BARLEY GOLD

BEER REVIEW: 311

BREWER: Banks’s Brewery, West Midlands, England

STYLE: Strong Ale

ABV: 7.4%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE OF POST: 22nd September 2023

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

I’m going to be upfront with you: Barley Gold filled me with fear before drinking.  

Why?

It’s can looks bloomin’ awful and it’s packing quite the abv for such a brew.  This conjures up the impression that I’m about to embark on a drinking experience that many a down and out has before me.  And their reason for drinking isn’t to test the beer; it’s to escape reality.

Anyway, with my reality fully in check here’s what I think of Barley Gold:

It’s not as bad as I feared.  But let’s be clear, that doesn’t make it good, because it isn’t.

There’s not much going on in the drinking, as in, there’s not many notes or high points.  It’s very much like a strong lager with some sweetness and maltiness.  There’s a lingering gacky aftertaste.  I guess this is not at all surprising.  

Apparently Barley Gold is an award winning beer.  What award? Who knows… When?  Anyone’s guess.

This is not my type of beer.  It’s passable and that’s the best I can say for it.  While it might not have me pulling on my saliva glands like I originally thought, it’s not setting anything alight either.

Sammy’s Rating: 33%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Right, first thing that struck me when viewing this offering that Sammy brought to the testing table was, blimey, this reminds me of the Gold Label tin.

Now for those of you not familiar with Gold Label, it’s the brew that the BIG drinkers used to neck back in the 90’s and may well still do so to this day. GL was a 10% Barley Wine. I have never touched it so cannot really comment on whether it’s any good or not but as far as I’m concerned if the pissheads were buying it because it was cheap and strong, it probably wasn’t amounting to much.

However, our beer today, I was slightly relieved to find out, is just a Strong Ale weighing in at a mere 7.4%!

Even though this is still punchy as, it’s not stratospheric in ABV. But this brews instant downfall is the fact it tastes WAY TOO BOOZY!!! Crazy statement you would think but only a year or so ago we reviewed an 11.1% Triple IPA that only tasted like it was 5 maybe 6%. In today’s world of brewing, just because a beer is 7.4% does not mean that it will definitely taste strong! Not that there is anything wrong with strong but mega BOOZY, no, not for me anyway.

And it’s a bit of a shame because there is some promise in this brew. There is tonnes of flavour, though good luck picking out individual notes. And once into the beer it does drink OK to be fair. There is a very bitter middle which helps BG along nicely, and is very much needed.

Did I enjoy Barley Gold? Not really no.

Would I have another? Probably not.

Is it somehow close to being actually quite good? Yeah, it kinda is.

More care and a few tweaks needed, but as it stands, not great.

Jymi’s Rating: 44%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 38.5%

MOB review next weekend: THE RIDGE by HARVIESTOUN BREWERY

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M O B 2023

WATERLOO RED CHERRY

BEER REVIEW: 310

BREWER: Anthony Martin, Walloon Brabant, Belgium 

STYLE: Lambic

ABV: 8%

VESSEL: 33cl brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 15th September 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Waterloo – an 8% Red Cherry Lambic beer from our beautiful brewing buddy’s over in Belgium.

8% you say?! Must be pretty full on??!! Well it’s not. At all. Booze wise anyway. See, of course this tastes like a lambic beer which is obviously alcoholic, but you cannot taste the booze AT ALL!!! Which, seeing how drinkable this brew is, is nothing short of flippin’ lethal!!

Honestly, if some cowboy host wanted to feed you this at a BBQ you would be more cooked than the burnt sausages let me tell you. Soooo drinkable… Soooo strong!!!

But, how does it actually taste? Well, in one word, bloomin’ lovely! Which worryingly backs up the sausage metaphor.

Waterloo is all the cherries, all of them. There is an absolute tonne of flavour jammed into this brew. The cherry tornado is complimented by a soft red apple hint that then leads to a faint sourness.

This is a superb beer but please, if you’re going to take it on, heed my warning and put a survival plan in place before you do.

Jymi’s Rating: 89%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Waterloo is an awesome beer.  It’s just wonderful.  It’s so good, I could be convinced that this is what Abba named their now famous song after… well, maybe not.

While it will come as no surprise that cherry dominates both the nose and the taste, there are plenty of other surprises when drinking Waterloo.

