Brewers note on their website has this though as a Pale Ale, despite the label saying otherwise. One of those things.
All that but a 500ml bottle, (16 fl oz>, of beer that is 7.8% ABV, making it 3.1 standard drinks in NZ, and 234 calories a serve.
A strong and heavily New Zealand hopped Belgian Pale Ale. This is a collaboration series beer with Kieran Haslett Moores' brewing arm Southstar Brewing Co. The beer is named in loving memory of Jeff Hennaman from Slayer who died last year. (We are both huge Slayer fans.)
Something a bit more mainstream, a Townshend Hollandale’s Premium Best. Brewed by Townshend Brewery in this style of an Premium Bitter/ESB and that is the mysterious Upper Moutere, New Zealand.
500ml bottle, that's just shy of a 'pint', of a 5.3% ABV beer, making that 2.1 standard drink units. Whopping 159 calories a serve
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Dales Brewing Co produces an award winning Belgian Ale that we here at Townshend's thoroughly enjoy. As fans of Dale's brews, we approached him to ask if he'd mind letting us use his exact same recipe but with a cheeky English Ale yeast instead if his Belgian choice. Here is the result: A smooth, malty ESB. Thanks Dale. You are a star.
Very lively on opening, grassy hoppy, the top runneth over.
Pours a lovely dark chestnut brown, with a lovely amount of foamy and persistent head. It is very lively in the glass. IT really does look magnificent and if only it was based on looks I'd be hooked.
I could't help myself I took a goodly mouthful of this, and I thought, this is very British beer like. Which isn't abad thing
The flavour profile is all in the middle.
It's all grassy hops. The carbonation gives your tongue a tickle and there is a nod to a caramel finish, but if you drew a bell curve you've pretty much drawn the flavour hit for this.
This isn't overly bitter, and it's not offensive, although the hopiness note does scream bit in the middle.
The pdubyah-o-meter says that this is solid and 8's for your mates. Very good.
This looks great, pours great, had a great head, leaves a decent lacing, is light, refreshing and easy easy to drink. But the bitterness and the loud hop in the middle is a bit off-putting and may stop you after a couple of making this a session beer. I'd happily sit with a few of these, couple of mates and some inconsequential sport on in the background and tell lies like a boss.
But it's not memorable despite being very good. Bit like the choice of music I have on,
Speaking of the music, I have on for this is the toe tapping Arctic Monkeys Album, AM - and this is the track that has no relevance to me at all - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? The style and delivery is their own and you couldn't mistake them for any other band. They might be taking themselves a bit serious, perhaps they need the money.
PREMIUM BITTER/ESB
In England, many breweries have a number of bitters in their range. The style that has come to be known as Premium or Special Bitter generally includes the stronger ( 4.6%-6.0%) examples. These are mostly served in the traditional way from the cask, but some are also found in bottle form where the extra malt allows them to stand up better than the more delicate ordinary Bitter. In the US, the designation ESB is common for this style, owing to the influence of Fuller’s ESB, the London brew that was among the first to be exported to the States. In the US, some ESBs are made with American hops and a clean yeast, but the alcohol range is the same, as is the range of bitterness, usually between 25 and 35 but occasionally creeping higher.
Classic English Pale Ales are not pale but rather are golden to copper colored and display English variety hop character. Distinguishing characteristics are dryness and defined hop taste, but more malt balance than what youll typically find in an American Pale Ale. Great to drink with all sorts of meats including roast beef, lamb, burgers, duck, goose, etc. Note that the term pale ale is used in England to signify a bottled bitter, and in that way there is no such thing as English Pale Ale to the English. The style is a North American construct, borne of the multitude of pale ales that pay homage to these bottled bitters - Bass in particular - and therefore the majority of true examples of the style are found outside Britain.
It's a lesson in beer every time.
A 500ml (pint) of a 5.2% ABV beer, which is then two standard drink units.
Just the trick before the BBQ goes on for the Lamb, and a lead up to the F1 race from Korea.
Bittery hoppy nose on opening, very inviting, Pours a hazy orange yellow with a head that is then suddenly isn't, reasonable carbonation. the really nice aroma on opening has gone missing too.
Shame that.
But then you get a wonderful mellow bitter taste, with a mix of sweeter fruits, and a reasonable length.
The pdubyah-o-meter likes this as a 8, arbitrarily making it "very good" on the arbitrary scale. A beer to be pleasantly surprised and rewarded by,
You're not going to give virtual high-five to anyone after drinking this, nor are you going to regret buying it.
Its very hoppy on the aroma, sharp. This surprised me as it's very dark brown as a beer, I'm not sure why I was surprised, I think I was thrown (as I often am) by the pale bit of pale ale).
To the taste, I found this Tart / Bitter on the first - which is much as you'd expect and I didn't get a lot else other then a malty taste. It's not unpleasant.
It's a 4.7% ABV beer in a pint bottle. So it's not one that'll rock your socks off.
A good solid beer this, and congratulations to the brewery for getting it spot on. Feeling pretty pleased with myself that I have made a good choice.
As an aside I might have to have lessons in beer as I can't seem to get one to get a head on, and this doesn't have a lacing either. I must be doing something wrong, other than enjoying it.
Arbitrarily then 7 from 10 arbitrary numbers on the arbitrary pdubyah-o-meter. It's ok it's not something that'll make me buy a lot more, but I wouldn't be adverse to ordering this out in a pub.
A sweet stout. This well balanced dark ale has plenty body and length.
