This is not the greatest ale in the world, this is just a: Tribute, 4.2% ABV

Brewed by St Austell brewery in Cornwall, this Ale is a CAMRA award winner.

It is a very light coloured ale, poured with a short frothy head and plenty of fizz throughout. Leave it for a couple of minutes and you might be forgiven for thinking it’s, dare I say, a lager.

At first taste there doesn’t seem to be much to it. I think my thoughts at the time were something along the lines of “This has about as much body as a supermodel.” But then the flavours emerge, and grow. Slowly mind, they don’t exactly explode. Lightly fruity on the tip of your tongue, which is why it takes a while to notice, and bitter going down. Definitely something citrussy going on there. Even the malt and the hops are subtle, neither overpowering the other.

I guess St Austell were going for a very balanced amber ale here. And they certainly achieved that aim. Beautiful in its delicacy. Though would I call it a champion? Maybe not, needs a bit more “oomph” for me.

Mighty Rating ★ ★ ★ ★

Look for yourself and experience a taste of Cornwall.

Howay! Newcastle Brown Ale. 4.7% ABV

I couldn’t do an ale blog without including a good old bottle of Dog now could I.

This drink has spent much more time in my mouth than I care to mention, and it will certainly be spending even more.

The first thing that hits you about a bottle o’ broon is the sweetness. It’s surprising, and to be honest quite overbearing. Almost as if someone has mixed a load of caramel into the drink. Luckily for me I have a rather sweet tooth, but let’s try to be objective.

It’s a light drink, a bit of fizz to it which stops it weighing down your stomach the way a lot of ales can. It’s quite warming and malty as it goes down. It can be quite hard to determine the hops after the sweetness, but they are lingering around there somewhere, and once you find them you will always be able to taste them. All in all a good time Ale, can’t have a bad time on the Newcy Brown.

And for Staffordshire people, it was created by a man who was born in Burton on Trent, and moved to Newcastle later on in life. Nice little tidbit that.

Mighty Rating ★ ★ ★ ★

More brews and information can be found on their rather swanky website.

Bomber’s Away: Thwaites Lancaster Bomber. 4.4 % ABV

Bomber's Away!

I’ve been looking forward to this. A beer from a brewery a short walk from my home in Blackburn. (Or, as as we may say in my dulcet tones “Ey’ up cockers, let’s try this one ‘eh? A good ol’ bomber!”)
Thwaites will always hold a certain place in my ale loving heart. But for now, I shall try to be unbiased. I Promise.

It is a very balanced ale. Nothing too overwhelming. Although it is not without character. Smooth and creamy as it goes down, with a rich toffeeness to it. It’s the kind of drink you want as a night cap. Malty and easy to drink, not boozy enough to blow you away. It’ll keep you feeling warm with a fruity kind of taste on the tongue.

A proud taste of home for me, a decent enough brew for most

Mighty Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

And if you want to have a look at the beer from where I’m from, feel free to check out Thwaites here.

An Alemighty salute to Remembrance: York Brewery Englands Pride. 4% ABV

I have not seen this beer very often. Then, on Remembrance Sunday of all days I see Englands Pride, it seemed almost fated. So I drank it in a quiet gesture in tribute to the mighty that have fallen.

Now I would love to go on to say how amazing it is, how it sums up all that is good about Britain and it’s ale. I really would love to, but I can’t.

It is… okay. There’s no undue bitterness to it, or over complicated sweetness. In fact, I think that is what the problem is. There’s nothing much to this ale at all. It’s rather bland. If you really search there’s some fruitiness in there, and mild hops giving it a bit of body. It goes down smoothly enough (partly because you hardly notice it in your mouth) but then just sits in your stomach quite heavily.

A crying shame for the promise of the moment when I bought the pint.

Mighty Rating: ★ ★

You know the drill, go see what else York Brewery have to offer.

A Brew Dog Triple Threat Match

The contestants weigh in.

I like Brew Dog. I like them so much I got three bottles for this extravaganza of a post.

Their aim is to make outstanding, flavoursome beers that actually get your tongue questioning why you have never had anything like it before. I might as well add, before we really get started… They stick to their aim.

