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

Siren Craft Brewing Liquid Mistress Red IPA

Siren Craft Brewing Liquid Mistress Red IPA
Style: Red IPA

Alcohol Content: 5.8%

From: Finchampstead, Wokingham, UK

Purchased From: Utobeer, London Borough Market, UK

http://www.sirencraftbrew.com/

Siren Craft Brewery is a relatively new comer to the beer industry. Set up in 2012 and named after characters in Homer’s (not Simpson) Odyssey, the brewery currently produces four core beers alongside seasonal specials. Based out of Finchampstead near Reading, the brewery is already planning for the future by brewing an Anniversary beer (barrel aged in 7 different oak barrels)  and a stout involving meal worms (not sure how much I enjoy that idea). Since Siren’s launch, there has been a great deal of buzz amongst the beer blogging community due to the quality of their output. After reading several articles, I was rather pleased to find my girlfriend had brought me Siren’s Liquid Mistress for Christmas.  With great excitement, I transferred the bottle straight to the fridge to have it later that night. So let’s see if I have found my next mistress.

Looking very tempting

Colour: Like a witches potion, this beer pours a murky dark red with a dusting of fizzy foam. The yeast from the bottle conditioning helps to add lighter red swirls to this thick, magical brew. It’s almost like the liquid mistress is beckoning  me into her lair of sin.  Could this be the Jessica Rabbit of craft beer?

Aroma: Big bold tropical notes of passion fruit mixed with subtle hints of peach. These are playfully mixed with a heady blend of sweet sugary caramel and dry German rye bread.

Body: Medium body with a slight clogging on the back of the throat on each gulp. The carbonation is very soft and reminds me of a fine champagne.

Taste: A delightful blend of invigorating pink grapefruit and lychee with after notes of biscuit and rum soaked raisins. These distinct flavour profiles juxtapose each other brilliantly. The citrus fruit will cleanse your palate before the malty depth of the biscuits comes into play.  All these flavours mellow as the beer warms, causing a sensation of honey tinted bitterness to reveal itself from the depths of the glass. Quite frankly, this drink is magical and could topple Meantime’s Yakima Red as my favourite beer. Well done Siren, Well done indeed.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/stone-brewing-company-levitation-ale.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/goose-island-honkers-ale.html

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

Hitachino Nest Beer Red Rice Ale

Hitachino Nest Beer Red Rice Ale

Style: Red Rice Ale

Alcohol Content: 7%

From: Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

Purchased From: Purchased from: Real Ale Shop, Richmond-Upon-Thames
http://hitachinonest.com/

Kiuchi Brewery (木内酒造) is a brewery in Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1823 and produces beer, sake, and shochu. Its products combine European beer-making technology with traditional Japanese brewing techniques; for example, its XH Hitachino Nest Beer is matured in shochu casks.

The Kiuchi Brewery was established in 1823 by Kiuchi Gihei, the headman of Kounosu village. His family were in charge of collecting rice from farmers as land taxes for the Mito Tokugawa family. He began his brewing with the idea of using the remaining rice stores in the warehouse. At this time the family brewed exclusively Sake. Mikio Kiuchi inherited the brewery in the 1950's. By the autumn of 1996, the Kiuchi Brewery started to brew beer under the brand "Hitachino Nest Beer" with their own unique owl character logo.  

So this is the first beer that i have reviewed from Japan and am very excited about it. I have always wanted to travel to Japan since taking a sociology module at university on Japanese history and culture. The only thing that has stopped me going has always been the cost. maybe one day i can convince Emma to take me. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. 

Colour: On the pour you will be presented with a beautiful pale copper ale, that if you hold up to the light, you will able to see a slight red hue. There is a bubbly white head with will dissipate to a light covering after five minutes.

Aroma: Notes of strawberries and raspberries present themselves instantly. Due to the high level of carbonation in the glass, you can also smell some of the carbon dioxide.

Body: I have now been reviewing beers for almost a year and during this time, I can not remember a beer more heavily carbonated as this Hitachino Nest. It is almost like a fizzy Fosters lager. Luckily, this does not translate into the body. The body is rather reminiscent of a bitter, nice and creamy which makes it extremely easy to drink. This type of body must be created from the red rice that is used in the brewing process.

Taste: The first thing you will taste will be the rich strawberries which are then cut through by a zesty lime. The aftertaste is an amazing mix of creamy rich pudding mixed with slightly sweet burnt caramel. Very tasty! This drink is not very bitter but you can certainly taste the alcohol, so if you buy some, drink it slowly.

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

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/williams-bros-fraoch-heather-ale.html

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