BEER REVIEW: 181

BREWER: Silverstone Brewery, Northamptonshire, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 3.6%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 28th March 2021

JYMI SAY’S…

Haha, right, I am going to start with the fact that I did actually enjoy drinking this beer. That, is the most important thing by far when it comes to drinking a beer, actually enjoying it.

However, I’m not sure if Ignition caught me on a bad day but the whole visual of the bottle and motor racing related writing on the label got me… well, laughing if I’m honest! It’s just ridiculous. Silverstone Brewery, yes fine you have an obvious branding angle but don’t over egg that at every turn! (have I just fallen into the pun trap?? You’ll see that Sammy has. What the f**k is going on!)

Engineers of Beer.  Pace setting pale ale. Supercharged with hops.

Honestly, leave it alone already.

But all that left aside what do we have?

Well, for me it reminded me a bit of an old school type pale you would get in an old school type boozer. The type of beer that doesn’t taste bad necessarily but certainly isn’t a good brew. A brew that is actually very drinkable but not really all that. A brew that when it comes to reviewing is actually a flippin nightmare!

Ignition is a beer that’s packaging and branding made me laugh (not in good way). A beer that made me think that more care and attention could and should have been paid to the brew.

But, somehow, a beer I did enjoy…

Over to you Sammy boy, don’t do it… oh, you did.

Jymi’s Rating: 60%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Let’s get things started with Ignition!

It kicks off with some weighty carbonation.  You won’t be short of a head with Ignition, that’s for sure.  And it looks very light in the glass, as promised.  The nose is like a summer’s day in a flower garden, with hints of different arrangements singing through.    It might sound a little over the top but it’s actually very pleasant.  It takes you straight to the aforementioned scene, rather than the pit lane of Silverstone…

In the mouth Ignition is a little light and may be lacklustre for some.  However, it’s well balanced and it’s slight bitter finish leaves you wanting more.  Then, when you delve back in, light floral flavours welcome you back to the taste ride again.

All in all, Ignition is an excellent beer.  Light, well-balanced and crisp in the mouth, this is a great beer for the spring/summer seasons.  Where it’s lacking in the brew, it makes up for amply in the mouthfeel and overall balance.

Great job!

Sammy’s Rating: 87%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 73.5% 

MOB review next weekend: MATILDA’S TEARS by OXFORD CRAFT BEER CO.

M O B 2021

BEER REVIEW: 180

BREWER: Ramsbury, Wiltshire, England

STYLE: Amber Ale (yeah, not Best Bitter)

ABV: 3.6%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 20th March 2021

SAMMY SAY’S…

I love the thought of farmers enjoying this brew.  It conjures up wonderful images of supping down one of these after a hard day toiling the fields.

As you might hope, Farmer’s Best offers an earthy bitter aroma. Reassuring I hear the agriculturally inclined amongst you say; I could not agree more. 

Then, the first sup reveals that FB is actually quite metallic tasting. This is not hugely unpleasant, although it may sound it. However, it is light on the bitterness. Think pale ale to get an idea of where this may be hitting the notes. 

FB might not be the most inventive of beers but I get it.  I see where it fits.  It definitely will not be setting the world on fire, but it’s a reasonable drop.

FB is a little thin but this adds to it being highly sessionable. 

Worth a go, but not groundbreaking or genre leading by any stretch of the imagination.

Sammy’s Rating: 63%

JYMI SAY’S…

I’m fairly sure I’ve mentioned before that when I was younger I was lucky enough to spend a lot of my summers on my Auntie and Uncles farm down in Cornwall. Things were pretty stereo-typical down there. My Uncle would rise before dawn and take care of the farm and my Auntie would make sure he was well fed.

When I was down there I would spend loads of time cutting around the farm with my Uncle. One particular highlight was the tractor rides. We would spring out onto the main road in the door-less pewter coloured and rust covered tractor, my Uncle driving. I would be hanging on for dear life inches away from the huge rotating rear tyre as my Uncle somehow drove this shit heap of a tractor like he was competing in a rally. I absolutely loved it. We would spend endless hours walking the fields feeding the animals and fixing outhouses etc.

Now where this story falls down is upon returning to the farmhouse in the evening you would expect a farmer to maybe crack open an ale to help relax after a hard day of graft. However he always seemed to go for a cup of tea, from memory anyway.

