Not quite Senne-sational

A weekend with no plans other than the footy (great result) and the rugby (not so great a result) - and the fact that I'm in Birmingham (boys night away) and Cardiff (stag doo) the next two weekends - gave me an excuse to have a quiet one and a go at whittling down my beer stash slightly. Including ticking another beer from "1001 Beers...".

198. Brasserie De La Senne Taras Boulba

Style: Belgian Ale. ABV: 4.5%. From: Lighthouse Wines.

Description: Poured a pale yellow, cloudy, with a decent white head. Definite hoppy herbal aroma, mixed with some Belgian yeast. Starts off with the funky yeasty taste, but quickly the hops catch-up. There's a dry orange pithy bitterness here that builds up as you work your way through the beer. Light but a little stickiness. 

Thoughts: Quite hoppy for the style. Light and refreshing to start, with a decent herbal bitter kick. I'd buy again but wouldn't go out of my way to get it.

Score: 6.5

Just the one from the list in this post, but plenty of other new beers to tried too...

Not from "1001 Beers..."

138. Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest

Style: IPA. ABV: 6.7%. From: Lighthouse Wines.

Description: Deep amber, hazy, decent white head. Aroma of pine, grassy hops, citrus, maybe some peach and other stone fruit. Taste is led by quite a smooth honey/caramel malt, piny hops, and again some peach. Medium bodied, resin like mouth-feel. 

Thoughts: Another great beer from Sierra Nevada. I was expecting a big tropical hop bomb, but actually this was a bit more subtle and balanced than that. Tasty stuff, though not as good as the Northern Hemisphere Version for me.

Score: 8

139. Ilkley Holy Cow 

Style: Stout. ABV: 4.7%. From: Lighthouse Wines.

Description: Dark muddy brown, translucence, with a beige head. Aroma of coffee and burnt malt. Taste follows aroma, light coffee, slightly bitter-sweet, quite dry. Surprisingly light.

Thoughts: Didn't do much for me, too light, too thin, and where the hell was the cranberry promised on the label?

Score: 5

More brews to follow later this week including the excellent Kinnegar Maddyrow, Thornbridge Tzara, and Kernal's London Sour. Speaking of London Sour, it features in this week's Beer Club Belfast which is all about sour beers - get down there to turn your mind, and your palette, upside down.

Finally grateful for any hints and tips for good beer in either Birmingham or Cardiff - BrewDog Birmingham is already on the list but need to try a few other places with a local feel too.

Cheers

Gueuzey Does It

Firstly apologies for that title, my excuse is that its a Sunday night and that's the best I could do! But at elast I managed to get my hand on another beer to tick off the list...

197. Boon Mariage Parfait
Style: Gueuze, ABV: 8%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Poured a light golden, with a big fluffy white head. Lots of fizz and slightly hazy. Big lemon aroma, some lemon rind, a little sherbet, a touch of wine/vinegar and a sour yeasty tartness. Main flavour is tart lemon, a little lemon grass, and a slightly salty finish. Light and dry.
Thoughts: Once you get over the shock of the first sip that makes your face pucker, this is a great beer. Dangerous too as you'd never guess its 8%. Give it a go.
Score: 8 

The other new beers this weekend were outside "1001 Beers..."
137. Ilkley Siberia
Style: Saison, ABV: 5.9%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Golden and clear. No real head, little carbonation. Aroma is quite subtle, some funky yeast and the hint of something tart and bitter. Taste is buttery, some grassy notes, bittersweet, with just a hint of rhubarb on the finish. Quite light, not much fizz. 
Thoughts: First couple of sips didn't do much for me, but as it warmed up I warmed to it. Interesting brew.
Score: 6.5

138. Ilkley Black
Style: Mild, ABV: 3.7%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Poured a translucent dark brown, small beige head. Aroma of smokiness, tobacco, leather, and toasted biscuity malt. Big smoky flavour (though not like this bad boy) and toasted malt. Mid bodied and quite smooth.
Thoughts: This was a cracking low ABV beer that delivered big flavour... might be the best of the Ilkley's so far.
Score: 7.5

139. Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #93 IPA
Style: IPA, ABV: 6.9%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Pale amber in colour, decent white head. Hazy. Aroma of hops, hops, hops - citrus and some floral notes. Tastes of grapefruit, bitter finish. Quite resin like mouth-feel, light-to-mid bodied.   
Thoughts: Again wasn't too sure of this at the start - I was expecting a bit citrus hop bomb - but actually it was a bit more subtle and bitter than that. Became smoother and better balanced with some heat. Good but not great.
Score: 7

Cheers.

