London Fields Brewery Love Not War

London Fields Brewery Love Not War

Style: Red Ale

Alcohol Content: 4.2%

From: Hackney, London, United Kingdom

Purchased from: Nobel Green Wines, Hampton Hill, United Kingdom

http://londonfieldsbrewery.co.uk/

London Fields brewery is a brewery based in the London Fields area of Hackney East London. The brewery was founded by Julian de Vere Whiteway Wilkinson (longest name ever!) and Ian Burgess around the same time of the devastating London Riots of 2011. Like most London based craft breweries, they set up home in some railway arches (either these arches are extremely cheap to rent or the brewers are secret train spotters I can't tell). The brewery has flourished during the past four years thanks to the success of their six core beers and array of seasonal offerings. However, clouds seem to be gathering on the horizon as in late 2014, co-owner Julian was arrested for suspected tax evasion. Fingers crossed this all gets straighten out and the brewery can look forward to a bright future. 

Here I will review one of London Fields Core beers called Love Not War. This beverage has an interesting story behind it as it was initially first brewed whilst the brewers where barricaded in due to the London riots. With those steamy, danger driven days behind them, the team at London Fields emerged with a peace offering to the people of Hackney. A hoppy red ale which they aptly named Love Not War. Let's see if it will calm my nerves after a difficult day at work shall we?

Colour: Pours a warming reddish brown topped off with a off white head. The head soon dies down to a generous dusting of foam that lingers for the duration of this beer. 

Aroma: As soon as you pop the cap your nostrils will be bombarded with heady notes of pine and sweet caramel toast. As the aromas settle, hints of summer fruits and crush hob nob biscuit begin to shine though. All smells very tempting I must admit.

Body: This beer is surprisingly deceptive. The level of sweetness provided by the taste should translate to a relatively thick mouthfeel. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Love Not War feels rather thin in the mouth and is more thirst quenching rather than full bodied. Perfect, after a long summers day at work, but not one for those short, cold nights in January. 

Taste: As soon as this beer hits your tongue, the upfront notes of caramel malts will provide a moorish sweetness which begs you to drink more. As the beer slides towards the back of your palate, hints of pine, grass and pineapple begin to shine though eventually leaving you with a finish that is oily on the tongue and mildly bitter. As a fan of Meantime's Yakima Red, I was hoping this beer would match the perfect blend of malts and hops that Yakima Red provides. Sadly, this beer does not quite meet these standards as I personally feel it's a little to thin on mouthfeel. However, that being said the low ABV allows Love Not War to fall into the category of a session beer which I would certainly return to before the next Arsenal game. 

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/wild-beer-company-scarlet-fever.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/anderson-valley-barney-flats-oatmeal.html

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

New Holland Brewing Dragon's Milk

New Holland Brewing Dragon's Milk
Style: Bourbon Barrel Stout 

Alcohol Content: 10%

From: Holland, Michigan, United States

Purchased from: Great British Beer Festival

http://newhollandbrew.com/

Being deeply in love with someone means that you take on a little bit of them, and in my case, their interests and love of craft beer. And this is how I now find myself, spending my rainy bank holiday Monday getting rather excited about cracking open a bottle of bourbon barrel stout. It's certainly not something that I would of caught myself doing a year ago, I can tell you!

Just over a week ago, we spent a boozy (yet well-paced) day at the Great British Beer Festival. We sampled many a delicious beverage and I decided to bring back little treat for myself for later. Having a particular penchant for the darker, more alcoholic varieties of beer, I settled on a bourbon aged stout called 'Dragons milk' from New Holland Brewing. I squeezed the little bottle into my purse and dreamed of day i would enjoy the beverage. Yum!

However, upon delving a little deeper into the secrets of this Dragons Milk- it turns out that I haven't brought back an authentic Dutch beer at all, but a US beer from Holland in Michigan State! Kevin always said I never was any good with geography! This little beauty has been brewed by a couple of American chaps who first met in college and had a passion for their own home-brewed beer. After graduating, they formulated a solid business plan which attached the attention of some investors which eventually led to the opening of New Holland Brewing in 1996. The site now includes the microbrewery, along with a distillery, speciality brew house, restaurant and a pub! Sounds like our kind of place Kev! Nudge nudge wink wink!

Colour: This drink pours jet black complete with a deep tan coloured head that dissipates in a flash. It's thick and dark, with deep claret shades when held up to the light.

Aroma: As a lady with a vast collection of perfumes, ill tackle this question like I would any scent. Top note: Cloves. Middle notes: Vanilla, milk, a tumbler full of grandad's scotch whiskey Christmas 2002. Base notes: Marmite.

Body: This beer is every bit as dark and delicious as I had hoped! Unlike other stouts, this one has a full bodied mouth feel and coats the back of the tongue nicely. Hmmmmm! A wave of alcohol comes through on the aftertaste, giving that warming feeling that is nice when you're tucked up indoors and its all grey and misty outside (like today). The beer has that pleasant champagne-like effervescence to it which helps it slide down nicely!

Taste: With a smoky and spicy depth to it, this beer is a real winner. Every sip should be savoured as to really appreciate that bourbon edge. Flavours of cloves and cinnamon combine with a more delicate and floral note when I swill it around my mouth. I couldn't help but think that this beer is a perfect match for GU chocolate soufflé - both of which would just melt in your mouth. Soon after polishing off about half the bottle, the marmitey richness tends to sharpen and the alcohol content becomes more apparent. This is a drink that you only need one bottle of, or maybe that's just me. It's density and richness puts it up there with one of the hits of this years Beer Festival! Fullers Vintage 2014.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/weird-beard-brewing-company-chinook.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/gambrinus-excellent-11.html

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