EDEN MILL LOVE GIN

DATE POSTED: 10th June 2020

STYLE: New Western

ABV: 42%

KEY BOTANICAL: Berries and Juniper

THEY SAY SERVE WITH: Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic and Strawberries & Black Pepper Garnish

MOB SAY SERVE WITH: Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic and Grapefruit Garnish

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION: Gin Fixed

Gin Fixed ingredients and method:

50ml Eden Mill Love Gin

5ml Triple Sec

25ml Pineapple Juice

15ml Lemon Juice

5ml Sugar Syrup

Shake all ingredients in an iced cocktail shaker and strain over crushed ice into a highball glass. Churn and top with more ice. Garnish with a wedge of lemon and a sip straw.

m o b s o g 2 0 2 0

LIVEWIRE

BEER REVIEW: 139

BREWER: Electric Bear Brewing Co., Somerset, England

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 5.4%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 5th June 2020

JYMI SAY’S…

Every single beer that I have ever tried from this Somerset brewer has taken me aback and made me nod my head very slowly in appreciation. OK, there have only ever been three occasions and two of their beers that I have tried but still, very impressed I was.

Inspector Remorse for a Muse on Booze review back in early January 2019 was first up and well and truly put these guys on the map for me.

Werrrd! for another review was next to come along and proved to me that Electric Bear Brewing Company were serious players.

The third time Electric Bear came my way was with Werrrd! once more, a couple of pintys at The Craft Beer Co. in Covent Garden, London. I chose this beer out of a huge selection purely because of how this brewery had delivered in the two we had already reviewed. Again, I was a happy customer.

So Livewire had a lot to live up to… and it did not disappoint.

She starts off with a lovely tropical flavour with some amazing bitter notes running alongside. The cascade and simcoe hops play their part in bringing this vibe to the party. Now the mouthfeel is a curious but very good one. It’s an almost playdough feel in the mouth (you’re going to have to trust me here, it works). On our can label Electric Bear tell us that there will be a peach fruit profile kicking around and they were not lying. It’s not too strong though, just sitting there in the background keeping things ticking along.

There is bags of flavour and I have to say from first clocking eyes on the tin to finishing the brew the whole experience was dang a delight.

Hat’s off once more to these most electric of bears.

Jymi’s Rating: 84%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Golden in colour, peach on the nose and palate, Livewire is one very good beer. It has fantastic presence in the mouth and packs bags full of flavour.

Electric Bear Brewing Co. have Livewire down as their flagship beer. And they are right to do so. It’s got tons of personality, so much so in fact, it would talk down Piers Morgan when he was on a good day.

I can’t think of an occasion when this beer wouldn’t work. As your first beer on a hot summer’s day, or as your finishing bevvie on a cold winter’s evening, Livewire would deliver every time. It really is that good.

Nothing more needs to be said – go and try it; you won’t regret it.

Sammy’s Rating: 88%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 86%

MOB review next weekend: PIXEL PARTY by RIDGESIDE BREWING CO.

M O B 2020

CITADELLE RESERVE

DATE POSTED: 3rd June 2020

STYLE: Aged

ABV: 44%

KEY BOTANICAL: Almond

THEY SAY SERVE WITH: Schweppes Ginger & Cardamon Tonic and Orange Garnish

MOB SAY SERVE WITH: Fever-Tree Light Tonic and Cinnamon Stick Garnish

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION: Left Bank Martini

Left Bank Martini ingredients and method:

50ml Citadelle Reserve

15ml Dry Vermouth

15ml St Germain Liqueur

Splash of Dry White Wine

Stir all ingredients with plenty of ice in a mixing jar for a few minutes. Double strain into a chilled wine flute. Garnish with a single, floating, mint leaf.

M O B S O G 2 0 2 0

SLEEPING LEMONS

BEER REVIEW: 138

BREWER: The Wild Beer Co, Somerset, England

STYLE: Gose

ABV: 3.6%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 29th May 2020

SAMMY SAY’S…

Let sleeping dogs lie they say. And why not. But should we let sleeping lemons lie. That’s what we are about to find out.

I like lemons. I like lemon flavoured things. I like them because they’re sour. And I like sour beers. So what I hoped Sleeping Lemons (the beer) would do, is to fulfil my love for lemony sour things. A lemony soury beer sounds just wonderful.

Let me stop waffling and cut to the chase…Sleeping Lemons is great. It’s fantastic. It’s bursting with lemons. It’s sour. It’s sharp. It’s refreshing. It’s lightly carbonated. It’s crisp. It’s clear.

Ok, what’s the catch I hear you calling.

Well, to begin with, I thought it was a little short on the length in its taste. But the thing is, the more I drank, gulped to be precise, Sleeping Lemons, the more the shortness of flavour made sense. And that was the only catch. It soon disappeared. As did the beer. Very quickly.

Sours are not everyone’s thing. But they are mine and I loved this one.

