Apr 26 2013

Beer – #157 – Adnams – Innovation


Old Blighty calls every now and again and I found it hard to pass up on this, and Adnams Innovation.  Brewed by Adnams In the style of India Pale Ale (IPA) in the nicest of places: Southwold, England, although the brewer says it’s their go at an American IPA.

It’s a 6.7% ABV beer, Bottle Conditioned, in a pint bottle, and that would be 3.4 Standard drinks.  It’s a fantastic presentation with understated embossed, picked out with gold letters labels in a custom bottle

Adnams - InnovationOriginally brewed as a one off to celebrate the opening of our new brewhouse and our new distribution centre, we have decided to repeat the beer again in 2009. It came first in its class at the 2008 World beer awards and has also won a Gold medal at the 2008 BBI (British Bottlers Institute) awards. The beer was created under the direction of our Chairman, Jonathan Adnams, whose instruction was to ‘Brew something to wow me’.
The beer, our version of an American IPA, is brewed with a blend of Wheat and Pale ale malts to give a spicy, biscuity undertone to the beer, but it is in the hops where the beer really shines. A blend of hops from England, Slovenia and America (namely Boadicea, Columbus and Stryian Goldings) combine to give a wonderful grapefruit and tropical fruit aroma and bitterness that is balanced by the sweetness of the barley.

But like I said, the call of the homeland sometimes you can’t pass up, and  the Brits having a crack at an APA, get in!

The initial aroma is mostly of sweet sugars, it pours light beer brown with a reasonable head, but still carries a mostly sweet aroma. Its oddly bitter, and the floral notes don’t sit well together.

This seems to be more malts and caramel than hops if I cut to the chase. And therein lies the rub. If I was an English local then this would be a departure from the standard fare of beer, and I possibly might be enthralled, but I’m not and  as a stand-alone beer compared up against the work of other brewery types this then is  a bit of a pigs ear.

The bitterness is an afterthought, the sweetness is the front taste, carrying it just too far.

I’d be kinder but the pdubyah-o-meter is 5.5 on this, and it’s falling back into the pack of just beers. I’ll grant that the 6.7 ABV content is well hidden, and will eventually make you wish you hadn’t but unless you have a sweet tooth, or want a beer that carries an odd aroma that I’d rather not class as, but I have to, as “Wet grass” then this is beer for you. Not for me though.

A beer for the sweet of tooth and low of expectations.

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Apr 26 2013

Beer – #156 – AleSmith – X Extra Pale Ale


Still in the US of A then with an AleSmith X Extra Pale Ale. Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company In the style of a American Pale Ale and that’s all happening in San Diego, California USA

500ml (pint) bottle of a 5% ABV beer, making that 2.56 standard drink units.

AleSmith - Extra Pale AleAleSmith X Extra Pale Ale is a clean, light-colored, light-bodied ale. The People’s Choice award winner at the 2000 San Diego Real Ale Festival and the second runner-up in 2001, it has a good dose of dry hops balanced by a gentle sweetness, giving an almost sweet-and-sour effect. Appearance: Light golden color, and a nice white head, with good retention when properly served. Flavor: Starts off with almost tingling flavors of citrus and pine, balanced by a nice malty sweetness, then fades to a dry finish with a lingering hoppiness. Aroma: Strong lemony-citrusy character, with sweet malt and pine in the background. Mouthfeel (body/texture): Smooth, light-bodied.

That sounds like a bit of fun in a bottle. Something yellow, something not bitter, and something refreshing. Nothing too dramatic.

There is a goodly nose of hops, that made me smile, it is a lovely golden yellow, more rimu golden than yellow, pour, fairly hazy/cloudy and I got a fair decent head of fluffy white. Do like that hop aroma.

The taste is a lovely soft bitter and a goodly backing of malt and fruity citrus notes, making this quite a nice taste combination.  The length of the bitterness is amazing, not uncomfortable, but you’re left with a big taste sensation, and a smacking of the lips moment.

There is also lacing on the glass that you don’t see often enough, not as an indicator of quality, it’s just nice to see is all.

This is very quaffable and you’d be comfortable with this for a few or more beers with friends or alone. It wouldn’t intrude on your food and would offer a nice balance to a meal. And as a 5% ABV beer you’re not going to go all fall-off-the-barstool any time in a hurry.

The pdubyah-o-meter makes this 8.25 on the scale of things. It’s a thoroughly nice, well carbonated, nicely balanced, well behaved beer that will neither challenge you or upset you. More than middle of the road because of the nice floral citrus things and the length of the bitterness. A bit good. Not great, but good enough, and a great way to start an evening.

You’re welcome.

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Apr 25 2013

Beer – #155 – Dogfish Head – Chicory Stout


So then, my first from this brewery – Dogfish Head Chicory Stout - Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery in the style of a  Stout and thats all happening in  Milton, Delaware USA (and I had to google where  that was), looks nice.

DogFish Head - Chicory StoutChicory Stout is a rich, dark beer made with a touch of roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, St. John’s Wort, and licorice root. It is brewed with roast barley, crystal malt and oats and hopped just right with Glacier hops. We use fair trade Organic Mexican Coatepec beans roasted to our specifications by Notting Hill Coffee Roastery in Lewes, DE.

330ml bottle of a 5.2%ABV (thats about 1.45 standard drinks) and a IBU of just 21. I’m looking forward to this.

Lovely dark pour, lovely foamy head, a an aroma full of promise of chocolate.

Slightly fizzy, but a burst of chocolate taste, nice!, This is a bit good. It’s nicely rich, has a slight peppery taste and is a joy. Wish I’d started my evening with this.

However, I’d be reluctant to have this marked out as a session beer, I think that the overall impression of sweetness would make it a difficult ask after a few. If you were working through a few beers in a evening with friends  this would be a magnificent part of that journey, it offers a lot to talk about and mull over., and you’d need a couple because it’s just that nice.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this 8.5 and would buy again without any hesitation. Top effort. Lovely beer. See me smile.

 

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Apr 25 2013

Beer – #154 – Stone – Smoked Porter


Anzac day. I’m going to try a Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean, not for any reason of remembrance just because it’s time for a beer. Mostly.  Brewed by Stone Brewing Co. in the style of a Porter in of all places Escondido, California USA

Stone - Smoked PorterA  rich, dark and delicious porter with chocolate and coffee overtones accented by a subtle smokiness from just the right amount of peat smoked malt. Unlike a rauchbier, the “smoke” in Stone Smoked Porter is an ELEMENT of the character rather than being THE character. — Greg Koch, Stone Brewing Co.

5.9% ABV beer (1.85 standard drinks) in a 330ml bottle, and 53IBU’s

Deep dark colour with a malty coloured head, not a big aroma, but that’s not a bad thing. Head settles away quickly.

It’s quite fruity to be honest, decent carbonation, but I was a bit surprised to think of fruit over other things I could have thought of, like “smoke”, I’m not actually sure there are any dominant tastes in this.

The bitterness is ok, and what there is is mostly balanced out by the malts, but I’m beginning to think that I don’t actually get the smoked malt thing, nor do I get vanilla, both of which should, in my mind give a stronger taste. I could be wrong. I usually am.  Without blowing my own trumpet I think I drank enough beer to pick elements, sorry Greg.

It’s not a bad beer, I’m still picking fruits over smokes though, and I hear you saying “well dur that’s the vanilla” and it could well be.

Overall though, not as pleasing as I wanted it to be, and not as rounded as I thought it would be. Disappointingly then the Pdubyah-o-meter would rate this only a 6. It’s an in the pack beer, it’s not setting any standards or setting itself apart. It’s a bit too sweet, a but light on bitters, and lacks a real body or length of taste.

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Apr 20 2013

Beer – #153 – Stone – Pale Ale


Back to the US of A for the next up a Stone – Pale Ale. Brewed by Stone Brewing Co. in the style of a  American Pale Ale
Escondido, California USA

5.4% ABV (1.51 Standard drink units) in a 355ml bottle, and this is 41 on the IBU scale so not bitter, as beers go.

Stone - Pale AleStone Pale Ale is our Southern California take on the classic British ale. Deep amber in color, this beer is a robust and full-flavored interpretation of the traditional style. Its bold malt character is perfectly complemented by a judicious amount of hops, lending it a subtly enticing aroma. This is an ale for those who have learned to appreciate distinctive flavors and have a thirst for something out of the ordinary.

Deep amber in color, Stone Pale Ale is robust and full flavored. A delicate hop aroma is complemented by a rich maltiness.

This should just round off a beer evening nicely if the expectation meets the delivery on this

Again a bunch of aroma from hops I might not be familiar with, and I picked an orange note because I had to give it a name. A decent pour of nice amber beer, with a reasonable head, already I like it on looks.  The aroma though might seem to settle to yeast or doughy note.

It for sure isn’t bitter, and is fairly light on the tongue. It carries a decent carbonation too.  There are a few layers in this and the up-front taste hides a length that ends in bitterness, which isn’t as pleasing.

There are some other things in the taste, you could make an effort and reach for them and attach them to citrus things, they’re not unpleasant and remain, for me me, just a bit out of grasp.

I don’t like this as much as I might, the overall falls to a slightly bitter depth, and tellingly the bitterness is a bit apparent in the after note, the finish. So upfront you get a off yeast aroma, a gentle malty introduction and then it comes with a bitter finish that might not be expected

I’d say that at 7 on the pdubyah-o-meter this has just made the bar. I might be swimming against the grain a bit. I thought the yeasty aroma was odd, I thought the bitter kick was surprising, and I can’t figure out the other tastes, I may have gone into this thinking it was more than it was, I came out thinking it was less.

Repetition aplenty in this beer, it’s lucky I’m, not with mates else I’d be sent off to think up some other words.

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Apr 20 2013

Beer – #152 – 8 Wired – Tall Poppy India Red Ale


Back to something from a more established NZ brewery – the 8 Wired Tall Poppy India Red Ale - 8 Wired Brewing which is brewed at Renaissance Brewing, this one in the style of a  Amber Ale
and they’re in Blenheim, New Zealand.

500ml bottle, 7% ABV, thats 2.8 Standard drink units, and 60 IBU’s so at the lower end for IPA …. stand by for incoming……

8 Wired - Tall Poppy India Red AleTall Poppy – India Red Ale This is an ale that is not afraid of standing tall among other great beers. The intense, sharp and fruity hoppiness is backed by its complex, caramel-like malty structure. Big, yet refreshing. Bold but balanced. This beer has been designed to have it all, to be the greatest common denominator.

Love the play on words they manage.

This sounds like the business but this is s brewer who takes risks and has delivered a mixed bag, in my opinion.

The immediate hop aroma is really nice, not ones I’m familiar with (Warrior, Columbus, Simcoe, Amarillo) Fantastic dark red colour, reasonable head,  and that fantastic aroma, almost spicy.

There’s a mouthful of flavour too, caramel malts, backed with a fair hit of bitterness.

If anything this ends a little “dry” in the mouth, but there isn’t a lot to tell you you’re drinking a reasonably strong beer by way of alcohol astringent.

In the glass, given a few minutes, this really begins to bloom and blossom. this might be that I’m a bit over average beers in my enthusiasm, but this light up a lot of buttons on the pdubyah-o-meter. It could be that I’m comfortable with the bitterness that this delivers, or the way that the caramel and malt combine with the whole to make a nice.

The pdubyah-o-meter says 8.5, which makes this a fair decent beer. I’m happily necking this like there is no tomorrow, and I’ll suddenly realise that there is only the one, and this is it.

For all it’s good points I didn’t get a head, I get no lacing, and if anything it’s under hopped. It’s easily drinkable, and if I was where this was on tap I’d be more than happy to pull up a barstool order me some fries and have a another, or two.

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Apr 20 2013

Beer – #151 – Zeelandt – Pale Ale


The second of the two beers- this one the Pale Ale – Brewed by Zeelandt Brewing Co of course in the style of a English Pale Ale and that’s in sunny Napier, New Zealand.