Surprise 1 – there’s a strong pinch of almond on the nose, making it not dissimilar to the aroma of a bakery cooking up a batch of Bakewell Tarts.

Surprise 2 – apple notes play a wonderful companion to the cherry star.  And they are wonderful beer friends.

Surprise 3 – despite the boat load of cherriness, Waterloo is perfectly balanced between sweetness and a great bitter flick at the end.

Surprise 4 – you will not believe that it’s 8% abv.  You just cannot notice it.

Surprise 5 – Waterloo has good body in the mouth.

There’s only one way to sum up Waterloo: Cherry-o-baby.

Awesome beer.

Sammy’s Rating: 93%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 91%

MOB review next weekend: BARLEY GOLD by BANKS’S

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M O B 2023

SEVEN GIRAFFES

BEER REVIEW: 309

BREWER: Williams Bros. Brewing Co., Clackmannanshire, Scotland

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 5.1%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle 

DATE OF POST: 8th September 2023

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Let’s get the elephant out of the room.  Well, on this occasion, let’s get the giraffe out of the room.  Naming a beer with the number seven in it because it’s been brewed with seven malted barleys, best mean you can notice that this is prevalent in the brew. The fact of the matter is, it makes no difference at all that Seven Giraffes has been brewed with seven malted barleys.

As a beer, it’s pretty wishy washy.  To try and pull it off as an IPA, it just ain’t hoppy enough.  Seven Giraffes is insipid.  The slight hint of hops needs a massive whoosh to elevate the drinking experience.

But while Seven Giraffes is not packing much of anything, it’s actually quite easy to drink.  It’s not offensive.  But not being offensive, is not close to a definition of being good.

Although unlikely to offend, Seven Giraffes is definitely not one to seek out.

Sammy’s Rating: 45%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

So, the first question is this…

What is the link between Giraffes and Malted Barley?

Odd question I know, but it is one that needs to be asked.

Why?

Well our beer today is named Seven Giraffes and we’re told that it is brewed using 7 varieties of Malted Barley. So there has to be a link, there just has to be.

So I took myself off to the British Library on Euston Road in London. Nothing.

Next stop was my local library about 5 min walk from my house (probably should have tried there first), but again, nothing.

Next stop was a mobile library that rolls up a few miles from me every month. Nothing.

It was then that Nigel in the Muse On Booze IT department (MOBITD) told be about something called INTERNET?

So on to that I went (this thing could be a game changer), using something called the google I typed in…

Giraffe Malted Barley. Nothing.

Malted Barley Giraffe. Nothing.

What’s the link between Giraffes and Malted Barley? Nothing.

I then found a thing called Spotify and got side tracked for 7 hours.

But returning to my task, I concluded that there was no link between Giraffes and Malted Barley.

So, even though Seven Giraffes is quite a cool name for a brew, it’s also a bit odd all things considered.

Second question…

Why label your beer with the tag, EXTRAORDINARY IPA?

You’re kinda setting yourself up for a fall and the drinker up for disappointment with moves like this, unless the IPA you have produced is extraordinary of course. Which this brew I’m afraid to say, is not.

However, it is alright, but alright is a fair few rungs down from extraordinary which equals… Disappointment.

Look, SG as mentioned isn’t too bad. The mouthfeel is fantastic to be fair (think we probably have our 7 giraffes, sorry, malted barleys to thank for this). It’s very drinkable and certainly moreish. There are tones of pine, grass and lemon but those tones are lacking a bit of intensity. There also needs to be more of a hop bite bitter smack to help this brew along. It’s supposed to be an IPA for crying out loud!

I think with a bigger bitter finale SG could have maybe at least approached the greatness we were promised.

But it does not reach such a crescendo. Which frankly, is a shame.

Jymi’s Rating: 56%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 50.5%

MOB review next weekend: WATERLOO by ANTHONY MARTIN

 Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2023

NINE TWO SEVEN

BEER REVIEW: 308

BREWER: Thornbridge, Derbyshire, England

STYLE: Hazy IPA 

ABV: 5.5%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE OF POST: 1st September 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

First impressions / reactions were… Errrrrr

Ah, it’s a Thornbridge brew and…

Oh it’s a collab with Brew By Numbers…

NICE!!!

Bit of a shit looking tin though…

Now. Let’s actually start with what we’re dealing with here.

