Beer - #534 - 8 Wired - Black Wired Black IPA

Broken promise, broken record, broken a record, and break for a party.

8 Wired Black Wired Black IPA, I know I said I didn't get them, the Black IPA, but.

Full body but dry and hoppy

This is fyo, keg only, beer, so I have the 1 litre bottle of a beer that is 7% ABV, so I get that to be 5.52 standard drink units in NZ, and like 210 calories a serve size.

Black Wired Black IPA  is by  8 Wired Brewing, brewed at Renaissance Brewing and this is in the style that is Black IPA,

[caption id="attachment_10285" align="alignleft" width="300"] Black as coal, cold as ice[/caption]

Roasted malt and coffee dominate this beer, hop forward with a caramel and licorice finish.

So not a lot to go on with this.

As to 8 Wired, they make all sorts of variation on the Wired theme, including Hop, Fresh Hopped, Re-, and Cross. They're generally pretty good beers too.

What could go wrong?, apart from not 'getting' the black IPA thing, and then remembering the Fiasco beer I had recently that was a 10.

Fresh hop aroma, green, as always that is a bit nice.

The pour is lovely, and even a head! a very nice head of substance. Aroma gets stronger and is very full.  It really is as dark as it looks, the head really is a full and firm.

Golly, that is a banging beer, great hops bitter, lovely sweetness and a dark malted finish and then a tad of dryness.

I know I had a conversation recently about Black IPA, this might change your mind.

This is really nice. The toasted/roasted malt adds so much in the back of this and bulks up the profile to a new level. I like the dry finish too.

I like the way it looks in the glass too, it's a good to look  at and good to drink beer. Does it get any betterer?

Second pour was just as attractive as the first. it look so nice in the glass, you really might want on if you saw it. There are some that wouldn't touch this because of the colour though, and you need to talk softly to them and as them to taste, as this, in this style, is a joyous thing. OF course a committed lager drinker isn't going to like it.

So, recap, lovely level of initial bitterness, a lovely middle full of roasted malts and a lingering and dry finish. Plus it looks pretty.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. For all that I wrote and enthused there is room for improvement, of course, and at this time and on this day, I would like to have just a little more hop.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? It truly is  thing of joy and I cast aside my prejudice of Black IPA, clearly there are good versions.


2. Would I have another? I so would, this is a cracker! Lucky for me I have the whole bottle.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, I'd make you drink it and let you decide how much you really liked it and that it really was a thing, and that it is a different thing from the normal IPA with some black added.

I break with the usual new music tradition and so the Music box was playing Jim Morrison and the Doors, mad if I didn't enjoy it, this is of course LA Woman, and the track the same name. Honey though I'm not sure I ever listened to much Jim Morrison or the Doors and in a sense this is new to me, I found a lot of music in my 'yoof' a bit challenging, including This, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Who and others, Perhaps even then I as a little bit less rock and roll and a a bit more pop and disco?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3jf9_rua5Q&w=420&h=315]

Anyway I knew some of the songs and some of the words to some of the songs, I'm sure the neighbour though it wa karaoke hour as the dial accidentally dialled upt o 11.

BLACK IPA

An emerging beer style roughly defined as a beer with IPA-level hopping, relatively high alcohol and a distinct toasty dark malt character. Typically lacks the roastiness and body of a strong stout and is hoppier than a strong porter. Expressive dry-hopping is common. Also called India Dark Ale, India Black Ale, Cascadian Dark Ale, Dark IPA, and sometimes India Brown Ale.

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Beer - #484 - Moa - Blanc

Local beer, Not Local Music, numbers, and  self review.

Moa Blanc wheat beer is a blend of 50% wheat malt and 50% barley malt resulting in an elegantly smooth beer with hints of spice and uplifting esters. Based on a German Kristallweizen style, but in a nod to its origins, Moa Blanc is brewed using renowned Sauvignon Blanc yeast.

Moa Blanc - another of the beers that I thought I'd had, but clearly not, I have no idea how this happens but it does.

Brewed by Moa Brewing Company in that style that is of Belgian White (Witbier) and they're in Blenheim, New Zealand

The bigger sized 750ml bottle, as is the style, from the brewer, and it's a 5.5% ABV beer and 165 calories a serve. Cork and cage too, all fancy. 2.96 standard drinks worth in the bottle.  Lucky I went for my exercise earlier....

