BEER REVIEW: 271

BREWER: St Austell, Cornwall, England

STYLE: Stout

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle 

DATE OF POST: 18th December 2022

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Mena Dhu, meaning black hill in Cornish, is a cracking name for a stout from Cornwall. Not significant in any way to reviewing this beer, but worthy of a mention, nonetheless. 

Stouts, when done well, are a delight. MD has coffee bitterness with a slight hint of the smokiness picked up from the roasting process. Together, they make a pleasant drinking experience. Alongside this, they also make it easy to get through the brew as there is a pleasant enough mouthfeel. 

While this all sounds good, and it is good, MD is not elevated in any area. It’s solid, worthy of being called a stout, but falls short of being a delight.  

I’d happily drink this on a cold winter’s evening. It would bring the fuzzy feeling that a stout should. I’d even go as far to say it would give me that warm hug of a feeling that stouts can. And that’s praise indeed for MD. 

What it wouldn’t do, is get me to comment to me pal, who’d be sharing winter tales with me, about how amazing it is. 

Sammy’s Rating: 69%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Great name! Great packaging! Almost a great beer actually, but ultimately fell a bit short.

See the aroma coming from MD the second you lift the lid on the bottle is fantastic! The lovely rich and almost smoky whiff continues well into the the pour and continues flowing up one’s snout during the initial fantastic sip. I really, really thought we were on to an absolute winner here!! The taste accompanying the delightful nose matches it perfectly with a touch and chocolate and the continuing smoke. DIVINE!

However, things didn’t necessarily go wrong from here on in but they did go down hill.

The taste doesn’t fall off a cliff but without doubt dissipates at a rate quicker than it should. It’s then replaced by a really lovely soft chocolate aftertaste which stoked the hope fire but THEN, the after aftertaste became a little acrid!

Defo a journey this one. Defo a lot of positives. And with some minor tweaks this has the potential to be a cracking beer. But as I said at the beginning, it ultimately falls short of that.

Jymi’s Rating: 69%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 69%

MOB review next weekend: 2019 VINTAGE ALE by FULLER’S

 

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

 

M O B 2022

 

BEER REVIEW: 270

BREWER: Cassels, Canterbury Region, New Zealand

STYLE: Milk Stout 

ABV: 5.2%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 10th December 2022

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

JYMI SAY’S…

I bleedin’ love an Agi show.

For those of you that haven’t got the first clue what I’m going on about, an Agi Show is an Agricultural Show. A very British (I assume, excuse my ignorance) thing where folk flock to a huge field to admire the finest cows, pigs, sheep, tractors and local cider. There are also things like dogs agility shows, shire horse & cart comps as well as the quirky compare for the day… FIRE FIRE, THE FAYRE’S ON FIRE!!! I just love the simplicity of them. No glitz or glamour, just uncomplicated British rural life in the summertime.

Now why do I mention this. Well our beer this week has a milk cow, with a blindfold on, on the the front of the tin. All makes perfect sense seeing as it’s housing a milk stout. The blindfold is sporting the words, BEST IN SHOW (an award given to the cow of the day at an Agi Show). Now, this could possibly be the name of the beer here, but I’m not totally sure it is if we’re following the normal Cassel’s non naming script. Either way, I was confused. I mean, it could be alluding to the fact this Stout is a multiple award winner? But what came first, the award or the name? Let’s leave it there, though the tin does look pretty cool.

Moving to the beer itself, I very much enjoyed it, though cannot help but think it could have been even better!

NZMS / Best in show starts off with a pleasant soft and creamy chocolate nose. In the mouth there is an expected lovely smooth mouthfeel but that is accompanied but a slight carbonation which wasn’t particularly welcome. Taste wise there is a defo a slightly sweet coffee and cream thing going on which is delightful and balanced out but malty bitterness. However, personally I think they have slightly over cooked the bitterness here. Yes you need the bitterness to balance this boy out but it’s just a bit too much for me. Slightly less and I think this brew would be nothing short of spectacular but as it is, it’s just pretty good.

