Dark Beers Part 2

Starting off round 2 of 'dark beers' with another belter from Yorkshire, this time from 11 years old North Riding Brewery (website), who I know more for their single hopped pale ales (Citra and Mosaic for example), but this is their 4.5% Butterscotch Porter. The brewery hasn't made much public about this version of their porter, which is usually brewed with 6 different types of malt, very likely chocolate malt one of those used in this case. They typically use Columbus hops in their porters, and I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case for this, certainly similar if not Columbus (hopslist). I wish I'd made more specific notes, but I did note "Does what it says, and chocolate, luxurious, not as sweet as I expected as it has a dry finish" (I now expect a hop influence there), hint of toffee and plenty of chocolate; my notes ended "nice one!"

Next, from Bristol, or 'Brizzle' if said with a West Country accent, 13 years old Wiper and True brewery (website), their 5.6% Milk Shake, which surprised me immensely as it was not quite what I expected from the name of this milk stout. Why? Well, it was much more refreshing to drink than I expected, I got the lactose, but not so much, probably the inclusion of English hops influential in that, Phoenix hops I do believe (hopslist). Cacao and vanilla are additions to the brew, and very noticeable in the aroma and taste, anyway, my notes say "Not as sweet as I was expecting, got the roasted barley taste I associate with stout ales, not overly though, with hints of chocolate and vanilla. Surprisingly refreshing to drink, cheers!" I've just now discovered that I drank a pint of this ale cask conditioned 9 years ago (blog), and I liked it then too! 😁

The third one here is very much a big hitter, from 10 years old Fierce Beer of Aberdeen in Scotland (website), their Very Big Moose (12.0%), from their imperial stout series, which are aged in whisky barrels. Brewed with added cacao and vanilla, and Summit hops (hopslist), providing a hint of dark chocolate and lightly toasted barley in the aroma. Much more subtle chocolate flavour than I expected, I wrote also, quoting notes: "rich roasted malt and a hint of liquorice in the taste. A dry finish, another excellent beer, cheers m'dears! 😁"

My final beer here is from another Brizzle based brewery, 9 years old Left Handed Giant (website). Interesting that these 4 breweries were all set up within 4 years of each other, which suggests much about the development of U.S. style craft breweries in Britain in the last 15 years or so. Anyway, I've had many excellent ales from Left Handed Giant of differing styles indeed, and they've never disappointed me, but this was their 6.9% milk stout Woodland Creatures, with 'Cinder Toffee added hot' and 'Pistachio added cold' to the brew. I can't discover the hops used, as they tend to concentrate more on advertising the malts and adjuncts.

So, to my notes, "a milk stout with pistachio and honeycomb. Hint of marzipan/almond in the aroma. Sweetness, nuts, butterscotch and a hint of chocolate in the taste, surprisingly dry finish (so I'm guessing hops like Columbus, Phoenix or Summit as used by the others). Complex stout from a very good brewery, despite sweetness, a dry, even bitter finish, nice one. 😁"

I may blog about something else before the third Dark Ale blog, cheers m'dears! 👋

May Whisky of the Month

Since 1897, the year Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, and the year their distillery was purpose built there, water has been drawn for their whiskies from the adjacent Granty Burn by Speyburn (website). This May's 'Whisky of the Month' being their Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (40.0%), aged for 10 years in a combination of sherry casks and bourbon oak casks. If you've read my blogs before about whiskeys/whiskies you will realise I prefer smooth non-peaty ones, mostly from Ireland, but also the Speyside whiskies of Scotland.

Speyburn suggest this single malt whisky has "notes of fresh fruit, creamy toffee and citrus." My notes say that there is a very gentle 'whisky' aroma with hints of vanilla, toffee and cinnamon, but predominantly butterscotch. Indeed, for me, butterscotch is the dominant flavour too, but not too sweet, smooth, and warming delightfully as it goes down, very good too, sláinte! 😁

Dark Beers Part 1

I keep returning to darker beers when fine pale cask ales are not available and, sadly, I do not have room for cask ales at home! 😉 So, where shall I start? I like this photograph of a beer having flowed over the side, looks nice and fresh, so I shall start with this...

