Beer - #653 - Sawmill - IIPA

Mystery beer, mystery mix, mystery number, and mystery guest

a bit of nonsense here from the brewers notes

A keg only beer from the FYO station this works out to  285 calories a serve size, being 9.5% ABV and  70 IBU things, this would make it 7.5 standard drink units

Brewed by Sawmill Brewing Company in the style Imperial IPA and they are in Leigh, New Zealand

Usually I'd have a bit of nonsense here from the brewers notes or cribbed from other sources, but guess what?, nothing on the webs, nothing on the websites, nothing on the twitter, the instagram and all the other places I thought of looking and some I didn't. 

So I'm flying blind as it were, and then what follows is usually a load of nonsense plucked from the pretty word ensemble to make a pretty sentence. Seriously.... 

... what could possibly go wrong?

Beer - #648 - Sawmill - Coffee Porter

A long time between drinks for me and this brewer, but they appear to be quite strong at the moment, and I haven't been wilfully avoiding them. So Long Gaps, Long Songs, Long Division and Long nights out.

 ...beer that is clean and flavoursome and straight up.

Brewed by Sawmill Brewing Company this on is styled as a Porter and that's North of Auckland in Leigh, New Zealand

This from the FYO station is a 5.2% ABV beer,  156 calories a serving size, and this bottle would be 4.1 standard drink units.

[caption id="attachment_11646" align="alignright" width="300"] Friday Evening is looking up[/caption]

A moderately strong brown beer that explores roasted malt flavors of chocolate and caramel.

So what could possibly go wrong?

The coffee aroma that I built myself up for, it's not there. It's there but it's not THERE! it's soft and quiet. It is however the only aroma from the bottle after I slip the flip top.

Pour is dark brown and the head looks like chocolate milkshake, I thought it would be a noise beer, it isn't. That head subsides a little to a more manageable size, still looks great though.

Aroma in the glass? That raw cold coffee aroma.

Taste? Well the coffee is there and present in the drinking of this. Very coffee.

Nicely lightly bitter and a flat neutral finish, a small persistence of coffee linger.

This might be better warmer, which is a hope more than a fact. At the moment it is 'thin' drinking, there doesn't appear anything to support or to carry the coffee in this, might be nice if there was some hop roughness, and a sharper finish, perhaps. I have patience, I can wait. Not f or long but I can wait.

I left it as long as I could, not long really, and the aroma that filled the glass was gorgeous. That is all, I'm leaving it some more.

[ a short while passed ]

The pour is much the same, but without the lovely head, the aroma still coffee, but slightly more bitter. Not a lot changed in the glass either, no pickup in the body, no addition to the finish. Much the same.

It is though a nice drinking beer, easy drinking, nothing that you might get upset with, but it's not a big hitter, more a go-to comfort beer, for me missing a big of body, some chewiness, and I'd have liked a finish that was something other than neutral.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. Nothing to write home about here, nothing to set the word afire. If though I was visiting Leigh, I'd be happy to order this and sit in their bar with a pizza and enjoy myself, it is interesting enough, neutral enough to have a wider appeal, I don't think it ever set out to be a flag-bearer or bench-mark setter.

The double dip review

• Am I enjoying it? I sort of am, it's a nice time waster of a beer, supping away without thinking about it really.


• Would I have another? I probably would if I was visiting, I don't think I'd go out of my way though.


• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This would pass muster as a share beer because of the loud coffee note, but that might be the whole conversation because there isn't much else to talk about.

Music for this:  " Have Gun will Travel " is an alternative folk-rock band, They have an album " Science from an easy chair "  of course you can listen on Spotify.  Get a bit of the ' Spirit of Discovery ' in you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtEYv_xSmI

PORTER

Black or chocolate malt gives the porter its dark brown color. Porters are well hopped and heavily malted. This is a medium-bodied beer. Porters can be sweet. Hoppiness can range from bitter to mild. Porters are often confused with stouts.

Beer - #647 - North End - Fieldway APA

It's the BeerJerkNZ Beer Club beer of the week, this week the  North End - Fieldway APA

A home grown classic.

330ml can of a beer that is 5.8% ABV 50 IBU things, and 174 calories in the can, an 1.5 standard drink units.

Brewed by North End Brewing Co in the style this is  American Pale Ale
and they do all that at Waikanae Beach, New Zealand

Aotearoa Pale Ale. Our hop forward pale ale is bursting with hops grown across the Strait in Nelson.

[caption id="attachment_11637" align="alignleft" width="300"] New beer new hair cut, it works.[/caption]

A fruity New Zealand pale ale combining NZ Cascade, Pacifica and Waimea hops with NZ malt and our fruity ale yeast strain.

Sweet lemon, lime and mandarin marmalade is joined by a hint of the herb garden and tempered by a malt from the Rangitikei.

A home grown classic.

Field Way APA is named for the surf break of the same name.

So what could possibly go wrong?

Well, for a beer that's been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks it's incredibly lively, or excitable, a foam runneth over when I ka-chinked the tab.

Fruity aroma of fruity things though was distracting enough to forgive, things like Mango, even i they say Lemon, Lime, marmalade, papaya and bubble gum. I'm saying mango.

Pour is a pale yellow golden with a nice head that is fluffy and yet appears thin, but isn't.

Aroma settles to the more pale ale hop aroma that you'd expect and is no surprise, still with that lovely tropical fruit note.

It's a lot more bitter than the IBU rate of 40 might have you on to believe, and it had a firm dry finish, it's a rather 'large' presence beer.

