Honker's Ale !!!

Hey Everyone, Its mid week and probably about now that were all wishing for the weekend, well why not have a midweek beer to help bring the weekend a little closer. Today's review is from the Goose Island Brewery, Hope you all enjoy !!!

Beer Name:
Honker's Ale

Brewery:
Goose Island 

Brewed and Bottled:
Goose Island Beer Company
Chicago, 
Illinois,
USA

Alcoholic Percentage:

4.3% Vol

Measure:

355ml

Taste:

Light, Refreshing, Slight Bitterness, Slight Hops

Colour:

Slight Cloudiness, Dark Orange

Odour:

Slight Hops

General Thoughts:

Honkers Ale is an interesting beer, light and refreshing with a slight hops flavour. This is a very easy drinking, palatable beer, one that you could enjoy many of. There is a slight bitterness to this beer coming from the hops, which also leaves a slight bitter after taste, this helps to give the beer that moreish quality, making you want to go back for more. Honkers' Ale is a subtle beer with subtle flavours, there are no out there flavours, that burst onto the scene, making this any different from other beers out there, however saying this it is still a very enjoyable beer. This beer is also mellow in character, therefore its not overly heavy in flavour or overly rich, you kind of know what you getting with this beer, a nice easy drinking beer with all round nice, slightly hop flavours. There is little to no carbonation to this beer, which helps make this beer so easy to drink. All in all Honker's Ale is a nice all round, mellow, refreshing beer, with slight hops flavours and a slight bitterness. This beer is easy to drink, however doesn't stand out from the crowd, therefore if your looking for a "Wow" factor beer, this wouldn't be it, but if your looking for an easy drinking beer that you could have mid week to take the edge off the week, then you would not be disappointed. Overall a nice beer, that you could find yourself drinking many of, but not a beer that really packs a punch.

Price:

€2.50 - €3.50 (Based on Average)

Shane

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Stout: The Origins and Beyond !!!

Hey Everyone, it's Saturday and I thought I would do a post similar to last week but looking at a different style of beer. So I will give a little bit of history behind a beer style and then give a comparison between two beers in that style.

So the beer style that I have decided to look at today is:

Stout

There are many different varieties of stout out there, ranging from a Dry stout to a Milk stout, From an Imperial Stout to a Chocolate stout, to name just a few. There is a lot of debate in the beer world as to where stout or more the term stout comes from. So on that note lets take a look at the history of this beer style and where it all began.

A Brief History:

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In the early 1720's London, United Kingdom was well on its way making lots of beer, its most popular at the time was it Porter, a beer that was extremely popular with the people working the ports of London. This beer was a dark brown in colour and was enjoyed by so many due to its high alcohol content. The beer was so popular that large volumes of it were being shipped over to Ireland, in time Ireland started to brew their own porters. The iconic colour of the porter comes from the roasted malt or barley that is used in the brewing process, giving it a rich dark, black colour. The use of the word "stout" is something that causes a lot of debate with the beer community. The original meaning of the word "Stout" was "proud" or "brave", this was further developed over time to mean "Strong", it is this version of the meaning that applies to the beer. Porters ranged in strength and it was this range that was so appealing to all, not to mention it was able to last a lot longer without going off and the longer it was left the stronger it would get. The stronger versions of porter started to get the name "Stout Porter", however some breweries decided to remove the porter name completely and just use the "stout" name. One example of this is Guinness, Ireland, they were making ales for many years, but it is their porter that is just known as "stout".

http://www.guinness.com/en-ie/img/promo-alt.jpg

There are many different versions of stouts as mentioned above, these ranging from Milk stouts to Chocolate stouts, Dry stouts to Coffee stouts, Oatmeal stouts to Imperial stouts. Each style of stout has its own flavours and characteristics, all of which you should get out and try. There is also oyster stout. It was very common for pubs and bars to serve oysters with stout at the time, however some breweries did take to using oysters in the brewing process, this would give a distinct flavour to the beer. This isn't the case with all oyster stouts though, some breweries just use the name oyster as they feel that their stout would work well with oysters. This just shows the diversity of the Stout.

