustainable development category in 2005.

For his review we will be delving into the world of Spindrift. One of the unique characters about this beer, is that it comes in a dark blue bottle. It is certainly the only beer that I'm aware of that comes packaged like this (let me know if anyone knows any more). The Spindrift is also heavily themed to show of the East Anglia Swash. So lets dive right into the sea and pull out a review!

I Can See the Sea Dad!

Colour: Very pale brown colour very similar to good quality Czech lagers such as Staropramen or Kozel. On the pour you get a small white head which stays for about two minutes and then leaves the joint. You are left its a small amount of foam to enjoy. The delicate foam reminds me a lot of the wash off the sea on a Weymouth beach in summer. Ah I reliving my youth just by looking at the beer.

Aroma: On your first sniff you will be blasted with sensuous pineapple and kiwi notes. It really invites you into this beer but unfortunately these fresh fruity smells die away after some exposure to the atmosphere. Smelling the beer again you will pick up sweet hop and hobnob biscuit notes. This beer has many delicate layers to it, that subtly interplay to give you a beautiful aroma sensation.

Body: I'm starting to think that every beer I seem to review is light and refreshing, so I'm going to try an expand my vocabulary. When you have your first sip you will notice that this beer is quite robust. It's actually a little bit heavier than it looks. The mouth feel is not clingy but you will notice that takes a little longer than say a lager to leave you.

Taste: This beer is mildly sweet on the tongue with a refreshing crisp finish which cuts though the sweetness leaving your thirst quenched. Whilst drinking this beer I could taste hints of white grape or kiwi mixed with cashew nuts. Odd mix I hear you cry, but it really works an the flavors compliment each other very well. You are also left with a slightly mineral notes at the end which really help cleanse you palate. I first tried this beer a couple of years ago in a a cocktail bar in Richmond called B@1. After drinking far to many Tennessee Iced Teas, I elected for a beer. Thinking I would be served some standard lager, I was extremely pleased to be offered a Spindrift. It was a great break from the overly sweet drinks. If you are new to craft beer, give this drink a go and you will be sailing the seven seas in no time.

Message In The Bottle?

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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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