Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 24th

And here we are.  All over.  I think next year I need to find a better method for delivering my thoughts on the beers, since my heart wasn't really in writing, this time.  There was just too much excellent beer this year.  Woe is me.

Brewdog -  Candy Kaiser
I think Candy Kaiser is a victim of Brewdog's occasional fervour* when it comes to describing their beers.
Pours nicely, just the right amount of head and a good malty aroma.  It's really smooth and tremendously drinkable, however I get the impression that the malts might be too much were any considerable volume consumed.  Like walking around Cardiff and constantly taking large breathes through the nose when Brains are brewing.
A little sweet.

6/10


*"When this alt hits your palate, the steely bitterness combines with the rich dry malt and the subtle alcohol warmth in a full throttle attack on your taste buds." 

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 23rd

Bad Seed - Espresso Stout
Final stout of the calendar!

This is quite a nice stout, but this bottle at least - was lacking some typical characteristics.  The head was non-existent, even after a very aggressive pour I couldn't get one going.
The smell of coffee is really nice, not hampered by the fact it was in a beer.  Fresh.
Tastes OK, lives on the dark side of stout.  A little carbonation.

It's alright.

5/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 22nd

Ahhhhh a disappointing beer.  It was about time! :-)

Brewdog - Hello my name is holy moose
This is a bit of a mash-up beer, a combination of all the "Hello my name is [...]" beers.  Not as enjoyable as any of it's brethren.

It looks nice, might be one of the reason it tastes a little disappointing!
Strange mixture of bitterness, citrus, fruits, sourness, and butter...?  Nice carbonation and mouth feel though.

Really not very enjoyable.

4/10

I am aware I have been a day behind all week.  I'm a lazy bastard.

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 21st

Pressure Drop - Strictly Roots
Interesting beer this one, sadly not as exciting as I wanted it to be!
Nice and soft, very...woody (paper?) earthy note in the flavour which was nice.  A little bitter, plenty of roasted flavours.

Meh!

6/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 20th

Highly anticipated beer today (yesterday...sorry I'm getting lazy).

Brooklyn - Sorachi Ace
This beer sounded interesting when I picked it up, a farmhouse ale, with Belgian yeast and a cultured Japanese hop (sorachi).
Pours clear, no head to speak of.  For an unfiltered beer I wasn't expecting it to be so clear.
Smells fresh and light, nice lemon twang with a surprising amount of floral smells coming through.
The taste matches the smell, except for the addition of the malt flavour which takes the lead before the floral flavours kick in. It actually reminded me of Golden Glory for a moment.

Just when I thought the stouts were running away with it this year!

10/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 19th

Another day, another delicious stout. As the saying goes...

Brewdog - Black Eyed King Imp (Vietnamese coffee edition)
Next year I'm going to have to deliberately buy crap looking beer, because I can hardly think of anything to write about all these delicious ones...

Oily black pour (not unlike black Albert) with a huge coffee aroma, little bit of chocolate sweetness, little bit of liquorice.  Long roasted chocolate flavour with a little bit of a whisky tinge.

10/10 

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 18th

And the award for the best beer name goes to...

Mikkeller - Crooked Moon Tattoo Stockholm
This stout was brewed by Mikkeller for Crooked Moon Tattoo - which is a tattoo studio.
Nice dark malts and soft chocolate flavours.  It's brewed with figs which are slightly noticeable, there's a little bit of a dry fruity flavour before the bitterness.

It's nice.

6/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 17th

Mikkeller - U ALRIGHT?
I'm afraid I used up all my words writing the last beer review...

Another very decent IPA from Mikkeller, this one's nice and light - quaffable.  Disappeared fast.

8/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 16th

Struise - Black Albert
Straight to business.  What a beer!  Truly remarkable, and easily the best imperial stout I have ever had (Sorry Brewdog!)
A Belgian royal stout...whatever one of those is.  An imperial strength (13%) stout, brewed with Belgian ingredients.  It's extreme is all the right places, flawlessly so.

Poured great, just the right amount of activity from the pouring to get a perfect head, which lasted a good while and stayed creamy.
Heavy roasted flavours, strong coffee that still let the hops out.
Very bitter with a long sweetness, it's so smooth you can barely notice the alcohol.

Astonishing.

10/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 15th

It's really strange how many beers of the same type I have one after the other.

Today's beer, like yesterday's beer - is a simcoe IPA...

Pressure Drop - Alligator Tugboat
Thankfully (because, repetition is boring) and regretfully (since yesterday's beer was awesome) this simcoe IPA is not the same as yesterday's.
Nice pour with a decent head, sweet like yesterday's but with a lot more crisp bitterness.  It's a lot drier too.  Usual IPA flavours, hops, citrus, blah blah blah *glug glug glug*

Great bottle design on this one too.

7/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 14th

Brewdog - Hoppy Christmas
Brewdog's 2nd entry of the calendar (there's at least a few more) - is a belter.
A single hop IPA (simcoe) that tastes nothing like the 'IPA is dead' simcoe edition.  It smells like a standard IPA but it has a terrific sweet note towards the end.  I've not had papaya (what it is supposed to taste like), it reminds me a lot of mango.  Paired with the citrus flavour it's really nice.