In a desperate attempt for me trying to get this review vaguely back on track let’s assume he did crack a beer. And that beer would be Farmers Best, wouldn’t it. Now Farmers Best wouldn’t necessarily be the best beer but would be easy to drink and fairly enjoyable. It wouldn’t be complex or clever and not a huge amount of care would have been taken in the brewing. But the end product would be pleasant and drinkable.

And this is precisely what the Farmers Best I have in front of me is like. Not very good, but somehow quite nice to drink.

Jymi’s Rating: 66%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 64.5% 

MOB review next weekend: IGNITION by SILVERSTONE BREWERY

M O B 2021

BEER REVIEW: 179

BREWER: Cotswold Brew Co., Gloucestershire, England

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 5.2%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 14th March 2021

JYMI SAY’S…

From the get go I wasn’t overly excited about this beer. The packaging almost, almost won me over with its simplicity but ultimately fell into the ‘bit plain bracket’.

Nose wise too, the sniff had moments of promise, hints of well established IPAs olfactory offerings but didn’t follow up with any conviction.

There were reasons to be cheerful in the sip and taste too but all tied in with things that should really have been done a little better. See, Cotswold IPA starts off with some early classic flavour highlights but almost instantaneously falls off a cliff in body, similar to a non alcoholic beer actually, which is odd seeing as this brew is coming in at a welterweight 5.2%. Once swallowed a more than pleasant lemon shows its yellow head but again is gone in a flash.

All said Cotswold IPA is smooth to sip and if you were actually a fan of it I’m sure a few could be consumed whilst chewing the cud with a pal.

A beer that missed the mark for me on many levels but with some positives kicking around, a few tweaks here and there then something good could come along.

Keep at it Cotswold crew.

Jymi’s Rating: 32%

SAMMY SAY’S…

There’s something about the simplicity of the packaging with this IPA but it’s somehow not hitting the right notes for me.  It’s stylistic and the colours work well, but it’s somehow just a little dated.

This is not the most fragrant IPA – the hops most certainly don’t hop out of the glass on first encounter. In fact, there’s quite a heavy earthy nose for an IPA and one may be disappointed at this.  Usually, IPAs offer more in this department.

When it comes to the main event, sweetness is the main player. And it’s too sweet for me. This sugariness drowns out other notes trying to swim through. Some bitter back notes come in at the very end but they quickly fade.  I’m not against sweetness, it’s just got to be well balanced and that’s not the case here.

It’s worth noting that there is a huge point of difference with this IPA. That has to be admired. But I just don’t get it.

Surprisingly, considering it’s lacklustre showing in the taste department this beer is a little claggy in the mouth. 

I’m not saying don’t try this.  I wouldn’t never advocate that for any beer.  I am a huge supporter of different breweries making a name for themselves.  In my reckoning, it just hasn’t hit the right notes.  This IPA is a little off tune and out of sorts.

Sammy’s Rating: 46%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 39% 

MOB review next weekend: FARMERS BEST by RAMSBURY

M O B 2021

BEER REVIEW: 178

BREWER: Einstök Ölgerd, Northeastern Region, Iceland

STYLE: White Ale

ABV: 5.2%

VESSEL: 33cl brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 5th March 2021

JYMI SAY’S…

Einstok had a bit of work to do to get me on side. See the last brew of theirs we reviewed fell flat on its face, well for me anyway.

But it is a clean slate we start with as always and I was instantly in a better place before I had even opened the beer. The packaging is clean, crisp and tidy. And I’ll cut straight to the beer as this theme very much continues into the drinking. The taste is clean, crisp  and tidy too and may I add, oh so refreshing! Should I find myself in colder Icelandic climes I’m not too sure I would want to put my frozen hands on one but in warmer parts of the world with the sun blazing down this beer would slip down magnificently!!!

The label mentions that this ale is brewed with orange peel and coriander. Not necessarily unusual for a white ale but was it obvious in the taste? Well the orange peel was, though not prominent, it was definitely there. As for the coriander well, I’d say there was definitely a herb tone going on for sure but not necessarily of the coriander variety for me.

All in all a well presented and quaffable brew.

Jymi’s Rating: 74%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Many beers’ success is in their upfront punch. They have an obvious USP, which is how they flood the market. However, White Ale from Einstok, is subtle; there’s no two ways about it. But in this case subtle is not bad. Far from it in fact. Subtle in this case is a winner…

White Ale has an elderflower hint in the nose and this continues into the drinking. I know, elderflower mentioned in the same sentence as a beer sounds horrifying. Try not to think elderflower cordial though. Think more at the bittersweet end of the elderflower spectrum and then you’ll start to get an idea of where WA sits.