Thornbridge of Derbyshire and Brew By Numbers daaaaaan in Bermondsey are both SERIOUS players in the UK craft beer scene. So it was fair to say I was expecting great things. But from the off the tin was putting me, off.

Until, like a true pro I actually started to concentrate.

This beer’s name comes from the year England was founded, 927. That is more than pretty cool. What’s more is once I got my newly prescribed binocular glasses a’top me nose I realised that the can art is actually a map of London. First class play on packaging I must say, once I got there!

Now the brew itself, I have to say, I was a little disappointed by. It’s not that this is a bad beer. I was was just expecting more.

The taste in sip is that of citrus, predominantly lemon. This taste and body once swallowed then completely vanish. Which I have to admit was both surprising and worrying. Especially as Nine Two Seven is coming in at a more than respectable 5.5% abv.

However, after what seems like an eternity, a bitterness arrives long into the aftertaste.  Which is good and I’ll be honest saved this beer.

The more I then stepped back and thought about it the more of what goes on with this brew actually seemed pretty cool…

Crisp and refreshing at first…

Drops out…

Wait

Wait

Wait…

In comes the bitterness, coupled with a dry finish.

Yeah, not bad, not bad at all.

Jymi’s Rating: 69%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

A collaboration is an exciting thing.  Not just in the beer world, of course.  When two well-known acts get together, there’s often a buzz around such an event.  We all know that on occasion, these coming togethers of well-known artists can bring great results. But, the flip side is also true.  The results can be disastrous.

Let’s be clear, both Thornbridge and Brew by Numbers know how to make beer.  Each brewery has an impressive back catalogue of very decent beers.  So, we should rightly be excited about this coming together.

Nine Two Seven is definitely not a disaster. Neither is it a flop.  And while it might not be greater than the sum of its parts, it is a decent drop.  Dominated by grapefruit, which could be a little more punchy, its main stand out feature is its refreshing quality.  

As a couple of side notes, I do rather like the London map that adorns the can.  And naming the beer after the year that England was established is quite a nice touch.  However, the overall theming of the beer doesn’t quite align all the way through.  

Still, I do reckon most folk would happily chug down a Nine Two Seven.

Sammy’s Rating: 77%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 73%

MOB review next weekend: SEVEN GIRAFFES by WILLIAMS BROS.

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M O B 2023

KOBANYAI

BEER REVIEW: 307

BREWER: Dreher, Central Hungary, Hungary

STYLE: Lager

ABV: 4.3%

VESSEL: o.5l tin

DATE OF POST: 26th August 2023

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Many of you will have come across a game named snog, marry, avoid.  For those of you who have not, the basic principles are as follows:

Player A picks three people, who may or may not be linked, can be famous, or just known to the players of the game.

Player B has to categorise each one of the three people into snog (you’d  choose to snog that person over the other two and have no more to do with them), marry (you choose to marry that person over the others in the category) or avoid (you’d choose to avoid that person over the others selected by player A).  Player B can choose whatever rationale they wish for their choices, from the grounded in sound rationale to the obscure.

Now, if we applied a similar game to beer and called it one-off, session, avoid, the principles would be as follows:

Player A picks three beers, that may or may not be linked.

Player B must categorise each one of the beers into one-off (the beer you’d pick over the others to have on a one-off occasion), session (the beer you’d pick to have during a session) or avoid (the beer you’d select to avoid out of the others offered by player A).

In most interactions of one-off, session, avoid, it’s likely Kóbányai would be the beer you’d (as player B) select to avoid.  That’s how bad it is.

End of.

Sammy’s Rating: 13%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

These are the power notes in my tasting book.

Very early sip just ok but that’s it.

It’s nothing.

No nose.

Zero flavour.

I think from this you can probably guess where I am with this beer. And other than disclosing that somehow, I actually like the terrible packaging, I have nothing more to say here.

Jymi’s Rating: 15%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 14%

MOB review next weekend: NINE TWO SEVEN by THORNBRIDGE (with Brew By Numbers)

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M O B 2023

STAGGERSAURUS

BEER REVIEW: 306

BREWER: Staggeringly Good Brewery, Hampshire, England

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 4%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 19th August 2023

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Good name, that is if you can ignore the link between staggering and drinking. Take it at face value and Staggersaurus is a good name for a beer.  It’s a little tongue in cheek and smacks of a beer not taking itself too seriously, which should be applauded in a world where too many things are often taken too seriously.