Quite tart, dry finish, lovely aromatics, it's quite entertaining, and not at all what I was expecting, but that might surprise no-one as I'd not really thought through the APA style  which are usually big bitter affairs, in which case this is a swing and a ding.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. It is lovely to drink, but that almost creamy tropical fruit sweetness is quite imposing and very near the front of the palate. Did enjoy and dryness of the finish and the overall bitterness that was persistent through the whole drink.

The double dip review

• Am I enjoying it? Yes, it's a stop and drink beer, I don't know that it's a sit and talk beer, it demands your attention.


• Would I have another? I would love another, if only to figure out where my limit was in the balance of the sweet and bitter.


• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? No problems with cracking a few of these for a chat and tales session.

Music for this,  " Lee Fields and the Expressions "  Elmer "Lee" Fields is an American soul artist born in 1951 in North Carolina, An Album " Faithful Man "  on the Spotify.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhMJKkeVVVA

 

AMRICAN PALE ALE

American Pale Ales are light in color, ranging from golden to a light copper color. The style of this beer is defined by the American hops used. American hops typically have high bitterness and aroma.This is a perfect beer for big fare like grilled burgers or combination pizzas, as well as lighter fare like sushi and green salads.

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• Next Round: In praise of the pale ale


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Beer - #644 - Summer Wine - Teleporter

BeerJerkNZ Beerclub beer! This week another interesting and delightful looking beer, the Summer Wine Teleporter. Two beers one glass, two genres on album, a choice of numbers and choosing your mates.

"Evolutionary beer from Yorkshire"

This is a 330ml bottle that contains 150 calories of a beer that is 5.5% ABV, and 1.3 standard drink units.

Brewed by Summer Wine in the style that is  Porter and that happens in Holmfirth, England

[caption id="attachment_11605" align="alignleft" width="300"] Anticipation abounds[/caption]

A Rich Dark Porter brewed with 10 different malts giving a sweet roast richness that is balanced with just enough hop character. This ale has a surprising drinkability for it’s colour and abv.

Don’t let the sumptuous roast malt fool you, this porter is seriously potent & has the potential to take you to another place!

Imagine standing in an espresso bar sniffing a chocolate selection box then somehow converting the aroma to liquid form and sticking it in a bottle. It would be sort of gross and we'd have no idea where to start anyway with all that state of matter business.

So what could possibly go wrong? These days "porter" and "stout" are used pretty much interchangeably and there is some interesting history in the styles, and it's explained here.

Aroma on opening is hard to pick, I though that it was more hoppy, then I thought it had a note of roasted malt or chocolate.

Pour is a lovely dark chestnut brown and a fair decent firm and light brown head. Its  noisy beer should you take a listen, just like snap crackle and pop.

Initially I though this has a more sour edge, it's a familiar note, you'd know it. But the na few minutes of warming and some lovely aromas break through, and some soft flavours also begin to shine. I'd say a slow burner but it just needed a moment.

Also it looks great in the glass.

A decent Porter then, but given that they talk it up a bit you could be miffed for it not having a lot more body and oomph in the middle bit, perhaps. I would have though there might have been a bit more depth or a punch. There wasn't.  Not a disaster though since it carries well and drinks well enough without making you gasp in wonderment.

Not sweet, not sour, not dry to finish, no sharp or rough edges to catch you, this is a well crafted drink.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. Eight being the arbitrary 'very good' on the random scale. I like porters and stouts, and so this isn't a real surprise and it'd have to be really something to get a better or worse. This sits very nicely in the competent and enjoyable field without fuss.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? Yes, it's a pretty beer to look at and an lovely beer to drink.
Would I have another? I would if I had the chance.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would, this really does pour well and drinks well, I'd have no problems sharing this with the right crowd.

Music for this, odd choice perhaps, in the style of Goth-Pop from " Cemeteries " their album  "  Barrow"  of course on the Spotify player

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSkCe0c1q88

PORTER

Black or chocolate malt gives the porter its dark brown color. Porters are well hopped and heavily malted. This is a medium-bodied beer. Porters can be sweet. Hoppiness can range from bitter to mild. Porters are often confused with stouts.

Beer - #641 - Breda - Royal Beer / Lager

A beer I drink with trepidation. Odd beer, Odd music, odd numbers and odd one out.

..a beer brewed by everyone and no one wants to own it....

500ml can of beer 5% ABV, so 150 calories a serve size,

For United Dutch Breweries this is brewed at Randalls in the style that is Pale Lager and they're in Breda, Netherlands

Brewed by Oranjeboom, Rotterdam (Netherlands) until the early 90’s.

After the closing of Oranjeboom production was moved to Breda (Netherlands).

[caption id="attachment_11567" align="alignright" width="300"] Trepidation....[/caption]

This brewery was called Verenigde Bierbrouwerijen Breda-Rotterdam at that time and soon to be renamed to Oranjeboom Brouwerij.

The Breda Royal brand however always still mentioned United Dutch Breweries (which translates to Verenigde Brouwerijen). On closing of Oranjeboom Brouwerij, Breda in 2004 by InBev production was moved to both Bremen and Leuven. Until 2008 when Randalls acquired the licence. Some production is also done at Hofbrauhaus Wolters (under the name Getränkeindustrie Altewiek).

So what could possibly go wrong?

Smells like a lager. That is all.

Pale is an orange golden, it looks quite nice, and has a decent head, all the things you look for in a beer.

Unmistakable malt euro lager with a rather interesting if not odd sweetness that is a bit plastic and uncomfortably perfume like.

But it is just a euro lager \ malt lager like so many others, differentiated only in small degrees from another, and often not by that much.

