Camden Pale Ale (4%) - Camden Town Brewery, London

Holy moly, I'm on a role! It just goes to show what a few beery gifts and some law-enforced quarantine time can do. And lots of hard work and dedication to the cause, of course. 

After a string of tinnies I reached for this bottle, popped the cap with a pftsss here and a jingle jangle there, followed by the glug glug glug of its stunning golden amber insides flowing into my glass, surging with a lovely puffy head. 

On the nose there's a nice subtle waft of tropical and citrus notes, and a swig of the smooth and juicy liquid brings with it some bitter citrus notes balanced out by sweet pine, peppered with herbal grassy notes and a nicely toasted malt backing, all leading to a dry finish. A lot going on as you can see.

Camden in London

As promised on the bottle this pale ale goes about itself in a refined British way that makes it a bit more subtle and a lot more quaffable than some of the zappy American pale ales we're all familiar with. This is one is a beer garden sipper for sure (once they, y'know, re-open). 

Rating ★★★★★★★★☆☆

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Camden Town Brewery

Website here 

Facebook page here

Where to buy

£1.80 at Tesco

Saucery Session IPA (3.9%) - Magic Rock Brewing, West Yorkshire, England

You could be forgiven for wondering why things have been so quiet around here lately when planet Earth has been shut down and I should, if anything, have more time to dedicate to the exploration of beer. The odd fact of the matter is that the start of the pandemic coincided with a New Years resolution to experimentally forgo alcohol from Sunday to Thursday, leading to less of an inclination towards written drinking practices on the two remaining days of the week.

But during a recent bout of compulsory self-isolation following a flight of utmost importance, I found myself suddenly being the recipient of a generous beery windfall, and the conditions were perfect for dusting off the ol' tasting notepad (opening Blogger) and reporting on my experience.

The first brew I ever had by Magic Rock Brewing was their very nice 6% Surreal Stout - from the other end of the spectrum from this 3.9% IPA, but my promising encounter had me looking forward to seeing what this one was about. 

Saucery Session IPA pours a hazy straw colour with a fizzly head. The aroma gave way to enticingly fresh tropical and citrus aromas, sweet mango and passion fruit meeting zesty lemons.

Each swig brought with it oodles of juicy tropical and citrus flavours, accompanied by some spicy and peppery bitter notes that lingered through the dry finish. It's exactly the kind of brew that is perfect for sipping on at any time of day, whether alone or in the company of friends* (*according to the rules wherever you are at this point in time, of course). 

At a mere 3.9% (which I have to admit is an ABV that I usually sniff at - no more!) Magic Rock have managed to produce beer that's as impressively flavourful as it is sessionable. An act of saucery indeed!

Rating ★★★★★★★★☆☆

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Magic Rock Brewing

Website here 

Facebook page here

Where to buy

£1.80 at Tesco

Pride & Joy (5.3%) - Vocation Brewery, West Yorkshire, England

My beer collection had been looking worryingly thin for a brief while until my turning of age brought with it a generous regaling of exciting new craft brews. The first one I picked out was this, and it's sure to have the other beers quivering in their cans. 

Kindly leaving the beer unpasteurised and unfiltered - just the way Mother Nature intended - with the noble aim of preserving the best of its flavours, what pours is a hazy pale golden colour with a white cushion of head sitting happily on top. 

Juicy tropical fruits along with some citrus hints erupt out of the can as soon as you pop the tab, sweet pine and mangoes and a handful of tangerine segments imparting an enticing aroma that's enjoyable in its own right but which is too irresistible to hold you off from diving in for too long.

West Yorkshire within England

A good swig brings with it a deep, full-bodied mouthful of tropical fruits along with a lively bitter citrus hit that gets your chops salivating if they weren't already.

A lengthy, toasted malt-backed palate is peppered with fresh herbal and grassy notes rounding off nicely into a crisp, dry finish.

Encompassing everything you could possibly want from an American-style pale ale - being easy-drinking yet jam-packed with New World flavours - I just can't fault this in any way. Enjoy it all year round, all day long, and let it bring the brewery pride, and the drinker much joy.

Rating 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

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The brewery
Website here
Facebook page here

Where to buy
£1.80 from Tesco

Luponic Distortion 007 series (5.9%) - Firestone Walker Brewing Co, California, USA

When I first picked this brew out of my vast collection I didn't realise I wasn't dealing with any ordinary beer. Thankfully, a few sips in I looked into its background and was able to fully appreciate the concept behind it before my glass emptied. 

Luponic Distortion isn't just a beer, but a series of limited release beers that experiment with different hop varieties on each revolution. Revolution 007 is the one that had been bequeathed unto me, available between September 2017 and January this year.