Comparison:

Celebration Stout, The Porterhouse

This is a really nice beer, smooth, bitter, roasted malt flavours. This is a strong beer coming in at 7% ABV, however very well balanced with just a slight alcohol edge to it. Rich and indulgent, a beer to enjoy as the name states, for a celebration. 




Black Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn Brewing Company

This is an exceptional beer, rich, smooth and with deep, full flavours. There is a real flavour of chocolate to this beer, with a really smooth texture to it. This beer is very strong at 10% ABV, however the balance to this beer is extraordinary, it is so well balanced you would never feel it was that strong. This is a beer that should be enjoyed slowly, with its warming, moreish quality.


(For the full beer reviews, just click on the names above)

My Thoughts:
Stouts offer such diversity to its drinkers, which means that if your not a huge fan of a dry stout, why not try something slightly sweeter, like a Milk Stout or a Chocolate Stout, or if you like a really strong, deep flavoured stout, why not try an Imperial Stout. I feel that due to its diversity it is a beer style that can appeal to such a wide audience of beer drinkers, making it a beer style that is popular with many.

I think that people should get out there and try as many different stouts and porters as they can, as there are so many different varieties and you will end up finding your favourite. I would highly recommend the Black Chocolate stout by the Brooklyn Brewing Company above, this beer isn't available all year round, so you should stock up when it is available as it is just to die for.

I would love to hear from you all and you feelings on Stouts Tell us what your favourite style of stout is and feel free to suggest some stouts that are out there that you feel deserve a review on the blog. Leave you comments in the comments box below.

Hope you all enjoy the post, and most of all try the diverse stouts out there and enjoy your weekends and beers !!!

Shane

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Southern Tier 2 x IPA !!!

Hey Everyone, Today's beer review is from the Southern Tier Brewing Company. Hope you all enjoy !!! Also looking to read some other beer reviews why not check out The Beers page !!!

Beer Name:
2 x IPA

Brewery:
Southern Tier Brewing Company

Brewed and Bottled:
Southern Tier Brewing
Company,
Lakewood,
New York,
USA

Alcoholic Percentage:

8.2% Vol

Measure:

330ml

Taste:

Strong Hops, Refreshing, Citrus, Bitter After Taste, Smooth

Colour:

Golden / Amber

Odour:

Strong Hops, Slight Citrus

General Thoughts:

2 x IPA is a great beer, light, refreshing and smooth, with a strong hops flavour. This beer has a high hops flavour giving it a slight bitterness, however this is well balanced with a slight sweetness, giving this beer an overall pleasant feel. One of the best things about this beer is that it doesn't taste overly alcoholic, which is a big surprise considering it comes in at 8.2% ABV. This may not be a beer that you could drink all night as it is very strong, however it is a beer that you can enjoy with your mates on a special occasion or as a final beer of the evening. 2 x IPA is also surprisingly light considering its strength, this again goes in its favour, in my eyes making it a great beer. There is little to no carbonation to this beer, giving it that moreish quality, which is helped along by the slight bitter after taste that you get from the hops flavour of the beer. This beer doesn't taste overly bitter either compared to other IPA's that are out there, so if you are an IPA fan but looking for something that is strong in hops flavour, with a slight sweetness, balancing the whole beer out then this is the beer for you. On the whole  2 x IPA is a brilliant beer, light, refreshing and bursting with full, deep flavours, making you want to go back for more and more. This is a beer that I would really recommend to anyone that is an IPA fan as it ticks every box in that beer style, if your new to craft beers, then this may be a good transition as it is not overly bitter, which you can get with other IPA's. All in all a fantastic beer that I would highly recommend.

If your interested in a little history of the IPA and some reviews and comparisons of great IPA's then check out this post Here.