It is cold, but it isn't crisp, there is no 'bite' to it, and it is mostly inoffensive quaffing beer for the person with a thirst and not much by way of discernment in the moment.

Nicer though than the 3 horses, by quite a way.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 4 of its things from the thing. It isn't an average drink, it's below that but it's not awful. I don't think I'd be reaching for this even at the price it is, it isn't worth it.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? Not really, it's flavoured water.
Would I have another? Not if I could help it.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? No.

Music for this

I'm listening to ' The Hunts ' and Indie Folk band, which I though for a moment might have been a Mumford and Sons tribute band,  They have an album  '  Those Younger Days '  listen here on the Spotify 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MywXY6Q21LM

I can't honestly say that I enjoyed it, it was a bit twee and after the M&S over-exposure the last few years it might not be a wise sound to pursue. Each to their own though, it made a change and a challenge.

PALE LAGER

The colour of pale lager ranges from light bronze to nearly transparent and the alcohol anywhere from 4-6%. Adjunct usage may be quite high, though in some cases the beer is all-malt. Carbonation is typically forced, though not always. One thing that doesnt vary is that neither the malt nor the hops make much of an impression on the palate. These beers are brewed for minimum character, though faint traces of hop or malt may show through. More likely though is that adjuncts like corn will show through, or you’ll find notes of higher alcohols (fuel notes) due to the use of high-gravity brewing. The body will be thin and watery, and the finish is typically non-existent.

Beer - #639 - Behemoth - Hopped Up On Pils *bottle*

Beer club beer of the week, this time it's Behemoth "Hopped Up On Pils" I've had this from the keg previously, and came away underwhelmed, but I might have been uninformed. Anyway lets go again.

"A Pilsner made with ale hops, apparently. Unique"

A 330ml bottle of a 5% ABV beer, being 30 IBU things,  and in total 150 calories in this serve size, and that all makes about 1.3  standard drink units.

Brewed at Behemoth Brewing Company in the style this is of Pilsener and they are in, mysteriously, New Zealand, no town, just "NZ".

[caption id="attachment_11550" align="alignright" width="300"] Small beer big smile[/caption]

NZ Pilsner with big NZ flavour and aroma without massive bitterness.

Crisp, sessionable.

Dry hopped like an IPA.

What could go wrong with what?

It's very hoppy on opening, just the hop aroma, an understated sweetness, does not have that tang of an IPA for instance.

Pour is a very pale yellow beer with the most magnificent white head, it looks amazing.

The taste is less sweet than I remember, this has a flat unmistakable hop presence that finishes sharply dry. Leaves a lovely lacing in the glass as you sip.

I'm also less enthusiastic on the flavours that this has than the last time I tried it, possibly, again, it's too cold, and that's stifling the notes.

So a late dry hopped Pilsner. I guess it is what it is, and again I find myself betwixt and between on this. I like a Pilsner, and the idea of a hopped up version appeals.

For me though this is carrying just a lot of front end dry heaviness not adding flavour, just presence. Which is disappointing.

When you do get the flavour notes they're really clean, and almost fruity in their way. This isn't a sweet or quaffable beer though, and is best enjoyed at sipping or conversational pace. It really would be an ideal beer to have with a food. Which I didn't think to organise, as usual.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing. It's refreshing, it's nice, but it isn't sparking on the palate with flavours and tastes, so overall it's not for me. I get the late dry hopped thing, I see what it did and how it worked, it's interesting and makes this a unique take on the Pilsner style. Sometimes though different isn't better.  However if I was out and this was on then I'd be in.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? As a Pilsner not really, as a  twisted pilsner a lot more.


2. Would I have another? I would, there is nothing that says stay away, it's nice drinking, but I'd have to be in the mood.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would because I think you could begin to talk about cross-over beers between styles. It's quite clever.

Musically, I was listening to ' Chvrches ', an album ' The bones of what you believe ' of course on Spotify. they're a Scottish electronic band, formed in 2011. This is a track 'the mother we share'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mTRvJ9fugM

PILSENER

While the definition of "pilsner" is open to much debate in the beer community, it generally refers to pale, hoppy lagers, ranging from 28IBUs and up.

• Beer Smackdown! Samuel Adams Boston Lager Vs. Brooklyn Lager


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Beer - #638 - Breda - 3 Horses

This really does appear to be an orphan child of a beer. Which never ends well. Free beer, Free Music, free numbers thinking and freedom from the crowd.

500ml can of beer 5% ABV, so 150 calories a serve size, so 2 standard drink units.

For United Dutch Breweries this is brewed at InBev Belgium in the style that is  Pale Lager and they're in Breda, Netherlands

[caption id="attachment_11539" align="alignleft" width="300"] I'm trying not to laugh but frown[/caption]

Brewed by Oranjeboom, the Netherlands until 2004.......

The can has "Imported" at least 9 times on the can, so I'm guessing it's an export beer.

So what could possibly go wrong?

Aroma is a bit MIA.

Pour is pale and there is a head that starts well and just fades away to less, more than a film though. Aroma is trying to be that more hoppy grassy thing that is familiar of lager.

Taste is of a sweet malt base lager, almost over sweet and cloyingly so. Not much by way of body, and it leaves a rather metallic mouth feel as a linger.