Jymi’s Rating: 77%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 74%

MOB review next weekend: MENA DHU by ST. AUSTELL

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

 

M O B 2022

 

BEER REVIEW: 269

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

STYLE: Mocha Stout

ABV: 4.8%

VESSEL: 500ml tin

DATE OF POST: 4th December 2022

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Chokka Blokka is potentially one heck of a divisive name for a beer (add to that it’s called a mocha stout. Put it all together and you get…). I am torn between whether I like it or not. On the one hand, it kind of covers everything this beer states it’s about. On the other, it’s the kind of name a nursery child might come up with for a beer (of course, children of that age should never be naming a beer for all of the obvious reasons).  

Anyhow, the theme of CB is Mayan. Slightly odd in itself. Except that cocoa and coffee could both be linked with this ancient civilisation. So, I sort of get it.

What I don’t get, is tonnes of the promised coffee and cocoa flavours. Yes, they are there in the first contact of beer with mouth. But they soon dissipate, only to be replaced with… well, watery notes. 

There’s not enough depth in CB. It should be more unctuous. It’s thin and not got enough to carry through to the promised land of coffee and cocoa. I can’t help but feel a little more abv would ramp up things a little here. But alas, it is what it is. 

I don’t want to do CB a disservice. It’s an ok beer. It’s not terrible. But if you’re promising strong flavours, give ‘em to us for heaven’s sake.   And if your beer is inspired by an ancient civilisation, you need to make the beer epic. 

And epic this stout is not. 

Sammy’s Rating: 53%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

It’s December! It’s Stout season! I know a stout can be drunk all the year round and of more recent years I have come on board with this. Though I do think it’s fair to say and is certainly my opinion anyway, a Stout will taste even better of a cold winter night in a cozy pub with an open fire rather than just coming off of the surf in 40° heat. It’s just a fact.

To Chokka Blokka we go… other than quite liking the tin art and being appreciative of the 500ml offering rather than the usual 44oml it did not get off to a very good start I’m afraid. My first power notes read…

NOSE A TOUCH METALLIC – NEEDS MORE CHOC – NEEDS MORE COF – THINS OUT WAY TOO QUICKLY

Now considering this is branded a Mocha Stout with descriptive words such as RICH and CHOCOLATEY on the front of the tin I was left feeling pretty disappointed. It’s not rich, it’s not chocolatey. There is another descriptive word on the front of the tin, DARK. Well, they nailed that one I suppose

Now although things did pick up a little through the drinking that feeling of disappointment did not go away.

Once about halfway through the brew there is a very slight and pleasant hint of chocolate in the aftertaste that begins to develop. It is still nowhere near enough and you really need to search for it but once found as I said, is pleasant

Chokka Blokka is certainly not terrible but most definitely disappointing.

Jymi’s Rating: 59%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 56%

MOB review next weekend: NEW ZEALAND MILK STOUT by CASSELS

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

M O B 2022

BEER REVIEW: 268

BREWER: Vocation, West Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Sour IPA

ABV: 6%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 28th November 2022

 

JYMI SAY’S…

It’s fair to say that when I have ventured into the world of sour IPA’s in the past it’s gone one of two ways. I have either ABSOLUTLY LOVED it or ABSOLUTLY HATED it.

Now, Vocation are a brewery that I trust. They have gotten a little bigger of late but their beer has remained good. So I was kinda thinking things were gonna work out just fine with this beer.

And they did, this is a truly cracking brew!

First, the picture I took doesn’t really do the colour of this beer justice. It looks sooooooo inviting and juicy. And in the taste it really is just that! I was getting tonnes of grapefruit sitting on top of an incredible mouthfeel. This citrus explosion is then balanced out by an oh so subtle honey backnote. So drinkable it is ridiculous.

I’d say Stargazer sits more in the world of sours rather than IPA but I’m totally fine with that.

