And A Couple More...

That is, a couple more cans 😉beginning with one from Brewdog (website), and their 4.3% Wingman, "The Eagle has Landed" Session IPA, brewed with Ahtanum (hopslist), Chinook (hopslist), Citra (hopslist), Mosaic (hopslist), Simcoe (hopslist), and HBC 692 (Yakima Chief) hops. With those hops you would expect plenty of flavour, and you would be right. 👍 Pale golden, with a big fruity aroma, notably pineapple and grapefruit, and tasting of tropical and citrus fruits, in particular peach and grapefruit, light and dry, with a bitter finish, not bad at all. 😁

AND, another AF beer in a tin, this one from Beavertown (website), their 0.3% Lazer Crush Alcohol Free IPA, brewed with Amarillo (hopslist), Azacca (hopslist), and Citra (hopslist) hops. Similarly, you would expect plenty of flavour with those hops, despite the lack of strength, and potentially lack of body, but I was quite surprised! It comes out of the can slightly cloudy, is very pale, and has a big fruity aroma, and grapefruit/lemon citrus taste, with a dry refreshing crisp finish. I wrote "not bad actually" and the best alcohol free IPA/APA I've had, cheers folks! 👍

Lakedown Brewing Co

The first of these 4 beers was imbibed at the Jenny Lind, 69 High Street, Hastings TN34 3EW (see blog which includes more information about the Jenny Lind etc). That is, from Lakedown Brewing Co (website), their 4.2% Wits' End, which, as I can find nothing about it anywhere, I am guessing was their Kicking Donkey rebadged for the Hastings Comedy Festival earlier this year. Whatever, Wits' End, which I'm not quite at yet, 😉 is a Best Bitter, and my notes suggest it does what it says on the label, it is a traditional, slightly malty, best bitter. If it is Kicking Donkey, the hops used were Pioneer, Cascade and Jester and all grown in England, Kent presumably, but it wasn't particularly hoppy, but then, reviews for Kicking Donkey suggest similar too, and I wouldn't bet against it being any different. Probably! 😏

The first of the 3 cans from Lakedown was their 5.7% Harmonium India Pale Ale, brewed with Cascade (hopslist), Centennial (hopslist), Chinook (hopslist) and Citra hops (hopslist), and finished off with Amarillo hops added at the end of the brew (hopslist). These hops make it an APA style essentially, but it's a bit darker than a typical APA, indeed, a deep copper colour, much more like a traditional IPA! Sorry, I'm trying not to get confused, despite the styles being confused, like 'fusion' brewing! Hints of tropical and citrus fruits, quite light and easy to drink, with a slightly dry bitter finish, with those hops and strength you'd expect a bit more to it, but deceptively easy to knock back, not bad at all, I'd love to try a cask version. 👌

Next I go to something much darker, their 4.8% Marquee, an American Stout From their subtitle I'll take an informed guess that hops from the USA were used when brewing this ale, but Lakedown appear to be shy about sharing the hops used! 😕 Whatever, because it is dark, as you can see in the image above, and rich and smooth, you catch the flavours from the malts used rather than from hops unsurprisingly. It has a quite subtle dark chocolate and coffee aroma, with roasted malt and dark chocolate more prominent in the taste, not bad...

Finally their 0.5% 'Alcohol Free' Sound AF, described as 'American' and a 'Juicy Pale' so presumably hops from the USA are used, but again, they're shy of sharing which hops! It pours a bit cloudy, but does have a big fruity aroma, and a subtle fruity taste, but it thins out as the glass goes down, with a dry finish. However, not bad though, for an AF beer. 😏

My guess is that the hops used aren't shared for the AF and the American Stout because they change a bit, just a thought, anyway, have fun folks, cheers! 😁

Only With Love!

I was asked by a publican couple who are friends, to taste 5 beers in cans from East Sussex brewery Only With Love (website) for them, and who am I to turn down a challenge of this sort? Cheers Mark and Mo! 😉 So I worked up in strength, sort of... 

I begin with their 3.9% 'Super Session Pale' Swift, and a very pale golden ale, as expected. Brewed with Amarillo (hopslist), Columbus (hopslist) and Mandarina Bavaria (hopslist) hops, providing a fruity aroma, notably orange. There was a hint of orange in the taste too, but quite subtle. Nice and refreshing with a dry finish, not too bitter, I liked it.

Second is their 4.2% 'Extra Pale Ale' Wingding, brewed with Citra (hopslist), Cascade (hopslist), Goldings (hopslist) and Apollo (hopslist) hops. Pale again, unsurprisingly, with a light fruity aroma and taste, they suggest 'gooseberry' and I got that too! Finished nice and dry, my notes say, 'not bad at all' 👍which is a decent compliment from me. 😉

 

Third is the 5% 'Tropic IPA' Bongo (rebadged from 'Summer Beer' I guess, but I forgot to take photographs before the cans went into the recycling bag, so had to scour the net for images 😒). Brewed with El Dorado (hopslist), Cascade (hopslist), Mosaic (hopslist), Citra (hopslist), Sabro (Yakima Valley Hops) and Simcoe (hopslist) hops, producing big citrus and forest fruits aroma and taste in this pale ale. A nice crisp dry finish, shame about the thickness of this 'vegan friendly' ale, or it could have been a belter... 😞

Fourth is their 4% 'Helles Lager' Banger, brewed with Magnum (hopslist), Hallertau (hopslist) and Mandarina Bavaria (hopslist) hops. Pale, quite dry with a subtle fruitiness in the taste, it's 'vegan friendly' too, but nice and clear, see, it can be done! Okay, I'm not a lager drinker, but I noted that it's "pretty good!" Indeed, I can be open to new things... 😁

Finally their low alcohol/alcohol free (0.5%) Juicy AF, brewed with Columbus (hopslist), El Dorado (hopslist), Mosaic (hopslist) and Citra (hopslist) hops. Big fruity aroma and taste, as you'd expect from the hops used, but I may as well have had an orange or mixed fruits smoothie, probably cheaper! If it had been crisp and clear I may consider it, but much too thick sadly.

Overall, they use hops that I like in my ales, I was surprised about the lager Banger, which I thought was pretty good, sadly the Bongo and Juicy AF were much too thick for me, which could be improved if fined, and I shan't go into the 'vegan friendly' ales can be crisp and clear saga yet again here, and the Swift and Wingding were both not bad at all. Decent enough brewers, shame about the vegan influence, although I've heard they do provide clear ales in casks if requested. Cheers folks! 🍻

Many thanks for the images too, cheers! 👍