BEER REVIEW: 377

BREWER: Brass Castle Brewery, North Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Vanilla Porter

ABV: 5.5%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

X: @BrassCastleBeer

INSTAGRAM: brasscastlebeer

DATE OF POST: 28th December 2024

 

JYMI SAY’S…

There have been brews we’ve reviewed before that have been a bit of a journey within a can / bottle.

There have also been brews that you know almost instantly are an absolute winner.

There have also been brews that you know almost instantly are not very good at all.

Bad Kitty, falls into the first in that list. A journey for sure, but I’m not certain in the way it was intended.

And because of this I’m going to have to issue a RAMBLE ALERT*

*the following may have zero cohesion, major grammar errors and contain mainly waffling (‘no change there’, the haters will say, and they would be correct).

As soon as the first sip was swallowed my mind went on the wonk. What just happened there? Tasty for sure and there is some body and some after taste but it’s lacking something.

I had no clue what. There was flavour, body and aftertaste. But it was lacking? What was it lacking? This doesn’t make sense.

On the second sip n swallow nothing changed. I actually had to ask myself if I was enjoying it so far. I didn’t know. I was confused. I was searching. I was waffling in my manual beer tasting notes. I was now embarking on sip n swallow 3.

Ah there is some vanilla there. Things were looking up. But I was still waiting for this beer to actually do something. What, I wasn’t sure. But please just do something.

I plodded on. The flavours began to build a little yes, but still I waited for a spark. Something to excite me.

But it didn’t come…

I thought…

Until I’d given up hope and concluded that this was an ok beer, that had something yes but was also lacking a bit of beef (not the flavour you Neanderthal’s). Of what and what I wasn’t sure so threw down the last gulp in one (was actually two gulps as there was more left in the glass than I’d anticipated) but it was in these last two visits that Bad Kitty came out of her shell. Suddenly it was full bodied. Tasty. More vanilla-er-y.

But it was over.

No more to now genuinely enjoy.

It’s hard to score and conclude this one. Would things have been different if there was 60 more ml given to the drinker?  Would things have been different if we were allowed to move on to a second tin as part of the reviewing process?

I’m not sure we will ever truly know.

Jymi’s Rating: 63%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Ah, Bad Kitty—a beer that pounces on your palate with promise but leaves you scratching your head by the end. It’s a brew that intrigues, bemuses, and eventually overwhelms, much like a real-life feline with a flair for chaos.

Hints of vanilla and burnt barley give the nose a comforting warmth, like snuggling a cat that’s behaving (for now). Light coffee notes add a welcome complexity.

The opening sip is all drama—vanilla in its boldest, loudest form, purring with sweetness and confidence. It barrels through the flavourscape, but this initial flair overstays its welcome. By the end, it’s like sipping cold hot chocolate—a shadow of the porter notes you might have hoped for, but still undeniably sweet.

It’s easy to drink—at first. But as the vanilla turns from playful to overpowering, you might find yourself sipping less enthusiastically as the sweetness starts to cloy.

At first pour, Bad Kitty is full of promise—a curious creature stalking its prey. The vanilla leads the charge with vigour, supported by burnt barley and subtle coffee, but its strength becomes its downfall. As you drink, the sweetness overwhelms, and what began as a complex flavour journey turns into a one-note experience.

It’s a beer with personality, no doubt, but one that might need a firmer hand to tame its wilder tendencies. If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, this might just be your thing—but don’t be surprised if it leaves you scratching your head (or your tongue for that matter).

Sammy’s Rating: 69%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 66%

 

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL FROM MUSE ON BOOZE 

X

MOB review next weekend: MARSHMALLOW MOUNTAIN by SIREN CRAFT BREW

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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