This is a beer that you’ll want to go back to over and over.

Jymi’s Rating: 90%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Ok. So, let’s unpick Stargazer from the beginning. It’s a sour IPA. These usually fail miserably or achieve greatness. To add to that, Vocation promises us that it’s tangy, citrusy and hoppy. A lot to pack into a can. 

But here’s the thing. Stargazer delivers. It delivers bags of citrus flavour with a sweet honey backbite. And although not the most sour of beers, it’s got enough sourness to remind you of some of your favourite sour sweets. 

The only downside, and there are not many, to Stargazer is the shortness of the aftertaste. With a little bit of extra length, this would be up there with the best in the field. 

Well balanced, some levels of complexity and a great mouthfeel, there is no denying that this is a beer to try. 

Stargazer would fit well on any occasion. It’s a bit of a triumph to be fair. 

Very well done, indeed. Much enjoyed!

Sammy’s Rating: 90%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 90%

MOB review next weekend: CHOKKA BLOKKA by WILLIAMS BROS. BREWING CO.

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

 

M O B 2022

BEER REVIEW: 267

BREWER: Anarchy Brew Co., Tyne and Wear, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 4.2%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 21st November 2022

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I’m a little at sea with this one. Decent enough brew yeah but a fair amount I wasn’t happy with.

Let’s start positive though…

Out of the great looking tin comes a beer with a cracking mouthfeel and tonnes of flavour considering that it’s only 4.2%. There is a stone fruit undertone with the flavour, though not sweetness of lychee sitting on top. Tasty.

Now my first issue is that this is not a Pale Ale. It say’s that it is. But it is not. It’s WAY too bitter, hoppy and intense for a Pale Ale. It is verging on a West Coast IPA for me. I mean, I’m ok with that, but Anarchy have described it as a Hazy Pale Ale and that, quite simply is not what the drinker gets from their pink tin.

Also, the aftertaste is pleasant, for a bit. However, after a few seconds it becomes very intense and dries out your mouth. Much like after you have eaten a fresh orange. This gacky, cloying thing develops making you NEED to take another sip rather than necessarily want to.

All said though, I did enjoy this beer. I think it has just missed the mark by quite a lot for what it is supposed to be.

Put simply, it’s not Ronseal, and folks, I want my beer to be Ronseal! ö

Jymi’s Rating: 74%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Who’d of thought it? A pink can for a beer. But even more so, it actually looks pretty smart. And the graphics, for the most part, tattooed over the can also work! Skin Deep, is hopefully a little more than can deep! (See what I’ve done there). 

I guess the place to start is that, while SD is a good beer, it’s not elevated to greatness. It’s well balanced, not complicated, and has nice hoppy notes. It’s everything you’d expect. And in some ways, it’s also this middle of the roadness that could be its slight Achilles heel. 

SD doesn’t stand out from the crowd. It stands with it. It is very good but not in any way unique. And I suppose that poses the question, does it need to? In answer to that, no it doesn’t. Just keep on doing what you’re doing because it’s a-ok to be with the pack when the pack is a strong place to be. 

Sammy’s Rating: 76%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 75%

MOB review next weekend: STARGAZER by VOCATION

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

 

M O B 2022

BEER REVIEW: 266

BREWER: Timmermans, Flemish Brabant, Belgium

STYLE: Kriek

ABV: 4%

VESSEL: 25cl brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 14th November 2022

 

JYMI SAY’S…

THE TALE OF THE BOY AND THE CHERRY BAKEWELL

James was a well brought up little chap. Please and thank you with a smile was the norm. Respect your elders, dress smart, be polite and be kind was also up there in the way to go about your day.

On a weekend away one summer wee James went to stay at his Grandparents on the south-coast of England. This was always a special time as the lad got treated like a Prince. Breakfast made to order, choice of any yogurt he wanted from the supermarket, tickets to the shows on the pier on tap… you name it, the kid wanted for nothing.

