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

Cali Pale (5%) - Tiny Rebel Brewing Co, Newport, Wales

Brew number two of what I'm now spontaneously dubbing the self-isolation series of Easter 2021, we have a little gem from Tiny Rebel brewery.

Tiny Rebel are a brewery I've had the pleasure of sampling the delights of many times in the past, one of which you can join me in reminiscence here once you've finished with this post and not a moment sooner.

Topped with a nice white fluffy head, Cali Pale pours a pale (the clue's in the name) straw colour with a bit of a haze to it - like the sort you might observe engulfing the Golden Gate Bridge or Newport Transporter Bridge of a morning.

It's abundantly fruity on the nose with tropical notes of mango, passion fruit and pineapples all coming through. I could have poked my nose about in it all day, but there comes a point where you just have to get on with it and take a swig.

Newport within Wales

In the mouth it was gloriously refreshing and fruity, bursting with flavour even after coming straight out of the fridge (I tend to approach cold beers with caution as it normally weakens the flavours too much for my liking, but not so with this one), all capped off with some sweet pine notes and a dry finish.

All in all this juicy pale ale is highly drinkable and thirst-quenching, perfect for the warm spring and summer days that are just around the corner, as well as the disappointingly cold and cloudy ones.

Rating ★★★★★★★★★☆

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Tiny Rebel Brewing Co.

Website here 

Facebook page here

Where to buy

£2.00 at Sainsburys

Wild Gravity IPA (5.2%) - BAD Co, North Yorkshire, England

Another can into my oh-heck-I'm-one-year-older batch and what I pulled out of my special beer place struck me for two reasons. Firstly, the brewery's name on the can featuring so boldly beside a relaxed Britannia, trident in one hand, brew in the other, would prove to be either extremely self-deprecating or deeply ironic, and I fortunately discovered it to be the latter. Secondly, sitting on top of the can was no ordinary tab.  

For so long, 360° cans were something I only saw Americans drinking from on Instagram, but now thanks to BAD Co, who were one of the first breweries to introduce these to the UK, I was 
in for a whole new type of exbeerience.

Being so unversed in the working of these, the almighty hiss as I pulled the top off gave me a startle - but once the full force of its fruity and floral aroma smacked me round the nose I was well and truly put at ease. My can now completely topless, it felt almost as if I was peering into something forbidden.

North Yorkshire within England

Unlike traditional cans which conceal the beer's aroma, these make for decent drinking receptacles in their own right. But I wanted to see the full package, and after transferring it to the glass it was destined for, the bubbling hazy amber liquid was fully revealed, crowned with a cushion of white head. 

Going in for a proper whiff, sweet tropical aromas of mangoes and peaches with a few tangerine segments and their zesty peel - along with a bready backing as the brew warmed up - oozed up my nostrils.  

A smooth and juicy mouthful brought delicate, floral hops with a dash of herbs, rounded off with a dry, bitter lime finish.

Described as aggressive and bold on the can, for me in an era of tongue-shreddingly hop-heavy IPAs, it came across more as mercifully laid-back and easy-drinking. Although, as beer-swigging Britannia reminds us on the can, this is a British brew yielding a more understated character. But let's not get bogged down in labels and just enjoy this beer for the delightful experience it is, from a brewery that's anything but BAD. 

Rating ★★★★★★★★☆☆

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The brewery
Website here
Facebook page here

Where to buy
£1.75 from Morrisons

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

Old Empire IPA (5.7%) - Marston's Brewery, Staffordshire, England

After a spree of brews this year that have been either Californian or Spanish, I felt it was about time I reconnected with my beery roots - and it doesn't get much more traditional than an English IPA brewed in Burton-Upon-Trent, where once a quarter of all British beer was produced and the local water is known to enhance the flavour of the hops.

Wanting to see the full 500ml in the glass with its magnificent creamy head (and being without a pint glass, believe it or not) I went for a weizen glass that showed off every inch of the the golden amber liquid bubbling away inside. 

Anything with the letters IPA on it nowadays brings the expectation of being smacked round the nose by a hop overload that may or may not make your eyes water, but this traditional style IPA goes back to its 19th-century origins, producing the delicate but distinctive, earthy, herbal and sweet floral aromas created by Fuggles and Goldings hops - though Marston's have added a touch of American Cascade for an extra citrus freshness and, I suspect, a nod to the 21st century. 

Staffordshire within England

One swig of this beauty brings a rush of fruity woodland berries, spicy pepper and a touch of grapefruit bitterness, balanced perfectly with bready, toasted biscuit malts and the slightest hint of treacle. 

Thick and smooth with a crisp, dry finish, I enjoyed this brew at room temperature to make the most of its rich and full-bodied character, along with the gorgeous warming sensation from the 5.7% ABV.