I've had some average beers, even recently, and this sets a new bar, so low.  It is tasteless sugary water with some token flavour tossed in.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 1 of its things from the thing. I have nothing good to say about this, and unlike some other everyman this is so nondescript that exporting it to another country is a way of offloading it onto unsuspecting punters who will pay next to nothing and complain. but never see it again as it does the rounds of the markets. A shocker.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? No
Would I have another? No
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? No

Music for this " Wilco "   an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The album " Star Wars "  of course on the Spotify  or it's a free download for a limited time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JYeg3XKpUY

PALE LAGER

The colour of pale lager ranges from light bronze to nearly transparent and the alcohol anywhere from 4-6%. Adjunct usage may be quite high, though in some cases the beer is all-malt. Carbonation is typically forced, though not always. One thing that doesnt vary is that neither the malt nor the hops make much of an impression on the palate. These beers are brewed for minimum character, though faint traces of hop or malt may show through. More likely though is that adjuncts like corn will show through, or you’ll find notes of higher alcohols (fuel notes) due to the use of high-gravity brewing. The body will be thin and watery, and the finish is typically non-existent.

Beer - #637 - Obolon - Oksamitove (Velvet)

Some wag thought that I should got the three version badge with this the Obolon Oksamitove (Velvet). Who am I to turn down a beer. Repeats, repeats, repeating, and replete.

Какое было пиво раньше !!! 

This is the brewery standard customer bottle 500ml of a beer that is 5.3$% ABV, 159 calories a serve size, and this then is 2.1 standard drink units in NZ.

Brewed by Obolon in the style that is  Dunkel/Tmavý and that did that in Kiev, Ukraine

[caption id="attachment_11513" align="alignleft" width="300"] The smile of a man condemned[/caption]

It is dark beer.

It has a nice sweetish flavour of caramel malt.

It passes wonderfully to sweet and spicy dishes. 

So what could possibly go wrong?

It's like a deeply malted beer on opening, distinct and malty.

Pour is a million dollars, lovely dark brown with a really decent firm and persistent head, it really does look the business.

Aroma is still mostly malt, and it's noisy, you should listen to beer more.

Taste is a bit of revelation, although it can't shake that malt base it is reaching for a darker roasted note, and nearly getting there, the linger though is somewhat uncomfortable to be fair, but that's a first impression.

I can't help it if I'm not a beer snob and actually enjoy a beer made well, if not spectacularly, not every beer has to be the best thing since the last best thing. This is a beer that I'm enjoying. Perhaps it really is many years in the UK of Euro lagers that just make me comfortable, or perhaps it's lots of average local beers that make me jaded and welcoming to an old standard.

This i quite nice, there is a decent, if not spectacular roasted overtone to the strong malt base, it is a nice drink, but not, I imagine, to everyone's taste. I like it, judge me.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. Honestly this is better than good, it's mass produced of dubious contents for a local market, and I think it's quite fine and enjoyable, it's a beer you could buy and can buy, it's not elitist, limited, it won't make people envy you. It's just a nice pleasant beer. What more do you need.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? I am, it's really nice, and honestly at the price it's very good.
Would I have another? I would, I will ask MrsP to write it on the list of things that I'll never ever get but long for.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I really would take this to a party, there is no shame in this, it's the same but a little different and mostly it's a bit enjoyable.

I found a really long review of this beer here 

Music for this, well Ryan Adams because country and western, but they say pop, I say make up your own mind. so ' Ryan Adams ' and an album called ' Ryan Adams'  of course on the Spotify

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=802vbfZe9io

DUNKEL

Copper to dark brown. Medium body. Nutty, toasted, chocolate like malty sweetness in aroma and flavor. Medium bitterness. Low "noble-type" hop flavor and aroma. No fruitiness or esters.

DOPPELBOCK

Doppel means double and while these are stronger brews than the traditional German bocks, they are typically not twice the strength. Color is light amber to dark brown. Very full body with a high alcoholic flavor. Low hop flavor and aroma.

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Beer - #634 - Coopers - Original Pale Ale

It was my big brothers birthday recently, he resides in Australia now, and so as a birthday tribute I brought some 'strayan liquid-gold, the amber nectar. I could have picked his favourite VB,  or a Tooheys, a Carlton or indeed one of the craft brewers, but instead I went to the bottle-o  for something original, pale, with a common touch and authentic, just to drink whilst I toss another prawn on the barbie.

fruity character, and robust flavour

A fair dinkum  750ml bottle of a 4.5% ABV and 135 calories a serve size beer, making it 2.66 drink units in the bottle.

Brewed by Coopers Brewery in the style that is  Golden Ale/Blond Ale  and they do that at Regency Park, South Australia, Australia

[caption id="attachment_11486" align="alignright" width="300"] G;'day mate[/caption]

"With its fruity character, and robust flavour, Coopers Pale Ale is perfect for every occasion. Naturally fermented in the 'Burton-on-Trent' style, a secondary fermentation creates the trademark sediment that gives 'Pale' its fine cloudy appearance. This cloudy residue can be stirred through the beer by tipping or rolling the bottle before drinking."

So what could possibly go wrong? As far as I can tell this is just everyman beer, so it'll go ok, and pass without incident.

Bugger me, that smells exactly like a malt based beer. Strewth.

Pour really does explore and play on the pale aspect, this is so pale as to me almost see-thru and the nice looking head couldn't hack the pace and disappeared quite quickly.

The taste is almost that of a beer undrinkable. It's harsh, over carbonated, and really peaky in the flavour point it has, it's a really eye-opener and brought an instant frown to my otherwise calm visage.

A shocker, It really is exactly like home-brew of old, I just don't know where to begin with it.

I think what's worse is that I thought that this might at least be palatable, to my taste, as a beer, as other everyman beers, but this plumbed a new depth and really took me by surprise, one that really wasn't prepared for.

I don't think that I'll be doing this again, and it's not like I didn't anticipate what was going to happen, but it was a birthday and I'm a good brother.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 3 of its things from the thing. It's an avoid from me, but I know that his is a beer that is enjoyed by many drinkers of beer in Australia, mostly because they might not know better of course. I thought it was really worth missing, but it's not as bad that I'd pour it in the drain, and I don't really like the unfitted 'dross' that now floats and sits in the bottom of the glass it really is exactly like home-brew of old.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? No, I nearly spat it out in shock and horror.
Would I have another? I have sadly to finish the bottle, I'm loath to pour it out, it's not off, it's just awful.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? For comedy perhaps, to keep a friend not a chance.

Music for this, ' Veruca Salt'   an American alternative rock band founded in Chicago, Illinois, their album ' Ghost Notes' that I'm listening to on Spotify of course. This is 'the Gospel according to Saint me'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rmtxKjnZ7A

GOLDEN ALE/BLOND ALE

There are a few different types of blond ale. The first is the traditional “Canadian Ale”, an adjunct-laden, macrobrewed, top-fermented equivalent of the American Standard. The second is common in US brewpubs – a light starter ale, with marginally more hop and body than a macrobrew, fewer adjuncts, but still not a flavourful beer by any means. The British interpretation is easily the boldest, hoppiest blond ale rendition. Some of these can almost be considered American Pales they are so hopped up – very crisp, refreshing, with relatively low alcohol compared with their North American counterparts.

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Beer - #633 - Theakston - Old Peculier *bottle*

I had this beer as #12, when the idea of keeping a diary of beers was new. #12! so many beers ago. So here we go with; The Legend, Legends, Legendary and Leg-ends

Its initial sweetness is, apparently, "of roasted and vinous notes with a subtle bitter aftertaste". Strong fruitiness, often with "banana notes" standing out, is derived from Old Peculier’s fermentation process.

500ml bottle of beer that is 5.6% ABV, 168 calories a serve size,

Brewed by Theakston in the style that is  Old Ale and that happens in Masham, England

Old Peculier is possibly one of the country’s most well-known and loved ales.

This unique, beautiful brew is often imitated but never matched and is sold literally all over the world. With countless awards to its credit, it is something of which every Briton can be very proud and is the epitome of the greatest of British brewing tradition.

[caption id="attachment_11471" align="alignleft" width="300"] Old Peculiar with his old Peculier[/caption]

In the early years of the modern brewing era, about two hundred years ago, many brewers produced a dark, strong ‘stock’ beer in the winter months, to provide a base amount of fermented beer to add to beers brewed in the rather more volatile months of the summer. Old Peculier probably owes its origins to this. The name pays tribute to the unique ecclesiastical status of Masham as a ‘Court of the Peculier’ and is also reference to the strong characteristic of the beer! For many years it was affectionately referred to as Yorkshire’s ‘Lunatic’s Broth’.
Old Peculier is a beautiful, yet very simple beer, brewed using a very generous blend of finest pale, crystal and roasted barley with two bitter hops combined with the majestic and noble ‘Fuggle’ hop to produce a beer of awesome full-bodied flavour with subtle cherry and rich fruit overtones. It tastes superb when accompanied by rich stews, strong cheeses and sweet puddings.

So what could possibly go wrong? Have I lost my sense of British beers, let find out.

Ok, that's a familiar and friendly aroma of malts and hop, it is very like tobacco leaf as an aroma.

Pour is a lot darker than you'd expect, really dark burnt chestnut brown, and a lovely head. That musty english beer aroma full of itself.

The taste is like a time-machine back to my youth. Lots of sweetness from the malt and caramel, and the twitch and tang from the hops. This is a beer for the ages.

Looks brilliant too.

What can you say really about a beer that reminds you so much of home and long nights in pubs?

Lots of malt, heaps of burnt caramel, lots of the juggles hop thing that is very specific, it really is a time machine beer.

I might have been away from home a long time but this does have that unmistakable English beer aroma, Simmering hop but not grass it's more straw perhaps. The Sweetness of the beer is lovely, that backbone is being enough to carry a really forward an bold palate set.

It really is a strong, full action, all on, quintessential English beer. I loved it 600 odd beers ago, I still love it now. You could be cruel and nasty about British beer styles all you like except that this, and others, is really how it is, and sometimes it's really just a bit good.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 10 of its things from the thing. I loved it. really loved it. I loved the memories that he aroma and the taste delivered, I loved the sweetness and the lovely bitterness that was layered over that backbone. I just loved it.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? It is a beer you should try to give you an in to he British beer culture that you may or may not get, trust me a few hours in the local with this and you'll be an expert.
Would I have another? I would love to have local that served this.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? You'll hate it but this is really what English beer is corner-stoned on, this sets the bar and mark and you may hate it but this is a marker for beer.

Music for this,  ' The Clash ' and ' London Calling ' on the Spotify, seemed appropriate. The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. The best wave, the real wave.  Gt your ears around  London Calling ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfK-WX2pa8c

OLD ALE

Old Ale is a simple enough style to figure out. At least, once you understand that there are three or four beer styles called Old Ale. The first is the best known - the strong dark Old Peculier style. The second type of Old Ale is a blended dark ale. At least one of the beers comprising the blend will be aged for a couple of years in wood casks. The third version of Old Ale is a form of mild – a low-gravity dark ale. Another version of Old Ale is closely related to the first. For me, these are robustly malty beers, akin to a top-fermented version of a doppelbock.

Related articles

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Beer - #632 - Shakespeare - The Bastard

Well now, The Shakespeare - The Bastard Red IPA. This is a bit exciting. The Shakespeare Tavern is constantly listed as a go-to venue for beer in Auckland. So I have Exciting beer, Excitable music, exciting maths and party excitement

Unpasteurised, unfiltered, small batch brew 

500ml bottle of a beer that is beer of 5.9% ABV making it 2.4 standard drink units, that around 176 calories a serve size.

Brewed by Shakespeare Tavern & Brewery in the style that is India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are in central Auckland, New Zealand.

[caption id="attachment_11458" align="alignleft" width="300"] Wax Lyrical....[/caption]

Hop lovers want an ale that's unapologetic. 

The Bastard combines imported malts, with five different hops for a shambles full flavoured ale.

So what could possibly go wrong? A brewer that waxed and waned and appears, might have,  got back on track, possibly. This is the first beer I've had from here for since  ages. Lets go!

More a malt aroma than anything when I open this.

Pour is a lot paler than I expected, it's a lighter orange brown, and a lovely head!.

I was initially a bit disappointed,  having had one good IPA tonight, and reminded that the IPA style is fraught with difficulty and interpretation. This one for me has a lot of malt aroma in it, and that might not be a good thing, and the bitterness is more a sourness.

It's supposed to be a red IPA, which confused me, I've had some recently and this didn't remind me of that either.

I'm kind of ok with that high sourness note, that might be the reach for the 'red', but it's a bit of a reach, there isn't a lot of body or carry or a lot of thing going on in this that would assist you to that conclusion.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. I'm far from convinced that this is a red IPA. I'm not a fan of the high malt aroma that this has, and it is a bit muddled in the drinking. Not a complete disaster, but not a brilliant IPA either, red or otherwise.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? Honesty box time, and it's a no from me.
Would I have another? They have a range in bottles, I might go again, what's what worst that could happen?
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Not this one no I don't think it has enough or carries enough for me to be brave enough. As the bard might have said 'Swing and no ding' on this one.

Music for this ' Sun Kil Moon ' an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, I'm listening to the album ' Among The Leaves ' on the Spotify this video will give you an idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBNdOTu2Wn0

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.

Beer - #631 - House of Nicholas – Sarah

Sarah is an IPA. It's fairly secretive about what it is, so I have Secret beer, a musics secret,  secret numbers and a secret from a party.

A moderately strong British-style ale with a focus on the hoppy aroma and dry finish

500ml bottle, brewed by The House of Nicholas, in the style that is of  English IPA, which I presume just to mean IPA, since they started in England and everywhere else has just taken a spin on it? I'm in a surly mood though.  This is a collaboration beer between Luke Nicholas of Epic and Simon Nicholas of Hop Federation.

An uncommonly media shy and reluctant beer in a 500ml bottle that is beer of  30 IBU and 5.7% ABV, and it comes in at 2.2 standard drink units, and about 168 calories a serve.

[caption id="attachment_11450" align="alignright" width="300"] Royal regal and ready to be drunk, the beer not me[/caption]

First brewed for Craft Beer Capital's Hopstock fresh hop beer festival, this beer celebrates a common ancestor between the two "Sarah" from around the time of the first IPA's (1700's). 

The latest version is a 5.7% IPA brewed using traditional dry processed hop pellets as wet hops or "fresh hops" are only available during harvest in March

So what could possibly go wrong?

The aroma is of a beer that is very brightly hopped, no mistaking what leads here.

IF it was a beauty completion this would be a winner, it is as pretty as a picture and pours lovely more to pale orange with a lovely head that loses its persistence and settled to a thickish film.

Taste is interesting, it's not overly bitter and then there seems to be a gap between the initial taste and the lovely finish. I'm trying that again.

This isn't then a crashing explosion of over hopped beer, it is very measured and paced, delivering a lovely drink of some quality. Respect.

Aroma is a highlight, so is the easy mouthfeel, this is very drinkable, and moorish, has a lovely finish that is just a tough of bitter dry and a lovely lingering taste, but all very subtle.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing, it is very good. Lovely drinking, almost a session drinking beer, or perhaps it is a session beer and I don't get out often enough, I think that if you like IPA in an original and genuine way then this is a brilliant start, it's a marvellous take on a very common beer with uncommonly good results.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? Very much so.
Would I have another? I would indeed, this is quality.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would because it has a back story, and is a genuine beer, nothing outrageous, extravagant, special or seasonal, it's a good stock beer, a very good stock beer, from good stock. Huzzah!

Music for this, well local is as local does so Virginia Claire "Gin" Wigmore (born 6 June 1986) is a New Zealand singer, and she has new album ' Blood to the Bone '  I'm listening on Spotify

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDNSQ7ccTGA

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.

Beer - #630 - Rocky Knob - Home Again

I like the beer I've had so far from the lovely people at Rocky Knob, and had a few words with Bron in passing recently at a beer festival. Then I discovered their beer on the FYO again at my local Liquorland in Forrest Hill. So here we go;  Good beer, good music, good times and a good score.

100% Kiwi. All NZ malt and hops.

From the FYO then a 1 litre of beer, that is 5.6 % ABV and 40 IBU, making this 4.42 standard drink units, and around 168 calories a serve size.

Brewed by Rocky Knob Brewing this one in the style that is  American Pale Ale and that's in the small seaside town that is Mt Maunganui, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_11443" align="alignleft" width="300"] It's a cold night, and I'm putting on a brave face.[/caption]

This is a fresh zesty, clean and incredibly sessionable hopped up NZ Pale Ale.

Riwaka, NZ Cascade, and Nelson Sauvin give this a punchy citrus and classic Nelson Savin zestiness.

So what could possibly go wrong?

