Thwaites Crafty Dan Big Ben

Thwaites Crafty Dan Big Ben

Style: Brown Ale

Alcohol Content: 5.8%

From: Blackburn, England, United Kingdom

Purchased from: Wine Rack,Weybridge, UK

http://www.thwaites.co.uk/

This Sunday i headed into Putney to visit the gents at the Beer Boutique bottle shops. I was rather impressed by the variety of beers on offer and how the beers were arranged by style rather brewery. For a reviewer, this helps you balance out what you purchase ensuring that you can cover an array of styles. Needless to say, my wallet took a major hit as i came away with a staggering fifteen beers. Highlights include: Durham Brewery White Stout, Thornbridge Halcyon and Sharp's Quadruple Ale. Naturally all of these will appear on my blog at some point. So stayed tuned!

Thwaites Brewery is a regional brewery founded in 1807 by Daniel Thwaites in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The firm still operates from its original town centre site. A variety of cask ales, draught beers, lagers and ciders are produced in Blackburn or imported from Europe by Thwaites. In 2011 the brewery opened a small Micro brewery called Crafty Dan and since 2013 they have been bottling three of their favorites. One of them is the subject of this review, Crafty Dan's Big Ben. 

That's really big!

Colour: Pours a dark brown with a light tan head. You could be mistaken in thinking you are about to sample a porter or an old school beamish given the slight red hue. The head does not stay around very long but a dusting of foam will follow you throughout the duration of this beer.

Aroma: Strong, spicy hops follow straight out of the bottle. This is promptly followed by citrus and freshly cut grass, wrapped in a sweet maltiness. Excellent stuff. The blending of six unique hops help to create this exciting bouquet. These are Fuggles, Goldings, Challenger, Citra, Chinook and Summit. How on earth did they fit all of that into the hopper?

Body: A lot lighter in your mouth than you would expect. This comes from the sweetness of the malt, which when combined with the six hops, creates a velvety smooth drink that does not clog your throat. Lovely stuff!

Taste: Notes of sweet toffee nut, which leads to a creamy bitter finish. It reminds me of a quality street chocolate called The Purple One (a hazelnut with caramel). The hops create a very long, bitter finish. I wasn't expecting too much from this beer but I was pleasantly surprised. It's certainly a beer that I would revisit and even recommend to my mum (see always raids the quality street tin for the Purple One at Christmas).

Porter in disguise?

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/founders-backwoods-bastard.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/partizan-brewing-pale-ale-cascade.html

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

Coopers Original Pale Ale

Coopers Original Pale Ale

Style: Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 4.5%

From: Adelaide, Australia 

Purchased from: Wine Rack,Weybridge, UK
http://www.coopers.com.au/

Over the past week, the area that I live in has resembled something out of the Kevin Costner film Waterworld. Some of my friends have been driven from their homes due to the rising flood waters. There seems to be no end to this misery as rain and wind continue to batter the nation. No doubt everyone is dreaming of a long hot summer. I certainly am! So I decided to try a pale ale from one of Australia's largest craft breweries, Cooper's.

Coopers Brewery Limited, the largest Australian-owned brewery, is based in the Adelaide suburb of Regency Park, South Australia. Coopers is known for making a variety of high quality beers, the most famous of which are its Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale. Its shares are primarily owned by the extended Cooper family, and the company's constitution and classes of shares makes it difficult to sell shares outside the family. In 2012, Coopers released a limited edition "Celebration Ale" to celebrate their 150th Anniversary, as well as adding celebratory labels on to their other beers. All of Coopers beers are made with no additives or preservatives ensuring that you get a beautiful brew every time.

Colour: Pours a pale yellow not to dissimilar to a lager. There is a slight hazing in the glass which is combined with a small white head that will stay with you throughout the duration of this beer.

Aroma: Although this beer is not overly aromatic, you can pick out hints of tart sour lemon underpinned by biscuit notes. As the drink warms, grassy, slightly floral notes will reveal themselves. Not overly inviting when you compare it to other Australian pale ales such little creatures pale ale.

Body: Quite gassy for a pale ale and yet again it reminds me more of a lager. It also has a body to match as. Very light and refreshing. The perfect thirst quencher. Perhaps this beer is suffering from some sort of identity crisis or perhaps it has been designed this way due to the warmer Australian climate.

Taste: The first flavour you will be able to extract will be tart lemon followed with slight hints of biscuits. Unfortunately, these flavours do not stay around very long and as you progress it becomes extremely watery and thin. The finish is mildly bitter combined with a metallic edge. It really does not have the flavour to carry the drink as it should. Personally, I would rather drink Coopers Sparkling Ale, as it has a much greater depth of flavour and is extremely enjoyable.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/flying-dog-doggie-style-pale-ale.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 or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery