The 12 Beers of Christmas !!!

Christmas is fast approaching and with it the winter months, this for me is my favourite time of year when it comes to drinking beer. The winter months bring such a wide variety of beers that help to make you feel warm when its cold outside. For me Porters, Stouts and imperial stouts are true favourites when it comes to the winter, but this is where you all come in.

We're looking for you all to give your favourite beer for the winter and your reasons why etc. Once we start to receive in your suggestions, we will pick our top 12 and these will be the 12 Beers of Christmas 2013.

This is your chance to get involved with the Genuine Beer Blog and also to reach out and give your suggestions for the best beers of the winter.

All you need to do is fill in the simple form below and click Submit, as simple as that. If your selection makes it to the top 12 we will put up your review of the beer itself, along with some comments from us on the beer too.

We look forward to all of your great suggestions and tasting those great suggestions too.

Shane

Continue Reading...

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:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU9290/
TR8RvX6sO_I/AAAAAAAAHrE/FJgz_
ZkMgFw/s1600/Whitbread_London_Stout.jpg

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

Continue Reading...

London Porter

Hey Everyone, Today we are back to the 12 beers of Christmas, If you didnt manage to check out last nights post check it out here this post offers a great Christmas gift suggestion. The beer in question today isn't technically a Christmas / Seasonal beer, however it fits perfectly into the criteria for me. Hope you all enjoy !!!

Beer Name:
London Porter

Brewery:

Fullers

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

Alcoholic Percentage:

5.4% Vol

Measure:

500ml

Taste:

Very Chocolaty, Bitter, Smooth, Refreshing, Deep 

Colour:

Dark Brown

Odour:

Slight Chocolate, Coffee

General Thoughts:

London Porter is a great, really deep, full flavoured beer. This packs a huge amount of flavour, the main one being of chocolate. There is a very prominent chocolate taste, with also a slight taste of coffee. This deep, dark flavour comes from the roasted malt used in the beer. This is a very smooth beer, with little carbonation, giving this the perfect quality in a refreshing beer. London Porter also has a real warming quality to it, something that would be perfect for the cold winter months and nights that we are currently in. This beer doesn't taste overly alcoholic considering it is a slightly stronger beer than the average porter, going back to how the original porters once were. London Porter isn't strictly a Winter / Seasonal beer, however I have chosen it as one of my Christmas beers as it has all the characteristics that I would look for in a Christmas beer, deep, full flavoured with a warming quality. On the whole this beer is a great, smooth drinking beer, which is packed full of rich, dark malted flavours, bringing a warming quality. This beer is a real treat, smooth in texture and taste, a beer that is well worth the money. Overall a really great Christmas Beer selection. 

Price:

€2.99 (Average Price)

Shane

Continue Reading...

KnockMealDown Porter

Hey everyone, Today I have decided to look at a nice small Irish brewery, Eight Degrees. Don't forget still need you all to leave your nominations for your favourite beer blogs here. The more suggestions we get in the better. Enjoy the Review :) !!!

Beer Name:
KnockMealDown Porter

Brewery:

Eight Degrees

Brewed and Bottled:
Eight Degrees Brewing Company LTD,
Dublin Road,
Mitchelstown,
Ireland

Alcoholic Percentage:

5.0% Vol

Measure:

330ml

Taste:

Dry, Bitter, Coffee, Refreshing, Slight Cocoa, Smooth

Colour:

Very Dark, Black

Odour:

Slight Chocolate, Cocoa

General Thoughts:

KnockMealDown Porter is a great tasting, smooth beer. This beer is really rich and full of flavour. This deep beer has a resounding roasted coffee note, with a slight chocolate taste. This beer is not overly bitter, a very moreish beer. I think this is a great attribute in a beer as it makes you want to keep drinking it and makes it memorable. This is a great thing when your looking for a beer to go back to time and time again. This beer has a real coffee taste which is delicious. This is a very pleasurable beer, one that I would return to again. On the whole I would highly recommend this beer as its a great tasting, moreish beer, perfect for those cold winter nights that are approaching. This is another great example of a brilliant Irish brewery making a top quality product. You can tell a lot of passion goes into these beers and it really pays off. Well done to the Eight Degrees brewery :) 

Price:

€1.99 (based on an average price)

Shane

Continue Reading...