From Tartarus Beers of Leeds (website) Snow Wasset, a 5.5% Maple Pecan Hot Chocolate Stout. First of all, the name, the Snow Wasset is a mythical creature from the around the Great Lakes in North America that is similar to a very large wolf, and which loses its short legs in the winter so that it may burrow even further north through snow drifts! ⛄ Brewed with Olicana hops (British Hop Association) providing a gentle hint of tropical fruits in the aroma and taste. But with maple and pecan flavouring added to the brew more dominant, I detected toffee and molasses in the aroma, with hints of nuts in the taste, and yes, chocolate too, from the chocolate malt used in the grist. My notes say "not as sweet as I expected with a really dry finish, bloody good!" 😁

Second, from Dundee in Scotland, Holy Goat Brewing (website) Sabra Cadabra Volume II, a 5.3% Single Origin Tanzanian Vanilla Stout. Brewed with Sabro hops (Yakima Valley Hops), adding plum and raisin flavours to the chocolate malt in the grist, and fermented on vanilla beans harvested in Tanzania's Kilimanjaro region, which produces a 'magical' beer. I detected a big chocolate aroma with hints of coffee, and predominantly a chocolate stout flavour, not overly sweet, but with a dry finish though, and another exceedingly good dark beer. 👍

Next, from Baron Brewing of Hertfordshire (website), their 4.7% Bring That Beat Back, a straightforward 4.7% stout, which they insist has had no adjuncts added to the brew, and which I can attest to. My notes are quite succinct, I wrote "surprisingly light for such a dark ale. Slight aroma of toast, a wee bit sweet, a session stout." It's a very good stout!

From East Sussex Burning Sky's brewery (website) Is This Real?, a smooth 5.2% stout. Brewed with Chinook (hopslist) and Perle (hopslist) hops, presumably chocolate malt in the grist, although only subtle dark chocolate in the aroma, with a hint of toast and spices too.  A lovely dry finish, again not sweet, and Mr Tranter continues to stand out whatever he brews!

I named this Dark Beers Part 1 because I keep drinking other dark beers I want to share the experience of, so yes, many more to come, cheers! 😁

Hastings Jack in the Green Ales!

I very recently drank 3 local ales brewed especially for the Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green May Day events (website). In brewery alphabetical order, from Brewing Brothers (website) 4.0% Ol' Jack Pale Ale, brewed with Citra (hopslist), Mosaic (hopslist) and Strata (Indie Hops) hops, and imbibed at the Jenny Lind (website) and Dolphin Inn (website). Looking at the name and those hops will give you a clue, and you'd not be surprised, this is a pale ale, tropical and citrus fruit aroma and taste, pale and dry, and very refreshing, nice one!

Second, from FILO Brewing Company (website), and imbibed at their own pub the First In Last Out (website), their 4.1% Thirst of May - Green Man Ale, brewed with English hops, Olicana (British Hop Association), Celeia (hopslist) and Pioneer (hopslist). Consequently the more bitter of these 3 ales, quite pale, but slightly darker than the other two. More body, and certainly a more traditional style English ale, but with subtle tropical and citrus fruit flavours, another nice one!

Finally, from a little further away just over the border in West Sussex, and Only With Love (website) 4.2% Jack's Back Spring Ale, and another brewery that has discovered you can brew vegan friendly ale that is clear, yay! 👍 Imbibed at The Crown (website), but they don't advertise the hops used, however, from their past brews, and strength of this ale, I'm guessing Harlequin hops (British Hop Association), but I have got in touch with them and will correct if they advise me otherwise (still waiting). Whatever, a very easy pale ale to drink, quite gentle hop wise, and not very bitter. And yet another very decent ale indeed, cheers m'dears! 😁