Moa Blanc wheat beer is brewed using a blend of 65% wheat malt and 35% barley malt which results in an elegantly smooth beer, with hints of spice and uplifting esters. The slightly cloudy appearance reflects its Germanic origins and it’s customary to gently roll the bottle before opening to create an even distribution of the sediment signature. 

Moa Blanc has a fruity aroma and taste. Banana, vanilla, citrus and bubble gum fruit flavours dominate, with some phenolic characters present. Moa Blanc is a highly drinkable wheat beer, with flavours more moderate than other wheat beers. Hop aroma and bitterness are minimal. Moa Blanc is best served at approximately 4˚C in a pilsner glass.

I've already noticed a confusion between description (a) and (b), makes it interesting for drinking and keeps you on your toes.

I'm also sitting in the sun, in the garden, as you can see, and the music bar is playing the Pixies, just so you know what's coming at the end.

I really did have to use a nutcracker to get the cork out, it was firmly in, but a gorgeous pop when it did let go.

Clear pour, and I know that this is a wheat beer, I can see the sediment in the bottom, it too is a bit in place, so I'm going to muddy it up for the second and other pours.

Nice hop aroma on opening, I'm sure that that is Wheat beer style though, it's more a pilsner aroma than a wheat.  Great head though, nice pour, lovely colour.

I'd still not pick this as a Wheat Beer though, it really does seem more like a Pilsner. MrsPhil had a sip and though it was ok to drink, I'm not  sure that is a good or bad thing though, it could mean I have to share, it could mean I have to go buy more.

[caption id="attachment_9729" align="alignright" width="112"] I used a nutcracker thing to open it, for real, I'm not even joking[/caption]

This is a very lively and well carbonated beer, and I couldn't get it to cloud up, despite a vigorous swirling, it might be my action or it might be there is no sediment to cloud it up.

This though is where I begin to have a doubt about what kind of beer this is! At the end of the bottle though the cloudiness appears, and I really did try, and then the lemony and citrus came through like the cavalry to the rescue. This just made a pleasant beer much more fun and enjoyable.

Now I know that the Moa beers are a bit hit and miss, and this as a style for them is a bit of a miss, not one of their best efforts, and frankly it's a bit of a hodgepodge of things, I can see why there is an "Evolution" and a "Sour" version of the same, sometimes you might have to put lipstick on a pig.

The "Evolution" version, which I don't have, by some accounts is about 3x this, and more the Wheat beer that it should be.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing, a jolly good and solid mark for a solid and go-to beer, which for me at the moment this is, mostly because the current stock with this branding is on run-out special, I'm so cheap. sometimes. Moa continue to entertain and disappoint in equal measures with their beers. At this, the run-out price, though you'd have to be a curmudgeon no to enjoy it

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes I am, and I have been, and I will enjoy the rest of the stash that I have.


2. Would I have another? Of course! Despite it's confused style (to my mind) this is a drinkable and accessible beer.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, bring a nut-cracker and we will crack another!

Music I've already given away as being "The Pixies" This is "Caribou" The Pixies are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986. I'm listening to an album called "Wave of Mutilation" which is a "best of"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6m-pwWCDKU

 

BELGIAN WHITE & WITBIER

Belgian style wheat beers are very pale, opaque, with the crisp character of wheat, plus the citric refreshment of orange peel and coriander. Ingredients sometimes also include oats for smoothness, and other spices such as grains of paradise. Serve with light cheeses or mussels

Beer - #464 - St. Austell - Admirals Ale

In this post: Beer from St. Austell  in the form that is Admirals Ale, Music from Snow Patrol, Random Numbers and double dipping. "I see no ships..."

"This beer contains barley malt and is suitable for Vegetarian"

Another, the last, fathers day gift, St. Austell Admirals Ale, again a supermarket beer, so not difficult to get or particularly rare.

500ml bottle that is 5% ABV, making it 150 calories a serve, and 1.97 standard drink units.

Brewed by St. Austell this is in the style that is  Premium Bitter/ESB and they are in, weirdly, St. Austell, England

Originally brewed as a special to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Nelson’s victory at

[caption id="attachment_9498" align="alignright" width="300"] Ships... I see no ships....[/caption]

Trafalgar in 1805. However, production of the bottled version and, occasionally, the cask has continued.