Price:

€3.00 - €4.00 (Based on Average)

Shane

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IPA: The Origins and Beyond !!!!

Hey Everyone, it's Saturday and the long awaited weekend has arrived. Today I thought I would do something a little different and give a little bit of history behind my favourite beer style and then give a comparison between two beers in that style, one exceptional one and one that I didn't enjoy as much.

So the beer style that I have decided to look at today is:

IPA (India Pale Ale)

There are a huge variety of IPA's out there on the beer market, which is great for someone who loves IPA as much as me, this also means that there is a lot of competition amongst breweries and brewing companies to try and make the best IPA that they can. Today's post will only be looking at standard IPA's rather than Black IPA's which I will cover at a later date.

A Brief History:

http://frothnhops.com/images/IPA/hodgson.jpg

Pale Ale was a beer that was being made in England, United Kingdom for a long time, an early example of this was in the late 18th century by a brewer by the name of George Hodgson from the Bow Brewery. The term pale ale originates from the use of the pale malt that was used in the brewing process to make these beers, however this then changed over time and the term pale ale was more attributed to the pale colour of the beer that you would get from the malting process by the way that this was used.
    The pale ale that was being made was becoming such a hit that it was being shipped over to India where it was also well received and a high demand for the beer was achieved  This is where the term India Pale Ale comes from. Some companies over the years have got rid of the India aspect of the name and have just stuck to the Pale Ale name, however the process that they would use would be the same as what was used in the IPA's. IPA's took off everywhere and different countries started to make their own variations of the classic.

http://blog.newsok.com/thirstybeagle/files/2011/08/Hops.jpg

America, Australia and Canada are to name a few that have taken the IPA to a whole new level with innovation and experimentation to make some exceptional beers over the years. American IPA's tend to focus on a specific hop or mixture of hops that originate from America, for example Chinook, Simcoe and Amarillo, whereas an English IPA would focus more on their hop varieties, for example Fuggles and Golding.

For me some of my favourite and best IPA's come from America. I  feel that America has really perfected their IPA's and produce some amazing and innovative beers. The main thing for me is the strong hops flavour that you get in a American IPA, this is a fundamental quality in a great IPA for me.

Here are two IPA's that I have reviewed in the past, both from America, but both so different from each other. One of these IPA's is a really exceptional beer and one that I would drink all day long, the other is a nice beer but has a very unique flavour to it that didn't appeal to me as much, however it is still a great example of an American IPA.

Comparison:

Raging Bitch IPA: Flying Dog Brewery

 
This is a really exceptional IPA, with a slight citrus note to it. This IPA is deep, rich, full of flavour, with a fantastic refreshing quality to it. This beer is strong in hops flavour and has a brilliantly balanced feel. This beer comes in at 8.3% ABV, however it is so well balanced that it doesn't taste overpowering in alcohol at all.



Yellow Snow IPA: Rogue , Oregon Brewing Company

This is a really interesting IPA, again with a slight citrus note to it. This beer has a slight sweetness to it, which is then rounded off with a bitter after taste. Again this beer has a strong hops flavour to it, however this beer has a kind of metallic aftertaste that I didn't enjoy. This beer is also refreshing and smooth with an overall nice flavour to it. The ABV of this beer is 5.8%, which again is not something you pick up on from drinking the beer.


(For the full beer reviews, just click on the names above)

My Thoughts:
The reason that I enjoy IPA's so much is down to their strong hops flavour and bitterness that gives the beer a moreish quality, making you want to just go back for more and more. I really do recommend trying an IPA to anyone that may not have, they really are fantastic and you will never go back to lager after drinking one of these.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and whether you like IPA's or maybe a different style of beer. Equally I would love to hear your suggestions for other IPA's that I should give a go. Leave you comments in the comments box below.

Hope you all enjoy the post, and most of all get out there and enjoy and IPA :) !!!

Shane

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The Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout !!!!

