Mikkeller Mexas Ranger

Mikkeller Mexas Ranger

Style: Flavoured Porter

Alcohol Content: 6.6%

From: Copenhagen, Denmark

Purchased from: Real Ale Shop, Richmond Upon Thames

http://mikkeller.dk/

Mikkeller is a so-called "phantom" or "gypsy" microbrewery founded in 2006 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The brewery was founded by two homebrewers, a high school teacher Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and a journalist Kristian Klarup Keller, with the intention of bringing their home-brewed beer into public awareness, and to "challenge their beer friends with intense new tastes". The two also found some inspiration for their widely-varied, edgy brewing approach from the American breweries that "aren't afraid to play and break all the rules". In craft beer circles, the Mikkeller brewery is considered to be one of the innovative and well thought of breweries in the world. During its history, unlike many other microbreweries, Mikkeller has brewed over 600 different beers in a wide variety of styles.  As of 2013, their annual output is 8,500 hectolitres of beer. This is a review of Mikkeller's Mexas Ranger. A porter made with a whole host of additional ingredients including Almond Milk, Chillies and Avocado leaves.

Colour: This porter pours ink black topped with a dark tan coloured head. Like a black hole, no light can penetrate thought this temptingly thick beer. Truth be told, this has to be the most beautiful looking porter I have ever seen before. I cannot wait to dive into its mucky depths!

Aroma: Just like its appearance, the bouquet of this beer also oozes quality. Served in two halves, bold notes of cocoa and coffee dominate before giving way to a combination of sweet lactose and a subtle smokiness mixed with a warming chilli spice. This beer is literally begging me to have a sip, so what's the point in waiting any longer.

Body: The thick and smoky body will wash over your palate like a tidal wave. As the swell dies down, a slightly odd drying sensation will remove all the moisture from your mouth. This will naturally force you to have another sip as the feeling can be a little unpleasant.

Taste: Finally the Pièce de résistance, the tasting! Upfront notes of dark chocolate playful mix with the additional almond milk. This milky sweetness soon gives way to hints of bitter coffee and a slight herbal flavouring. It climaxes with a finish that is very dry yet slight warming due to the addition of chillies (cascabel, de arbol, guajilo, mulato and pasilla to be more precise) to the brew kettle. Whilst these chillies will not blow your head off, you certainly know they are there. Personally, I feel that the chillies help to dial down the sweetness and help to round out the beers flavour profile perfectly. In summary, this is an excellent porter that blends the traditional Fab Four ingredients with some playful new additions. You can certainly never say Mikkeller's beer are boring!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/titanic-plum-porter.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/the-lost-abbey-saison-blanc.html

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Pressure Drop Strictly Roots

Pressure Drop Strictly Roots
Style: Flavoured Porter

Alcohol Content: 6.5%

From: Hackney, London, United Kingdom 

Purchased From: Corbetts Real Ale Shop, Dorking, Surrey

http://pressuredropbrewing.co.uk/

Firstly happy new year to you all and all the best for 2015. Something tells me that this is going to be a vintage year. 

Like most people at this time of year, I have decided to make a few New Years resolutions. Whilst the majority of these will be familiar to most (lose weight, save more etc.), I have also decided on three beer related resolutions.

1. Attend more beer festivals and tastings, starting with Craft Beer Rising in February. 
2. Attend a craft brewing experience day at London Field brewery, (hopefully this should give me the confidence to try making beer at home.)
3. Read more about the beer style, the brewing process and breweries in general. (I'm already making headway on this by reading an excellent book by Joshua M. Bernstein called The Complete Beer Course).

So the question is, can I stick to these over the next twelve months? I bloody well hope so.

Pressure drop was founded in 2012, in Hackney, London. Similar to both the Kernel and Partizan breweries, Pressure Drop have chosen to set up shop under some disused railway arches (guess it's a London thing). The subject of this review is their limited release Strictly Roots Dandelion and Burdock Porter, which is brewed in collaboration with the legendary wild man of the Hackney marshes; John the Poacher. John has made a living out of poaching wild rabbits on the marshes, so one can only assume that he foraged the dandelion and burdock roots himself (lets hope no rabbits "accidentally" dropped into the brew kettle).

