Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 24th

Tenby Brewing Co - Hammerhead

I don't need to describe this beer, it's all on the can, concisely and accurately.

Looks - Bronze, unfiltered
Aroma - Peach, lychee
Taste - Tropical, bitter

It's OK.  I'm not really getting much more to describe than that.  The flavour is more malty and grainy than it is tropical.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 23rd

Wild Beer Co - Pogo

So.  Penultimate beer.

I did want to drink this yesterday, but I simply could not fit any more beer in.  Glad I waited.
Really nice aroma, peachy sweet, actually smells a little bit like Um-bongo.  Nice hazy look to it, head is nice and frothy with some good lacing.
Light tasting and fruity.  Citrus flavours are dominant but really well balanced with the bitterness and light malt.  Thoroughly enjoyable.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Pretty damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 22nd

I've had to concentrate really hard to write this particular entry.  Also my taste-buds have been  compromised by delicious curry.

Mmmmmm Juboraj.

Sorry internet.  This is going to be inaccurate.

Mad Dog Brewing Company - Lick Face

Citrus with a yeasty twang on the nose. Sweet.  Dry and sharp to drink - nice citrus flavour.  A little bitter on the aftertaste.  Nice and crisp.   Fantastic name and wall-worthy bottle art.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 21st

To Øl - Sundancer

Another new brewer for me, a Danish one today.

Really nice looking and smelling beer, lovely subtle fruity aroma with a flowery kind of note.  Really easy to drink thanks to the low abv.  Sweet with citrusy flavours, really dry finish - quite bitter.

Quite a simple drink, not in a bad way.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 20th

Slacking!!! Unfortunately I went out yesterday and didn't get chance to consume this one before sleeping.

Brew By Numbers - 08|04 Irish Dry Stout

Plenty to do this evening so I'll be quick with this one.  Extremely lively pour, had barely started pouring and the head was aggressively encroaching on the rim of my glass.  Nice rich roasted smell, bit of sweetness.
Strong roasted flavour, dry (duh!) - much sweeter than expected on the end - a good balance of hops and bitterness too.  Excellent stout.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Pretty damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 19th

Flying Dog - Dogtoberfest

I don't usually pick up out-of-season (if that's how to put it) drinks for the beer advent calendar (that's probably a lie, I'm sure I've done it every year for one reason or another) - but Flying Dog are one of my favourite brewers so I had to pick this one up.

Bavarian lager - pour was quite lively but the head dissipated pretty quickly.  Wonderful colour. I wish all my furniture was this colour.
Tastes malty, and bready, and malty, and bready...and malty...you get it.  A little bitter with a nice mild finish.  Extremely well balanced, very drinkable, though.

Somewhat unremarkable for Flying Dog, usually a bit more notable.  Not a criticism.  Just sayin'.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 18th

When I was not-an-adult, my parents were very much in the no soft drink camp.  To drink - we had water, or water with added squash, or milk.

Except in the summer.

In the summer my parents picked elderflower and my mum made (and still makes) elderflower cordial.
A delicious, carbonated, sweet, sugary beverage.  And what a beverage.

Take that soft drinks industry.

Mad Hatter Brewing Co - A wild night out

Another new brewer for me, Mad Hatter are from Liverpool.  Can't think of anything good that's ever come from there!
A wild night out is an IPA, with added elderflower.  Elderflower picked by one of the brewery team's friends - who's surname is wild.
Pours a little cloudy, decent head (*insert mum joke here*) - actually the characteristics of the head of this beer are all spot on - head retention is good, lacing is nice.

The first few tastes had a very enjoyable elderflower flavour - it doesn't remain prominent throughout, the more usual IPA flavours take over.  Really juicy kind of IPA - predominantly orange flavour, with a nice mild bitterness in the aftertaste.  Really well balance drink - hitting all the right notes for me.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 17th

Bell's - Kalamazoo Stout

I left this beer in the fridge for a bit too long - so I've had to sit here and look at it for a good 30-40 minutes and wait for it to warm up a bit.

Huge roasted aroma released when pouring, a bit smokey - almost burnt wood smell.  A decent whiff of liquorice too.  Worth noting that it doesn't smell very much when it's idle.
Ridiculously smooth to drink, almost oily.  Tastes smoky and charred - lots of sweet roasted malty flavour.
Unfortunately I've had a lot of food, and don't have the energy to describe this drink further.  It's great though.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 16th

Electric Bear Brewing Co - Elemental

I buy rye IPA's now and then.  Despite them often not being to my liking.
A nice golden, clear beer.  Quite light in the aroma dept.  Not sure if my bottle is a bit off, since it smells and tastes nothing like the bottle lets on.  Or what many other reviewers seem to say about it.

Smells a bit malty, but predominantly yeasty - no real smell of hops.  Tastes bitter - some grassy notes, but mostly bitter.  It kind of reminds me of when I go to a pub, order a beer, take a sip - and then I think to myself "hmmmm...this is a bit off".

As such I don't think it's fair to grade the beer.  Here's a picture though.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 15th

I hope you like lemons!

The Wild Beer Co - Sleeping Lemons (L'hamd Marakad)

A German sour wheat beer, gose.

