It’s Friday!! So therefore it’s test day! It is also the day we welcome our second guest reviewer…. Earl, from Wales. 

 

 

BREWER: Bath Ales, Gloucestershire

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 5%

VESSEL: 500ml bottle

MOB RATING: 53%

 

 

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

It’s no secret that packaging can pack a punch and draw you into a brand.  And that includes times when we know that we are being unashamedly targeted!  We’ve all seen the power of strong marketing and how it can sell a product to even the most un-expecting customer, which let’s be honest none of us beer drinkers are.  We are all willing to be sold beer.  So the creative team at Bath Ales have a good starting point to take advantage of: they have an already captured audience.  Do they make the most of this?  Not one little bit.  I mean, who exactly are they aiming this beer at? To my mind, Wild Hare fits no clear market.

I’m afraid it gets no better for Wild Hare after opening.  The nose is poor.  The taste is…poor.  The only thing that can reasonably be argued for this ale is that you could manage a few of them during a session.  But I have to say – it wouldn’t be a very enjoyable session.

 As is plain to see, I am obviously underwhelmed by Wild Hare.  And that folks, is where I will end this week. 

 

TASTE: 23/50

NOSE: 4/10

SIPABILITY: 4/10

SESSION: 9/10

PACKAGING: 2/10

NAME: 1/5

INFO: 4/5

S-TOTAL: 47/100

 

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Bath, a city you associate with the grandeur of Rome and sitting about the side of steaming baths eating a grape or two with one’s neck cocked 45 degrees back.

The Wild Hare, an animal you associate with mystery, power and speed (they are officially faster than Greyhounds).

So with Wild Hare by Bath Ales do we have grandeur? Do we have mystery? Well, on first look, no…..

But it’s not all bad..

Look wise, though I think they could have done A LOT better here (there is a small air of cheap), I don’t mind it at all. I quite like the slightly dumpy bottle and THAT GREEN LABEL is very striking.  On a side note: the generic blue bottle lid I believe is a big mistake. That tone of blue will go well with very few colours so to use it as your constant when packaging different beers for me is crackers.

Inside that bottle.. now what do we get?

Well, on first sip ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! So much so I had to take another sip immediately just to make sure I hadn’t missed something. I hadn’t missed anything, the initial sip provides so little and I have to say was very disappointing…

However, once the taste build’s in your mouth things begin to look up. The taste does grow from that initial disappointment but really only to a satisfactory level. Certainly not to one of grandeur nor mystery.

I’m sorry to say, it’s a bit of a floppy effort all round.

 

TASTE: 26/50

NOSE: 7/10

SIPABILITY: 7/10

SESSION: 6/10

PACKAGING: 7/10

NAME: 4/5

INFO: 2/5

J-TOTAL: 59/100

 

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 53%

 

 

EARL SAY’S…

Evening all!!

Firstly I would just like to say how psyched I am to be a guest reviewer for Muse on Booze!
Jymi and Sammy are doing a cracking job in providing honest and down to earth opinions. Its been an absolute pleasure giving my pennies worth.

Having said that…I wish I had ended up with a different week (beer)…lets begin and I’ll unravel as to why.

Imagine this, you’ve got back from a hard days graft. Body is aching, your pits smell like the rear end of an Alpacha and you’re emotionally emptier than your bank account. You reach for the fridge door to grab yourself a clinically cool bottle of Gods water to find your missus has been shopping and replaced the expected nectar with Quinoa juice.

Cue the sobbing.
You’ve signed up for “Dry January”.

When it comes to this beer, its with huge relief you have.

The first taste I get is Citrus..wow, citrus! It’s taken over my nose now so all that lovely hoppy-ness I was hoping for is struggling to come through. Citrus, on the whole, is tart. Which is probably why i just cannot get over how dry its leaving my mouth. It’s uncomfortable and almost, to me, tastes like its off. (Cue search for Best Before). Its lacking depth, Its one dimensional and I have to say its very in keeping with the style of the bottle. Bland and simple. Maybe this is for cost purposes but isn’t it nice when you can see a genuine effort is made? Upon further research you can literally buy this Ale from every stockist out there. Another thing that makes it lose some appeal to me. Sell outs.

As for “Dry January”, who does that?!

That’s it, in a nutshell, from me.

 

TASTE: 15/50

NOSE: 2/10

SIPABILITY: 1/10

SESSION: 0/10

PACKAGING: 2/10

NAME: 3/5

INFO: 2/5

E-TOTAL: 25/100 (harsh but fair say’s he)