Colour: Pours a deep black topped with a on finger high tan coloured head. This head lingers for the duration of your drinking experience and laces the glass perfectly on every single sip.If you hold this beer up to the light, you can see just how thick this drink really is. Not one ray of light passes through this oil like liquid. 

Aroma: The roasted malt produce notes of chocolate and coffee, whilst the addition of Dandelion and Burdock produce a subtle sweetness to take the edge off the bitter notes. All of these aromas work in perfect harmony to produce a welcoming nose that needs to be savoured.  

Body: This beer drinks like a classic porter. Once in the mouth this you will notice that it feels just as thick as it looks. The mild carbonation tickles your throat, whilst the oily texture covers tongue. Once swallowed, this oily sensation lingers for a few seconds before fading away.   

Taste: Yummy, there are a lot of individual elements to this beer. As you would expect from a porter, big, bold notes of coffee and dark chocolate are present from the get go. Once you grow more accustomed to these bitter flavours, a layer of sweetness will begin to appear. These notes come from the addition of Dandelion and Burdock roots during the brewing process which imparts a flavour very similar to that of Sarsaparilla, sweet with hints of licorice. Although these flavours are not overly pronounced, these additional ingredients help to compliment the coffee and chocolate perfectly. The aftertaste follows in the same vein and is incredibly smooth.   

Can You Handle The Pressure 

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/meantime-coffee-porter.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-celt-brewing-experience-seven.html

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

Meantime Coffee Porter

Meantime Coffee Porter

Style: Coffee Porter

Alcohol Content: 6%

From: Greenwich, London, England

Purchased from: Meantime Brew Shop, Greenwich

http://www.meantimebrewing.com

After months and months of badgering my girlfriend, she finally relented and agreed to accompany me on a tour of the Meantime brewery. When we arrived, I was quickly accosted by a proper London cockney known only a Big Al. This lemon squeezer (geezer) was certainly loud and proud of his East end roots. He dropped beautifully crafted one liners followed by ever so charming compliments. Quite frankly this man was a stand up comedian with a passion for craft beer and well worth the entrance fee alone! After a hour of his routine and several samples of beer (including my favourite Yakima Red), we embarked on a tour around the brewery escorted by the extremely knowledgeable Jack. It was certainly the most entertaining brewery tour I have ever attended and is well worth a repeat visit. Emma enjoyed it especially due the fact that Big Al asked her for some fashion advice. Turns out they are both big fans of Aquascutum (what ever that is?).

Meantime Brewery was founded by Alastair Hook in 2000. The originally Greenwich brewery was originally located 0° 2' 12" east of the Greenwich Meridian, moving to a site on nearby Blackwall Lane in 2010. This mission driven company aims to help the consumer rediscover their cultural and culinary beer heritage, which it believes has, in the UK at least, largely been lost as beer manufacture has been concentrated in the hands of a smaller number of ever bigger brewers, who do not wish the consumer to have any great understanding or appreciation of beer. Since opening the brewery has gone from strength to strength and their Coffee Porter won a gold medal at the world beer cup in 2008. Does the 2014 version hold its own? Let's find out.

Colour: Pours a thick, sticky jet black with a light tan head. The foamy head will stay around for the duration (always a good sign in my book).

Aroma: As you would expect for a beer with the word coffee in the label, the dominate aroma is bitter coffee. This aroma is underpinned with notes of dark chocolate from the blend of chocolate and roasted malts. Sublime stuff! 

Body: Slightly lighter than Meantime's original London Porter, but this could be due to the fact I drank this rather promptly after removing it from the fridge. A noticeable thickening effect takes place after fifteen minutes in the glass. Note to self, always serve you drinks at the correct temperature.

