Stone and Wood Pacific Ale

Stone and Wood Pacific Ale

Style: Pacific Ale

Alcohol Content: 4.4%

From: Byron Bay, Australia 

Purchased From: Utobeer, London Borough Market, London

http://stoneandwood.com.au/

So wind and rain is still pounding daily against window. Whilst everyone else is busy complaining about the gloomy weather, I reach for the fridge to gain a little drop of Australian sunshine. Here is my review of Stone and Wood Pacific Pale ale. Now this is actually the second time I have sampled this little drop of sunshine. The first was just over a year ago in the Old Red Cow in London after a hard days SAS training. After hours upon hours of regression analyst, this ditty really brighten up my day. Let's see if she still got it.

Brad Rogers and his business partner established Stone and Wood during the recession of 2008. After many years of working in the brewing industry, they decided to shed the corporate garbage and get back to basis. After setting up their brewery in Bryon Bay, the partners in crime have continued to go from strength to strength whilst still enjoying the beautiful beaches and surf. 

Colour: Pours almost like a pilsner, a brilliant bright yellow with an ever so slight clouding. A light dusting of foam will linger throughout the duration of the beer.

Aroma: Full of summer ripened mangoes cut through with zesty citrus notes from the galaxy hops. What I really like about this beer is you can as smell very fait traits of vanilla. This helps to add a sweetness which really sets it apart from some pale ales on the market today.

Body: Extremely light and unbelievably refreshing. The very soft carbonation helps to create an almost juice like beer that will not clog your throat. Whether you are in Byron Bay or Skegness this drink is perfect for the beach.

Taste: A heady mix of sweet mango and pineapple dominate the palate. The use of pale malts help to add a real depth of sweetness, whilst the blending of galaxy hops provide sweet citrus notes to cover the mild bitter finish. As the drink warms, a slight grape acidity reveals itself. What a little ripper!!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/bad-seed-brewery-south-pacific-pale-ale.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/skinners-heligan-honey.html

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

Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Style: Urbock

Alcohol Content: 6.5%

From: Bamberg, Franconia, Germany

Purchased From: Purchased from: Utobeer, London Borough Market
http://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html

Schlenkerla is a historic brewpub in Bamberg, Franconia, Germany renowned for its smoked Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier.

Schlenkerla roughly translates as "Dangling". Schlenkern is a German verb meaning to swing or to dangle. The -la suffix is typical of the Franconian dialect. The name reportedly originated with a previous brewmaster of the brewery who possessed a hobbling gait. An image of this hobbling brewer can be seen in the designs on the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier bottle.

Schlenkerla are world famous for using an old fashioned smoking technique which involves drying the grain over an open beech wood fire . Thus it is unavoidable that smoke penetrated the malt and to give a rich smoky flavor. So as it's been awhile since I reviewed a beer from Germany, and from reading around on various blog sites, this drink comes highly recommended. Um eine gute Gesundheit. Prost!

Smoking Hot?

Colour: This beer pours a dark brown almost black colour. You will notice a light tan or almost butter like head, which at first is very thick a creamy looking. This then slowly melts into the glass leaving a light dusting in the glass.

Aroma: Ok, I admit it, this is the strangest beer I have ever smelt!! Extremely rich smoky bacon or pancetta notes rise up from the glass and washes over your nostrils. It's like you're eating a bacon sandwich or a meat platter. The smell is so intense that it will stay with you even if you leave the room.

Body: In the glass the drink looks a lot like Guinness, but in the mouth it's far lighter. The smoky richness of the malts also translates to the mouthfeel. The smoke will cling to the back of the throat will every sip. This can be a little overpowering at first, but you do get use to it.