As a beer, Staggersaurus is all a little flat.  Except for the over carbonation on opening, that is.

While it might deliver the flavours you’d fully expect from a session IPA, it’s not in any way elevated.  However, yes, it’s true that it doesn’t do too much – it’s a fairly straight drinking beer -, it is a good session beer.  And that, if I am being fair, must be considered when trying to analyse the ups and downs of Staggersaurus.   

There’s nothing wrong with being a good session beer.  I can imagine supping on more than one of these and having no complaints whatsoever.  It’s easy drinking if a little underwhelming.

The true test, I guess, is would I have another one and enjoy it.  The answer is simple.  Yes – I definitely would.

Going more deeply, would I have a Staggersaurus if I came across it on draught.  Again, yes, I definitely would.

It’s never going to set the world on fire but it’s a very polite beer that maybe doesn’t quite tally with the big dino name. 

Sammy’s Rating: 70%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Oh no…

I hate it when this happens.

Look, I’m gonna start with some petty negatives. They’re on my mind and I need to get them off my, errr, chest.

Let’s start with name. It’s great. But Stagger suggests a stumble. Which you may associate with a higher than 4% strength beer. Personally, I was shocked that with such a name it was a session IPA. Buuuuuut, Session? Stagger? Maybe it does make sense?!

F**k it, it’s a great name!!!

Next, the green back drop of the tin, I find it a little…

Do you know what, I’m boring and annoying myself already, so gawd knows what you poor souls reading it must be going through!

The name is great. The tin is great. And the beer is… pretty nice.

Let’s delve deeper.

There is a point of difference here. So many Session IPAs fall into the same tasty enough but kinda meh whirlpool, but Staggersaurus does not. The nose is of clean sweet grape. After a slightly thin start the texture is a little fuller than you would imagine for a session IPA and there are definitely notes of white wine knocking around. All this sets our reptilian friend apart from a generic session IPA for sure. However, I’m not sure these things totally lend themselves to the session this beer was brewed for. But it’s a better beer for it.

Defo worth a pop this one – and I can only apologise for the slightly random musings that lead the way at the start of this review.

Jymi’s Rating: 73%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 71.5%

MOB review next weekend: KÓBÁNYAI by DREHER

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2023

LEVON

BEER REVIEW: 305

BREWER: Omnipollo, Stockholm County , Sweden

STYLE: Belgian-Style Pale Ale

ABV: 6.5%

VESSEL: 33cl brown bottle 

DATE OF POST: 11th August 2023

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Levon is a little bit of an enigma.  Claimed to a Belgian style pale ale, it’s actually hard to put in one box. The reality is, it’s a cross over between the afore mentioned and a wheat beer. However you want to label it, Levon is a success. 

Whatever style you want to go with, one thing is apparent: Levon is a very good beer indeed.

Lots of floral notes perpetrate the nose, which do not carry through into the drinking.  However, wheat is ever present but not too dominant and there’s a good hint of honey and grass in Levon too.  It’s well balanced, with a medium bodied drinking experience.  This is well support by the abv, which carries through all the little high notes of this drink.

To sum up Levon in one word, I’d go for summer.

You could happily enjoy one, two or more of these on a hot summer’s day, or evening.  Who am I trying to kid?  You could enjoy Levon whenever you like.  

As an aside, I do Iove the key style label of Levon with the blue off the wall graphic. It leaves you wanting to know what the whole scene is. This will set your mind racing, no doubt.

Despite Levon not sitting clearly in one category of beer, it is not confused.  It’s solid.  It’s tasty.  It’s crisp.  It’s just plain old successful.

Well-conceived. Very well delivered. 

Sammy’s Rating: 83%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

And so we arrive at a brew from the Swedish powerhouse that is Omnipollo. A former gypsy brewer jumping from brewhouse to brewhouse and continent to continent working their magnificent chemistry to provide the intrigued with some splendid and much talked about beer.

Omnipollo has now set up shop / landed a beer mecca spaceship in Stockholm. I mean, I’ve not been, but if you haven’t heard just google it and be ready to be blown away, visually if nothing else.

Anyway, Levon is where we’re at today and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. In fact, it’s a mighty fine brew indeed.