This premium bottle-conditioned ale has been uniquely brewed using our own Cornish Gold malt. Locally grown barley is traditionally malted using a special kilning process which develops a deeper intensity of colour and flavour than ordinary barley malt.

Blended with both Styrian Golding and Cascade hops, the result is a deep bronze ale with a delicious rich biscuit flavour and a wonderful spicy aroma.

This is a Bottle Conditioned beer.

This uses Celeia hops for citrus and Cascade for spice, it is truly the Christmas pudding of beers.. they say, its September - what could go wrong?

Beer - #400 - Garage Project - Mecha-Hop

This writing is of the 400th beer thing since I started making notes.  This small milestone needed to be got to with something a bit different, and unusual.  So I brought me something unusual, not Scruttocks Old Dirigible, and not something  wildly rare or intimidatingly expensive.

But unusual.

How about a 100% Industrial Process Ale -  with no raw, unprocessed ingredients used in its making.*

*might contain free-range water.

Brewed by Garage Project in the style that is  Imperial/Double IPA and they are in a garage in Wellington, New Zealand

This is a 650ml bottle,  and it has 10% ABV,  an unknown number of IBU things but more than 100, and 300 calories a serve. This is 5.1 standard drink units in a bottle.

[caption id="attachment_8614" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mecha-Self-Ie[/caption]

Brewed better than nature to battle it out at the Great Australian BeerSpectapular – this is Mecha Hop, experimental IPA - 100% Industrial Process Ale. 

Using only the finest vacuum evaporated pure dry malt extract and Warrior, Amarillo and Simcoe liquid CO2 hop extracts, this beast of a beer weighs in at 10% abv and over 100 IBU. 

Guaranteed no raw, unprocessed ingredients - the modernist dream at its unheeding and arrogant best. Welcome to the bold new world of Garage Project - welcome to the future. What could possibly go wrong..

"In down to earth speak then Mecha Hop is brewed using liquid malt extract, liquid hop extract, water and yeast. That’s the stuff you see in the home-brew tins at the supermarket, mixed with the hop goo megabrewers use to give their beer some semblance of hop character"

I'm still scratching my head over this, but I'm told it's a bit good. Great label artwork to look at while I ponder what about to happen.

Beer - #295 - Ballast Point - Sea Monster

Slightly Different this one, the Ballast Point Sea Monster. Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company in the style of an Imperial Stout and they are of course in San Diego, California USA

At 10% ABV, 300 calories, and  65 IBU, this all adds up to 5.13 standard drink units. I'm not sure my doctor would approve all this, I'm not sure my liver does either.

[caption id="attachment_6381" align="alignright" width="300"] The Selfie, of course![/caption]

Sea Monster Imperial Stout is a new version of an old favorite. This hearty stout is black as the abyss and clocks in at a whopping 10% ABV, a real monster. The flavors of roasted coffee and bittersweet chocolate are complamented by a velvety smoothness from the addition of un-malted barley and oats. Colombus and Amarillo hops help to balance out the huge malt character of this flavor bomb. Be careful the alcohol is well hidden and will sneak up on you if you don’t watch out. Like most scary monsters, it can be a little intimidating, but have no fear.

Our Sea Monster Imperial Stout explores the darkest reaches of the traditional oatmeal stout. This bold, rich brew first lures you in with roasted coffee notes, then grabs hold with hints of bittersweet chocolate and currant. Backed with a perfect hop balance, you’ll soon discover this is one monster of mythic proportions.

So another dark heavy, high ABV beer. It's lucky that I'm only driving a mouse and keyboard. Plus I went for a run/walk/mooch so in pdubyah-world I've earned this.

A muted coffee note on opening,  Totally dark pour, with a persistent and thick mocha head. Not a lot of the coffee aroma follows.

Really nicely bitter, that lies under a richer smoother malt taste, and it drinks ok too, with a nice finish.

There isn't a 'full' mouthfeel with this, as you sometimes get with beers, and this is a solid nicely behaved dark stout.