Its slightly hazy, pale blonde body topped with a puffy bright white head, which left some trickles of lacing, makes for a very inviting appearance.

Big, fresh aromas of tropical fruits from the three Australian hops come out at you on the nose, with pineapple, citrus fruits, passion fruit and juicy pine all coming together in a mouthwatering combination. For such a powerfully hopped-up aroma, one sip gives way to a mind-blowingly mellow and clean taste. Distortion is the word!

Along with all its tropical notes, an added touch of zest, as well as perfumey and floral qualities, come through in every juicy gulp. Being lightly carbonated and smooth on the palate whilst so jam-packed full of flavour, this is a very drinkable and quenching brew. 

Rather than the punchy North American hop flavours I'd possibly been conditioned to expect from anything with the word "hop" on the can, this brew is all about the laid-back character from Down Under. 

While revolution 007 has run its course, the prospect of a different variation every 90 days is extremely exciting. Grab 009 while you can!

Appearance 5/5

Aroma 5/5

Flavour 4/5

Mouthfeel 4/5

Overall 9/10

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The brewery:
Website here
Facebook page here

Pale 31 (4.9%) - Firestone Walker Brewing Co, California, USA

A beer blogger sipping beer without a notepad can be compared to an off-duty police officer - in both of these noble roles, your sense of duty never leaves you. 

I had an acute sense of this when I picked out Pale 31 from my beer shelf with the sole intention of enjoying it for myself, only to find that after popping off the cap and being smacked in the nose by a bunch of blossoming flowers, I was utterly helpless in the face of such a seductive aroma. I had to share it with the beer-o-sphere.

From the Golden State itself (the 31st state to join the union, if you were wondering about the name) it pours a perfect golden colour with a creamy-coloured head. 

On the nose I got a waft of fresh and fragrant floral New World hop aromas along with juicy satsuma segments, complimented by the faintest hint of a herbal and earthy quality. 

A flurry of fruity flavours washed over my tongue, juicy pine perfectly balancing a grapefruit bitterness, ending with a clean, semi-dry and toasted biscuit finish. 

California within the USA

With this self-styled "bold but approachable" Californian pale ale, Firestone have produced something that represents everything a pale ale should be; easy to sip with bags of character. 

Very Californian it may be, but the five awards its won in the last eight years on both sides of the pond confirms one thing: this is a quality crowd-pleaser. 

Appearance 5/5

Aroma 5/5

Flavour 4/5

Mouthfeel 4/5

Overall 9/10 

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The brewery:
Website here

Facebook page here

Where to buy:
£2.99 on The Beer Hawk

Torpedo Extra IPA (7.2%) - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, California, USA

Another week, another brew to hail from the Golden State picked from my very own beery treasure trove; the top shelf of my fridge. 

Torpedo Extra IPA pours a deep, rich amber colour with a frothing off-white head that produces some gorgeous lacing clinging to the glass on its way down.

California within the USA

Sticking the schnoz past the rim is like sticking it into a basket of fruit: A pungent sweet floral and tropical aroma of mangoes and lychees with some sticky pine comes through, and the faintest hint of a lime note that suggests a bitter twist is lurking within. Had the aroma not got me salivating so heavily I might've let my nose linger in there a while longer, but I could barely go another minute without getting my chops around it anyway.

A mighty bitter citrus kick blasts its way through on the first swig, with zesty and tart notes of limes and grapefruits riding the juicy tropical wave and pummelling your tongue, and what it leaves behind is a dry and delicately toasted finish. In amongst all the commotion you barely notice the strength of the 7.2% ABV, although once everything's calmed down there's a definite spirity hit still lingering around. 

While the effects of the huge American hop flavours are a tad extreme for my palate, Sierra Nevada have succeeded in creating something full-flavoured, crisp and refreshing that any IPA lover will gladly sip down, and at 7.2%, hopefully slower than I did. 

Appearance 5/5

Aroma 4/5

Flavour 3/5

Mouthfeel 2.5/5
Overall rating 7.5/10

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The brewery:
Sierra Nevada's website

Sierra Nevada on Facebook

Where to buy:
£3.19 on The Beer Hawk

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: 
Visit the website here

Check out the Facebook page here

Where to buy:
£2.99 on The Beer Hawk

The Blonde, The Blanche and The Ambrée: The Grimbergen range.

Few things bring me more joy than a nice bottle of beer, but if there's one thing that does, it's three bottles:

These bad boys and the chalice they were destined for came into my possession long ago when everyone in the northern hemisphere was in the throes of winter, and yet it's taken me until now to sip my way through the trio, starting with the lightest in a temperate April and ending with the darkest in the unrelenting heat of a Murcian June - perhaps not the most logical sequence as far as matching beer with season goes, although the colours did follow the same pattern as my ever toasting skin. 