Ok, it’s a Belgian-Style Pale ale and while if defo strikes the Belgian notes I’m not totally sure it comes anywhere near tasting like a Pale Ale. But frankly, I don’t care, it’s fantastic either way.

Levon leads the way with the most superb spicy, zesty and clearly Belgian yeast nose. All this drives straight into the taste but with an added dryness with bitter orange tones. It’s really dry actually with stacks of mainly citrus based complexity. Some won’t like this. And I get it, but I do. But as long as the flavours are good I adore a dry beer (Brut IPA got such a bad press!). And it’s because of this Levon turns into a real sit back and savour sipper. At only 330ml it took me flippin’ ages to finish this brew but I loved every single moment of it! Such a beautiful aftertaste it’s untrue.

Levon is a cracking brew. As mentioned, it’s so dry it will divide the crowd but if you’re ok with a trip to the Sahara, greatness awaits.

Jymi’s Rating: 89%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 86%

MOB review next weekend STAGGERSAURUS : by STAGGERINGLY GOOD BREWERY

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M O B 2023

PERONI

BEER REVIEW: 304

BREWER: Birra Peroni, Lazio, Italy

STYLE: Lager 

ABV: 5%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE OF POST: 4th August 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Tin of Peroni eh?

I’ve only ever had this on tap or from a bottle before and have thoughts on both…

For a macro lager a pint of Peroni ain’t bad you know. In fact, to be fair, it’s good. But things need to be done right. Firstly, the pipes that bring the beer to our glass need to be clean and in good order. Secondly, it must be served in a (preferably chilled) Peroni glass. Follow this and a crisp, refreshing and enjoyable beer you will have.

From a bottle it’s a different story though. It ain’t great to be honest. Look, if it’s super chilled and you’re in company at a BBQ or whatever then it’s totally fine, passable. But honestly, it’s not a very good beer.

So, to the can we go. Will it match the quality of a pint? Will it be pretty rubbish like the bottle? Or will it be somewhere in between? Let’s find out.

Ok, what you can pick up from the nose is pleasant but virtually non-existent. Sip in mouth is tasty enough, refreshing and crisp. However once you reach the stages of swallow and then aftertaste this beer falls apart fairly spectacularly. There is simply no flavour to talk of. Nothing.

Similar to the bottle, if this was passed to you at a BBQ then fine, whatever. But this is not a beer you should be drinking out of choice.

Jymi’s Rating: 35%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Peroni.

Oh Peroni.

Formally known as Nastro Azzurro on these shores.  That was, before it became a very popular sight in many a UK boozer.  I think I preferred its previous name…

However, the launch of Peroni, with its marketing campaign (including glasses), was unarguably a success.  And when it’s pulled on draft, with pipes that are looked after, into a proper Peroni glass, it’s a very enjoyable, crisp, refreshing (albeit macro produced) lager.

But we are not here to review the draught drinking experience.

Neither are we here to review the bottle experience, which in my opinion, is a long way below the aforementioned draught experience.  

We are here to test the can.  Let’s be honest, it looks more like a pre-made spirit mixer drink that it does a beer.  Given the effort gone into marketing Peroni, this is very surprising and disappointing.

Peroni from the can is all a little bit meh.  It’s not bad.  It’s not good.  Way too soft, it has no bite that lagers should have.  It’s indescribable.  

The mere fact that there’s more to say about the marketing of the product that the product itself says it all.

I’d still have one on draft though.  Just keep those awful white cans away from me.

Sammy’s Rating: 40%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 37.5%

MOB review next weekend: LEVON by OMNIPOLLO

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M O B 2023

FOREST

BEER REVIEW: 303

BREWER: Amazon Beer, Pará, Brazil

STYLE: Pilsner

ABV: 4.1%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 31st July 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

You could be forgiven for thinking that you may be sitting in a European Square in the sun when supping on Forest. I mean, it tastes exactly like a classic European biere. But does it taste like a Pilsner? Quite simply, no. There is no subtle spice and the hop level is not even close to being high enough. In saying that, Forest is drinkable and refreshing but unfortunately not great. It’s probably the nothingness of the back end of this brew that really is it’s downfall. I mean, it falls off a cliff, leaving the drinker wondering if they had even had a sip at all?

The region of Pará does have serious historical links to Europe so it’s actually quite cool that Forest tastes so continental. But all in all this is not the best offering I’m afraid to say.