The crispness of this beer is something to be admired too. It floats on the palate and gives a nice mouthfeel. The Icelandic water certainly seems to add something special.

While WA won’t be to everyone’s liking, and while it may be subtle, don’t be fooled into assuming this is the shy retiring type of beer. That’s simply not the case. It’s different and it has it’s place. WA is definitely a beer that I’d reach for again and I would enjoy every last moment that I shared with it!

Sammy’s Rating: 84%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 79% 

MOB review next weekend: COTSWOLD IPA by COTSWOLD BREW CO.

M O B 2021

BEER REVIEW: 177

BREWER: Elusive Brewing, Berkshire, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 4.2%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 28th February 2021

JYMI SAY’S…

I really like the look of this bottle that Elusive have put forward… even though I don’t think it looks very good at all. Make of that what you will…

I also really like the reason this brew was born. Elusive Brewing teamed up with The Grumpy Goat, a fantastic bottle shop in Reading and The Greyfriar a fantastic crafty boozer also in Reading, to create a beer in celebration of Reading Pride with donations made for every Spectrum bottle, keg or cask sold. Great work!

I ALSO really like the way this pale ale presents in the glass. So thick, so crushable, so enticing.

AND I ALSO REALLY LIKE THIS BEER! It is incredibly fresh and drinkable and I really don’t think a glass would hang around for long on a hot summer’s day. There is a lovely citrus vibe going on with Spectrum and all rounded off by a pretty large bitter finish. It’s a well put together brew there is no doubt about it.

The one thing that left me a touch undecided was the body of this beer. It is very thin. On one hand this makes it very drinkable and crisp which again is great for the aforementioned summers day but it could leave the drinker wanting on other occasions. However, I’m actually going down that its lightness is its genius here.

A very decent beer indeed.

Jymi’s Rating: 82%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Spectrum bites back. When you take that first sip, it really does have a pleasant bitter bite about it. And it’s backed up with a nice hoppy hit.

All in all, this is a very capable beer. It’s different from the crowd; it has its own personality. But it’s not anarchic in its approach. Spectrum is just different enough. Different enough to make you want to chose it above other beers. But not so different that it won’t make you want more.

The whole thing about Spectrum works. It has a good aura about it. It does its own thing in a market that wants beers to do their own thing. I’d be very happy to meet Spectrum in a local pub and I have no doubt that soon I will do, such is the quality of the beers coming out of Elusive.

Importantly, Spectrum is well brewed. I like what the team are doing at Elusive. They’re making good beers. Good beers that are different.

Sammy’s Rating: 87%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 84.5% 

MOB review next weekend: ICELANDIC WHITE ALE by EINSTÖK ÖLGERÐ

M O B 2021

BEER REVIEW: 176

BREWER: Electric Bear Brewing Co, Somerset, England

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 6.6%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 20th February 2021

JYMI SAY’S…

In the last review I did for an Electric Bear brew I waxed lyrical about how amazed I was by every beer that I had ever had of theirs, but at last I have found a chink in the armour of this west country brewer. Not that I was looking for one.

Just to start, and mainly to get it off my chest, I hate the name of this beer. It’s quite clever but doesn’t really work. It’s the type of name that sounds amazing in your head while you can’t sleep or having a pissed up brainstorming session on what you’re going to call your next beer but in the cold light of day… it’s not great.

Brew wise we have a perfectly decent offering here but because I’ve experienced such highs from this brewer I’m suddenly disappointed at one of their beers simply being very good.

Ridiculous I know and I have to get past it.

IHRS is very hop forward and intense. It’s not blow your mind apart but it is full on. There is a lovely lime tone knocking around through most of the drinking journey that slowly fades after the swallow only to eventually be replaced by a large hoppy bitter aftertaste.

Jymi’s Rating: 80%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Sammy’s Rating: 82%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 81% 

MOB review next weekend: SPECTRUM by ELUSIVE BREWING

M O B 2021

BEER REVIEW: 175

BREWER: Brew York, North Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Yuzu IPA

ABV: 5.6%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 14th February 2021

JYMI SAY’S…

I cannot open without immediately talking about the name and packaging of The Things Yuzu To Me. Look, the name is a nice play on words but I’ve have to be honest here, it is also a bit irritating. Not to the point where it affected my day but I did find myself randomly shaking my head and tutting for about 24hrs after laying eyes on this beer. The tin art kind of follows on from this too… it is quite cool and original and the Japanese street food art concept is sound. But it is just little off for me as was the lining up of the label. Endearing, but also irritating. However the information side of the can art is amazing. It looks sensational and I’m really not too sure any more info about our beer could have been included.  Very good.