Taste: As I mentioned earlier about the nose, the primary flavour of this beer is smokey bacon. This taste comes from the smoking of barley malts over beech wood logs. The flavour is then intensified by a long maturation period of three months. There is a slightly creamy after taste which is created by the deep malt sweetness of the barley. At 6.5% ABV, you would expect to taste some alcohol, but due to the intense smoking this is very well hidden.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/flying-dog-gonzo-porter.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/camden-brewery-pale-ale.html

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

Kernel Brewery IPA Columbus

Kernel Brewery IPA Columbus

Style: IPA

Alcohol Content: 7.2%

From: London Bridge, London, England, UK

Purchased From: Utobeer, Borough Market
http://www.thekernelbrewery.com/

Since the brewery was founded in 2009 by Evin O'Riordain, word has gradually spread of the remarkable beers the 36-year-old Irishman and his colleagues Chrigl Luthy and Toby Munn are making in their tiny brewery tucked away under a railway arch just outside London Bridge. Restaurants such as the Michelin-starred Chez Bruce, Hawksmoor and Pied à Terre now stock his products, and beer bars such as Shoreditch's Mason and Taylor have made The Kernel the beer of choice for the capital's younger beer-lovers.

Now I will admit that I have heard a hell of a lot of good things about this brewery. It seems that everything they touch turns to gold. So seeing as this is the first time that I have tried anything of theirs. I'm very excited to bring you my review of the Kernel IPA Columbus.

Colour: On the pour you are presented with a lovely light chestnut brown beer. Holding the beer closer to the light you can see a slight yellow hue. There is a beautiful white head in the glass which takes along time to dissipate.

Aroma: Lord oh mighty, this beer a pleasure on the nostrils. On your first sniff, you will be bombarded with scents of Elderflower, grass and tropical fruits like mango's and kiwi's. Smelling deeper you will start to pick out zesty citrus fruits such as lemons, limes and grapefruit. Honestly if this beer tastes as good as it smells then we are onto a winner! Boom!

Body: Compared to a lot of IPA's this beer is quite light due to the light hopping of this beer. This mixed with the low levels of carbonation create a truly refreshing and crisp drinking experience. The beer is very soft in the mouth and leaves no sticky residue on the palate. The softness of the beer helps to mask the high alcohol content of the beer.

Taste: There is a pleasant grassy/elderflower tone to the beer at first. Once settled in the mouth there is a dramatic unveiling of mango's with sweet limes mixed with pine and wild gooseberries. There is a slight bitter orange peel after taste. This beer tastes very fruity for an IPA. That being said this is a truly amazing beer that I would quite happily drink over and over again. Top marks kernel, you are as good as others say you are.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/williams-brothers-joker-ipa.html
Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/left-hand-brewery-black-jack-porter.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery

Anchor Brewing Company Liberty Ale

Anchor Brewing Company Liberty Ale 

Style: American Indian Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 5.9%

From: Portrero Hill, San Francisco, California, USA

Purchased From: Utobeer, Borough Market London
http://www.anchorbrewing.com/

Anchor Brewing Company is an American alcoholic beverage producer, operating a brewery and distillery on Potrero Hill in San Francisco, California. The brewery was founded in 1896 and was purchased by Frederick Louis Maytag III, in 1965, saving it from closure. It moved to its current location in 1979. It is one of the last remaining breweries to produce California common beer, also known as Steam Beer, a trademark owned by the company.

Anchor began during the Gold Rush when Gottlieb Brekle arrived from Germany and began brewing in San Francisco. In 1896, Ernst F. Baruth and his son-in-law, Otto Schinkel, Jr., bought the brewery and named it Anchor. The brewery burned down in the fires that followed the 1906 earthquake, but was rebuilt at a different location in 1907.There is no record of what Anchor did during Prohibition, but it resumed serving steam beer after Repeal, possibly as the only steam brewing company still in operation. However the brewery burned down yet again within the year, and it relocated once more, this time to a building a few blocks away.

The brewery continued operations into the late 1950s, but suffered heavily from the country's increasingly strong preference for the light lagers produced by the megabreweries. Whereas there had been more than 4,000 breweries at the turn of the twentieth century, only 70 remained by the 1960s. In 1965, Frederick Louis Maytag III bought the brewery, saving it from closure. Maytag purchased 51 percent of the brewery for several thousand dollars, and later purchased the brewery outright. It moved to its current location near Potrero Hill in 1979. In 1971 the brewery began producing its now famous Steam beer. However for this review we will be focusing on their lesser know Liberty Ale.