Not much if the opening aroma of sweet sweet caramel and hint of grass is much to go by.

It's quite lively in the bottle with a spontaneous head forming and popping out of the neck, not something you see often.

Pour is as you see it, although there was less head then the sitting spontaneous head would have made me think, and what head there is is settled to a film.

There is a lot of the Sauvin hops in this, and the aroma, and I like that. It is surprising light and easy to drink with a nice mouthfeel and a decent finish that is slightly dry but not parching.

There are a number of beers using the Sauvin hops, and so the taste is quite distinct, hard to differentiate between them, from memory, but this is as good as I've had.

I'd go so far as to say that this is a really good candidate to be called a great session beer, I'd be happy to sit and mull over all sorts of nonsense drinking some of this.

Lovely aroma, then a lightly but firmly hopped bitterness with a nice sharp clean finish, makes you just want to have some more, it's very rewarding and inviting.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. Thoroughly enjoyed this, it's well balanced, sweet where it has to be crisp where is must be, and it is consistent through the whole drink, even as it warms.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? I am, and I would love to enjoy more of it.
Would I have another? It would be a great go-to beer, and a reason to enjoy a holiday at the Mount.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? There is nothing at all wrong with this beer for sharing, it's got flavour, it's got bitterness, it's got dryness, it's got sweet, it's got great aroma. I'd day that was a yes from me.

Music for this, an odd piece of music ' Tom McRae & The Standing Band '  ' Did I sleep and miss the border? ' which is my listening on Spotify and everywhere else I imagine. The Standard says it's quite good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0OUkoWZa8s

AMERICAN PALE ALE

American Pale Ales are light in color, ranging from golden to a light copper color. The style of this beer is defined by the American hops used. American hops typically have high bitterness and aroma.This is a perfect beer for big fare like grilled burgers or combination pizzas, as well as lighter fare like sushi and green salads.

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• What is IPA?

Beer - #628 - Beavertown - Bloody ’Ell - the threepeat

Bottle, keg and now the can, The first beer I can recall where I've had all three versions. The still amusingly named beer from Beavertown -  Bloody ’Ell which I've had before in a bottle, and also from the keg.

"With every sip I get a little sad because I know it's coming to an end."

This version comes in a  330ml can, which contains a 7.2%ABV beer, which is of  70 IBU things, This can would be around 1.87 drinks in NZ, this is 216 calories in this serve size.

Brewed by Beavertown in the style that is an India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are in Hackney Wick, England.

We have never brewed a straight IPA at Beavertown, why change the habit of a lifetime!

[caption id="attachment_11424" align="alignright" width="300"] Man and a Can[/caption]

Here we take a stripped back IPA malt bill and highly hop it with the tropics of Amarillo and Citra and pile head on with kilos of Blood Orange zest and juice late in the boil, bringing you a smack of citrus and hints of warm orange aromas.

Softly carbonated with an oily mouthfeel, Bloody 'Ell is dry but sweet and fruity but bitter. Above all- it is awfully more-ish.

So what could possibly go wrong?

Popping the tab releases an immediate bust of grass citrus hop aroma, that is always welcome of course.

Pour is light marmalade orange and there is a local y white head of fluffiness. The aroma is light of hops, and a hint of a citrus.

Coarse dryness finish to a bitter front that leaves a tang in your mouth, It is very dry, particularly at the front middle of the tongue.

There is an orange zest or orange peel undertone to this that makes it quite exciting to drink without it being overly sweetening or intruding, it's a feature.

Lovely soft bitterness, lovely soft orange citrus notes and it just looks great in the glass, the head persistent and a lovely lacing in the glass as you sip.

The real pity is that there is just the one can, but that doesn't mean that I can't go get more cans, just not tonight.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. This is nice, nicer than I recall from the bottle or the keg, the bottle I can understand but this, from a can seems to be rather spectacular. lips smacking good.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? This has really exceeded my expectations, it's like a taste explosion, a controlled demolition, it's all on point.


2. Would I have another? I've had three deliveries of this and the Can appears to win, couldn't drink it from the tin though, has to be in a glass.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I most certainly would be bringing this the the next shindig.

Music for this was ' Against Me! ' and ' Transgender Dysphoria Blues '  the sixth studio album by the punk band. Now forgive me if I smirk at it being 'Punk', particularly as I grow up right in that Punk Rock explosion around 1974.  Anyhow listen here on Spotify.  It is reasonably listenable and enjoyable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEE7iw5WYJI

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.

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Beer - #627 - Bach Brewing - Duskrider *keg*

Duskrider - a Red IPA.  New old beers, new music, old numbers and a party is a party.

a ruby-red hue and a hop-forward fix

I have from the FYO station a 1 litre bottle of beer that is 6% ABV,  making it 4.73  standard drink units in NZ, and this 180 calories a serve size

For Bach Brewing Ltd this is brewed at Steam Brewing Company in the style that is of  India Pale Ale (IPA) and that happens in Auckland, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_11410" align="alignleft" width="300"] It is very very red[/caption]

DuskRider is brewed with specialty malts for a ruby-red hue, and a hop forward fix of tropical fruits and citrus from US Cascade, Amarillo, Citra and Nelson Sauvin.

What could possibly go wrong? Well I've had this before and thought it was very impressive, it was from a bottle, and it was a while ago, I wonder if fresh from the keg is different.

It is a pomegranate red red beer, it's quite the thing.

Pop the flip top and a burst of hop aroma, grassy pine sweetness, it's a pretty smelling beer.

The picture does not to the red-ness of the pout justice, it is a lovely ruby/brown thing with a lovely white head of some substance.