It was time to take a look inside this crazy can…

Well after the pour I was a little disappointed in the nose, very light and uneventful. However, once sipped the disappointment disappeared. This is a really tasty beer and very much tastes like a craft IPA brewed with yuzu, as it should really. Over the first three or four sips TTYTM was nice and bright and bitter in the mouth. Once swallowed the bitterness slowly softened and slowly in came the yuzu flavour. Once about halfway through the yuzu flavour began to become more prominent from taste in sip all the way through to the aftertaste.

The Things Yuzu To Me is a really gratifying beer that takes you on a bit of a journey and keeps you guessing. Nice work Brew York (great name for a brewery based in York btw).

Jymi’s Rating: 78%

SAMMY SAY’S…

I absolutely love the concept of The Things Yuzu To Me: inspired by Japanese street food.  The packaging is different and works well.   It’s a really attractive first impression.  And once unleashed in a glass, it looks like liquid butterscotch, which is incredibly tempting.  

Although sour and bitter in the foreground, TTYTM is actually rather light.  It doesn’t hit your tastebuds as hard as you might expect.  But fear not, this is not a bad thing in this instance.  The hops have been selected well and are used effectively to create a nicely balanced beer.  There are hints of fruitiness but these definitely play second fiddle to the hops and bitterness.  It’s got a clean feel in the mouth, which gives it its lightness.

TTYTM has surprised me.  I was definitely expecting something more extreme.  What it is though is a very drinkable, well balanced beer.  It might not be a trend setter, but it’s definitely worthy of gracing your ale glass.

Sammy’s Rating: 84%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 81% 

MOB review next weekend: IT’S HOP ROCKET SCIENCE by ELECTRIC BEAR BREWING CO.

M O B 2021

BEER REVIEW: 174

BREWER: Wychwood Brewery, Oxfordshire, England

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 5.3%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 6th February 2021

JYMI SAY’S…

From memory anyway, it seems that once I had reached an age to legally go for a drink in a pub it was all Hobgoblin this and Hobgoblin that. Whether it was Twickenham, Staines or Reading it was…

‘Jymi, you coming down the Hob’?

Where shall we meet tonight? Hob?

Game of pool up the Hob this arvo?

These days soon faded away as did the chain (though from a quick search on the world wide google there are still a few Hobgoblin Pubs knocking around). But the beer from Wychwood Brewery remains. Now I don’t remember the quality of their beer form those pub years but the beer I’m supping on now is pretty decent you know. It’s very easy to get hold of and is very much a mass produced IPA brewed for multiple supermarket shelves. This does not have to mean it’s a bad beer though. There is a nice bitter citrus tone to this brew and it is good and zesty in the sip. It is a very easy drinker and though not many would shout from the rooftops about it I don’t think many would turn their nose up either.

A more than drinkable everyday traditional IPA.

Jymi’s Rating: 67%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Hobgoblin has been knocking around for a long time.  It was here before many of the current beers experiencing success.  And to be fair, you can understand why it has endured.  You see, it most definitely does have a modern twang to it, but it also appeals to more traditional beer drinkers.

While the packaging and whole marketing campaign might not be cutting edge, Wychwood Brewery most definitely let the beer do the talking.  

Hobgoblin is well balanced.  Hoppy on the nose, which carried through into the drinking.  The bitterness hits you straight up and comes through strong in the finish.  While some may find this bitter punch a little too much in an IPA, I think it works well.  It shows much thought has gone into this brew, which to be fair is well balanced and easy in the mouth.

Hobgoblin is no shrinking violet and it should be commended for being cutting edge before its time.  Sure, other brews may have surpassed it in excellence now, and there’s much competition out there, but this remains a solid beer, which will likely continue doing well.

Sammy’s Rating: 74%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 70.5% 

MOB review next weekend: THE THINGS YUZU TO ME by BREW YORK

M O B 2021

BEER REVIEW: 173

BREWER: Arbor Ales, Bristol, England

STYLE: Amber Ale

ABV: 4.6%

VESSEL: 568ml tin (one pint)

DATE OF POST: 31st January 2021

JYMI SAY’S…

Before even popping this tin open there are two pretty large talking points.

John Lennon

Pint can

Not often mentioned together I would imagine.