Taste: Full of very heavy americano notes which linger longer due to the bitterness of the hops. An extra coffee kick is provided by the addition of freshly ground coffee during the mashing process. These beans help to add the essence of dark fruit whilst the roasted malts provide sweet chocolate notes on the dry finish. Each sip will have you gasping for more. Meantime really know how to make great beer and make me proud to say I'm a Londoner.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dark-star-espresso-beer.html

Different to:http://beefsbrewery.blogspot. co.uk/2013/07/hogs-back-hop-garden-gold.html

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

Titanic Plum Porter

Titanic Plum Porter

Style: Porter

Alcohol Content: 4.9%

From: Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

Purchased From: Utobeer, London Borough Market, UK

http://www.titanicbrewery.co.uk/

As its still dark, wet and windy in the UK, I like nothing more than putting on the fire (well central heating) and curling up with a fine porter. There is something about this style that just oozes winter. The dark malts provide comforting chocolate notes and the high alcohol content warms you up after being outside. And it also seems that you guys like them too, as my review of Meantime’s Chocolate Porter currently holds the accolade of being my most viewed post. So let’s take a look at  Titanic’s Plum Porter. Will it sink or swim?

The brewery was founded in Burslem Stoke-on-Trent in 1985 by Brothers Dave and Keith Bott and takes its name from the ill-fated steam liner Titanic. The brothers decided to name the brewery in honour of its captain Edward Smith who lived just down the road in a town called Etruria. The brewery also owns seven pubs around their area, including the flagship The Bulls Head. See what i did there?

A simply beautiful label

Colour: This beer pours an intriguing black with a slight purple hue. This is topped with a light tan head that dissipates after a few minutes in the glass to leave a minimal dusting of foam.

Aroma: I'm always skeptical of drinks that have been flavoured with fruit. For me, they can be really hit and miss. However, I a extremely pleased to say that this beer does not disappoint. This drink is stacked full of juicy, autumn sweet plums on the nose. It's almost like you are walking the orchard during the harvest. Lovely stuff!

Body: The fruity plums help to create the illusion of a lighter body when compared to most porters. The fruity almost juice like body coupled with ultra low carbonation, easily makes this one of the most enjoyable porters I have drank in a while.

Taste: If you are new to the porter style, then you should try this as your first port of call. It is quite frankly amazing! Juicy plum notes play with roasted malts to create an extremely smooth beer, that is expertly finished with a mild bitterness from the late addition of Goldings hops. One of this beers key features is that the taste will linger in your mouth in-between sips. It's freshness will draw you and keep you wanting more. How I have never drunk this before I will know. It forces it's way into my top ten list and it will certainly be served at my upcoming craft beer night.

You can just see the purple hue in this picture

As a modern history buff, I was slightly shocked to read that an Australian business man plans to build a life size replica of the Titanic and name it (rather ably) Titanic 2. Let’s hope it’s dedicated to the memories of those who lost their lives back on that fateful day, rather than being a lucrative money spinner. Here is the link if you want to read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_II

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/meantime-chocolate-porter.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/bear-republic-racer-5-ipa.html

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

Flying Dog Gonzo Porter

Flying Dog Gonzo Porter

Style: Porter

Alcohol content: 9.2%

From: Frederick, Maryland, USA

Purchased from: Rays Wine
http://flyingdogales.com/

The Flying Dog brewery is currently located in Frederick, Maryland, USA. Originally opening in Aspen, Colorado in 1990 as a brewpub, it became the first brewery to open in Aspen in over 100 years, and one of the first brewpubs in the Rocky Mountain region. Flying Dog Brewery is noted for using the unusual art of Ralph Steadman, best known as the illustrator of the works of Hunter S. Thompson, on its labels. In 2005, the brewery created a new beer in Thompson’s honor, Gonzo Imperial Porter. Initially in limited-release in 750 ml bottles, the Gonzo Imperial Porter is now one of the regular offerings of the brewery. I must admit, that i love the label designs and it makes the beer more appealing. I can not wait to taste this beer. Oh I'm excited!

But what is an imperial Porter i hear you ask? These are stronger versions of the traditional porters which where first sold in London. These porters were sold successfully in markets such as Scandinavia and the Baltic states. These porters then inherited their current title due to their strength and their favoritism in the royal courts. History lesson over, lets get on with the review.

Really love the art work on every bottle

Colour: Jet black with a brown/tan head. The head is very thick and stays around thought out the life of this drink. So far this is shaping up to be the perfect porter.