Hey Everyone, Hope your having a great week so far. Today's beer review is from the Brooklyn Brewing Company. Hope you all enjoy !!! Also looking to read some other beer reviews why not check out The Beers page !!!

Beer Name:
Black Chocolate Stout

Brewery:
The Brooklyn Brewing Company

Brewed and Bottled:
The Brooklyn Brewing
Company,
Brooklyn,
New York,
USA

Alcoholic Percentage:

10.0% Vol

Measure:

355ml

Taste:

Very Chocolaty, Rich, Smooth, Slight Bitterness

Colour:

Black

Odour:

Slight Chocolate, Slight Coffee, Really Malty

General Thoughts:

The Brooklyn Brewing Company Black Chocolate Stout is a really smooth, deep, full flavoured stout, with a strong, rich chocolate flavour to it. If you are a chocoholic then this may well just be the beer for you. There is a slight bitterness to this beer, but no where near as bitter as I was expecting, if anything this beer has a very slight sweetness, making the overall taste and feel of the beer very smooth and palatable. There is little to no carbonation to this beer, which helps with its smooth texture on the palate. Black Chocolate Stout also has a warming quality to it as it is rich and also has a high alcohol percentage, coming in at 10% ABV, however the really pleasurable and pleasant surprise to this beer is that it doesn't taste overly alcoholic at all. This beer also has a real moreish quality, I found myself not wanting to put it down or stop drinking it, just make sure you have a couple sitting in the fridge getting nice and cold. This is an extremely well made beer, a lot of time and effort has gone into making sure that this beer is really well balanced and not so strong that you feel like you can't drink a whole one, if anything this beer makes you want to have one after another. On the whole Black Chocolate Stout is a fantastic, well balanced, deep, rich, smooth, full flavoured stout that will tick every box. This is a perfect winter beer and unfortunately is seasonal, however it is well worth the wait and you should stock up while you have the chance. All in all this is a fantastic beer, one of the best beers I have reviewed this year and I would recommend this beer very highly indeed.

Price:

€2.50 - €3.50 (Based on Average)

Shane

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Anchor's Liberty Ale !!!

Hey Everyone, The weekend is here and it's time to sit back, relax and enjoy. Today's beer review is from the Anchor Brewing Company. Hope you all enjoy !!! Also looking to read some other beer reviews why not check out The Beers page !!!

Beer Name:
Liberty Ale

Brewery:
The Anchor Brewing Company

Brewed and Bottled:
Anchor Brewing Company
San Francisco
California,
USA

Alcoholic Percentage:

5.9% Vol

Measure:

355ml

Taste:

Light, Slight Citrus, Bitter, Slight Bitter After Taste, Refreshing

Colour:

Light Orange, Slight Cloudiness

Odour:

Slight Citrus, Slight Hops, Fresh

General Thoughts:

Liberty Ale is a really nice, refreshing, light beer, with a slight citrus feel to it. There is a slight hops nose and taste to this beer which is great, bringing a slight bitterness to the beer. There is also a slight sweetness to this beer which brings the whole beer together, making it really well balanced and giving the person drinking it an all round taste and feel in the mouth. There is a slight bitter after taste to this beer also which I think is a fundamental attribute to a great beer, making you want to have sip after sip. Liberty Ale is a really enjoyable beer, that is extremely palatable and easy to drink. There is little carbonation to this beer also adding to it's easiness to drink it. Another great attribute to this beer is that it doesn't taste overly strong in alcohol, which considering its 5.9% ABV is a great achievement. If you are a fan of Anchor's Steam Beer, then you will definitely be a fan of this Liberty Ale. It has similarities to the Steam Beer, but in my eyes is a much nicer, more developed flavoured beer. On the whole Liberty Ale is a really nice, light refreshing beer, with nice developed flavours, with a slightly bitter, citrus after taste. All in all I would recommend this beer highly as one to go out there and try, you will all really enjoy it i'm sure of that.  