Zeelandt - Pale Ale500ml Bottle – 5% ABV bottle conditioned beer (thats about 1.97 standard drinks). It claims 35 IBU’s which is near the upper end of bitter for a Pale Ale

A classic pale ale that delivers a glass full of hoppy flavour. This bright, copper coloured beer has a malty backbone, wonderfully balanced with citrus hop flavour and a clean, refreshing finish. This pale ale leaves you wanting more.

Copper brown, headless, and an aroma of mainly citrus and malts. If there are hops in this they are the silent types.

There is carbonation though, but it didn’t translate into head. And it’s very light on hops. Very. The mouth is dominated by the carbonation, a sweet note, and a slight finish of bitterness. There’s no lacing either.

Frankly it’s a bit meh. The pdubyah-o-meter says 7 and be happy.

Meh as in nothing outstanding, or rewarding in this, it’s not particularly flavourful, aromatic, or alcohol heavy.  A safe beer from a new brewery.

A report card might say B- Must try harder.

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Apr 19 2013

Beer – #150 – Zeelandt – Helles


Something a bit new – Zeelandt – Helles - Brewed by Zeelandt Brewing Co in the style of a  Dortmunder/Helles- and they’re in Napier, New Zealand

Zeelandt - HellesThis Bavarian styled lager has a creamy white head and brewed with NZ hops of noble lineage. Medium to low hop bitterness, this beer is a thirst quencher.

New Brewery, they have two beers, this and a Pale Ale.

Low at 16 on the IBU scale, in a 500ml bottle and at 5% ABV (just under 2 standard drink units),  this appears a safe bet.

Nicely carbonated, and I understated that with a whole glass comprising of head. So a new glass and another go. Tad of yeast on the aroma, and a slightly bitter note. Nice golden colour.

Bitter gives over to musty. This is really lively in the glass, and almost uncontrollable head, and you know I’m no expert in the pouring.

I should also have paid a heed to the fact this is a bottle conditioned beer, and that of course comes with the dregs, and that clouds up the final pour. It remains very lively in the glass and still pours a head.

So how does this really rate? Quaffable isn’t something that comes to mind, but it’s not unpleasant, it’s not bursting full of any flavour in particular. It’s not leaving me wanting to take another mouthful to enjoy, but it’s not a beer that you put down and discuss around.

A safe middle of the road beer, doing what it should in the way it should, possibly under hopped, it’s not bitter it’s not sweet. Despite being lively and heady it’s not overly carbonated on the tongue.

The pdubyah-o-meter says a solid effort at 7. Plenty better, a lot plenty worse.

Apr 16 2013

The one with the Fear and the Doubt


Fear and Doubt are two things that are personal to the ‘you’.

Today I find myself in a place where I have both, and there are rare periods of time when I have the fear or I have the doubt.

They’re not common periods, and seem to come and go as quickly as a moment.

I’m not sure I have  them about a specific things, or  whether I’m  just generally in doubt, or in fear.

Not doubtful but in doubt. I doubt my security at my workplace, isn’t the same as being doubtful about my job security. For the former is a feeling I have, an uncertainty as a reaction to things, an it’s not based on any outward events, actions or news that would lead me otherwise to doubt things.

Doubt as a reaction to a change, and not being able to settle to a position on it. Doubt because you’re not actually sure about the journey you’re being asked to go on.

I sometimes have the doubt in my own ability, and if I have the fortitude to get me through the journey.

The Fear. Sometimes I have this with the doubt. Sometimes just on its own.

Fear of getting old, of not having done enough, of being poor. A fear that somehow you’ve left something undone. A fear your life is about to be tipped over off balance.

So where has my suddenly melancholy fear and doubt some from?  And when will it go away, and when will I know it has? Why has a sudden introspection thrown me off my good game?

I know that I’m feeling this way, and have fallen into a funk which makes it somewhat worse, I think acknowledging it is a start to making it better. Im not about to go sit on a cliff top or by the waters edge and spend hours in contemplation, it’s not a depression I have, just a fear and doubt.

And I’m sure that this too will pass

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