However, on the Saturday morning of said trip things went a little off-piste. James and his Granny and Granddad took a trip to a cafe overlooking the English Channel. Situated on the first floor with panoramic views this really was a Michelin star greasy spoon. However, the staff, one in particular, let the whole experience down for the trio.

James’ Granddad, one of the nicest and funniest people you would ever meet didn’t have the best hearing and did get a little distracted from time to time (oh a wandering mind eh!). Now, when it was time for him to place his order he didn’t hear the waitress straight away and, well let’s just say her eyes rolled and head shook.

Now, polite young James suddenly felt a side of him flair up that he didn’t know existed. I mean he was only about 8 but in his head it went a little something like, “if you fuck with my beautiful Granddad then you fuck with me”.

Let’s just say the end of the trip to the cafe didn’t go amazingly but I was promised a cake on Sunday evening if I got myself back in line. I did. The cake was a Cherry Bakewell. Turns out I didn’t like a Cherry Bakewell.

I’ve no idea what the moral of the story is here but AM FULLY AWARE that went from THE TALE OF THE BOY AND THE CHERRY BAKEWELL to some sort of get it off your chest after 30 odd years self-therapy session!! Ö

And breathe…

Wow, this Timmermans Kriek smells EXACTLY like a Cherry Bakewell on the nose! And unsurprisingly I wasn’t a fan… HOWEVER, you could instantly tell this was a well made brew regardless of my personal taste. But in the drinking it became even more obvious. This is a very good beer indeed!

Coming in at only 4% it is amazing just how much flavour this brew carries. ALL THE CHERRY then moving to the most wonderful soft and almost creamy (in texture) aftertaste.

This beer is soooooo drinkable and I have to say the wee 250ml bottle only lasted a few visits. But in saying that I’m not sure I could settle into too many of these, though again I think that is more a personal thing.

Go find a bottle. It will be well, well worth it I assure you.

Jymi’s Rating: 83%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 87.5%

MOB review next weekend: SKIN DEEP by ANARCHY BREW CO.

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

 

M O B 2022

BEER REVIEW: 265

BREWER: Verdant, Cornwall, England

STYLE: Pale Ale 

ABV: 3.8%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 7th November 2022

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

So, People Money Space Time is a good beer. The Mosaic hop dominates from nose to the last point the tastes leaves the old taste buds. And that’s not a bad thing. 

Coming in at a light abv, only 3.8%, PMST actually punches a good bit of flavour and manages to carry it through from first drinking to last. Where this would excel, is in a session. And despite its lightness, it also has a solid mouthfeel. 

Look, it’s not complex. It’s not particularly clever. PMST is just solid. It’s a solid workhorse of a beer. And we all have space for some of those in our fridge. 

All round, good job. 

Sammy’s Rating: 72%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Well, you remember
your business partner Marsellus
Wallace, dont’ya Brett?

I remember him.

Good for you. Looks like me and
Vincent caught you at breakfast,
sorry ’bout that. What’cha eatin’?

Hamburgers.

Hamburgers. The cornerstone of any
nutritious breakfast. What kinda
hamburgers?

Cheeseburgers.

No, I mean where did you get’em?
McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Jack-in-the-
Box, where?

Big Kahuna Burger.

Big Kahuna Burger? That’s that
Hawaiian burger joint. I heard they
got some tasty burgers. I ain’t never
had one myself, how are they?

They’re good.

Mind if I try one of yours?

No.

Yours is this one, right?

Yeah.

Uuummmm, that’s a tasty burger.

Vince, you ever try a Big Kahuna
Burger?

No.

You wanna bite, they’re real good.

I ain’t hungry.

Well, if you like hamburgers give
’em a try sometime. Me, I can’t
usually eat ’em ’cause my girlfriend’s
a vegetarian. Which more or less
makes me a vegetarian, but I sure
love the taste of a good burger.