The Outsiders

Been struggling to pick up beers from "1001 Beers..." recently for various reasons (might need to do a wee online order soon) but I have been picking up other new beers from outside the list to try! Here's a quick run through of the latest outsiders...

130. Weird Beard Hit the Lights
Style: IPA, ABV: 5.8%, Purchased: Gap Wines
Description: Copper colour, hazy,  small white head. Light tropical hop smell, a little malt. Taste to follow, plus grapefruit bitterness. A little earthy. Light boded though a slightly slick mouth feel.
Thoughts: Didn't do much for me (though it's not bad) more bitter than citrus. I wouldn't turn it down but I wouldn't seek it out either.
Score: 5.5





131. Weird Beard Hit the Fairy Lights
Style: APA, ABV: 4.8%, Purchased: Gap Wines
Description: Hazy and light amber. Small white head that dissipated quickly. Floral hop and a little biscuity malt in aroma. Similar taste, with a little orange bitterness to it. Moderate bitterness overall, light to medium body.
Thoughts: Brewed with oranges and star anise apparently. Got the orange but not the star anise. Again didn't do much for me, though it is drinkable. Weird Beard haven't blown me away so far...
Score: 5.5

132. William's Brothers Good Times
Style: Golden Ale, ABV: 5%. Purchased: The Vineyard
Description: Light straw colour. Decent white head. Smells light and a little flowery (brewed with elderflowers apparently). Refreshing and light drinking, a little hops and a little sweetness. Light bodied, decent fizz.
Thoughts:This reminded me a bit of a helles - light and fairly quaffable, would go down a treat at a BBQ. 
Score: 6.5

133. Ilkley Pale
Style: Pale Ale, ABV: 4.2%. Purchased: Lighthouse Wines
Description: Straw coloured and clear. Small white head. Not much aroma, some citrus. Light. Easy drinking. A little sticky. A little bitterness. 
Thoughts: Grand - but nothing I'd go out of my way to get - was expecting more umph from the Nelson Sauvin Hops!
Score: 6

134. Ilkey The Mayan
Style: Stout, ABV: 6.5%. Purchased: Lighthouse Wines
Description: Black with a decent tan head. Aroma is huge choc. Tastes of powdered hot choc (perfectly called by Darren at LightHouse Wines) rather than the good bitter dark choc I was expecting. Chilli brings heat on he finish. Thinner than I was expecting.
Thoughts: Probably the most interesting beer on this list, and the one I'd say to try out of them all. It kinda has all the elements, but just hasn't been balanced and evened out. I could take darker, more bitter chocolate, and less chilli heat.
Score: 6.5

I also picked up a bottle of Brooklyn Black Ops from Lighthouse wines, not cheap but i'm saving it for a special occasion (one beyond the fact that it's a Friday night).

Cheers

Apples

Belfast has got quite beery hasn't it... A trip out in late January took in the Hudson, Aether & Echo, the Dirty Onion, the Harp Bar, Alley Cat and Bittle's Bar - with only the Harp Bar showing a real paucity of options. I mean a few of these places have beer menus... the place has come on a bit from the days of "Laurence", and long may it continue! 

 I'm not going to review the beers (I lost my note book somwhere over the course of the day... and almost my phone but it included the Kernel in Hudson, Flying Dog in Alley Cat, Bourbon County Stout in Bittles!) but cheers for a good days craic to the boys who traipsed around the town and thanks for putting up with me!

Anyway - following that I took a bit of a two week sabbatical from brews to give me, and my taste buds, a chance to chill out.

But tonight I thought, lets try something new.From outside the list:

129. Wild Beer Ninkasi Premier Cru
Style: Belgian Strong Ale. ABV: 10. From: Lighthouse wines
Description: Poured pale yellow, a little cloudy, small white head. Lots of tart green apple on the nose , with some sour yeasty esters, boozy but dry finish. Mid carbonisation. Did I mention apples?
Thoughts: Preferred it to Ninkasi I think. Not very "beery" with all the apple but quite refreshing. Boozy heat means this is a sipper. Nice, and I would drink again, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to buy it.
Score: 6.5



Hope for a few more beers over the weekend - and a run to the Lighthouse to check out there new offerings!

Cheers