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.