Colour: Once poured you are presented with a glorious orange/tan coloured beer. There is a fabulous thick white head which luckily lingers in the glass as you drink. This beer is also very lightly carbonated with champagne style bubbles running throughout this beer.Truly a beautiful beer to behold.

Aroma: Thanks to the size of the head, you get a lovely bouquet which will bombard your senses. Freshly cut grass and pine needles are the dominate smells but you can also pick out a sweet smell of caramel. These flavors mix extremely well and are not to over powering.

Body: As I mentioned previously there is a very low level of carbonation in this beer. This helps to create an extremely light ale that is extremely refreshing to drink. Left long enough these bubbles will die down creating one of the smoothest drinks I have ever tried. The dry hopping of this beer also helps to create a crisp/dry mouth feel after every sip.

Taste: The primary hops used in the making of this beer are cascade. These hops are know for there grassy pine flavors and are one of the primary hops used in creation of American pale ales. You can also pick out hints of sweetened gooseberries/grapes and orange peel. These fruit notes are very fair and you will need a couple of sips pick these out of the beer. All these flavors are very subtle and inter play with each other beautifully. There is an after taste of worthers original in this drink but this does not linger long.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/sierra-nevada-torpedo-extra-ipa.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/robinsons-dizzy-blonde.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on Twitter @beefsbrewery
 

Left Hand Brewery Black Jack Porter

Left Hand Brewery Black Jack Porter

Style: Porter

Alcohol Content: 6.8%

From: Longmont, CO, USA

Purchased From: Utobeer, Borough Market, London
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/

Left Hand began in December 1990 with a home-brewing kit founder Dick Doore received from his brother. According to Dick, "it was all downhill from there." By 1993, Dick had teamed up with college buddy Eric Wallace and they resolved to start a brewery.

On September 21, 1993, they incorporated as Indian Peaks Brewing Company, and purchased a former meat-packing plant next to the St. Vrain River outside downtown Longmont, Colorado. A few weeks after beginning production, it was discovered that the name Indian Peaks was already in use by another Brewery, so the name was changed to Left Hand, in honor of Chief Niwot (the Arapahoe word for "left hand") whose tribe wintered in the local area. Left Hand's doors opened for business on January 22, 1994. Their first batch of beer was Sawtooth Ale, which has since become their most popular brew. In October of that year, Left Hand took home two medals at the Great American Beer Festival, a Gold Medal in the bitter category for Sawtooth Ale, and a Bronze Medal in the Robust Porter category for Black Jack Porter.

In recent years, the brewery is prospering and growing like never before! Beginning with over 30% growth in 2010, Left Hand is breaking barrelage records each year, even making the Brewers Association’s Top 50 Craft Brewers list in 2012. What started as a humble brew house extension in 2008, has turned into a 5 year $9 million expansion, as the brewery sprints to keep up with thirsty fans.

Let's see your cards!

Colour: When poured, you are presented with a thick jet black liquid with a light brown head. Soon the head settles down to a brilliant white which slowly dissipates to a foam. If you hold this beer to the light you are not able to look though it. In my book, this is a sign of a great porter.

Aroma: On the nose, you are presented with rich coffee and dark chocolate notes. These smells come from the rich dark malts used in the brewing process. Smelling deeper, you may also be able to pick out notes of sweet caramel. Yum!

Body: This beer is excellently smooth on your tongue and slips down a treat. The water used in the brewing of this beer has quite a high mineral content. This helps to clear your palate after every sip and lightens the beer to drink. Unlike some porters that can be rather heavy, this porter is reasonably light.

Taste: This beer tastes a lot like a black Americano with a spoonful of sugar added for a hint of sweetness. After you have adjusted to this taste, you are suddenly over whelmed with notes of dark chocolate. The sweetness of the beer helps to mask the high alcohol content of this beer. This is then cut thought by the mineral after taste, which as I allude to before, helps to cleanse your palate. If you are new to this style this beer would be a great place to start. Extremely flavorsome and lighter than your average porter.

For the latest reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery