Beer Advent 2017 - December 24th - First Person Fruiter

Wild Weather - First Person Fruiter
I could tell the last beer was a can.  For the life of me I couldn't recall what it was, and after opening the bag - I can see why!
First Person Fruiter is a cherry and banana sour beer.  It's not too sour, actually.  It smells a little tart, but I'd say it was no more sour than a good lemonade.  Poured a lot darker than I expected, I can smell banana in it - but the sweetness of the other flavours makes it smell like those foamy banana sweets.  Really nice journey of sweet to sour from one end of the mouth to the other.

Really nice.  Love the can design.

Merry Christmas, by the way!

Beer Advent 2017 - December 23rd - Imperial Puft

Tiny Rebel - Imperial Puft
Imperial Puft is the Imperial strength (9%) version of the very tasty Stay Puft porter.

It's just as good, if not better - if you like strong stout. It's sweet, sticky, rich, fruity and malty.

An absolutely brilliant beer.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 22nd - Hello My Name is Marianne

Brewdog - Hello My Name is Marianne
Just when you think you're done with them (too lazy/stupid to keep count).
Brewed with cassis (blackcurrant) for France!
I really like this one.  It's got a nice smooth sweet flavour backing up all the usual DIPA flavours.  The flavour is more subtle than some of the other Hello... beers which means it's far more of a regular drink, with a hint of something else.

Really good.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 21st - Hello My Name is Sofia

Brewdog - Hello My Name is Sofia
DIPA with lemons - for Italy.  This one is quite interesting.  Smells heavily of lemon zest, and there's a decent zesty flavour too.  It's sweet, then there's hops. then there's bitterness.  It's surprisingly light for the 8.2% abv.

Pretty good, aye.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 20th - CC: Porter

Uiltje - CC: Porter
This is a striking drink.  The internet says it's a coconut and chocolate porter - and that's what it tastes like.  Though the Uiltje doesn't explicitly state so.  Anyway.  Taste is sweet - cocoa, coconut, vanilla.  You can definitely taste the 7.8% abv.

Experimental!

Beer Advent 2017 - December 19th - AM:PM

Thornbridge - AM:PM
I really like Thornbridge.  One of the only brewers where I can say without doubt I've never had a bad beer from them.
AM:PM is a session IPA with a 4.5% vol.  I prefer my session IPA's on the other side of 4, but this one is no less drinkable for the ABV.  Pours clear, lively carbonation filled the vicinity with an aroma which made my mouth water.
Really crisp tasting, well balanced flavours - would likely be a great session beer as it's on the milder side. Juicy and bitter in just the right ways.

Excellent.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 18th - Hello My Name is Sari

Brewdog - Hello My Name is Sari
Brewed with Bilberry (I had to look it up).  Alcohol seems stronger in this one than the others, bitter.  Nice fruity nose.  The flavour is succulent right before the bitterness slaps your tastebuds.  No idea what bilberry is supposed to taste like.

Great DIPA though.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 17th - Lapsang Souchong

Kees / Marble / De Molen - Lapsang Souchong
Collab brew.  Really interesting one too. I like lapsang tea, and I like peated scotch.  This beer is a lovely balance between the two.  Roasted, smokey, with a little alcohol on the finish.

Not too complex, but extremely well done.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 16th - Coalescence

Unity Brewing - Coalescence
Not sure to make of this one!  Looks nice, golden with a huge froth. Smells like herbs, and tastes like...sage?  Light body with the right amount of carbonation make it easy to drink - but a really unusual herb-rack flavour. 

Interesting...

Beer Advent 2017 - December 15th - Death Junction

Roath Brewery - Death Junction
A very local beer.  Death junction is a horrible 5-way junction in Cardiff, and historically was an area where capital punishment was carried out.  There's a plaque on the wall of Natwest too, two priests were grimly dispatched in the usual 17th century style.

Anyway.  The beer is a oatmeal stout.  Pretty lively out of the bottle, it's got a great head which lasts.  Rich and smooth, with a nice dry finish.  Classic flavours abound.

Very nice.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 14th - You Snows It.

Tiny Rebel - You Snows It
Tiny Rebel's festive offering.  Through tainted tastebuds though, I've been drinking for about 5hrs.

Christmas beers are always tricky, and like most themed beers - usually complete shit.  This one pretty good.  Brewed with the assistance of Goldie Lookin' Chain.

Spared any gimmicky flavours or anything else.  It's a fairly standard pale ale with well balanced malt/hops/citrus/bitterness etc.

Yeah.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 13th - Hello My Name is Lieke

Brewdog - Hello My Name is Lieke
Another Hello... beer today.  This time from the Netherlands. I wish they were spaced out a bit better, the beer gods have deemed this is the order, however.
Lovely looks and smell - huge hit of orange peel.  If you take a big swig, it's actually too much (in my opinion).  Absolutely nails the sweet spot if you do.  Really nice flavour though.

Very nice.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 12th - Hello My Name is Helga

Brewdog - Hello My Name is Helga
Another Brewdog DIPA, this time brewed with cherries.  I was expecting this to be like the strawberry one, but with cherries.  It's not.  I'm sure it should be clear, but mine is pretty hazy.  Adds a bittersweet kind of flavour.  Think rich cake with cherries, not just cherry.  It's juicy.  Nice balance, not as much fun as the other hello... beers.

Pretty good.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 11th - Dark Arts

Magic Rock - Dark Arts
Not sure if I've had this one before.  Dark arts is a super smooth, and rich stout.  Terrific chocolate and coffee flavours, some rich fruit notes almost give it a hint of cola.  Long lasting finish.

Excellent beverage.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 10th (Birthday beer!) - Einstök Toasted Porter

Einstök - Toasted Porter
Porter!  Huzzah!
I've had most of the other beers from Einstök, but always avoided this one (if I recall correctly).  Nice roasted smells more of chocolate than coffee - taste is sweet and bitter, more coffee than chocolate.  Nice balance.

Fairly standard, above average.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 9th - Hello My Name is Agnetha

Brewdog - Hello My Name is Agnetha
This is the first Hello... beer I tasted, and is the reason I opted to get the others in the calendar this year.  It's brewed with lingonberries, for Sweden.

As with the other beers in this...range...the base of it is typical Brewdog DIPA stuff.  Citrus, pine, grapefruit - but I find the addition of the lingonberries adds a really mild tart/sour note to the usual bitterness.  It's great.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 8th - Hello My Name is Aune

Brewdog - Hello My Name is Aune
Another from the batch of hello... beers by Brewdog.  Really interesting one, brewed for Norway, a double IPA with strawberries.
Really enjoyed this one, something nice about bringing a glass to your face and getting a whiff of strawberries on top of the usual citrus assault.  Really well balanced drink, crisp, clear, with just the right amount of bitterness.

Possibly the best of the bunch (at least of the hello... beers) 👍

Beer Advent 2017 - December 7th - Congregate

Unity - Congregate
I like a good table beer, and this one is alright.  Good head, nice balance of citrus, malt, yeast - with a little sweet aftertaste.  Very fine carbonation.

Not really remarkable, but definitely drinkable. 

Beer Advent 2017 - December 6th - Sanguinello

North Brewing/Uiltje - Sanguinello
Collab brew with a Dutch brewer, nice bottle art.  Mandarin and blood orange session ale.
Really fruity and full flavoured beer, surprisingly full bodied for a session strength abv.  A little heavy on carbonation, otherwise very decent.

Would drink again. And again...

Beer Advent 2017 - December 5th - Kwak Kwak.

Bosteels - Kwak
It's fucking Kwak.

Not even going to write anything else...

Beer Advent 2017 - December 4th - Peanut butter!?

Tailgate - Peanut Butter Milk Stout
Three things made me pick this beer up. I like stout,  I particularly like milk stout, and I like peanut butter.

Pitch black with a head that dissipated completely, and quickly.  Smells wrong. Sweet and nutty mixed with...well I'm not sure. Cheese?  It doesn't smell good to me.

It doesn't taste that nice either. There's something in the flavour combination that just doesn't work.  I can't really describe it.

Blearghhh.

Side note - I may have been ambitious in expecting three great flavours to come together to make a great drink, but the other week someone introduced me to hot banana ketchup and that worked out just fine.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 3rd - Hello My Name is Niamh

Brewdog - Hello My Name is Niamh
Fun to pronounce if you're not Irish. Niamh (Neave) is a double IPA brewed with Elderflower.

Fairly standard Brewdog double IPA look and feel, with a little bit of a floral smell, I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking for it, though.

Flowery sweetness holds the bitterness back a little bit, which I think improves it.

Nice brew.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 2nd - Wanderlust

6 Degrees North - Wanderlust
Wasn't too sure about this when I opened it - huge hit of yeast and lime was a bit too much.  Poured really well though and just looks like hazy sunshine to me.

Pretty sweet flavour with a strong zesty flavour - no real bitterness with a nice sweet aftertaste.  Haven't had much wheat beer this year (which may have made changed my perspective a bit), and this one was good.

Nice.

Beer Advent 2017 - December 1st - Hello My Name is Maria

Brewdog - Hello My Name is Maria
If you're not a fan of Brewdog, then this year's calendar will disappoint you on 9 occasions.  I picked up the 9-pack of Hello My Name is...since I'd only ever tried a few and enjoyed them.

Hello My Name is Maria is a double IPA (as they all are), brewed with mandarin.  Pretty light feeling drink - I want to say thin, but it sounds absurd when I think about it - and so is more drinkable than it should be.
Smells of malt and orange. Zesty flavours with hints of mandarin. Pretty strong alcohol/bitter finish.

Alright, like.