Aroma: This beer is very interesting on the nose. From the hops used in the making of this brew (Warrior, Northern Brewer and Cascade), you get smell a mix of oranges and elderflower. Smelling deeper you can also pick up notes of chocolate and coffee. These smells come from the crystal and black chocolate malts used. The smells are not overly powerful and rather surprisingly for an imperial porter, you can not smell the alcohol.  

Body: As with many drinks of this style, the body is quite thick, but unlike a Guinness, this beer is not very creamy.  The drink will cling to the back of your throat with every sip that you take. This is actually rather pleasant session as it forces you to take your time over this beer.

Taste: On your first sip you are slapped around the chops by rich hints of coffee and dark chocolate.These will dance around on your tongue then unleash the faintest hints of liquorice. As the drink warms up, you will notice that there is a sweetening to the dark chocolate notes. Its almost as if the chocolate is getting milker and milker the warmer the glass gets. There is a sharp acidic and some what bitter after taste. This comes from the strength of the alcohol.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dark-star-espresso-beer.html
Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/st-austell-proper-job.html

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

Lovibonds Dark Porter

Lovibonds Dark
Style: Porter
Alcohol content: 4.8%
From: Henley Upon Thames, England, UK
Purchased from: Waitrose, Windsor
http://www.lovibonds.co.uk/

The brewing bug bit Jeff Rosenmeier in 1994 after tasting a friend's home made stout. Jeff couldn't believe the result and bought brewing equipment, soon discovering a hidden passion. Jeff moved to Henley-on-Thames in 1996 and fell in love with the beauty of the area. He continued to develop his brewing skills while taking a keen interest in the town's rich brewing tradition and the up and coming craft brewing movement.

In June 2005, Jeff decided to make his passion his day job, leaving behind a successful career in software engineering. He set up a small brew plant on his property and began piloting his flagship beers on a small scale. Jeff said, "I started delivering beer in small quantities to a few free houses in Henley and Reading and I was really encouraged by the response of our first customers".

The inspiration for the Lovibonds name came when Jeff was viewing a site in Henley for the brewery, which had previously been home to John Lovibond and Sons, Brewers and Merchants. Jeff said, "We were discussing the uses of the building through its history and the existing tenant handed me a lovely antique Lovibonds bottle. I loved the name and was impressed by the respect that the brand had locally, and so Lovibonds Brewery was formed."

Colour: Dark as the night sky with a thick white or slightly tanned head on the pour. Like all good porters, this head stays with you thought out the life time of this beer.

Aroma: On the nose you are all most over whelmed by notes of rich Arabica coffee mixed with rich hints of dark chocolate. If you really get your nose in the glass you can pick out very faint hints of liquorice. Personally I really dislike liquorice as it reminds me of the black jack sweets I used to get given at school. Oh those painful memories! Hopefully the beer won't taste lie them otherwise its going straight down the sink.

Body: As with most porters, this drink is quite heavy and thick. It certainly is a very slow sipper. Rather oddly, this beer leaves no stickiness as on the that after its drunk.

Taste: Due to the heavy use of dark malts in the making of this beer, rich smoky coffee flavours are abundant. It is almost like some one has lit a fire and the smoke has permeated into the drink itself. This has produced a very robust taste which may put off someone who is new to this style of drink. There are also faint hints of dark chocolate with a slight acidic or mineral aftertaste. This mineral quality comes from the hard water that can be found in the area around Henley upon Thames. This beer would be the perfect accompaniment to a rich creamy British Stilton. Lordy my mouth is watering already.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/left-hand-brewery-black-jack-porter.html
Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/brewdog-dead-pony-club.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

Meantime London Stout

Meantime London Stout

Style: Stout

Alcohol content: 4.5%

From: Greenwich, London, England

Purchased from: Waitrose

Normally i would begin each blog by writing about the brewery. However, as i have review Meantime's Chocolate Porter earlier in this blog, i thought i would write a bit about the origin of the stout (I promise i will keep this brief).