A rebrand in 2016 saw the label (along with the rest of Marston's range) undergo a transformation from a much more understated design to the more contemporary look we see here, in a bid to attract younger drinkers in the face of new drinking trends. While it can't be denied that its appearance has been rejuvenated, I do wonder whether this will lead to misunderstandings about the nature of the IPA in the bottle, which the craft-drinking youth of today might not be so well-versed in.

After spending a long time being swept up by the lairier New World IPA's that have come to dominate the style, this was a delicious reminder that there's a whole other side to the IPA family that deserves to be visited every now and again. And again, and again, and again...

Rating ★★★★★★★★✰✩

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The brewery
Website here
Facebook page here

Where to buy
£1.65 from Morrisons

Peanut Butter Milk Stout (5.3%) - Belching Beaver Brewery, California, USA

With all the light beers I've been on recently it was time for a change, and to call this brew something a bit different would be a whopping understatement. 

It poured totally jet black with a substantial dark brown head that fizzled down by the time I could snap it, so awe-struck was I by the beauty of it.

The aroma was unlike anything I've known before from a beer. Rich chocolate and nutty aromas are belched out of the can in abundance with no room for ambiguity: chocolate fudge cake, brownie and peanut butter cups may as well be the indulgences lying at the bottom of your glass.

The flavour is everything the aromas promise to deliver: full-bodied, rich and packed with sweet, smooth, creamy chocolate and dark roasted peanuts which linger on for you to enjoy after every swig.

While it's not your typical stout (not that it aims to be), it's no less drinkable for its novel ingredients and character. In fact, despite its unabashedly in-your-face flavours, it's skilfully rounded and very easy-drinking. It must be, having won seven awards in the last four years. 

Thick and sweet, this is an indulgent dessert of a beer that will please those with a sweet tooth, fans of beavers, fans of dark beers, and fans of beer. It can easily be summed up in two words: dam good. 

Rating ★★★★★★★★✰✰

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The brewery
Website here

Facebook page here

Where to buy
£4.15 on The Beer Hawk

Something similar
Bateman's Hazelnut Brownie

Palpita (5.8%) - Cervezas Yakka, Murcia, Spain

In a country where the mention of beer normally calls to mind the mass-produced lager of that region, a quiet rebellion is taking place. As beer guzzlers nationwide develop a growing curiosity for brews with depth and flavour, craft brewers drawing their inspiration from further afield are springing up and catering for ever-inquisitive palates.

Palpita, a name which refers to the beat of a heart, pours an inviting, slightly hazy golden straw colour with an active carbonation that sees bubbles rising quickly to the surface.

Murcia within Spain

While the aroma was subtle on the nose at first, as my brew neared room temperature those classic blonde ale aromas of sweet bready malts and subtle light fruits came to the fore.

The flavour certainly didn't hold back though, gushing forth with a sweet, bready malt backing underpinning spicy clove, fruity hints and a touch of hop bitterness, creating a pleasantly intense and complex character that got my ticker fluttering like a Murcian flag in the breeze.

Full-bodied, thick and juicy, this is a brew that's easy to get your chops around, rounded off with a crisp, medium-dry toasted finish and a pleasing lingering warmth from the 5.8% ABV to warm the cockles of your heart. 

This Belgian-inspired Murcian blonde ale is modest yet packed with character, and can be enjoyed as a chilled, refreshing quencher or savoured as a slow-sipper to your palpitating heart's content. 

Appearance 4/5

Aroma 3/5

Flavour 4/5

Mouthfeel 4/5

Overall 7.5/10

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Palpita on TV:

Palpita online:
Website here
Facebook page here

Where to buy:
1,70€ on Cervezas Diferentes

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

Yankee (4.3%) - Rooster's Brewing, North Yorkshire, England

After my first review of 2017, a Yankee pale ale from North Carolina, I bring you an English pale ale called Yankee from North Yorkshire.

In the glass Yankee is a hazy, pale straw colour topped with a lively, bubbly white head that dissipates slowly, like an excitable chicken settling down on a bale of hay for a much needed roost... or a whisked egg white on a bed of yolks... okay, enough chicken analogies; the last one was a bit fowl. 

North Yorkshire within England

It has a gentle but fresh hop aroma with grassy and floral notes, and if you poke your beak about for long enough a faint, sweet whiff of honey adds a nice extra smidgen of depth. 

The floral character is as alive and well in the mouth as it is up the nostrils, along with fruity hints of white grapes and lychees. These delightful, understated hop flavours come together effortlessly, seasoned with some peppery notes, and end with a sweet, toasted biscuit malt finish that lingers around for you to carry on enjoying even once your glass is empty. 