The coffee is present, it's pleasing and not predominant, and doesn't add to the sourness. I also get a lovely sense of the roasted malts, but there is also  the astringent note of the alcohol making itself known. This of course might be that this is a straight up honest stout, and there is nothing to mask or hide or deflect you to the alcohol content. I think drink in this you might be aware that you'd best be getting a lift home or sitting on the couch.

You know what I don't get - bitter chocolate. Unless that is the sourness that I get with this. Of course you don't get any of those raisin and fruit notes, after all this isn't a fruit beer :-)

I'm going to say that the pdubyah-o-meter rates this as an 8 which makes this very good. A beer I would be more than happy to have more of.

Music tonight is a pleasing and pleasant album tom the band  Daughter, Dinner might be some bbq chicken affair with fresh garden herbs, and some garden salad and sweet-corn. After the beer which has put me in mu happy place what could go wrong.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BucfErwPTWs&w=420&h=315]

IMPERIAL STOUT

Imperial stouts are usually extremely dark brown to black in color with flavors that are intensely malty, deeply roasted and sometimes with accents of dark fruit (raisin, fig) or milk sourness. The bitterness is typically medium and often the low sie of that. Imperial stouts are strong and often exceed 8% by volume.

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Beer - #252- Faversham - Whitstable Bay Organic Ale

Ok, So I was at the English Corner Shoppe and was enticed by this, well not really, I was drawn buy the pretty average but huge selling Iron Maiden beer. But this then the bottle of a Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay Organic Ale.

Stewart in a straight line this is pretty close amirght?

Brewed by Shepherd Neame or the more romantic Faversham Steam Brewery Company as a Bitter in a place I used to know, Faversham, England

A Pint, 500ml, (near as close) of a 4.5% ABV beer , in NZ thats 1.78 drinks , the Uk 2.3! A 135 Calorie intake,

Ingredients: Organic English barley malt; New Zealand Gem and Hallertau hops. 
"Pure water from our own artesian well combined with over 300 years of brewing expertise create a clean, refreshing ale with a full-bodied flavour."Whitstable Bay Organic Ale is a light coloured ale that is brewed using only organic ingredients, and the brewery’s own chalk-filtered mineral water. It combines delicate hints of fresh hops with the softer, buttery richness of pale and crystal malts to produce a delightful ale.

Stand by then for : A well-defined golden ale that blends citrusy hops with nutty malt flavours to create a fresh drink with additional notes of ripe fruit giving a unique finish

This has that low bitter aroma of English beers, but pure that nice golden brown colour and almost with a head of foam, which is persistent if nothing else.

And as you can tell not a Pint, which would be 560ml, but close enough is close.

This is so so different to other beers that I've been drinking, there is so much more immediate noise in the profile. the Aroma is muted and flat to a note of just malt, the bitter is a ding on a piano scale not a crash.

It's a bit odd to drink a beer like this after so many really nice beers and not frown a bit about how point note this is and how there is no profile or journey. No Citrus, no malts, unless I don't understand those concepts this is devoid. Or perhaps those words do not mean what I think the mean.

his is a crash of bitter tang, with not a lot of carry and a sharp finish. It's a quintessential English Bitter. All immediate and delivered. You don't enjoy this beer you drink it.

Enlightened to realise that this has NZ Hallertau and Gem hops in it, doesn't make a difference. The Hallertau brewery uses these hops more effectively, well they don't but then they don't travel them half a world away to make nothing of them. Not all the Hallertau beers, hush me, the Stuntman is a to-die-for.

Calming myself, because now I'm just imagining me in a snug with this, playing dominos or some other game of skill, unrewarded.

Recapping and to get back on track then, this is a bitter beer in the English sense of bitter, bitter not through the actions of the hops as a piece of the profile but as a result of something. It's just a beer of plainness and averageness. Organic or not what' s the justification of the NZ Hallertau or Gem things? Doesn't Kent have a hop thing going on a bit closer?

The pdubyah-o-meter shuns the brit-beer thing with a 5 - average all the way mark for this. If this is your thing, you're upbringing then you might get it, if you're learned at all and drink more than "pint of heavy" or a regular domestic, then this can't be surprising or entertaining for you.

Again for me, not the thing that is going to make me want to dash back home and indulge myself to a liver transplant.  I'm being harsh because this does stack up against many local NZ beers and would not be called out.  But if you're going to call yourself out as "Organic", then make something else of it not just a thing that appeals to the unshed hippy.

I think.

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Beer - #170 - Garage Project - Aro Noir

Garage Project - Aro Noir - I've been looking forward to this - Brewed by Garage Project in the Style of a  Stout and they're all about Wellington, New Zealand

for those of you who don’t know Aro there is a light side and a dark side to the valley. For those of us on the dark side of the street it’s been a long dark winter. But salvation is nigh. The coming of Spring has brought the first teasing hints that the sun might come again to the Garage.

It’s pitch black and full flavoured but with a nice balance of hops and roast malt character. At its heart is English Maris Otter pale malt, with a touch of Crystal and a generous addition of Roast and Black malts. The hops are American, Chinook andSummit, creating a nice citric bitterness and aroma which marries nicely with the roast malt character. At 7.1% abv it’s rich but not heavy or cloying.

Yes, it is inspired by the darkness of a Wellington winter in Aro Valley, but truly it is a stout for all seasons.

A generous 650ml bottle of a 7% ABV beer - making it about 3.8 standard drink units, I'm unreasonably excited by the prospect of this. Madmess.

The cap-off aroma is of chocolates - It's a tar black pour with a brown fluffy head that soon dies away. There seems to be a rich collection of aromas in the glass, but I get a lot of dark fruit.

And there is nothing you're you're not expecting in the taste, it's full rich and a bit good.  There is smokey, there is coffee, there is a nice bitter front and a long warm finish. I would have liked less bitter up front, but that's a pick not a complaint. There is enough each mouthful to make this very enjoyable.

The pdubyah-o-meter says 7.75 of it's things, it could do with more body and for me a bit more malt sweet. The layers of taste are there but they could be there more.  It's not to say that I wouldn't over indulge with this on a night out, and that'd make the walk home a bit wobbly and longer than  expected. Fine stuff.

Oh and as an aside - this is post #500. I'm not sure what else I wrote about other than beer, I'll make a note to review it some time.

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Beer - #163 - Garage Project - Red Rocks

Garage Project - Red Rocks - Brewed by Garage Project in the Style: Amber Ale in Wellington, New Zealand

All a bit special. 650ml bottle, 7.5% ABV - 3.6 Standard Drink units.

Red Rocks is a rich ruby red ale with loads of chewy malt character. There wasn’t a lot of restraint shown in the hopping of this beer. We had a fair bit of whole cone Nelson Sauvin hops in the fridge and they all went in. The end result is a nice balance of malt sweetness and bitterness, with some assertive hop aroma and flavour.

These guys party when they make beer, and well this was a bottle I couldn't go past.

Big bang of hops on the aroma, rich dark brown pour, but a poor effort of head. The hop aroma isn't fussy and just is, and it's almost chocolate like, but that might be fanciful.

My mouth is a bit watering with expectation, and that a weird thing. OMG, this is a delightfully rich deep beer. There is a smash of malt sweets and a layer of hop bitter, and it's like a party going on in my mouth! The hops are raw and grassy, the caramels are just on point, and the carbonation is lovely and mellow.

The hops get more prevalent as it sits, but they don't carry a sourness or sour end with them, and they are carried well by the malts.

Love it a lot, the pdubyah-o-meter is 9.25th of a thing, it's a bit good. Lovely balanced beer well put together.

'nuff said.

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Beer - #154 - Stone - Smoked Porter

Anzac day. I'm going to try a Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean, not for any reason of remembrance just because it's time for a beer. Mostly.  Brewed by Stone Brewing Co. in the style of a Porter in of all places Escondido, California USA

A  rich, dark and delicious porter with chocolate and coffee overtones accented by a subtle smokiness from just the right amount of peat smoked malt. Unlike a rauchbier, the "smoke" in Stone Smoked Porter is an ELEMENT of the character rather than being THE character. -- Greg Koch, Stone Brewing Co.

5.9% ABV beer (1.85 standard drinks) in a 330ml bottle, and 53IBU's

Deep dark colour with a malty coloured head, not a big aroma, but that's not a bad thing. Head settles away quickly.

It's quite fruity to be honest, decent carbonation, but I was a bit surprised to think of fruit over other things I could have thought of, like "smoke", I'm not actually sure there are any dominant tastes in this.

The bitterness is ok, and what there is is mostly balanced out by the malts, but I'm beginning to think that I don't actually get the smoked malt thing, nor do I get vanilla, both of which should, in my mind give a stronger taste. I could be wrong. I usually am.  Without blowing my own trumpet I think I drank enough beer to pick elements, sorry Greg.

It's not a bad beer, I'm still picking fruits over smokes though, and I hear you saying "well dur that's the vanilla" and it could well be.

Overall though, not as pleasing as I wanted it to be, and not as rounded as I thought it would be. Disappointingly then the Pdubyah-o-meter would rate this only a 6. It's an in the pack beer, it's not setting any standards or setting itself apart. It's a bit too sweet, a but light on bitters, and lacks a real body or length of taste.

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Beer- #136 - Harringtons - Belgium Tempest - revisited

I did this already - Beer #32 - June - a while ago, and I wasn't that impressed.

But clearly I wasn't that miffed, or disappointed or this might not have made it back to the shopping basket, unless it was under one of those buy one get one free things.

Brewed by Harringtons Breweries (Christchurch) in the style of a  Abbey Tripel from the deep south as far away as Christchurch, New Zealand.

Brewed using Belgian Ale yeast makes this beer big, rich and full of fruitiness. Palate is rich and subtle malty. Full bodied sweetness dominates most of the palate but dies to a dryer finish with a herbal/phenol crisp hop bitterness.

And because it was like 9 months ago, I start again, They set themselves a big bar, and a big expectation for this. So what do I want/expect: Golden or Chestnuet \ Malts and sweets \ Alcohol to the back\ citrus to the front. A s 500ml of an 8% ABV beer - thats 3.2 standard drinks in old money, it looks inviting with it's electric blue label this may have been what drew me back.

Stand by ...

The aroma isn vague  bit musty..  Well carbonated, chestnut colour no head, it looks like day old beer in  a glass, but it might be that's doing it wrong.

The aroma is dank, musty, yeasty, not so good, a bit plastic, and perhaps a bit of banana.

And the taste is a bit sour, and alarming, it's not inviting, and the malts take like forever to make a fleeting appearance, there is something not quite right about this.

I think that I gave this a 4  on the pdubyah-o-meter before, age or experience have not improved either this beer or my opinion of it. There is not even the begin of a head, carbonation or lacing, and this hasn't changed. Either the brewer is working to a schedule or this must be the last harrarh for this, who likes it? Even at a 2 for 1 deal your're being sold short.

Avoid

 

Beer - #128 - ParrotDog - Bloodhound

ParrotDog - Bloodhound : Brewed by ParrotDog Brewing Ltd.  on twitter as @ParrotDog  - in the style of an  Amber Ale  (!) and they do that in Windy Wellington, New Zealand And this is odd since the label clearly says "Red Ale"

"A grassy NZ hopped aroma featuring a hint of roasted malt is supported by full-bodied, red coloured malt base and a pleasant NZ hopped bitterness to round off. A big, malty red ale uplifted with a generous amount of hop"

It says.

6.3% ABV in a 330ml bottle (1.6 standard drinks).

A big sell then, but they might have the chops to pull it off.

So despite what I read, saying it was nice amber pour, this is in fact a red ale, and has exactly the right colour for it. Despite it having no head :-(  it delivers a fairly notable hop nose and a sweet aroma that not instantly obvious as to what causes it. But then you get it, it's oranges!

So the aroma settles to an orange syrupy affair, which reminds me of the sneaky cake you get with the coffee on occasion (Don't tell MrsPdubyah).

There is a lively hop taste, restrained and not all up in your face, nicely carbonated, it's goodly good is what it is. The sugary aroma though is obvious and I flinched again before I took more, it's that obvious  and loses it appeal.

The aroma is all there is though, I get no orange note on the palate with this, but that does not make it a bad beer. I would imagine that as a summer beer this would hit the mark.

At a 8 on the pdubyah-o-meter I rate this as nicely hoppy and bitter enough, It loses ground because I don't overly care for the aroma that shocks the nose each time it gets close to it, which can't be a good thing. This would stand up to something hearty by way of a food accompaniment adding to something rather than overshadowing it.

A fine effort from the new boys of ParrotDog, I'd give this another go anytime, and  I've got me a DeadCanary to chase this one, and in the unlikely event they ever read this I'd be happy to review and appreciate any or all the beers you produce, for research purposes of course.