Taste, well does not quite reach those giddy heights, but it is lightly bitter, and has a pervasive mouthfeel, but nothing by way of intrusive finish. It seems to be a pretty much front of mouth beer. If that makes sense, or another way might be all taste up front and enjoyable and no after-taste.

The tastes are of many things like fruits, and more tropical fruits, apricots, peaches and the like. This is an all action up front in-your-face (mouth) beer. There is no run-up it's all on all-in.

This is a fine drinking beer that delivers immediately and has no other surprises or layers to unravel before you, which is why I think it has such a strong following and fan base.

Where I now admit that I am really enjoying this, but also at the same time a bit annoyed by it as well, because it isn't all goodness and light, nectar and honey, no it isn't, and I'm not just being controversial.

Might as well go with the things I don't like about it, or the bits that annoy me bits, which are, in no order;

That it is what it is, you get it all first up, it does not develop. That might be all.

The aroma in the glass is almost stop the traffic wonderful. Sugar sweetness like toffee and a grassy carry,

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. It is a thing of beauty and wonderment, it is balanced even steady predictable and enjoyable, it isn't edgy peaky bitter dry or challenging. It is a very very nice beer nicely done.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am in wonderment but not rapture.


2. Would I have another? You know I would, stop teasing!


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? You could take this out to your grandmothers and nothing would be said, and the beer drinkers would enjoy it and not have to say they did or comment they didn't, it's just good, very good.

' X Ambassadors ' and ' VHS  '  which I have on the spotify. They're an American alternative rock band from Ithaca, New York. It's that thumpy thumpy music that makes good well lit moody videos perhaps. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzP5KsYSGD0

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.

Beer - #625 - Rogue - Juniper Pale Ale *redux*

The BeerJerkNZ beerclub beer of the week is the   Rogue Juniper Pale Ale which is a beer I've previously had, but you know things change and so here we go again...

A pale ale, saffron in color with a smooth malt balance, floral aroma with a dry spicy finish from whole juniper berries

This is the smaller 12fl oz, 355ml in old money bottle, which has beer of  5.2% ABV, being about 1.5 standard drinks in NZ. Also this is 34 IBU - which is low end English Bitter, mid range porter bitter, and it comes in at 156 calories a serve size.

Brewed by Rogue Ales this is in the Style of an American Pale Ale - and they are in Newport, Oregon USA 'merica!

Juniper berries don't taste like other berries because they are not berries. They are actually a sort of fleshy pine cone. Which explains the fresh, clean, citrus, pine flavour of juniper.

This is the traditional predominant flavour in gin.

[caption id="attachment_11398" align="alignright" width="300"] Unshaved man and a beer[/caption]

This floral, hoppy beer is infused with whole Juniper berries to give it a unique flavour. The sweet malt base and light carbonation work perfectly to support the dry resin-y flavour or the hop and juniper combo.

Different but drinkable, we are fans.

Juniper Pale Ale, like all Rogue products preserves water by using more ingredients, contains no chemicals, additives or preservatives and uses Free Range Coastal Water.

“When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading"
- Paul Hornung

What could possibly go wrong ? HA! he said, I've heard all that before, but what does a Juniper berry really taste like anyway?

It's a yeasty bready aroma on opening, pour is a hazy range golden with a small (well no) head, in either glass.

Taste is a mix of tangy bitterness, and the aroma moved to something akin to mushrooms, which is not at all what you might expect. 

It is well carbonated, and that somewhat has an effect on the way you taste this, having to push through that fuzziness. It does have quite a long taste with a more middle tongue linger and finish, and then a dryness. 

It's not an easy beer to drink, and it does begin to develop a gin-like flavour (from memory it's been a while since I had the Gin out) but I recognise that tartness. 

Thankfully the aroma settles into something sweeter and bit more enjoyable. Don't think I'll be adding a slice and ice though, or tonic, or anything else. 

So unlike any hoppy pale ale that I've ever had, even ig you persuade yourself that the front notes are hop based this is tart and not bitter where it should be, and that tartness is the predominant taste, which battles for the finish over the dryness that this has.

Possibly a clever beer, but it might just too clever for it's own good, but I say that knowing that it's a staple and regular brew from Rogue, and one of the few beers they make that I've had that I can connect with, or enjoy. 

As I drink more it began to fell like an epic non-ending journey, I took a photo of how that felt too, for comedy value mostly, but you get the idea that this wasn't a beer that going down in a hurry. 

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 6 a of its things from the thing. I really didn't like it. But it has one feature and that is played in spades, it's not like a mystery beer, it's all on the label and in the literature . I did note that from other sources that this rates around the 7/10 based on a lot of feedback, so I'm not so far off. 

The double dip review 

• Am I enjoying it? Sadly I'm not, but I wanted to, it's not the first time I had it, I thought I might have been wrong first time around. Sadly I wasn't.


• Would I have another? I don't think I could 


• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Not a chance.

Music for this one, well ' The Orange Humble Band '  an alternative rock band, also a bit of rock, power pop, folk, country, bluegrass.  I would have said soft pop. They're from Australia.  The album is ' Depressing Beauty ' you can listen on the Spotify here or most the other places I imagine.

Couldn't find a new video clip, but try this from an earlier work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obQ77g5DPtQ

AMERICAN PALE ALE

American Pale Ales are light in color, ranging from golden to a light copper color. The style of this beer is defined by the American hops used. American hops typically have high bitterness and aroma.This is a perfect beer for big fare like grilled burgers or combination pizzas, as well as lighter fare like sushi and green salads.

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• Beer | Rogue Juniper Pale Ale


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