A gentle carbonation leads to a smooth, juicy mouthfeel culminating in a medium-dry finish. Its balanced flavour and sessionable ABV make it highly quaffable, demanding masses of self-restraint, especially if it's to last long enough to take notes on.

All I want in a pale ale is something with character that's easy-drinking, and Yankee exceeded my expectations on both counts. It offers depth, complexity and harmony and yet remains laid-back and understated. Not only could I drink it all day, it left me clucking for more.

Appearance 3.5/5

Aroma 4.5/5

Flavour 4.5/5

Mouthfeel 4.5/5

Overall rating 8.5/10

The brewery:
Rooster's website

Rooster's on Facebook 
Rooster's on Twitter
Rooster's on Instagram

Where to buy:
£2.29 on The Beer Hawk

Hazelnut Brownie (6.3%) - Batemans Brewery, Lincolnshire, England

I might have something approaching an oversupply of beers from my new Spanish region of Galicia developing, but since Christmas I've had something different put aside for a special occasion. That something different was a unique English ale by Batemans Brewery that my girlfriend had bestowed on me, and that special occasion was Friday.

The label on Hazelnut Brownie, as with the other beers in Batemans' Sovereign range, has undergone a bit of a rebranding with a contemporary typographic look in favour of the more homely, rustic appearance that it used to sport on its beer pumps. Batemans is keen to highlight its long heritage, though, with its big wax stamp and the year it was founded, 1874, proudly displayed on the front. 

Lincolnshire within England

No sooner is the cap cracked off than the beer's lusciously fragrant aroma starts permeating the space around you without even needing to edge your nose closer to it. I shoved my nose down the bottle neck for a bigger hit anyway, sending my brain into a chocolatey frenzy before the stuff had even left the bottle. Once it had been given a swill around my glass, rich, creamy aromas of chocolate and sweet malts were diffusing apace. It was clear at this point that this would be no subtle interpretation of a hazelnut brownie.

It pours a gorgeous dark mahogany, with a generous coffee-coloured head that gathers and dissipates cleanly. If you've noticed that this is the only blog post of mine where that hasn't been captured in a photo then you'd be right: my chocolate-scrambled brain forced me to dive in straight away before I could.

Soon after doing so my cakehole was filled with the most ridiculously uncanny resemblance to a brownie I'd ever sampled from a beer glass. Sweet chocolate was there in abundance along with a touch of cinnamon spice and a distinct hazelnut finish that was too good to believe it could be true until I went back for more.

While it wouldn't hurt for the body to be a bit fuller, it's certainly as rich and decadent in flavour as it could be and manages to impart a creaminess, I assume from the use of lactose, that could have you believe you'd had it served up with custard, warmed up by the 6.3% ABV.

Quirky, dessert inspired beers are nothing new, but what sets Hazelnut Brownie apart from so many others I've tried is that you don't need to use your imagination to convert those dark roasted malts and reinterpret them as chocolate; this one does all the work for you. Whether this sensation has been achieved solely with the creative use of malt, hops, chocolate and cinnamon I can't say for sure, but who cares? It tastes like what you wanted it to when you picked it up off the shop shelf.

Appearance 4/5

Aroma 5/5

Flavour 5/5

Mouthfeel 3/5

Overall 8.5/10

Head here for Batemans' website  

Head here for a review of Batemans' English B Bock

Frigate Golden Bitter (3.8%) - Irving & Co. Brewers Ltd., Hampshire, England

Somewhere above the overcast skies of my little corner of England summer is upon us and yet I still have obscene numbers of beers left that were given to me for Christmas. Determined to get through them before they reach their best-by date, I valiantly plough through...

Today's offering is from the English coastal city of Portsmouth, Hampshire, and as part of a gift set, ironically bought a short journey away in France (made by eurotunnel on this occasion, not frigate) it came in a weeny 275ml bottle, which I assume (and hope) isn't the norm for this brewery, but for the purposes of a gift set I totally understand the choice of sample size, if it was their choice at all.

The label shows an enormous warship with the backdrop of Portsmouth's iconic Spinnaker tower, seagulls flying overhead in a hazy golden sunset, hinting at the colour of the beer inside. The back of the label suggests being careful to leave the sediment inside the bottle as you pour, but no amount of caution seems to prevent its hazy appearance and anyway, why would you want to? The sediment was kind enough to keep the golden liquid alive in the bottle, the least we can do is let it join the party.

Hampshire within England

The aroma is of a sweet citrusy nature, evoking sweet tangerine segments with some faint honey notes, with only the slightest hint of a grapefruit bitterness that provides a gentle contrast.

Pale and crystal malts battle their way to the frontline of your palate, firing sweet biscuit notes and toasted flavours in every direction to achieve overall dominance. Contrary to its description as a bitter, the surviving hops bring mainly the sweet character of candied citrus fruits, complementing rather than counteracting the malts. Once everything's settled down, some fresh herbal, almost minty notes bring some balance, ending with a black tea note that brings a dry finish to an otherwise smooth mouthfeel.

