Beer #191 - Wigram - Kortegast Red Sparkling Ale (redux)

Wigram - Kortegast Red Sparkling Ale a revisit from a long time ago, when it was #21 on the list (May 2012). I have a friend who like this, and I thought it would be worth a second look, although I rated it as good before, it's nice to go back and see if I was right or just making it up on the fly, which is what I pretty much do all the time.

so , Brewed by Wigram Brewing Company in the style of a  Irish Ale and that's still in Christchurch, New Zealand. Same 5% ABV beer, same 500ml bottle, 1.9 standard drinks worth.

The Wigram Brewing Company wishes to advise that our Red Sparkling Ale Full Strength Beer has been crafted from Historical Hops which were discovered still growing on the banks of the Hokitika River. The original hops were grown by a pioneer Hokitika brewer, Mr William CJ Kortegast. His Crown Brewery was one of the very first West Coast Breweries. Remnants of these Kortegast hops have been incorporated into our Sparkling Red Ale, which is red in colour with low to medium bitterness and the aromatic flavour of the Hokitika hops on the finish. WJC Kortegast died in 1897 and the source of his hop supply was lost, although the memory of his famous brews lingered on. This Sparkling Ale is dedicated to WJC Kortegast and the pioneer brewers of Hokitika.

This is only slightly bitter on aroma, on opening, is possibly a bit yeasty, not overly carbonated, and pours a brown beer colour, no particular shade or orange, or golden, just brown. Small unlively head just mooches.

Aroma is a musty affair, a bit vinegary. It's a nice clear beer though, so that'd be a feature not a warning.

There a lot of hops in the front note, and that carries thorough the middle but doesn't get to the end. The head remains fairly creamy in the glass, but I'm left wondering about my earlier take on this. This crammed all in the front idea for a beer doesn't seem to sit very well.

Of course I've had a few beers since I last drink this, and it was important then, and that I enjoyed it as a good beer. Now I have doubt. There's something quite right about it, and it feels heavy or top heavy. The hop note lingers around not really offering a finish but more a nuisance value. There appears to be no length in the taste, it's all jazz hands and smile up front.

The finish is of green hops that seem under achieved for this. It's not really doing it for me, and I'm wavering and faltering. The lacing that I may have before is missing to. Different beer different day.

The pdubyah-o-meter shrugs it's way, as a struggle to give this a 6 (Average) to be honest, it's weirdly hopped, and oddly malted, musty, and oddly heavy and lacking in length.

I don't think I'd avoid this, and would like to give it the best of 3 test at some point in the future. There are days when a beer will do it for you, and clearly this isn't one of them for this beer and me.

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Beer #190 - Deep Creek Brewery - Little Armoured One

Deep Creek Brewery, Browns Bay, a hop skip and a jump from home,  This their "Little Armoured One" in the Style of an  Amber Ale , or American Amber Ale brewed by Deep Creek Brewing Co , Browns Bay  Auckland, New Zealand

I've had this many times on Tap, I even have a a "Creeker Card" loyalty program card there. But it's fair that since it's in bottles I take some time to really say what I think.

 So, a 5.7%ABV beer in a 500ml bottle, (pint) which is about 2.3 Standard drinks

American Amber Ales were born in innovative microbreweries on America’s West Coast. They set out to recreate English style Bitter and Pale Ale beers. Their success was an amber coloured ale, with a caramel, malty flavour, complemented by a strong hop character. Frequent additions of Amarillo hops provide the inspiration for the beer named after the Armadillo, a mischievous and tough little creature who could easily be mistaken for looking like the hop cones. A challenge for the senses; intense floral aroma complimented by a toffee malt character.

[caption id="attachment_4952" align="alignright" width="300"] There was much more head then this before, I drank a little then topped it up, Still excitable[/caption]

There's not much by way of aroma on opening, I was expecting a hoppy burst perhaps, Overly carbonated 1/3 head 2/3 beer in the glass, but it is a firm head. The beer is a dark brown colour, darker than I remember, perhaps pub lights are different. There is a faint aroma of hops.

The taste though, banging!, Lovely balance of malts and bitter with a nice twang, just like being in the pub :-).

From the bottle this is every bit as nice as from the tap. There is a nice richness in the malts that draws you back for more. The bitterness is subtle enough that you know you're drinking a bitter beer but it's not all pucker up and squint.

What I don't get is "Floral" and I wouldn't say this was "Amber" in colour, unless I've been doing traffic lights all wrong all these years.

The pdubyah-o-meter likes this truly local (to me) beer, the equal of many that I've drunk from much more experienced and know brewers. It's swings to an 8.5 on the random scale of things, making it somewhere between very good and great.