Beer - #118 - Coronado - Red Devil

The Red Devil they say an Imperial Red Ale -  Brewed by Coronado Brewing Company in the style of an  American Strong Ale, in of all places Coronado, California 'merica.

Talking it up Coronado says that The Red Devil is a "double dose of our "Mermaid's Red Ale"  We simply doubled the ingredients (double the malt, double the hops) and created an award winning Ale. An incredibly balanced and smooth beer with a strong finish."

Worries me when they say "simply" did something, which might be code-word for this one time we had a new kid and he didn't pay attention and threw a second helping in the pot, which we had to sell, and it  turned out ok, so we carried on with it.

This is a 8.5% ABV beer in a 650ml (pint) bottle, the attached label says however 10.7% abv which is about 5.5 standard drinks, the plot thickens somewhat. Is there a US and a Foreign ABV rating that I'm not aware of? I'm picking the lower number since it's on the bottle and in other places. Weirdly though the original Red Devil appears to be a 10.7% ABV beer. Perhaps it's mellowed in it's age?



So a mixed start to start. They've changed the label and so they may have changed the mix for this and that is what I'm going to go with. Clearly their own information has to be taken as gospel.

So many words without any action then. And I've built up an expectation of having my thirst quenched because I've been making rib marinades this afternoon, and that's time in the kitchen, that I have to balance up with a beer. It's the law.

The alternate description is this This robust, roasty, aggressively hopped imperial red is an amplified, more sinful version of our flagship Mermaid's Red™. Heaping additions of Amarillo and Simcoe hops provide clean, botanic bitterness to slice straight through a well rounded caramel sweetness borne of chocolate malt.

There is definitely a load of hops on the aroma, and it's dark dark red on the pour with a faint and disappearing head. It's a lovely aroma, I could sit here enjoying just that, but I dither. Enjoying it though I get a lovely sweet fruits note too, like soaked raisins.

and it's initially as pleasant as any beer I've drunk for a long time, lovely soft bitter and overtones of a sweet malt and caramel, but it finishes on the bitter. Not that it's a bad thing, This isn't a beer that's going to leave you reaching for an elusive taste that's on the top of your tongue, it's fairly well all up front. The caramel is lovely and balanced with the bitterness, which after sitting takes a less dominant position. All in all a bit good.

The pdubyah-o-meter has this at 8.75 things on the scale of the way things work, which isn't shameful and makes this a beer that I'd reach for if I had my pick of things. So for a simply doubled up on a few ingredients they've managed to retain a marvellous balance of tastes, Good work.

 

Beer - #95 - Left Coast - Voo Doo American Stout

Left Coast Voo Doo American Stout Brewed by Left Coast/Oggis Pizza and Brewing Company
in the style of a  Stout, and normally you'd find them in  Del Mar, California USA, but tonight at my table.

600ml of an 8.5% ABV beer with a funky label.

At Left Coast Brewing Co. we pride ourselves on a unique batch of beer in the style of an American Stout. Voo Doo is a full bodied, dark brew that is rich and malty with plenty of roasted barley character. This hearty stout is layered with flavors of roasted barley, chocolate, and coffee coming from the highest quality imported malts. Its creamy long lasting head completes the brew, tempting your taste buds to be spellbound. They say Barley twice so I'll be a looking for that.

Initially I couldn't pick the aroma, but then it settles to a pleasant chocolate. Deep dark colour with a mocha head of some substance.  Bittery chocolate initially, but with a nice malty back, not so long a taste though, and you get left with that bitterness.

It's not bad though, fairly solid, unremarkable and very drinkable.  The pdubyah-o-meter wants to cut straight to the chase and say 7.25 arbitrary things from it's equally arbitrary scale.

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Beer – #66 – Rogue - Mocha Porter

Rogue Mocha Porter. A way to end a torrid week.

Brewed by Rogue Ales in the style of a Porter, and this again a visitor from another place, the fabulous Newport, Oregon USA.

650Ml of a 5.1% ABV dark beer then.. or as they put it ....

Ruddy brown in color, a bittersweet balance of malt and hops with a light cream finish. Mocha Porter is made from Northwest Harrington and Klages; 135-165, 95-115, and 70-80 Crystal; Beeston Chocolate, Black, Munich and Carastan malts. Perle and Centennial hops...... so there!