Very pale looking wheat beer.  Smells a lot like lemons (surprising), a mild sort of wheat note on the back.  I'd almost compare the smell to a cheap white wine.
Feels a lot like drinking a farmhouse cider - it's dry and crisp.  Tastes a lot like lemons (surprising), before the wheat flavours start showing.
Really easy to drink with it's low ABV.  Sunny afternoon kind of drink.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 14th

Cromarty Brewing Co - White Out

Another new brewer for me, Scottish this time though.

Fantastic smelling beer, nice light aroma of mango with a hint of yeast backed up with a load of hops.

Poured well, not too lively but a decent head which retained as I drank, nice lacing on the glass. 

Tastes great.  The balance of sweet vs. bitter fruit is tremendous.  Decent amount of carbonation (not too energetic though).  

Really big finish - gives a lot more than you'd expect from 3.8%.  Reminds me a little bit of Nanny State.  Best beer in the calendar so far.  I will definitely keep my eye out for other Cromarty beers.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 13th

Thornbridge - I love you will u marry me

Today's beer has a strange name, named after a graffiti marriage proposal in Park Hill, Sheffield.  a light blonde ale, matured with strawberries.

Pours a cloudy orange, terrific sweet aroma - nice balance of malt and strawberry.  Really crisp and light.  Flavours are mostly sweet, almost tempted to compare it to Innis & Gunn.  Didn't get cloying at any point.  There's a little tart bitterness on the finish which really works.

Definitely a beer I could enjoy again. Very refreshing, highly recommended.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 12th

Mad Dog Brewing Co - Ellipsoid Saison

A lemon zest saison with black pepper.
Poured really nicely, thin head which lingered.  Good smell of hops & yeast.  Medium frothy carbonation which doesn't lace the glass.
Thankfully, a bit more straightforward (and enjoyable) than yesterday's Mad Dog beer.  A decent yeasty flavour, with a nice spicy richness that follows.  I'm not really getting much lemon, but that's not really making the beer taste worse.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 11th

Woo! Black IPA! Woo!

One point before today's beer.  I looked at the 'traffic' for this site.

Firstly - there are just under 100 page views showing in the audience stats (which doesn't seem to specify a time period. 42 of them from Russia, 37 from the US, 10 from Portugal, 6 from France, and 2 from the UK.  Fascinating...spam-bot-blog-monitoring-strangeness, I'm sure.

Mad Dog Brewing Co - It's all propaganda

Another new Welsh brewer for the calendar. Jeez - maybe I should start brewing beer.
A black IPA flavoured with lemon and grapefruit.  It smells a little bit of coconut, in a strange desiccated coconut kind of way.
Nice carbonation, fine and mild.
I'm not getting much of the flavours described on the bottle when I drink it, there's a big coffee hit at first, and a nice subtle grapefruit note - the roasted flavours are pretty dominant.

5% is a relatively low abv for a black IPA, and it's missing any really hops.  Not sure how I feel about it. It's nice enough, I guess.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 10th (Birthday beer!)

Woo! I'm old.  Hmmm.

Tomos a lilford - Cwrwgl

The second (and final) Tomos a lilford beer from the calendar - a dark ale...seaweed stout to be exact.
I really bought too much dark beer this time round.

Interesting beer though, really light body with a really light (but strangely concentrated) carbonation. Had a head very briefly.
Smells pretty decent, malty coffee/chocolate tones with a strange tangy sort of iodine smell from the seaweed.

Tastes good - can't say I can think of a similar tasting beer to compare it with.  I think I've poured it too cold so I'm losing a bit of depth.  Roasted malts, followed up by a tangy sort of spice.

Really easy to drink.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 9th

Woo!!!  Non-dark beer!

Flying Dog - White Peach Saison (brewhouse rarities)

An interesting beverage today.  Good looking beverage, almost clear - it had a head but that dissipated pretty quickly. Medium carbonation, which is actually quite prickly and spritzy.
Smells...weird.  Really tart and peppery - almost a hint of vinegar.
Tastes sharp and tangy - there are hints of sweetness but they're suppressed by a sourness.  It's OK.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 8th

Yay more dark beers...

Tenby Brewing Co - Black Flag

Another new brewer for me, and another local (ish!) one at that.  Thankfully this porter isn't particularly strong (5.5%), the flavours are very good - big on coffee, rum, some vanilla in the aftertaste.  Really light body with very little carbonation - wouldn't go so far as to call it thin - but if you're expecting a rich sort of drink look elsewhere.

Silky smooth and...black. Not unlike a jolly roger.  Really, really drinkable.  Think this one lasted maybe 6-7 mouthfuls (insert mum joke here) before it was gone.  Would make an excellent session porter - or a perfect chaser to an IPA.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Pretty damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 7th

No stout today! Praise the beer advent deities.

Bluestone Brewery - Rocketeer

There are three reasons I picked this beer up, Bluestone are a good local brewer, the artwork on the bottle is exactly like something I used to draw constantly as a child (a spacesuit, and Raphael...the turtle), and it's a basic bitter.  They're good for surprises, like Everards Tiger which I really enjoyed.