For a 3.8% beer, Frigate delivers an impressive level of complexity with its interesting combination of Sovereign and Boadicea hops, and a frigate-load of flavour even if it's short-lived from a cruelly small 275ml bottle.

Appearance 4/5
Aroma 4/5
Flavour 4/5
Mouthfeel 3/5
Overall rating 7.5/10

N’Ice Chouffe (10%) - Brasserie d’Achouffe, Luxembourg Province, Belgium

With the spring months well under way here in Blighty, it seems distateful, nay, downright perverse to post a detailed description of my experience with a Christmas beer. But experiences are to be shared, and share this I will.

The label shows a wintry scene with two of the brewery's trademark gnomes warming up by a camp fire outside in the snow, carrying hops and barley. They seem ready to sling the hops and barley into the fire: arguably not the best use for two key ingredients to the best beverage in the world, but I suppose even Chouffe gnomes will do what they can to stay warm. Then again, they could equally be fighting to rescue the grain and hop plants from the flames. Yes, valiant gnomes, we'll stick with that version of events.

N'Ice Chouffe pours pitch black, allowing some shades of deep ruby red to glow through when up against the light. The brewery's own curvaceous and reflective tulip glass does the beer's appearance full justice, showing off the lively carbonation that rises quickly from the bulbous black body to form the superb, bubbling off-white head that pushes up past the base of the lip.

The glass trapping the aroma magnificently, at first whiff my impression is that it smells unmistakeably Belgian with herbal clove aromas coming through. A rich chocolate and crystal malt backing brings out a toffee tinge alongside some forest fruits.

Things intensify by the camp fire with a super rich flavour of sweet brown "candi" sugar and lots of grassy, herbal notes all coming at you at once. The carbonation helps to cut through the intense sweetness, but for me doesn't go far enough to stop it from being too cloying. Finally, a big alcoholic burn reminds you what happens when a gnome gets his beard too close to a camp fire.

As a seasonal brew, N'Ice Chouffe leaves no doubt that it was conceived as a winter warmer (despite the reference to "ice" in the name). However, with such a burny and intense character it doesn't sit so N'Icely on the palate.

Appearance 4/5

Aroma 3.5/5

Flavour 3/5

Mouthfeel 2/5

Overall rating 6.5/10

Gordon Xmas (8.8%) - John Martin Brewery, Brabant Province, Belgium

Since discovering how easily accessible continental Europe is by car early last year, it's been difficult to stay away, especially knowing there's a whole other world of beer just a few hours' drive away. Having the possibility of loading up the back of the car is an added bonus, but this inevitably leads to a beery backlog that takes time to clear. That's partly why two weeks into January I'm still drinking Christmas beers and will be for some time to come.

I was surprised to find out that this Belgian brewery was founded by an Englishman, John Martin (although the clue is in the name, you could say) and has remained a family-run business since 1909, now in the hands of grandson Anthony. Gordon Xmas was created in the 1930's as the very first purpose-brewed seasonal Christmas beer, starting what would become a beery tradition we should all be grateful for. To make things even more interesting, the Gordon range is named after an ancient Scottish clan, making this a Scottish-inspired, English-brewed, Belgium-based ale (which I purchased in France).

I picked up this festive-looking bottle in a Calais bottle shop and must confess that I'd hesitated at the sight of the label, which looks like a 1970's movie poster, but in the spirit of Christmas and because I had a few euros of pocket money left to spend, I scooped it into my basket anyway. 

The beer pours a lovely dark amber turning to a ruby red under certain light, with a tan head that holds its own.

As soon as the snowy cap comes off, a pungent, rich caramel aroma shoots out. More of the caramels are present once poured into the glass, with hints of candied fruit that create a flavour similar to a fruitcake, accompanied by a dusty, floral soapiness.

The intensity of flavour exceeds expectations, with sickly sweet caramel malt and sweet, candied fruits coating the palate, followed by the minutest hint of a nutty finish and a warming alcohol burn. 

The medium carbonation coupled with the intensity made it overwhelming to begin with, which I found eased the flatter it became (yes, that's how long I spent on it). Even so, with nothing to cut through the bold, malty flavours, it's slightly too cloying for my liking.

Gordon Xmas is full-bodied, intense, rich and indulgent making it a great choice at Christmas. However, being in need of some balance I would steer clear of rich and indulgent foods while you're supping it.

Appearance 4.5/5

Aroma 2.5/5

Flavour 3/5

Mouthfeel 2/5

Overall Rating 6/10

Brewery Information
Website: http://www.anthonymartin.be 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breweryjohnmartin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bendelcourt