It might be over-carbonated and that fizzy distracts you from the game. As it warms in the glass it begins to get into it stride, the stride being your steps back to the bar for another  very rewarding and tasty beer. A very well balanced session beer, and if you're ever in the mood for a craft brewer who is literally on the beach, and offers a menu of great food, and a lively atmosphere, then go on do yourself a favour. And if you do let me know, the first one will be on me.

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Sporting your life vicariously - the return

MissPdubyah gave up playing Club Hockey 18 months ago, and all Hockey at the end of her time at College. Much to the despair of MrsPhil and myself. After all she's fairly handy and capable.

But it's her life and like all things you have to encourage and enjoy it.

Got herself a new job too, working in a Menswear shop where she's selling some nice suits, shirts and ties (ask me how many Ties I got for my birthday)

A Summer paper at University, and 8 months into this year, where she's doing very well and enjoying herself, all of a sudden she get's it into her head to go and re-join the Hockey club and start playing again.

In the Premier Reserves grade, where she's happy and seems to have fitted straight back in.

And this made MrsPdubyah and me smile. We haven't been invited to watch yet, this seems to be the new protocol, but we will. Probably Finals day.

The Less of Me - June

A shambles. 5 exercises for 25km, that's about 75 km less than the OCD me hopes for. Even 50 would have been good.



I got to 92Kg, which was good since I appeared to be stuck at 94Kg for a while.

I also got to play 5-a-side football which makes a pleasant change from huffing and puffing on the couch. Goalkeep mind, which is an anagram of "Target", couple of bruises, and a jammed finger. Still 3 games for 3 wins.

Looking back the  weight thing still makes me smile. From the beginning of the year then that would be a solid 10kg.

But not exercising and too much work open the door to the poor eating habits. So a couple packets of salt and vinegar crisps, and you're then into frowning at yourself.

Fruit got expensive too, and I've not eaten nearly as much as I should have, or was eating.

But I am committed to a Kg a month for a year, and I will get to below 90kg.

I've been exercising, according to the Nike App for 9 months in a row now. I've got to 531km's over 97 recordings. OCD me needs  19kg in 3 more outings to get to a round number, and a new ribbon colour in the app, it's the little things.

Beer - #189 - Robinsons - Build a rocket boys!

I found this  - Robinsons - Elbow -  build a rocket boys! a beer in the style of a Style: Bitter that's Brewed by Robinsons in Stockport , England.

1. It's and English Bitter


2. It's a beer that the band Elbow helped to create.

FTW

Multi-platinum selling Manchester band elbow designed their ‘build a rocket boys!’ beer after a series of tastings at Robinsons Brewery in Stockport, a stone’s throw from elbow’s Manchester heartland.
Band members sampled a range of Robinsons’ ales to shortlist their preferred style of beer, taste and colour before deciding on a golden ale with a rich rounded body, smooth bitterness, subtle tang of malt and fruity aroma. elbow’s ale is a premium session bitter at 4.0% ABV, available in cask and bottle.

500Ml bottle, (a Pint) of 4% ABV beer, making it about 2 standard drinks. Confusion perhaps between a golden and a bitter beer. but I'm looking forward to it.

Aroma seems "thin", but pours a lovely golden colour, with a fluffy head.  Aroma is confusing me, something metallic, I hope not, perhaps it'll come to me later.

And thin is a way to describe the body on this, although there is a nice finish of bittery. The metallic might be hops I'm not familiar with, like I know a hop from a skip or jump.

There's also some caramel sweetness in this, which you could confuse with "fruits" but it's not, and overall I'd have to confess that in my opinion that it's not an accomplished beer, it's possibly not even a good beer.

Certainly not compared to some beers of the same genre. Again it's thin in body, short in length and doesn't hit any note at all. The bitterness, what there is of it, if a side note.

The pdubyah-o-meter mopes to a 4 , making this a below average beer. There isn't much redemption and if you were a hardcore fan of the band Elbow, and this was comparable to their music then you'd soon switch to something else.  Sadly though they've associated themselves with this disaster, but they probably made a few compromises and as a collaboration it just not work.

Stick to the music, praise the beer,  you'd  never invite a  brewer near your music, I'm sure on reflection that you're probably thinking you should have avoided a foray into brewing.

Or horrendous as it sounds, perhaps you think you did a good job of defining yourselves in a brew, in which case you need to get out more. You'd have to drink a bucket of this to get squiffy, and that's no way to begin to wax lyrical about anything.

p.s. seems Robinson are quick to hitch their name to rock bands, which leads me to think they have no confidence in themselves, and are sharp at the co-marketing.

http://youtu.be/doBsblSJMHE?t=2m25s

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