You know what they call a Quarter
Pounder with Cheese in France?

No.

Tell ’em, Vincent.

Royale with Cheese.

Royale with Cheese, you know why
they call it that?

Because of the metric system?

Check out the big brain on Brett.
You’a smart motherfucker, that’s
right. The metric system.

What’s in this?

People, Money, Space, Time by Verdant.

What, the Cornish based power brewers?

Yeah man

PMST, good, mind if I have some of
your tasty beverage to wash this
down with?

Sure.

Uuuuummmm, hit’s the spot!

Does doesn’t it, so juicy and crushable, can’t believe it’s only 3.8% Jules.

Nor can I my man.

We happy?

We happy.

Jymi’s Rating: 77%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 74.5%

MOB review next weekend: TIMMERMANS KRIEK by TIMMERMANS

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

 

M O B 2022

BEER REVIEW: 264

BREWER: Kettlesmith, Wiltshire, England

STYLE: Belgian IPA

ABV: 5.4%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 30th October 2022

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Every cloud has one. At least that’s what they say. Great theory unless you’re stuck in torrential rain in the middle of nowhere. Then it seems as if no cloud has a silver lining. 

Anyway, the Silver Lining for Kettlesmith was a mistake in the brewing. An error with the yeast, apparently. But it all turned out a ok. Hence the name. And given that back story, it’s a good one. 

Well, SL is punchy upfront with some sweet citrus fruit notes. But the most notable thing about the brew is the loooooooong bitter finish. And it does last for a long time.  While it’s not the most complicated of brews, SL is decent enough. It has enough about it to keep you interested as you drink down the glass. 

Perhaps a little muddled in what it is, SL is worthy of a try. It might not tick everyone’s box, but it will undoubtedly please some. 

Sammy’s Rating: 62%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I quote our tin…

‘This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out, a slight error in yeast pitching has given us something unexpected but beautiful’

I have to say, I really admire the honesty here. It would have been very easy indeed for our brewer to just say nothing at all and just put it on the shelves and hope for the best. But no, they have had the balls to say this isn’t correct, but we think it tastes great anyway so here you go! Fair play. Every cloud n all that…

Now, SL has been pitched as a Belgian IPA on the front of our tin but a West Coast Saison on the back. This confused me a little pre drinking I have to say. They could both be interpreted to mean the same thing I suppose but the style on the back (West Coast Saison) intrigued me more.

Our brew’s SIX HOP line up (Cascade, Summit, Citra, Amarillo, Centennial, Minstrel) bring with it, as you may expect, a large hoppy upfront hit! There is certainly a glimmer of the Belgian yeast used too. So, I suppose a West Coast Belgian could have been a better style description?!

Leaving what on earth this is supposed to be behind I have to say this is a curious beer. I definitely enjoyed it but on the other hand didn’t get overly excited about the beautiful mistake. The large hop hit up front is excellent, but I didn’t get a huge amount else from it flavour wise, it’s just hoppy! Moving through the brew I began to pick up on small elements of spice and possibly some orange, but again not a lot else. It’s odd as this beer really does pack a punch but is lacking any distinguishable flavours.

As I said, I enjoyed the brew but I’m not sure I would reach for it again.

Jymi’s Rating: 65%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 63.5%

MOB review next weekend: PEOPLE, MONEY, SPACE, TIME by VERDANT

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

 

M O B 2022

BEER REVIEW: 263

BREWER: Driftwood Spars, Cornwall, England

STYLE: Saison

ABV: 4.4%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 25th October 2022

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Seaberry.

Seaberry?

What the F is a Seaberry?, other than a Cornish Saison brewed by our friends over at Driftwood Spars.

Now our tin does tell us the meaning, however, and I’m truly sorry for this, I’m gonna have to get off of my chest what I thought the potential definition was because I’ll be honest, it’s been playing on my mind all flippin week!