Jymi’s Rating: 48%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Forest Fruit Bacuri is a pilsner from Brazil.  Apparently, it’s brewed using a local fruit known as Bacuri fruit.  I like this fact.

Bacuri fruit is supposed to be a combination of sweet and sour.  I also like that.

I was hoping for a slightly fruity slightly sour beverage from Forest.

The thing is, you can’t really get either of those from drinking the beer.  Ok, the nose does have a slight hint of lemon about it, but that’s all.  

The drink itself is ok.  It’s really not bad.  Before you know it, you’ll be at the bottom of the bottle – it’s that easy to drink.  It’s quite crisp and very light.

But to be balanced in view, Forest is not that good either.  It just doesn’t do much.  It’s straight brewed.  Incredibly uncomplicated to drink and very light.  There is hardly any fruit flavour to speak of.  You’d have to look very deep to find it.  There’s certainly no sourness, as the Bacuri fruit should be.

I’d like to have more to say about Forest.  Brewed in Brazil, from Amazon Beer, things could have been so different.  But, I just don’t have much else to add.

Having said that, I would be up for trying another beer from Amazon Beer.  Watch this space!

Sammy’s Rating: 57%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 52.5%

MOB review next weekend: PERONI by BIRRA PERONI

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M O B 2023 

HOPICAL STORM

BEER REVIEW: 302

BREWER: Timothy Taylor’s, West Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 4%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 21st July 2023

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Hopical Storm is a beer I was rooting for before even drinking. I like the fact it’s from an independent, traditional brewer. It’s Timothy Taylor’s foray into the craft world. I love the packing – clearly a lot of thought has gone into it. 

So, my hopes were high before drinking. 

And then, I drank it. 

I need to be transparent – Hopical Storm is not bad. It’s very drinkable. It’s perfectly pleasant. Unfortunately, it will slip off my beer radar. There’s nothing about it to make it stand out.  The flavours, which are as you’d expect for such a beer, are not punchy enough. The drinking experience is all too meh. 

I can see what Timothy Taylor’s are trying to achieve. I get the angle. For me, the execution is not good enough. It’s a classic example of pandering to the masses and falling short for those who really would cherish such a beer. 

I’ve no doubt Tropical Storm will have a good sales rate, certainly to begin with; it’s been heavily marketed. But I question whether it’ll stand the test of time. That’s not what’s important, though. It’s about the beer. 

It’s pretty average. 

Light hoppy nose

Thin on taste, thin in the mouth. 

Sammy’s Rating: 63%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

A name for a beer so good, they trade marked it! Haha!

It is a blinder of a name to be fair and a step away from the more traditional tones that we’re used to from Timothy Taylor’s. The brewer of the incredible English Pale, Landlord (the first brew we reviewed back in 2017).

The name isn’t the only step away from trad for TT. The packaging and style too are also veering heavily towards the more modern world of craft beer. This is a step that I didn’t see TT wanting nor needing to take, though I’m not against it in any way.

I want to take time at this point to mention the plethora of info that our brewer gives us about some of the brewing process, mainly the hops used and at what stage they were added.

A cyclone of flavour and aromatics tamed by expert brewers in three stages of hopping at our independent brewery in Yorkshire.

Cascade and Whitbread Goldings in the copper, Cascade and Chinook at the hop back stage, then dry hopping with Jester and Ernest.

 Sounds flippin’ amazing to be fair!

Anyway, intrigued and a little apprehensive I cracked the can.

The nose coming off of Hopical Storm was a huge disappointment – kinda dusty n musty, really odd!

Anyway, like a brave little soldier in a cyclone, I pressed on into the brew.

First impressions were, though it was a little thin in mouthfeel there was a nice hoppy bite kicking around which certainly got the seal of approval. Moving further into the beer there was definitely the presence on mandarin in the flavour as was promised on our tin. Though I was not picking any mango or passion fruit, that was also promised, which was a little disappointing.

All in all this is a decent enough beer without being great.

On a side note I just want to mention the TT wheatsheaf logo going over in the cyclonic wind…

Normally, for their traditional brews it’s standing up straight, but in a Hopical Storm? No sir!

Absolute masterstroke from the creatives at Timothy Taylor’s.

Jymi’s Rating: 67%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 65%

MOB review next weekend: FOREST by AMAZON BEER

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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museonbooze.com

M O B 2023