I bought two pale ales: Punk IPA, a 5.6% ABV brew that is becoming the mainstay, the measure that all future Brew Dog beers can be compared to; and Trashy Blonde, 4.1% ABV. Strangely complicated yet very subtle.

And I got one amber ale, just to mix it up a bit: 5 A.M. Saint, 5% ABV.

Let’s start with Punk IPA. There is almost (Only almost, but not quite) too much going on. Light and bubbly, strangely sweet, washed down with a strong, smooth maltiness. There is some sort of fruitiness tucked away in there for sure. It’s almost purposefully grabs your attention as it goes down. If this is the ale to compare to, then they have a hell of a job on their hands.

Mighty Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Trashy Blonde next. Actually very similar to the one above, except it is much more subtle. Definitely something new. Again, richly malty body. And that delicate flavour? It’s Passion fruit hops. An enthralling mix of flavours. Intriguing enough to make anyone take a sip I’m sure. And you will certainly want to finish the bottle after a sip, you just may not fall head over heels like we all have for a trashy blonde in our time.

Mighty Rating ★ ★ ★ ★

So now, the final contender. 5 A.M. Saint is a slightly different breed. An amber ale, more fizzy and light than we have seen. Well, usually, this can’t be seen as the lightest by any stretch of the imagination. It’s almost as if they’ve thrown as many hops and malts in as they could. Which is good, it’s sticking to the strong, no compromise philosophy of the company. However, the twist is missing. You drink it and there is no surprise, no little nuance on your tongue. Maybe that’s all we want sometimes though, straight forward and sturdy.

Mighty Rating ★ ★ ★ ★

So we have our winner. The bench mark for what’s to come. The undefeated champion (until my next review at least). It’s Punk IPA!

But what do you think? Tried any of these before? Got any other favourites? Get involved and I shall try my best to take on your suggestions.

And try having a browse of the Brew Dog website, to see their full variety.

The Home Brew Project

I have decided, that as a nice little aside for this blog, I’m going to make my own home brew.

It will probably be something such as this but here is where you come in…

Have you made home brew before? Any handy hints and tips to give an ale making rookie? Perhaps you just want to put your name down to sample some when it’s ready!

I will keep you updated on this project, be sure to check back.

Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger. 5.4% ABV

I just had a Bishops Finger.
Let’s face it, the names are part of the fun where ale is concerned.

But in all seriousness… Shepherd Neame, founded in 1698, is home to the UK’s oldest brewery, so they have some experience in the matter. This ale is one of their most popular, along with Spitfire.

Again, it is dark and rich, but this time you can really taste the berries. They give the drink a surprisingly light edge, while it looks quite heavy at first glance. But then you see even the froth is light and bubbly. It is full of character from the second you smell it – and believe me, it’s pretty aromatic. You will never get bored of this drink, but you will never love it above all else.

“First brewed in 1958 to celebrate the end of austerity after the war” it says. I would raise a glass of Bishops Finger to that.

Mighty rating ★ ★ ★

Have a look at what else Shepherd Neame do.

Theakston Old Peculier. 5.6% ABV

It’s a popular classic. Any ale fan has had a pint of Old Peculiar in their time.

It’s not often you get a drink describing itself as both rich and mellow, but this one somehow pulls it off. It goes down easily, while still giving every one of your taste buds a treat. Though it’s certainly not the fruitiest of tastes, nor the most refreshing.

I do find there’s something about full bodied ales that makes you feel like you’re having a proper drink, a little extra satisfaction after a hard day.

Old Peculier is nothing spectacular, but you can always rely on it to do the job.

Mighty Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Find out more about Theakston here.

Staffordshire Good Beer Guide

Being at uni in Stoke-on-Trent, I thought I’d share this guide with you as a kind of tester, for my first post, It’s a little guide from http://www.realaleguide.co.uk. Just a list of the best places to go for a good ol’ pint of ale in Staffordshire. Have a look, and over the coming days and weeks I’ll give my own input as to the quality of what they sell. Enjoy!

Staffordshire Real Ale Guide.