So the name of this beer is lifted from the song Imagine. The 1971 track by my second favourite* Beatle, John Lennon.  I have to admit, I don’t really get it if I’m honest. It is a decent idea but I think I would feel a bit daft waltzing up to a bar and ordering a beer with such a name.

Onto the Pint can. Not 330ml, not 440ml and not even 500ml. Nope, 568ml, one whole bleedin pint!!! Now this is an absolute master stoke of a marketing move. Same price, more beer. The design of the label is bold and simple and the tin is flipping massive so stands tall against all of its competitors. And as I said, YOU GET MORE BEER!! Let’s just hope it is more GOOD beer then shall we…

Well, it is really good in fact. A lovely tropical nose makes its way to you whilst you’re filling your massive glass with juicy amber ale. Fifteen minutes later when pour into glass is complete it’s time to admire just how good this brew looks once in it’s vessel for consumption. It looks so thick and juicy. Nothing changes going into the drinking phase, still plenty of tropical tones kicking around and the beer remains thick and juicy in the mouth, at first. See, once swallowed everything begins to thin out a little. That did disappoint me but in saying that it could well be necessary. See without it thinning out it may all get a bit too much. But because it does another tin of YMSIAD becomes very tempting once you’ve finished your first.

(*let’s just say my favourite Beatle isn’t flippin Macca or Ringo)

Jymi’s Rating: 81%

SAMMY SAY’S…

If you’ve ever read Harry Potter, then you’d have heard of butter beer.  Now, I know these books have been made into films, so there are many images now available of the aforementioned butter beer. However, these are images translated from someone else’s point of view.  In my opinion, if I were to say what butter beer looks like, then You May Say I’m A Dreamer is exactly how I’d describe it.  It’s mid-dark coloured (think toffee) and is nice and cloudy.  Just to be clear, I think it looks incredible.

But even before you pour YMSIAD into the glass to be wowed by its resemblance to butter beer, you are faced with a can that has clearly had a huge amount of thought go into it.  And I love the design of this can label.  Also, it’s worth a mention that the can has a pint’s worth of beer in it.  

So, clearly a good start for YMSIAD.

I’m pleased to report that things continue on an upward trajectory as you pile into your supping.  YMSIAD is like a modern IPA, but this is hardly surprising considering the hops that have been used.  Its’s sharp upfront, not in a sour way, but in way that I’m happy with for such a brew.  Then, a pleasant bitterness washes away the sharpness for a great finish.  Through it all, there’s a slight tropical sweetness, which gives it a great rounded overall drinking experience.  It’s a well-balanced beer and is incredibly pleasant on the palate and fantastic in the mouth.

YMSIAD is a great beer.  It would work as well for a beginner to the modern beer world as it would for a seasoned pro.  

Sammy’s Rating: 88%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 84.5% 

MOB review next weekend: HOBGOBLIN IPA by WYCHWOOD BREWERY

M O B 2021

BEER REVIEW: 172

BREWER: Box Steam Brewery, Wiltshire, England

STYLE: Golden Ale

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 22nd January 2021

JYMI SAY’S…

After you’re through the slightly odd writings about Brunel and him having a piston break due to damp conditions and then moving not very seamlessly on to tell us that Goldings and Casacade hops never fail whatever the weather the drinker is free to move on and drink this rather tasty ale.

Forgetting the non event of the nose Piston Broke gets straight down to business. There is a good robust and full hoppy flavour up front. This should make most drinkers of this Golden Ale sit back and produce a nod of approval, as it did me. So many beers in this bracket waddle along and end up just being average. Not bad, but certainly not good. PB does not fall into to this bracket. It’s good, it is very good in fact. The hop combination delivers what is promised and in no time the consumer would be heading back for another I am sure of it. And all backed up with a pretty interesting label and cool little name. What is not to like really.

Nice work indeed Box Steam Brewery.

Jymi’s Rating: 83%

SAMMY SAY’S…

I’m going to cut to the chase; Piston Broke is a very good beer indeed.  Alright, the packaging could be brushed up on and the concept is a little off the wall.  But it’s not about that, it’s about the taste.  And with PB, the taste is great…

This golden ale has a pleasant sweetness that rolls around the tongue before the light bitterness comes in.  Piston Broke is well brewed and well balanced.  It does all the things that you want a golden ale to do.  And it’s not a shrinking violet either.  It has something about it that makes you keep reaching for more.

There are many great golden ales out there.  Piston Broke just added their name to that list.

Sammy’s Rating: 88%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 85.5% 

MOB review next weekend: YOU MAY SAY I’M A DREAMER by ARBOR

M O B 2021