It is dark brown, and I got no head, de nada, nix, and weirdly again no aroma to speak of. It might be a feature of the Rogue beers.  I get a carbination, and then I get a bit of a chocolate (mocha) hit, and that has some good time in the mouth, you know you've had a beer with a flavour is what I'm saying here. There is a tad of chocolate and of smoke.

That is all. But isn't that enough? Well, no to be honest. It's a bit thin. I had an expectation of just a little more, I don't know what, because the mystery guest never was included in this.

These are clearly people with a lot of thinking, and the combinations they have for ingredients and their up-font statement about them is much admirable. Again I don't not love this as a beer, and there are beers shuffling down the pdubyah-o-meter as I write.

What's the most impressive though is that these beers are those that change your perceptions of beer, particularly, mostly born of ignorance, of the US beers. And I like that.

The pdubyah-o-meter based on taste would be 7 isn on the arbitrary scale of things for this, it lacks the jolt or the elusive and all a bit fluffy "wow" factor for me, and you know that I've found beer that has that. Am I disappointed? Heck no, I'm just not blown away.

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Beer – #25 in a series – "The Doctor" is in the house

Tonight for my delectation I have from The Sawmill Brewing company Leigh, procured me "the Doctor", a Dopplebock.

I looked it up, as I do, on the interwebtubes and they say

THE ‘DOCTOR’
A complex blend of four malts combined with a duo of traditional hop varieties. Rich, warm roasted caramel and toffee notes with a lasting finish and smooth mouth feel. For serious lovers of fine ales. ‘Strong, dark and handsome’. 6.5% alcohol by volume.

I love it when they talk it up. Stephen Bier Liked them and that's all I could find on the interwebtubes, I didn't really try that hard though, it has a name that'll pop up all sorts of weirdness, try it you'll see

So... It's 500ml of a 6.5% ABV beer and they present it in a swing top bottle, so it's looks fantastic, the white label, and the sticker over the swing, all little things that make you go mmm.

Before I even open it I'm worried now that I paid for design over substance, it's not often you'll get a small independent doing something a little odd.


Well Lordy! for dark beer this was dark!

It pours nice (technical term) and has a nice head. And it has a pleasing malt taste, with just enough edge to remind you that it's a beer from the strong end of the shelf. Very nice. And it sits well in the glass after a couple tastes. And (enthusiastic like) it's not a fizzy beer. You'll know what I mean if you know what I mean.

It is a beer that deserves to be with food however, but I'm not so sure it's a match for the prawn curry MrsPdubyah has in mind.

For me then this has then got some substance to back up it's style, and I'm glad I made a difficult choice today from the beer shelf at the Liquorland on Forrest Hill Rd.

And so onto the arbitrary Pdubyah-o-meter for some arbitrary points. This is a nice beer, with a nice taste and nice color, in a nice bottle with tiny writing that my old man eyes can't read, and it's a hit at 8 out of 10 arbitrary things out of 10. So there. Best beer for a while and I've had some corkers.

p.s. I lied about the old man eyes, I've got perfect fuzzy vision.
p.p.s. Didn't spill beer on the keyboard again, that's like 3 in a row now.

Beer – #20 in a series – Shepherd Neame 1698

For the win!  Shepherd Neame 1698 - This had just arrived in the English Corner Shop when I went shopping, so I did the decent thing and put some in the shopping basket.

They've dialed back this fine beer to an ABV of 6.5%, but that's still getting up the scale of strong.

And, yes I look like Ive been goosed by someone under the table, but for this beer in a word "Magnificent"

1698 is brewed with Pearl malted barley and crystal malt harvested in Kent, while Target and East Kent Goldings hops are added three times during the brewing process. Time well spent.

The beer has a pale bronze colour with an enormously complex aroma very malty and moreish.

The experts would have you have that the finish is dry but beautifully balanced between sweet grain, bitter hops, tart fruit and continuing notes of butterscotch and vanilla. Malt: high. Fruit: high. Hops: medium.

Bazinga! This one really rings the bell on the pdubyah-o-meter, with an unbeatable 10. Taste, Smell, Enjoyment it's all in a handy pint sized bottle. Get in there!

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