Obernai's former region of Alsace
within France. (Part of the new
Grand Est region since 2016)

Grimbergen beer has been going, in one way or another, since the dark Medieval days of 1128 - although since starting its life as a monk-brewed abbey beer in Belgium, the periodic accident and conflict-driven destruction of the abbey followed by several commercial takeovers in more recent times means the beer, now brewed partly in Belgium and partly in France, probably differs somewhat from what the Norbertine monks of Grimbergen used to get sozzled on with their guests. Indeed, the Belgian and French breweries even brew completely separate varieties (those coming from Belgium being mainly Blond, Dubbel and Tripel), meaning that the beers in my box were sure to have come from the Kronenbourg brewery in Obernai, France. Just call me the Beer Detective.

But no beer is complete without a story, and as the monks' use of the phoenix would imply, rebirth is a significant aspect of this beer's identity - so if the legend at the very least has managed to be kept alive over the course of almost a whopping nine centuries, then all the better. 

Onto the beers:

Blonde 6.7%

She pours a perfect golden amber with a dense, bright fluffy head and, as with all of Grimbergen's beers, looks particularly fine in the beer's own purpose-made chalice. 

It had been a long time since I'd tasted the delights of a Belgian-style ale and the distinctly Belgian whiff of spicy clove that wafted up from my chalice's bowl was a stark reminder of where this brew was born. Along with these spicy notes there were plenty of hints of toffee and caramel malt on the nose giving me a clue as to what was to come. 
After a gulp or two, malty depth came through peppered with spicy clove, broken up ever so slightly by a hint of bitter citrus, followed by a floral, soapy aftertaste. 

For its high ABV it goes down nice and easily, and since it's got plenty of depth you can afford to sup on it chilled without fear of compromising on flavour.

Blanche 6%

The Blanche pours an opaque pale straw colour with a small head that fizzled out quicker than I could snap it.

There's plenty going on on the nose with fragrant, perfumey and floral aromas seasoned with herbal notes and spicy clove, overall making for a fresh and complex first impression.

The fresh flavours of zesty citrus fruits and a strong presence of coriander and clove come through after a sip, but it soon becomes clear that where it exceeds in flavour it lacks in body and depth, almost a diluted version of what it could be.

Rather than a sipper to savour I'd call this an introduction to the style to be knocked back.

Double-Ambrée 6.5%

The darkest of the three, this pours a dark mahogany with a thin beige head.

I picked up the aromas of dark stone fruits and berries, even if they were a bit hesitant in coming forward.

The flavour doesn't disappoint, with rich, fruity woodland berries backed by sweet caramel, a hint of treacle and a dash of bitter coffee - a sweet, fruity experience with the welcome addition of an added 6.5% alcoholic warmth. 

As the aroma hadn't been so forthcoming I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. A touch more body could have brought more depth to the flavours, but overall of the three in the set, the double-ambrée is the brew I'm fondest of. Santé!

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Grimbergen's Website
Grimbergen on Facebook

Dale's Pale Ale (6.5%) - Oskar Blues Brewery, North Carolina, USA

Hoppy New Year! And a hoppy first review of 2017 as I turn to this huge voluminously hopped mutha of a pale ale as it's modestly described on the can.

Yet again because the people around me know exactly what makes me happy, I've developed an almighty stash of craft beers following the Christmas period, hailing from the likes of Scotland to Belgium to South Africa to this one from the US which shot its way out of a Beer Hawk Beer Bullet and right into my sexy new Teku glass. 

North Carolina within the USA

Dale's Pale Ale pours a gorgeous orange-amber with a surging, bubbly off-white head that develops rusty hues on each swirl the likes of which I'd never witnessed before.

I found it surprisingly tame on the nose with nothing more than some citrus and earthy hop notes surfacing gently, which seemed all too Old World for something from the western side of The Pond. I put this down to the beer being excessively cold, having only just removed it from my fridge which on the very same day had managed to turn a pot of hummus into a chickpea ice cream that even the toughest pieces of carrot couldn't penetrate. Sure enough, as the brew warmed up some tropical mango and piney aromas came forward.

If there had been any doubt about the presence of hops, these were decisively quashed on my first sip when my tongue was overrun with zesty, citrus grapefruit and orange peel bitterness, with only a vague hint of the sweeter, tropical hops. The bitter hop flavours linger on the back of the tongue along with an alcoholic warmth and lead to a dry finish. The hops aren't the only star of the show as you might be led to expect, though, with a robust toasted biscuit caramel malt backing pushing through for some balance along the way.