The taste is pretty much the same as the smell, the head is quite sticky - but the body is really well balanced with just the right amount of malt.  It's a decent 7.2% but none of that is very apparent.  It's well hidden behind all the deliciousness.

I'm not sure if I'm just not fussy any more - I seem to be handing out top marks to anything these days

10/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 13th

I've eaten a curry before drinking today's beer.  So I might not be describing it accurately!

Mikkeller - Peter Pale and Mary
So when I'd finished my curry, the flavours I got most from this beer were really grainy and grassy.  So much so I even checked the ingredients (to find them mostly regular).  I kept drinking and started to get some of the citrus flavours through, but in a really dry way - kind of like drinking a sour beer.  Then after a little longer I got the rest of the flavours and things returned to normal.  It's a good IPA.

It was a nice experience!

8/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 12th

Stone - Cali-Belgique

I've been waiting for this beer to come out of the calendar, it sounded really interesting.

It's a Stone IPA, brewed with Belgian yeast.  It's very smooth for a strong beer (6.9%), and actually feels soft - if such a thing was possible from a liquid.  Clings to the side of the glass.

The flavours are superbly balanced, once it settled (the first few sips weren't that appealing) a few of the better qualities start to come through.  It's a little zesty, a little spicy and a decent enough malty flavour.

Pretty damn good.

9/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 11th

Late writing this one, spent yesterday evening playing board games and didn't make time to write this.

Saltaire - Triple Chocoholic
I knew what beer this was before I even opened the bag, I think I only purchased the one 500ml bottle for the calendar this year.  It's another stout - there'll be none left soon!

This was actually a surprisingly enjoyable beer, I think I've had it before but I can't find it in the calendar blogs at all.
Nice colour and lacing.  Doesn't smell particularly interesting, it smells of chocolate - obviously, and a little syrupy but it works.  A little dry, and a little bitter finish which lingered with the chocolate. It's no Sam Smiths Organic Chocolate Stout though.

6/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 10th (Birthday beer!)

I know you're dying to hear, I've had a very nice birthday.

Went to Wahaca for lunch and ate what I thought was a relatively small amount of food
(Nachos and Frijolas, a pair of taquitos, 1 quesadilla, and 2 bits of sumptuous - there I am again with the M&S language - brisket in small soft tortilla).

But by the time I finished I was incredibly full, uncomfortably so.  The food was just so dense and rich.  Definitely ordering less next time.

Birthday beer!

Finally a big IPA!

Stone - Delicious IPA
A rather modest ABV (7.7%) wasn't really what I wanted after lunch, since I'm still full - but it's tasty enough so I'll give it a pass on that front.
It's pretty dry, and as you'd expect from an IPA this strong is all about citrus, pine et cetera.  There's a strange fresh-pack-of-paper whiff in the smell too.

Also it's bitter.  Perhaps too much for my taste - it's nice, not quite as good as Brewdog's Jackhammer across the board.

7/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 9th

I can't really be arsed to write much this evening, I've had a long day.

Brewdog - Santa Paws
This beer is great.  Exactly what I need right now.  Tremendously drinkable.  A little dry, smells and tastes a bit more like a stout than any scotch ale I've had before, but meh.

It tastes fucking wicked.

9/10

Stout Advent Calendar 2015 - December 8th

I've had to rename the calendar, since it's full of stout.  I'm sort-of complaining - gasping for an IPA.

This one is pretty damn tasty.

Mikkeller - Milk Stout
I'm a big fan of milk stout, Bristol Beer Factory in particular.  I can't remember if I've explained what a milk stout is, or supposed to be.  It's basically a stout, brewed with lactose (not milk!).  Some aren't even brewed with lactose - this one, according to the bottle, contains laktose.  I'm sure that's the same thing.

This particular milk stout is very smooth, and the opening salvo of flavours is fantastic.  Creamy, malty, beery sweetness.  Perhaps too sweet for some, but I do have a sweet tooth.
It has a little bit of a bitter finish, the kind you get after a decent dark chocolate.

Unbelievable as it is, I'm giving two beers in a row top marks!

10/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 7th

The stouts must be in season or something...yesterday's beer was an 8% oatmeal stout courtesy of Mikkeller, today's beer is a 9% oatmeal stout courtesy of Brewdog.

So I guess we'll have a stout-off.

Brewdog - Hinterland
Hinterland would appear to be the complete opposite of Beer geek breakfast brunch big blend (BGBBBB, to save me typing that over and over) - I opened the bottle to be greeted by stillness, and there was very little foaming at all until I started to get a bit aggressive with the pour.

It's incredibly smooth.  The roasted flavours are soft and mellow, helped along by the sumptuous (yes, I'm like an M&S advert) malty backbone.  The rest of the flavours you can probably guess - coffee, dark chocolate, fruits.

Brewdog definitely wins this stout-off.

10/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 6th

I read a review of this beer before I bought it, and the word that stuck out was "gusher" - I know what they meant now.  After popping the cap it spewed out a dark brown frothy foam for a good while, before I gave up waiting and started pouring it.  Not that pouring helped - it crept all the way to the top of the glass, and then kept on creeping.