So obviously I grabbed this brew during the summer on my trip to Cornwall. Though we didn’t hit the beach that much on said trip when we did, what with it being tourist season, there were lots of families there with very young children and… oh you know where I’m going here, let’s just leave it. I SAID LEAVE IT!!!

As mentioned, our tin luckily gives us the definition that steers us away from the unfortunate loose nappy incidents that are the plight of the west country… I SAID LEAVE IT!!!

Seaberry is a colloquial term for Sea Buckthorn that grows in abundance all along the Cornish coast. Pretty cool name for a beer actually.

And as for the beer itself, it’s pretty different, but it’s also pretty decent!

Seaberry on the nose is one of boiled broccoli and cauliflower… I SAID LEAVE IT FFS!!!

I need to get a grip here, haha…

The nose isn’t strong at all but IS zesty and piercing and absolutely piqued my interest. There is a gentle spice early in the sip but the flavour cannons come in pretty quickly and are delightful I have to say. But it’s a short stay and I was left craving that flavour to stay around for just a little longer.

All in all though a very refreshing and tasty brew that you could defo get stuck into.

Oh, and the tin art!!! ♥♥♥

Jymi’s Rating: 81%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Well, Seaberry smells like a Saison. All things considered, this is a good thing because it is a Saison. And the citrus nose is balanced with a sweetness that will perhaps take you back to your childhood visit to the sweet section in Woolworths. 

On the palate, Seaberry dances around. There’s some watercress pepper mixed with light sour all enveloped in a citrus background with wheat notes poking away here and there. And this is backed by a lovely mouthfeel that is light and punchy.  You might have guessed it, I like it. I like it a lot. 

Coming across a beer that makes you stand up and take note is no mean feat given the number of beers out there. For me, Seaberry does that on many fronts. Not too sour. Not too much of anything in fact. It’s well balanced and fairly complex. 

But one of the most striking things about Seaberry must be that you could drink this beer anytime anywhere and you’d likely not be let down. Versatile and tasty. 

Fantastic job. 

Sammy’s Rating: 88%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 84.5%

MOB review next weekend: SILVER LINING by KETTLESMITH

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

 

M O B 2022

BEER REVIEW: 262

BREWER: Lizard Ales, Cornwall, England

STYLE: Strong Cornish Ale

ABV: 5.2%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 16th October 2022

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

An Gof has a nice story behind the name. Well worth reading and may even make you want to delve into certain periods of history a little more. Good job on that front. 

Anyway, AG is a strong ale that originates from Cornwall. At 5.2% abv, some might argue that it’s not even touching the strong ale continuum. But hey, let’s not split hairs. 

The most striking thing for me is that AG actually tastes stronger than the aforementioned abv might make you think. If I were having this in a blind test, I would state the alcohol by volume somewhere around 7-8%. And if your beer tastes that strong, you want it to be that strong. 

Other than the strong alcohol taste, there’s not too much going on with AG. Sure, there’s some sweetness that swirls around here and there on some occasions but there’s not enough to really elevate this brew. 

Not unpleasant but a little bit of a miss for me. 

Sammy’s Rating: 45%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Deep rich nose…

Deep rich taste…

Couldn’t have many!!!

These were the main notes at the beginning of testing this brew.

However, after a few sips it became apparent that everything I stated was true but kinda disappeared into a bit of a nothing finish. This can sometimes be a good thing for a session beer as long as the aftertaste isn’t bad but for a Strong Cornish Ale? (It needs a larger ABV too for such words).

I was left a little disappointed. However as I worked my way through I started to actually really appreciate the initial intensity of flavour in the sip.

This could quite easily have gone the other way but I am gonna give this brew the benefit of the doubt. The early sip is so lovely I can’t look beyond it, but all in all it should be stronger, and the richness should carry on further into the drinking.

Good, could be so much better.

Jymi’s Rating: 74%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 59.5%

MOB review next weekend: SEABERRY by DRIFTWOOD SPARS

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

 

M O B 2022