This beer had struck me as a popular choice after seeing it pop up occasionally on my Instagram feed, so I was drawn to BeerAdvocate to see what the rest of the Beer World thought and it turns out that I'm massively at odds with most others on this one. 

For a moment I wondered whether 18 months of heavily limited access to top-fermented beers and their many new experimental varieties on account of my moving to Spain had deadened my taste buds so much that the exotic nature of Dale's Pale Ale had become too much to handle. 

In truth, though, I'm no stranger to brash, hop-forward American Pale Ales. Something about the combination of bitter citrus hops, the high ABV and used-teabag dryness just didn't make it the easy-drinker that I'd hoped for. An alright sipper that I'd gladly revisit, but I'm puzzled by the hype.

Appearance 4/5

Aroma 3.5/5

Flavour 3/5

Mouthfeel 2.5/5

Overall 6.5/10

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Pajiza Black (4.5%) - Trinitaria, Murcia, Spain

Just over a year since moving to the predominantly cold and wet northwest Spanish region of Galicia and after a brief stint back in Blighty, I've migrated back to a very different part of the Ibeerian Peninsula: the contrastingly arid and scorched plains of Murcia. 

My path to accommodation was a desperate one, one which involved me pacing the length and breadth of the city of Murcia in over 30-degree heat for no fewer than three full weeks. But once I'd secured a roof over my head, I had the chance to explore my new neighbourhood at my own leisure, and one particular establishment I was delighted to have found, a mere few minutes away on foot, was a shop specialising in craft beer. And what with all that walking, I had worked up quite a thirst.

My first and only, highly-disciplined single purchase was a deliberately local one in the spirit of celebrating my new region. Pajiza Black (or "black straw" as far as I can deduce) comes from a small Murcian town called Torre-Pacheco, and as the brewers are keen to point out is the very first dark beer, inspired by Irish dry stouts, to have hailed from the town (although that's perhaps not such a surprise being the town's only brewery).

As promised it pours an inky jet-black, although less expectedly an almighty, bubbling cappuccino-coloured head erupts before slowly fizzling down to a gorgeous, spiralling, creamy, foamy layer. To enjoy the spectacle again, a little swirl of the glass is all it takes to reactivate it for your viewing pleasure.

Having released the brew's aromas following all that swirling action, bitter coffee and dark chocolate are present on the nose from the dark roasted malts, subtle though they might be. 

Going in for a slurp, the bitter flavours of dark roasted malts are accompanied by a creamy backing that call to mind a café con leche, complimented by a hint of hazelnut that comes through gently. Just when you thought that was it, a potent, bright citrus hop lifts the palate bringing in a refreshing, fruity finish.

While it could do with being ever so slightly smoother, this medium-bodied dry stout remains highly quaffable, helped by the modest ABV.

In a climate with a year-round average daily high of 25 degrees it's a wonder that there could be any demand for dark, top-fermented beers, but the clever use of malts and hops give it a character that sets it apart from your typical stout, and on a muggy October evening as a first experience of a Murcian small-batch beer, it went down well with me. 

Appearance 5/5 

Aroma 2/5

Flavour 3.5/5
Mouthfeel 3/5 

Overall rating 7/10

Trinitaria's website
Trinitaria on Facebook
Trinitaria on TV:

Where to buy:

2,15 EUR on Verema

Burnin' Alive Galician Coast IPA (6%) - Keltius In Peccatum, Galicia, Spain

On an uncharacteristically sunny late winter afternoon in Lugo I was walking a route I take regularly when I noticed that a retail outlet which I'd passed countless times before had its doors open. Highly unassuming from the outside (lacking so much as a sign) my curiosity had led me to peer through its windows on previous occasions, and I was thrilled to see that in amongst a varied selection of wine bottles, there was shelf space devoted to a number of unique-looking beers. It was just a question of accessing them.

Now presented with an open door to a pre- or post-siesta bottle shop, I seized the moment and scampered in with haste. My excitement was soon marred by the discovery that a good number of the beers were out of date, a fact the shopkeeper was keen to highlight and dismiss in the same breath. Eager not to part with 2,50€ for a brew that should have been ingested at least two months before, I inspected my way to an unexpired brew from the Galician town of Ourense and purchased it speedily before leaving.

The label is an eye-catching one, the horned, muscular, skull-faced, red-irised individual holding an electric guitar above his head surrounded by flames making for an interesting choice of design, and fuelling my anxiety to find out what an Ourensano interpretation of a modern-day IPA would resemble. 