Mikkeller - Beer Geek Breakfast Brunch Big Blend
Barrel aged in six different casks - bourbon, brandy, cherry wine, cognac tequila and whisky.  Is there any need?

Yes, as it turns out.  Because it's nice!

This is one of the smoothest high ABV (8%) stouts I've ever had.  Great balance of sweetness and bitterness.  Though it's not remarkable in any other way, aside from the gushing and the terrific flavour.

Anyway, I can't write any more - it's given me the munchies.

8/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 5th

Delirium Noël - Delirium Christmas
It's just not Christmas without Delirium Christmas.  So it must not have been Christmas before because I don't think I've had it in the calendar before.  I put the tree up today so it's fitting.

The bottle says "STRONG BEER" on it.  They're not wrong.
It's a hefty 10%, and might be the second strongest beer in the calendar.
As you can see - it poured with a significant foamy head.  It smells fruity and sort of sweet/spicy.  It seems very energetic when you first start drinking it but it settles nicely.  It's really smooth, but if you're not a fan of yeasty flavours you probably won't enjoy it.

It is tremendous, though! Highly recommended.

9/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 4th

A new brewery! Huzzah!

Hopcraft opened Hopbunker in Cardiff (where BarFly used ot be) a while ago.  I've still not been there since I can't bring myself not to frequent Brewdog, UTH and the City Arms.

I've not heard great things about it from beery folk, but there might be promise if this beer is anything to go by.

Hopcraft - Maple Porter
This drink is cool.  It's quite typical, but very good.  Poured with a huge frothy head (my favourite kind of head) with some decent aromas.
Nice flavours, usual stuff (coffee, cocoa, dried fruits) with a decent bitter kick.  It's not very maple-like though.  According to this blog (if it is indeed the same beer as this 'edition') they struggled with obtaining the stuff so I wonder if that is a factor.

Anyway.  Nice beer.  I'm being stingy with scores though so it's only getting a...

6/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 3rd

Finally a beer I can talk about.

A while ago, Brewdog released a fundraising video, and caught a lot of flak for it from some overly-sensitive people (in my opinion).  So it was nice to see them release No Label, a beer with some strong LGBT themes and donating all the profit made from the beer to Queerest of the Queer.  Only to get more flak.  Nice.  Well the beer is nice!

Brewdog - No Label
This is a kolsch style beer, which I knew was from Cologne, but had to do some reading up on the beer science.  It's warm fermented, then lagered at low temperatures.  It's a lovely light drink, and very easy to quaff.

It's very clear and yellow, it smells a bit like crackers.  It's a very soft drink with a very good balance of flavour.

Really enjoyed this one.  It's a shame it's a small-batch brew because I could happily spend all day drinking it.

8/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 2nd

Evil Twin - Hop Flood

Well this is a tasty beverage.  Goes very well with my toasted tomato mackerel and smoked cheese on toast (I'm a culinary whizz, see).

Pretty decent volume (7%) is evident in the smell, though there's some malty sweetness trying to get out.  Some very dense hop flavours throughout so not that refreshing - with a significant bitter finish.  Nice crisp mouth-feel.  It's more interesting to drink than it is enjoyable, but it's still the latter.

7/10

Beer Advent Calendar 2015 - December 1st

Happy...errm...December!

This years beer advent calendar is probably the most expensive one I've ever done.  Thanks to a few beverages running close to £10 each.  I hope they're worth it.

Brains - That Quiet Earth

The back of this bottle reads like the back of dozens of other beers I'd just put down and write off (dark fruits on the nose, malty backbone, full bodied with a smooth dry finish), but I decided to keep it for the calendar because Brains Craft Brewery have put some really tasty beverages out in the last 12 months.

It is not a disappointing drink, I could have used a large bottle though, as I was just getting into the flavours when it ran out.  It's not remarkable though, it does remind me of the Brains Strong Ale (Not the SA you see today) I had during one of the GWBCF's a few years ago.

It's nice.

I think I'll score out of 10 this year...

5/10.

Beer Advent Calendar 2015...something something complete!

Preparations are complete!  In no particular order...

• Brewdog - Black eyed king imp
• Bad seed - Espresso stout
• Evil twin - Hop flood
• Brooklyn - Sorachi ace
• Stone - Cali-belge
• Mikkeller - Peter pale and Mary
• Mikkeller - Milk stout
• Mikkeller - U alright
• Mikkeller - Big blend
• Mikkeller - Crooked moon tattoo Stockholm
• Brains - That quiet earth
• Delirium - Christmas
• Saltaire - Triple Chocolate
• Hopcraft - Maple porter
• Brewdog - Hello my name is holy moose
• Black - Albert
• Pressure drop - Alligator tugboat
• Pressure drop - Strictly roots
• Stone - Delicious ipa
• Brewdog - No label
• Brewdog - Santa paws
• Brewdog - Candy Kaiser
• Brewdog - Hinterland

Bagged and ready, roll on Dec 1st.