If you lived and worked in the London Docklands during the 18th and 19th centuries, you would of most likely of known a porter. A porter (much like today) would help move your bags between the ship and your hotel. Eventually (and simply due to the sheer volume that they consumed), Porters would lend their name to a strong dark ale. Before 1700, London brewers sent out their beer very young and any ageing was either performed by the publican or a dealer. Porter was the first beer to be aged at the brewery and dispatched in a condition fit to be drunk immediately. The stout first appeared in the 1730's. Stout where first classed as strong Porters, but as time evolved, they became there own unique style. For example, Guinness Extra Stout was originally called "Extra Superior Porter" and was only given the name Extra Stout in 1840. Stout is now enjoyed the world and Guinness has become one of the biggest players in the commercial beer market.

Brief history lesson over. Now onto the tasting.

Colour: Dark as the knight or jet black like all good stouts should be. On the pour you notice a large head is formed. The head takes on a whitish brown colouration that is rather bubbly (not like the creamy head that normally accompanies a Guinness). 

Smell: From the bottle, you are hit with scent of toasted biscuits with a hints of vanilla and milk chocolate. These aromas come from the mix of dark malts and hard water used to brew this beer. This beer is very inviting. 

Body: Very similar to that of a Guinness but without the creamy edge. This beer has a velvet/silk mouth-feel.  It definitly feels a bit heavier than the chocolate porter that i reviewed earlier in this blog. However, that being said you would be able to have a couple of these before you would noticed how full you where.  

Taste: This beer is full of earthly complex flavors. On your first sip, you are greeted with a mild filter coffee taste. You also get some sweetness which will make you think someone has slipped a sugar into your coffee, i mean beer. Also on the palate, you get notes of hazelnut with a slight mineral finish. I can imagine that this finish comes from the hard water that is used to brew this beer. London has traditionally been know as a hard water area. Hard water, is water that is high mineral content as opposed to soft water which has a low mineral content. Good examples of soft water style beers would be Pilsner. One thing i will note is that the hops used are not overly powerful creating a very mellow flavor  This is a sipper beer which would be best enjoyed by the fire on a rainy winters day.

Hello Guvnor !

Follow me on Twitter for the latest news on reviews @BeefsBrewery

Meantime Chocolate Porter

 Meantime Chocolate Porter

Style: Porter

Alcohol content: 6.5%

From: Greenwich, London, England

Purchased from: Waitrose

Last week i was due to go to a craft beer pub in Richmond called the Pig's Ears with my good friend Mala. Now i had not seen Mala for quite some time so i was very excited about the evening. Whilst on the train i heard that a signal had failed in Barnes and that no trains where running to Richmond. I hopped of the train at Twickenham, crest fallen. Firstly i was not going to see my friend but secondly i was not going to have any tasty beers that evening. After talking to the staff at south west trains, i worked out that i had a one hour wait ahead of me. Gasping for a beer i decided to head to a near by Waitrose to see what they had in stock. Lucky they had the Meantime Chocolate Porter in stock, so i picked up a bottle and headed back to the station to wait for my train.

Meantime Brewery was founded by Alastair Hook in 2000. The originally Greenwich brewery was originally located 0° 2' 12" east of the Greenwich Meridian, moving to a site on nearby Blackwall Lane in 2010. This mission driven company aims to help the consumer rediscover their cultural and culinary beer heritage, which it believes has, in the UK at least, largely been lost as beer manufacture has been concentrated in the hands of a smaller number of ever bigger brewers, who do not wish the consumer to have any great understanding or appreciation of beer. Since opening the brewery has gone from strength to strength and their Coffee Porter won a gold medal at the world beer cup in 2008.

Now i will admit that i have tried this beer before but i drank it very chilled and it spotlit the taste some what. Make sure you serve your beer at the correct temperature people. Now onto the tasting.

Sexy Boy!

Colour: This brew is a dark as the night (like all good porters should be). On the pour you notice a white/brown head a bit like a latte. The head is not very thick and disappears after a couple of minutes.

Smell: As soon as you pour the drink you, get hit with a smell that is similar to a chocolate hobnob. This comes from the four roasted dark malts and the real dark chocolate that they add during the maturation process. Now you may think that as they have used real chocolate that the smell might be quite bitter but its actually very sweet on the nose.  