My experience began on a positive note as the brew poured a gorgeous amber colour, cloudy in my case as I let the sediment slide its way in to enjoy the party. A tremendous fluffy head gradually took shape, one which left some spectacular lacing down the glass. 

The aroma immediately provided the familiar old scents of juicy, tropical pine, awakening memories of my former IPA-guzzling days which would occur routinely in my UK abode. From the whiff alone, it certainly seemed to be an IPA as I knew it. 

Diving in for a slurp I was equally pleased: a sharp citrus bitterness swooped in to cut through the juicy tropical pine resin, with added herbal, peppery hints. The slight spicy sensation of the peppery notes coupled with an alcoholic warmth might have inspired the name, although I wouldn't describe it as burning alive; it's a pleasant and probably far more enjoyable sensation. 

The mouthfeel is a tad gassy for my liking, creating a light and airy quality that compromises the body. Saying that, the prickle which the carbonation imposes on the tongue coupled with the bitter, spicy hop flavours do prove to work well with the image of the evil tormenter on the label, and impart a character as rocky and rugged as the Galician coast itself. 

Appearance 5/5

Aroma 4/5

Flavour 4/5

Mouthfeel 3/5

Overall 8/10

An Emotional, Gastronomic Exbeerience: Red Courtesy (5.5%) - Valencia, Spain

Not long has passed since I vowed to focus on small-batch brews from my new region of North West Spain but alarmed to see the expiration of one of my beers from an opposite end of the country was looming I felt duty-bound swoop in and save it from oblivion. Then again, I probably would have drunk it post-oblivion anyway.

Having established myself as an appreciator of all (well, most) things fermented with hops and malts at my new place of work, I was gifted this elegant little number by my colleagues for Christmas. The brewers of this gourmet beauty seem elusive folk, remaining something of a mystery until some light research reveals them as a distributor called Hidden Ice (hidden indeed) who sell several kinds of beverages, the only beery one among them this (although I'm told they have new brews in the pipeline which I'll be poised to seize the moment they're released). Supposedly inspired by elements of Japanese culture, the unique, corked, ceramic-like bottle is a wonder to behold and, despite not being the most gifted uncorker, I was eager to pop my way in.

My caution during the uncorking process was futile: within moments the cork vanished from sight in a puff of smoke and my lap was coated in a thick, gloopy white foam which, rest assured, had come from the bottle. 

Eventually a hazy orange liquid pushed past the froth and filled my glass, now with only a trace of head to be seen. With allspice, dried flower orange blossom and Buddha's hand (a little-known fruit that resembles a lemon-octopus hybrid) among the list of ingredients, it's no wonder you get a delightful noseful of fruity, floral and zesty aromas on your way in. 

The flavour shares the same complexity, the added botanicals imparting spicy, peppery and zesty citrus notes with all the floral character of a Japanese garden, all coming at you harmoniously in a gorgeous, full-bodied liquid, full of flavour and yet remaining elegant. 

But the fun doesn't end here. "The serving ritual takes Red Courtesy down different sensory paths" claims the website: in my case it was the sensation of a soggy pair of jeans, but this isn't exactly what the brewers have in mind. Despite my impression of this beer being highly positive as it is, to experience the beer's qualities at their best we're encouraged to engage in a distinctive serving ritual, taking it "where no beer has ever gone before" (and not just my lap). 


If you thought a bespectacled, bearded, checked-shirted man holding his beer glass up to the light prior to swirling it around and introducing his nose past the rim for some sniffing action before taking a swig was an elaborate procedure, you ain't seen nothing yet. Depending on which of this brew's charming characteristics you fancy enhancing, you can opt for the spicy, citric or floral "orientations", pouring a small serving of beer through a strainer containing more of the botanical ingredients provided in the kit, into a chalice. Yes, that's right; a chalice. No casual drinking experience is this, then, but a ceremonial affair intended to transport you to Takama-ga-hara or wherever, although it's hard to imagine a situation in which you could earnestly present this kit to your dinner guests and not have them falling about with laughter.

Do I detect a smattering of gimmickry at play? Absolutely, but it's a gimmick I'm happy to take seriously; after all, Red Courtesy grabs your attention as soon as you set eyes on its graceful, slender, black, corked receptacle on the shop shelf, and that's why you'd pick it up in the first place. Fortunately the appeal extends far beyond this as the brew lurking inside is of quality and delicious. So roll with it, remove the muddiness from your mind, stop seeing the forest and start to see the trees... or something.

Appearance 5/5
Aroma 4/5
Mouthfeel 4/5
Flavour 5/5
Overall Rating: 9/10