Price:

€2.50 - €3.50 (Based on Average)

Shane

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Brooklyn Brown Ale !!!

Hey Everyone, Here is tonight's beer review, Today we are back at the Brooklyn Brewing Company. Enjoy !!! Also looking to read some other beer reviews why not check out The Beers page !!!

Beer Name:
Brooklyn Brown Ale

Brewery:
The Brooklyn Brewing Company

Brewed and Bottled:
The Brooklyn Brewing
Company,
Brooklyn,
New York,
USA

Alcoholic Percentage:

5.6% Vol

Measure:

355ml

Taste:

Smooth, Light, Malt, Chocolate, Rich, Full Flavoured

Colour:

Dark Brown

Odour:

Slight Hops, Roasted malts, Slight chocolate

General Thoughts:

Brooklyn Brown Ale is a great, light, refreshing beer with a slight hops aroma to it. There is also a roasted malt flavour to the beer, along with a slight taste of chocolate. This gives this beer a deep, full flavour, something that I really look for in a beer, something that is going to make me want to go back for more. This beer is surprisingly light, which is a great attribute as I was expecting it to be a little on the heavy side, due to its high malt content, however I was pleasantly surprised, as this beer was extremely light and refreshing. Brooklyn Brown Ale has all the flavour that you would expect from a deep, rich stout, however has this light quality to it, making it a real easy drinker and a beer that you would happily keep going back for more of. This beer has little carbonation, which helps add to its smooth texture and gives the beer a moreish quality. There is also a slight bitter after taste to this beer, helping with the moreish quality described above, however there also comes a slight sweetness, giving this beer an overall really well balanced feel. On the whole Brooklyn Brown Ale is a really nice, deep, full flavoured beer, light and smooth in texture, but packing all the flavour profiles you would find in a deep, heavy stout. This beer was a lot better than I was expecting and would definitely recommend this beer to you all as a must try. All in all a really nice beer that wont leave you disappointed in the slightest.

Price:

€2.50 - €3.50 (Based on Average)

Shane

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Fuller's London Black Cab Stout !!!

Hey Everyone, It's Saturday and the long awaited weekend is here, so this means the relaxing can begin and the beer can flow. Today's beer is from London, United Kingdom, Hope you all enjoy :)  Also looking to read some other beer reviews why not check out The Beers page !!!

Beer Name:
London Black Cab Stout

Brewery:
Fuller's

Brewed and Bottled:
Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC
Chiswick Lane South,
London,
W4 2QB
United Kingdom

Alcoholic Percentage:

4.5% Vol

Measure:

500ml

Taste:

Bitter, Smooth, Slight Coffee, Malt

Colour:

Black

Odour:

Roasted Malt, Slight Coffee

General Thoughts:

London Black Cab Stout is a really deep, full flavoured, rich Stout, bursting with flavours of deep roasted malt and coffee. There is a real smoothness to this beer, which makes it a very easy to drink stout. Sometimes stouts can be very heavy and rich, making them hard to drink, however London Black Cab is not like this, lighter than other stouts and still packs that deep, full flavour. This beer also has a warming quality to it when your drinking it, this for me is always a good thing, makes me want to continue drinking it, time after time. There is also a nice subtle coffee and chocolate undertone to this beer, this just helps to add to the developed taste of the beer. London Black Cab Stout has no carbonation, making its texture smooth and easy drinking. This beer will not disappoint, especially if you enjoy a good stout, or just fancy something different to your normal beer of choice. I would definitely recommend this beer to you all as one to try, it is a really pleasant drinking beer. On the whole London Black Cab Stout is a really enjoyable, deep, full flavoured beer, packed full of nice roasted malt and coffee flavours that will keep you interested the whole time your drinking it. All in all I would recommend that you give this beer a try, nice stout from the guys at the Fuller's brewery.

Price:

€2.70 (Based on Average)

Shane

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