The Brewhive Range - Edinburgh, Scotland

After a fairly lengthy hiatus (in writing, that is; not beering) which had been causing people to lose sleep throughout the beerosphere, I'm back with a review of a different sort (sighs of relief all round). As it happens, I have a very good reason for this hiatus which I'll go into in agonising detail in a future post, but for now, on with our selection for today...

On a balmy August morning I was fortunate enough to have a fairly weighty package turn up on my doorstep courtesy of Brewhive, a newly launched, online-only beer distributor based in Edinburgh, Scotland. "Hop inside!" it instructed me to do on the lid, and I hopped my way into the box like an excitable bunny opening a box of pellets. Hop pellets.

After releasing the beers from their hive (well, five beers and a cider, I was surprised to see) it soon becomes clear that Brewhive have taken a more utilitarian than decorative approach, their labels reserving more space for ingredients and tasting notes than imagery for imagery's sake. Pushing to highlight the beer's characteristics on the front of the label in this way, it seems as if someone with an OCD at Brewhive HQ might be trying a bit too hard make this an educational experience which the drinker will either appreciate or find a tad excessive.  

Saying that, it's clear from their website that their aim is to appeal to fine diners and wine drinkers, showing them that beer in all its varieties has at least as much to offer in the way of complexity as wine, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. It does raise the question, though, of whether the brews themselves live up to the description they're given (and before we get there, I have to warn you of a highly questionable choice of glassware which was sadly unavoidable at the time).

The role of Blonde Brew is filled by the German Magnum Lager (4%), "magnum" having nothing to do with a frozen treat on a stick nor a firearm, but referring to the hop used which is known for the floral and fruity characteristics it normally imparts. The label describes its bittering qualities as subtle, a monumental understatement in this case, with a chronic lack of depth and not to mention a level of carbonation unthinkably low for a lager. With the lager style being the most popular globally and being in the grip of the big corporate giants, any small-batch interpretation needs something to set itself apart and differentiate itself from the cheap and cheerful, mainstream, mass produced stuff so accessible to us all, and if Blonde Brew manages to pull that off then I'm afraid it does so for entirely the wrong reasons. 

How does the Pale Brew fare? English Endeavour I.P.A. (4%) is an easy going IPA with a bitter citrus aftertaste and hints of lime and grapefruit as promised from the Endeavour hops. This bottle was fairly low on the carbonation too, but for a top-fermented brew I can forgive that. Don't go expecting the brash, in-your-face flavours of an American IPA; this is its low-key, understated, slightly annoyingly over-polite English cousin: a fresh, sessionable sipper for a hot summer's day. With current trends going in favour of much bolder flavoured IPA's, it seems that Brewhive are making a dogged attempt at reclaiming the title for their mission of "teasing the taste buds rather than annihilating them". But is it the job of the 21st century India Pale Ale to tease the taste buds? I dare say it's not. 

Seemingly hoping to leave no taste uncatered for, Brewhive have thrown its Apple Irish Cider (5%) into the mix. Cider, for anyone not sure about this, is not beer. I haven't drunk cider out of choice since my palate matured past the awkward beer-averse phase most of us go through in our teen years, but I'll never shy away from one if the circumstances call for it. With a lovely pinkish colour, it's attractive in the glass. It has a good level of carbonation with a sweet flavour and dry mouthfeel, without the stale, farmy aftertaste you get from some ciders. I don't know if it says more about the Cider Brew or the previous two beers, but this came out easily as my favourite so far.

Not for long, though. The Dark Brew, Chocolate Malt Porter (4.1%) is described in words that always send my taste buds into a salivating frenzy. Bitter roasted malts come through in abundance, along with chocolate, coffee and treacle flavours, some of which aren't mentioned on the label, but all of which are welcome components in anything with the words chocolate, malt or porter. Liquorice was faintly present; vanilla I can't say I picked up on, not that it matters unless that was something on the label that got you particularly excited. Either way, its rich flavours wash over the tongue in a gloriously smooth and full bodied liquid, ending with a medium dry finish.

The back of the label recommends trying this out with cheddar, and with a block in my fridge ready to roar I’d be foolish to let such an opportunity pass me by, let alone to see this bottle’s lifespan end without having been given the chance to dance around my mouth in harmony with one of its closest friends. The saltiness of the cheddar balances the bitterness of the roasted malts to enhance Dark Brew's chocolatey qualities as well as the creaminess of the cheese. The Dark Brew's mellow character makes it very quaffable and ideal for a nice indulgent treat, whether amped up with a block of cheddar or not.

Overall, while I'm grateful to Brewhive for introducing me to their range, I would suggest their beers belong less alongside wine drinkers and their dinner and more in gift selection boxes. Although the brewers seem to have made the conscious effort to go for subtle flavours, in doing so they're hardly fulfilling the aim of showcasing the complexities that hops and malts have to offer, and in my view are needlessly worried about overpowering accompanying dishes. Not only can rich, powerfully hopped beers be matched with food superbly, but let's face it, there'll be more chance of punters quietly knocking these back with a bowl of cheesy puffs than a plate of seared scallops.

You'll find more information on Brewhive's beers (and cider) at http://www.beerhive.com.