Pours a deep red, somewhere south of the copper I was expecting.  No head.  Really tangy malt smell - can't taste the hops through the malt.  Tastes just as it smells with a yeasty finish.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 6th

Another day, another...stout!  Oh, come on!

Samuel Smiths - Imperial Stout

6 days in, 5 stouts and 1 golden ale.  I don't think there are more than a handful of stouts left.
I feel a little guilty for feeling bad after opening the bag for this beer, since it's fabulous.  I recall having this as a dessert a few times when I've had a hearty meal down the bay.

This is one of my favourite imperial stouts, hitting all the right notes in exactly the right way.  I've had so many crazy stouts - it's really nice to have a more traditional one that is still enjoyable.
Smells of rum, raisins, molasses, roasted malts, tastes sweet, but rich and fruity (not sickly or sharp) - great buttery smooth mouth-feel.  Low carbonation.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Damn tasty.

I've just noticed that I took the picture wrong - the glass should be on the bag, and the bottle on the side...

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 5th

Another strong beer today.  I didn't buy that many of them, yet they all come out on days where I could really just use a regular strength beer to drink.

Shouldn't really complain.

Brouwerij Huyghe - Delirium Argentum

Brewed for the 25th anniversary of Delirium.  I really wish I had a standard delirium nearby to compare the two, the only thing I can really state in terms of the difference - is that it's much easier to drink.  It's 7%, instead of the usual 8.5%.

I think the lower abv brings out the hoppy flavours a bit more, and the spicy aftertaste is a bit more apparent when it's not shrouded under alcohol.  It's still fruity, smooth and well balanced - hitting all the notes you'd expect from Delirium.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Pretty damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 4th

Damn you, stout.

Mikkeller - Porter

Hnnnnngggghhhh.  8% stout before bed after over 30 hours without sleep, and 3 other beers.

This beer is much more palatable than the kaffestout.  Thank goodness.  It's also far more balanced, and has a great blend of  flavours.  There's still lots of coffee flavour, but instead of being harsh and bitter, it's more rich and fruity.  As you can see from the image it was a lively pour (or I poured it badly), the head lingered well over half the way down and the lacing was niiiiiice.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

Pretty damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 3rd

Another stout...not ideal!  Why is it whenever I'm trying to catch up on beer advent there's always stout. Strong stout.

Mikkeller - Kaffestout

Damn it, stout!!! 6%!

After drinking Stay Puft - this is quite...different.  Really strong (I may be tainted by the previous beer, and it might be moderate) bitter coffee flavours, dry - some hops.  It could really use some marshmallow!  Strong head and lacing.

On the scale of

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This beer gets

It's beer.

I feel like I should qualify why this one isn't getting a pretty damn tasty rating.  It's just too harsh.  It's technically excellent - but not my glass of beer!

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 2nd

Woooooooooooooooooooo!

Tiny Rebel - Stay Puft

I've had this drink on draft several times at Urban Tap House (now simply Tiny Rebel) and was really looking forward to getting my hands on a bottle.

An extremely good stout, all the tasty flavours (chocolate, malt, coffee) - the aftertaste is the most notable thing, actually tasting of marshmallow.  Makes it extremely easy to drink, and far too quickly at that.  Also exacerbated by the mild carbonation and a light texture.  I cannot overstate how much I enjoy the sweet aftertaste.

So, based on the possible scores

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

This one gets a...

Damn tasty.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - December 1st

So, here we are - 4 beers in 1 sitting.  I'll apologise for any nonsense I might write, or any typo, or incorrect grammar.

Tomos a lilford - Annwyl

A nice golden ale to get this year going.  And a new brewer today - Tomos a lilford.  A small brewer by all accounts, local to Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

A lot more citrus than I expected, settled onto my mouth nicely (yes yes, that's what she said).
Interesting peppery aftertaste which I'd enjoy more were it stronger.
Very easy to drink, good balance of flavours and a nice fine carbonation.

So on the scale I outlined in this year's intro

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

I would rate this beer...

It's beer.

Beer Advent Calendar 2016 - On your marks.

Greetings.

I've stocked up on the beers for this years calendar.  Plenty of new one's in the mix, though I've tried not to go for too many strong beers or American IPA.

I'm not sure how I'll score this year, or what I'll write.  I've been doing this for so many years and the standard of drinks has improved measurably, it's difficult to find something that I wouldn't give a reasonable grade to.

I think I'll go for something broad, but not too harsh.  Like if I was Eurogamer and I was reviewing beer.

I'll go with

• Damn tasty.
• Pretty damn tasty.
• It's beer.
• Not really tasty.
• Ew.

If I give something an "It's beer", that doesn't mean it's bad, or even average. It means I enjoyed it.  The 2 grades above are for beers that deserve a better grade, or are remarkably tasty.

I'm away on holiday from November 26th until December 4th, so I'll have the terrible responsibility of consuming four beers, and writing four blogs - whilst having not slept for...umm...

Get up 8am (EST)
Take off 8pm (EST)
Land at 6am (GMT)
Home at 1pm (GMT)

...however many hours that is.  Too many hours!

I'm sure it'll be fun, anyway.