Body: Light and actually quite refreshing. Normally, i would associate porters to be quite heavy so it was a pleasant surprise that this beer was not like that at all.There is low level of carbonation and pours very smoothly. Here, i will also mention the body of the glass that the Meantime Chocolate porter is served in. It looks very sexy indeed and helps it to stand out from the crowd.

Taste: Just like the smell you get a taste of chocolate hobnob on your first sip. As you enjoy your first sip, you get an aftertaste of an espresso or black americano with a slightly mineral finish. This finish actually helps to cleanse you palate by removing the bitterness of the coffee taste. Now i actually drank my Porter with a Chili Con Carne. The sweetness of the beer helped to balance out the spicy of chili. Very good match indeed!

Follow me on Twitter for the latest news on reviews @BeefsBrewery

Glastonbury Ales Thriller Rare Cappuccino Porter

 Glastonbury Ales Thriller Rare Cappuccino Porter

Style: Porter

Alcohol content: 5%

From: Glastonbury (Somerton), Somerset, UK

Purchased from: Brew Shop

Last weekend, I took a trip to visit my Grandparents in Somerset. They live around fifteen minutes away from Glastonbury; the site of the famous music festival. As the big supermarkets now tend to stock more regional ales, it was the perfect excuse to get some new brews. In total i came home with 15 different ales. I think my poor Nan thinks i have a drinking problem (that was was a interesting conversation to have). As part of my trip i really wanted to visit the brewery at Glastonbury ales. Over the past few years, my dad has been bringing back some of there product to try and i have always wanted to meet the team behind the beer.

I got to the brewery on a very wet Saturday morning where i was greeted by owner Paul. I began looking at the range they had on offer when Paul over heard me talking to my Dad about how i was not to keen on one of their beers. Paul asked me why i didn't like it and i told him that one of their amber ales was to bitter for my tastes. I then explained that this could of been due to the temperature i served it at. I learnt the hard way not to drink ales straight from the fridge. For about 20 minutes myself and Paul chewed the fat about the craft brewing industry and i ask what his plans were for 2013. His mission was simple: expand into London. As i live near the city, i offered him some help and advice. In return Paul gave me a bottle of Hedge Monkey to try. (Thanks mate!) I also brought three different beers from Paul; The Mystery Tor, Love Monkey and Thriller. All of which will naturally appear on this blog. (Aren't you luck!)  As i have yet to review a Porter, i though that Thriller would be a good place to start. So onto the review. 

Thriller Night?

Colour: Black as your hat (which is actually the name of one of Glastonbury's other brews). If you hold the glass up to the light, you can not see thought it. In my eyes, that a sign of a good porter. On the pour you get a light brown head which will stay with you throughout the drink. 

Smell: On the nose you get a big hit of Coffee. The coffee smell comes from the roasted malts and ground coffee beans the brewers at Glastonbury add during the brewing process. You can also smell hints of dark chocolate. As i was drinking this with my old man, i asked him his opinion. He described the smell as "nutty". I'm not entirely sure how he got that from this drink but each to their own.

Body: In the glass you can see that this porter is quite thick. It looks very rich and luxurious. Now since i have been drinking craft beers, i have come across only a few drink which have a body similar to Guinness. As a fan of the black stuff, i was thrilled to see that this porter had a similar body. On the palate, the drink is very smooth and creamy due to the low levels of carbonation in the bottle. This is a beer that you can take your time over. Perfect for those cold evenings by the fire. 

Taste: Since i have been writing this blog i have learnt not to take a large first sip. The first sip should be one where you can get to know the character of beer. Explore real flavors so to speak. So when i had my first sip of the Thriller, I was pleased to say i was blown away. It was like drinking a black Americano with a lovely milky latte finish. The beer is so rich and satisfying that you always want to go back for more. However, the drink is surprisingly light compared to Guinness and you will not feel bloated after a session. Quite frankly this beer has entered into my top 5 beers of all time (so far). I just wish that i could get it down here in West London. Pull you finger out craft brew pubs!

Proper Job!

Follow me on Twitter for the latest news on reviews @BeefsBrewery