Easy Jack IPA (4.5%) - Firestone Walker Brewing Co, California, USA

We've braved our way through the darkest months of winter and springtime is lurking somewhere around the corner, and yet I've hardly left so much as a dent in my batch of brews that was kindly topped up for me by Father Beermas himself. The festive binge came to an end quite some time ago, so it's about time I began to sample my beery offerings at a more reflective pace, starting with one from this Californian brewery.

My first cannie in a while, I happily popped the tab and filled my IPA glass with its hazy pale golden straw-colour liquid, just a tiny patch of sparkling head gathering to fizzle down to leave a clear fizz-free surface. 

A juicy combination of sweet resinous pine flavours and peaches, nectarines and apricots as well as some zesty mandarin segments from the diverse range of German, New Zealand and American hops wafted up in a mouthwateringly enticing, fruity aroma. 

Once I had my chops around it, a powerful hit of tropical flavours came rushing through with a stronger hit of the more citrusy hops, this time accompanied by a toasted malt backing that brought in some balance, all culminating in a dry finish. 

California within the USA

While a tad heavy on the carbonation and a smidgen light on depth it's certainly a highly quenching session beer that'll go down a treat in the summer months, and being such a crisp and refreshing brew, Easy Jack is easy to knock back.

Appearance 2,5/5

Aroma 4,5/5
Flavour 4/5
Mouthfeel 3/5
Overall rating: 7/10

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The brewery: 
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Where to buy:
£2.99 on The Beer Hawk

Irish IPA (6%) - Crafty Brewing Company, Co. Kildare, Ireland

On a weekend food shop at Lidl in Calpe, Spain, there were a number of things on our shopping list that were to sustain us over the couple of days we were there - crisps, milk, bread, ingredients to be placed in amongst the bread - but the search was put on a prolonged hold as soon as I entered the beer aisle. 

Highly prominent among the impressive selection was a range of beers from this Irish brewery, leading me to wonder whether Calpe had a particularly high concentration of Irish expats, but it emerged that the Crafty Brewing Company (AKA Rye River Brewing Co) brew exclusively for Lidl as part of Lidl's craft beer range, the hipsterèsque moustache on the label seemingly hinting at the beer's crafty nature. 

This beaut poured a hazy golden amber topped with a lovely puffy white foam, and I knew straight away things were off to a good start.

Sticking my nose in for a whiff I was greeted by a potent mix of tropical fruits, sweet pine and a slightly herbal quality that all in all makes for a uniquely inviting character that would've had my moustache twitching for more if I had one.

Co. Kildare within Ireland

I wasted no time in diving in for a gulp and out of nowhere this crafty bugger pummelled my mouth with enormous bitter hop flavours, along with a few handfuls of peaches, apricots and mandarin segments.

Thick and juicy with a dry finish, this fruity blend's flavours linger on for you to enjoy long after you've sipped, along with a lil kick from the 6% ABV. 

Having wondered what qualities an Irish IPA might yield it's clear that this one has opted for the BIG New World character we've all come to love about the style, although taking its hops from Down Under rather than across the pond has brought about an interesting, complex flavour with a difference, and that's to be sure to be sure. 

Appearance 3.5
Aroma 4.5
Flavour 4
Mouthfeel 3.5
Overall 8/10 

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Rye River's website
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Chimay Brune (7%) - Chimay Brewery, Hainaut Province, Belgium

It was tough work picking out a brew from such a tempting selection of Belgian beers that I hauled back from my recent trip to Belgium, but after 20 minutes of gawping indecisively at various bottles and studying the labels one by one, I finally opted to explore my inner monk with this exciting number.

Chimay Brune as it's called on the bottle (but Chimay Rouge seemingly everywhere else) is a 7% strong Belgian Trappist double from Chimay Brewery in the Hainaut province of Belgium. The brewery itself is located at the Scourmont Abbey where the beer is brewed by monks according to strict Trappist criteria, making it one of only 10 authentic Trappist breweries in the world. These pious souls spend their days happily brewing away, selling beer not for profit but to just about cover their own living expenses, giving the rest away to charity. I'll be honest that I had no idea about this when I shoved this one into my shopping basket, but the moment I discovered that the bottle I held before me was a product of this now rare tradition, my excitement became a lot more uncontainable. I also briefly considered becoming a monk.

In case you're wondering what makes it a double or dubbel, this comes from a traditional labelling system when crosses were used to indicate a particular brew's strength, "XX" (double) coming logically between X (single) and XXX (triple), a tradition that's stuck to this day for some. With this supposedly middle-strength beer coming in at 7%, it's clear those quiet Trappist monks still know how to live it up. 

Chimay Brune comes in a charming little 33ml bottle with “Abbaye de Scourmont” embossed on it. The label is quite simple, showing a golden shield with the Chimay logo sitting under two fleurs-de-lis. It pours a stunning ruby-copper colour almost matching the label and is topped off with a decent sized, creamy off-white head. Of course, with an appreciation for the real deal the monks don't bother themselves with pasteurisation, conditioning the beer naturally in the bottle. As far as appearances go, it’s nothing short of drool-inducingly gorgeous. 

The aroma is slight but immediately distinctive, with sweet, wheaty, fruity, apricot aromas coming out, fairly unique from other Belgian beers and worlds apart from any British beers.

The flavour carries on in a similar vein with sweet and wheaty flavours along with some dried apricots. The addition of earthy and peppery hops cuts through a sweet and malty undercurrent, and carries much more of a punch than expected. The flavours are swirled around by the lively carbonation before settling down to leave you with a gentle, fruity aftertaste that gradually fades with a warming finish. Chimay rushes in there, sweeps you off your feet and then elegantly puts you down again like some kind of holy beery revelation.

For a brew conceived by some modest Trappist monks, Chimay Brune has so much going on not just in the flavour but in the mouthfeel and texture as well. It has a gentle aroma, a flavour that erupts in your mouth before calming down again, and is every bit as sexy to look at as the Notre-Dame de Scourmont herself.

Appearance 5/5

Aroma 4/5

Flavour 4/5

Mouthfeel 4/5

Beer Belly's Rating 8.5/10

Brewery details
Website: http://www.chimay.com
Twitter: @ChimayUSA (don't ask why)