Beer - #561 - Lakeman - Pale Ale

Not to be confused with Taupo Pale Ale of course.

Different beer, different music, differential numbers and making up the numbers at a gig

  smooth robust maltiness

Brewers standard 330ml bottle of a beer that is 5.5% ABV, so that would be 1.43 standard drink units, and about 160 calories in this.

Brewed by Lakeman Brewing Company this on in the style that is American Pale Ale, and they are in Taupo, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_10636" align="alignright" width="300"] Beer, Sun, Music[/caption]

Lakeman Pale Ale is an Amber ale with a smooth robust maltiness,

Spicy and Citrus notes are provided by good lashing of pacifica and  New Zealand cascade hops.

So this sounds intriguing what could possibly go wrong?

This has a damp oats aroma with a tinge of hop grassiness.

Pour is cloudy orange with a thin whispy head of not much significance.

I'm not sure if I damaged my nose but again I got a hint of ash on the aroma.

Pacifica Hops:  Pacifica displays classic Hallertau citrus and floral aroma character which selectors mark as a real standout. The Pacifica brings something of a blend of new and old-world taste descriptors to the brewers' forum. Orange marmalade aptly describes the citrus aroma notes achieved through late addition.  Bittering quality is such that early kettle additions net a soft yet solid finish even in highly bittered beers.

I'm trying hard to find a citrus thing on the aroma.

This however is a full taste beer, with a nice mouthfeel that is delivered with a bitterness that is high-isn without being too harsh, and they've managed to balance this in the middle with a lovely softness.

The aftertaste or linger does appear to have an orange-ness to it, this is so much better than the rather peaky and ill judged Lahar, in my opinion.

I've had this on tap, many months ago, in Taupo, near the brewery, and I enjoyed it then for the lovely hop profile, it is nice to find that in the bottle it has the same sort of reaction, this is beer that I'd be happy to go the bar and order another one of.

A bitterness that is rewarding and not challenging, a refreshing crisp drink with a nice finish that isn't intrusive. It's good.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing. What a roller-coaster of beers from this brewery, some clear hits, like this one, and a couple that might need some work, in my opinion, but on averages they might have hit all the points, but over a spectrum of drinkers, which might have been the plan. I like this particular beer, it's a very good take on the style.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes, this has a lot of things that make it very rewarding to drink.


2. Would I have another? This I would go to the bar with real money and buy another.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would, this is nice, and has a lot of things that would make good talking points, but would also be a good beer to drink whilst doing something meaningful, as in not talking about the beer.

Once again the music was a lucky dip - Public Service Broadcasting is a London-based pseudonymous musical duo. I did enjoy this track "Spitfire"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u4Md_aXVJE

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.

Beer - #560 - Lakeman - Lahar

A Lahar of beer, a lyric of music, a counting of numbers and a storm of friends

Floral nose of passionfruit and Strawberry.

This is a 330ml bottle of beer, which is 5.6% ABV, making it 168 calories and 1.6 standard drink units.

Lahar is brewed by Lakeman Brewing Company styled as an  American Pale Ale and they are in Taupo, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_10631" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sunny Days, Tropical beers[/caption]

Lakeman Lahar has blackcurrant and table grape aromatics.

A clean malt finishes like a force of nature with a rush of grapefruit.

A strange sounding combination I wonder what could go wrong?

There is a fruity aromatic on the opening.

The pour is of much darker and richer looking beer that I thought might have happened. Of head there was none.

There is something a little odd and unusual in the taste of this, for no reason I thought of straw. The bitterness is quite pervasive although it's not puckeringly bitter, and then there is a gap where something else might be, before you get what I might best describe as an earthy mouthfeel.  Which then becomes a front of mouth bitter lingering.

A bit peculiar.

I find this a bit peaky, the crash of bitterness is at odds and a bit too big to be pleasant, and then the odd missing middle, and the heavy pine resinous lingering after note, I don't think that this is a beer for me.

I really don't like having not to like a beer.

But you can't like everything, and you have to kiss  lot of frogs to find the perfect one. I think that this could do with a bit of work in lessening the raw bitterness of the hops and adding more malt balance, the finish and linger would work better. But then I don't brew beer and what do I know. I certainly wouldn't want this to be like every other beer that is available.

Of the style though this does have the hight bitterness and is the darker copper. I don't know that I'd be comfortable having this as an accompany to a BBQ though.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a  6  of its things from the thing. I just really not into it. A beer of mixed reviews as you'd expect,  not 'train wreck" nor "yum' just somewhere nearer the lower end of the middle, in my opinion. Not a beer that I'd be rushing out of my way to find again.

I see where it was supposed go, and at least there was a vision. It appears to have got lost getting there.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Not really, it's just too peaky and jittery.


2. Would I have another? Not really, it didn't work for me.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? A beer that might start a fight rather than asset nine talking about one, it's just not that good.

The Music-go-round stopped at Nicholas James Murphy, better known by his stage name Chet Faker, who is an Australian electronica musician.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi4pzKvuEQM

I'm not too sure that it's not music for a Cafe to be honest. But it wasn't tragic.

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 - #553 - Lakeman - Taupo Pale Ale - a redux

The brewers, concerned, send me a replacement for the beer that I had, and some others, which was beyond what I'd expect.  so, in short order, I revisit the scene of the crime....

Beyond the Pale, Beyond Music, Beyond numbers and one step too far with friends.

"... won a bronze medal once..."

So a 330ml bottle of beer, that is 5.7% ABV and 1.7 standard drink units in the bottle, around 165 calories in the bottle give or take

Brewed by Lakeman Brewing Company this one is that  APA style  and they are in holiday destination of Taupo, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_10537" align="alignright" width="300"] 2nd Time a Dream[/caption]

This the is a unique style, the TPA, the Taupo Pale Ale.

Refreshing and hoppy, yet with sufficient supporting malt.

Heady aroma of Citrus and Passionfruit on the nose Those fruit flavour blend with a soft silky malt and end wit ha bitterness that lingers on.

What could possibly go wrong with that? Especially the 2nd time around.

Lovely hope fresh aroma.

Smallest of heads on the pour, and it fades to a film.

Carbonation is decent, this has that full bubble mouthfeel.

Nice caramel warm middle and a zing of bitter over the top.

There is an over-arching green-hop note in this, it's interesting, and seems separate fro the other things going on.

I was pretty scathing of this last time I drank it, not a few beers ago. This time there is no mistake in the beer, it is clean and refreshing and has interaction in it with the taste buds. Enjoyable without being too dry, and without an overly long linger, it's a decent drinking beer.

I can now see how it won a medal, it's very good for the style with a subtle and welcome tweak in it.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a 7  of its things from the thing. Second time around this is a lovely drinking beer, it isn't polished and is a slightly jangly around a couple of the notes but this makes it interactive and pleasant to drink in my mind. I think this also would make a decent beer to go with some foods.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes I am now that it's carbonated properly.


2. Would I have another? Yes I'd love one, it's a nice sipping beer.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? For BBQ night or similar this would be a cracking beer, I'm not sure there would be a lot to talk about though this is a beer for food not for talking about.

Got to go with something new, so for musics. "Early Winters" who began as an informal afternoon of writing between friends and blossomed into an expansive musical partnership.  Based betweenLos Angeles and Toronto.

This is "Vanishing Act"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJIU61BxTOY

Just the thing to calm the nerves.

 

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 - #542 - Lakeman - Taupo Pale Ale

Pale beer, Pale Music, Unclear numbers and feeling pale at a party

"... won a bronze medal once..."

The last of the three in bottles (that I could find), from this brewer,  this one the Pale Ale.

So a 330ml bottle of beer, that is 5.7% ABV and 1.7 standard drink units in the bottle, around 165 calories in the bottle give or take

Brewed by Lakeman Brewing Company this one is that  APA style  and they are in holiday destination of Taupo, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_10351" align="alignright" width="300"] Its a small beer and big smile[/caption]

This the is a unique style, the TPA, the Taupo Pale Ale.

Refreshing and hoppy, yet with sufficient supporting malt.

Heady aroma of Citrus and Passionfruit on the nose Those fruit flavour blend with a soft silky malt and end wit ha bitterness that lingers on.

What could possibly go wrong with that?

Not really sure what aroma that is of, sort of a citrus hint.

Another beer that is headless, and looks woefully under carbonated and flat in the glass, almost whiskey coloured it's a lot more orange chestnut than I would have said pale.

In the glass the aroma does nothing to improve.

It is flat and under carbonated. You can't win them all.

From the faint hop aroma you get a sense of what was expected fro this, but it's awful beyond reproach. I'm a bit miffed too as this is premium priced beer, and I'm loath to be harsh and unfair since I'm non-confrontational. This however is worthy of the worst beer this year award.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a  2 of its things from the thing..

~Update: Of course I use the social media things, and the poor rating was picked up by the brewer and the distributor partner, and they want to give me a new fresh bottle to try. As always I'm  a bit in the middle about this as I don't want to compromise my own sense of integrity. I've accepted replacement beer before though, it's not really setting a precedent. 

An in the absence of a newer bottle or one that isn't flat I'm going to let this one publish. It's a reflection on the beer  I had, which I am dead certain is much better than the beer I had , if you know what I mean. 

 

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? No it went in the sink


2. Would I have another? Unless they send me some I'd avoid this, once bitten and all that.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Not even if you was an enemy.

I ended up listening to a New Zealand ensemble "Tiny Ruins" which revolves around Hollie Fullbrook, this is a track called "Me at the Museum, you at the wintergreens" the album is called 'Brightly Painted One"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5LIpK3lOIY

The Auckland Museum and the Wintergardens are within eyesight and a stones throw of each other, this is a very specific NZ referenced song in my opinion,

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

Beer - #538 - Lakeman - Hairy Hop IPA

Odd Beer, Odd Music, Odd numbers and Odd one out.

" Pretty gentle not too aggressive  and a soft bitterness to finish. " 

Lakeman Hairy Hop IPA

This is a 330ml bottle, with a 6.4% ABV, so 1.7 standard drinks units, around 160 calories a serve size

Brewed by Lakeman Brewing Company this on in  the style that is  India Pale Ale (IPA) and the are in holiday destination  Taupo, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_10317" align="alignleft" width="300"] Summer turning me well tanned![/caption]

Aromas of summer fruit citrus with a  hint of pine.

A smooth rounded malt ends with a bitter finish.

I've never had this, therefore you can deduce that since I was in Taupo last and now the brewer has introduced a couple of new beers,  Not that you could tell with the dearth of information on the intertubes abut them.

So apart from a lack of internets presents what could go wrong with this?

Citrus hop aroma on opening, which is fairly muted and seems under carbonated, or may be right carbonated.

Pour is a dark chestnut colour and with a a small but persistent off white almost orange tinged head.

It looks ok in the glass does this. The aroma really picks up and blooms in the glass a lot of orange citrus, I had to put the glass down because that was a bit of a pleasant surprise and I wanted to go again.

It delivers too in the taste, that's a cracking balance of bitterness and malts with a decent length and a muted and understated finish.

I'm really happy and surprised because I wasn't really expecting a lot, based only on what you can read and discover by not moving from the keyboard.

It fills out in the middle as it gets warmer. I've thoroughly enjoyed it. The warming adds some depth and drys out the finish even more, so the lovely citrus is still available up front and then you get a kitty journey that is a nice interlude to the next sup.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as an 8  of its things from the thing. It is a surprising beer, with a lot of nice things going for it. The scant information appears to be close to the mark, citrus, bit of malt and a pleasant finish.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am indeed, it's a nice low easy access IPA.


2. Would I have another? I would indeed have another.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This is a nice beer that would suit a lot of people across styles as it's kind of soft and muted and not harsh and heavy in any particular point.

I went to "The National" as a change of music, from the "High Violet" album, this is "Terrible Love"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqHdi_94SR4

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 - #537 - Lakeman - Pilsner

low key beer, lo key music, low numbers and laying low at.

"Sweet.... Flowery"

Lakeman Pilsner.  A beer of mystery, not a lot to be found online about this, or the brewer.

This is the 330ml bottle size, and it is 5.2% ABV, making it 156 calories a serve and making it 1.4 standard drinks.

Brewed by Lakeman Brewing Company in the style they call Pilsener and they are in Taupo, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_10310" align="alignleft" width="300"] Showing the ravages of summer ...[/caption]

Lakeman Pilsner is straw in colour.

Our Pilsner is of a light malty character with a good smack of Pacific Jade hops providing a soft bitter finish. 

I've had this in Taupo, a while ago now (November 2013) when I was away on a weekend with MrsPhil. I'm not sure I thought it was anything special then.  However that was then this is now.

Pilsners seem to have made a bit of a second coming, or perhaps I'm looking wider on the shelves?

Aroma is slightly odd, it doesn't seem well carbonated either. Wet damp hops comes to mind.

Pour is indeed golden straw and it glows bright, mildly carbonated it struggled to get a head that faded quickly.

This is a very hoppy beer for the style. The finish is very dry too. A strange combination for a beer where you don't expect that to happen. Hop bit sure, dry finish sure but not hop high and arid.

Easy enough drinking though, and post-exercise I was looking forward to something tasty, crisp and interactive. I got some of that. This is a very drinkable beer and different, better than I remember.

I quite like the hoppy, and  the dry finish isn't that bad. I wish I'd though this through and brought some snacks to the table as this would really work well with something.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a 7  of its things from the thing. It is a nice easy drinking but not spectacular or bar-setting beer. It does however come with tow other problems. It is priced in the premium beers, and there is a dearth of information about the brewery, the beer, or the brewers on-line and that isn't necessarily a good thing, unless you like your local market and want to stay niche and mysterious. Can't image that being a good business model though.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am it's a nice beer.


2. Would I have another? I would, it's easy drinking.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I don't think it meets the mark of showing off in company though, it's just not that it's a bad or average beer, it just isn't different or special enough to make small talk over.

Music was a challenge  today, nothing seemed to fit well. I ended up with some Jack White on, the album Blunderbuss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sInSN2_d6hc

PILSENER

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

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