So, we definitely should not let Sleeping Lemons lie. We should grab them and fill our bellies with them.

It’s one fine beer!

Sammy’s Rating: 90%

JYMI SAY’S…

A bottle that looks fantastic, classy and smart.

Information in abundance jammed onto the back of the vessel telling us all we need to know without it even coming close to being cluttered.

A nose that let’s you know you’re about to dive into a Lemon based Gose. A look in the glass of utter majesty, lovely and clear with light carbonation making this brew so inviting.

A smoothness in sip and mouthfeel that just makes you close your eyes and smile.

A taste that is clean, crisp and oozing lemon without being overwhelming.

A lightness of touch in the brewing that would allow the drinker to have as many of these as he/she wished.

Are there any negatives to Sleeping Lemons?

Well, I thought there could be one, but I turned out to be wrong…

See, half way through the swallow the instant incredible flavour suddenly cuts off and switches to an OK but not great aftertaste. However that was sip one. After sip two my opinion remained the same, but as I worked my way, hang on, smiled my way through the drink the aftertaste began to sour up and thus improve with every sip.

You will need to be a fan of a sour style of beer to enjoy this but I assure you that if you are, then you will be a superfan of Sleeping Lemons.

Bloomin’ marv.

Jymi’s Rating: 92%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 91%

MOB review next weekend: LIVEWIRE by ELECTRIC BEAR BREWING CO.

M O B 2020

MALFY CON ARANCIA

THE THIRD MUSE ON BOOZE SUMMER OF GIN IS OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY!!!

DATE POSTED: 1st June 2020

STYLE: Italian

ABV: 41%

KEY BOTANICAL: Sicilian Blood Orange Peel

THEY SAY SERVE WITH: Fever-Tree Tonic and Orange Garnish

MOB SAY SERVE WITH: Fever-Tree Light Tonic and Lemon Garnish

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION: Thyme to Muse (created for Muse on Booze by our resident spirit expert, Chris Hotson – spirits_ and_soul on Instagram)

Thyme to Muse ingredients and method:

50ml Malfy Con Arancia Gin

25ml Limoncello

20ml Fresh Lemon Juice

15ml Lemon Thyme Sugar Syrup

15ml Cranberry Juice

Vigorously shake all the ingredients in an iced cocktail shaker and fine strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a stalk of Lemon Thyme… and muse ♥♥♥

M O B S O G 2 0 2 0

THE MUSE ON BOOZE SUMMERS OF GIN

MOBSOG – 2018

BLACK SHUCK PASSION GIN

MOBSOG II – 2019

EDINBURGH RHUBARB & GINGER

MOBSOG III – 2020

JJ WHITLEY NETTLE GIN

GUNPOWDER

TANQUERAY FLOR DE SEVILLA

x

FARMHOUSE

BEER REVIEW: 137

BREWER: Brouwerij Kees, Zeeland, Netherlands

STYLE: Saison

ABV: 6%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 22nd May 2020

SAMMY SAY’S…

Farm House is a Dutch beer. Would you know this from its name? Quite simply, no. I like a name that states clearly what you’re getting. Table Beer, for example, is a great name for a table beer (see the review). This is a Dutch beer so the name should be Dutch – surely? I have no problem with it being called Farm House – but it should be in its native language.

Rant over (for now). Onto the actual beer.

Unsurprisingly, Farm House is a lively one (it is Dutch after all). We have come to expect no less from our friends across the Channel when they are brewing craft styley. However, once the fizz has settled, there’s not too much going on with the nose. This may be what you’d expect with a saison, but when it’s packing a punch in the alcohol department, like Farm House is, you may be forgiven for expecting a little more from the nose.

The thing is, this lack of ‘something’ carries through into the drinking. It definitely is like a Farm House (as the English name tells us) but there’s nothing at all unique or even special about this beer. It’s not particularly well brewed, and this leaves an almost dirty water taste. While this description may be doing Farm House a disservice, I can’t think of a better way to describe it.

It’s not unpleasant and it’s easy to drink one after the other. But it’s not a great saison.

Rant over. Full stop.

Sammy’s Rating: 50%

JYMI SAY’S…

Saison is also traditionally known as farmhouse ale. Legend has it that farmers sometimes turned to brewing during the winter to keep the money coming in. Now because they would then resume their farming duties when the fair weather returned they would then not have time to brew so they used the extra beer that had been brewed the previous winter for personal consumption. So we have a pretty clever name here, I suppose. What is also clever about this beer is the way it disguises the fact that it’s 6% by not tasting strong at all. However, this is sadly where the cleverness ends for this Dutch brew.

See, as well as an incredibly faint orange nose, Farmhouse also has a very thin body. Not necessarily a bad thing but unfortunately it kind of is when the taste isn’t bringing much to the table either. The taste when sipping is pleasant enough don’t get me wrong but there really is nothing to write home about and is lacking any kind of get up and go. Once the sip is done it is usually time for the aftertaste, usually. Unfortunately Farmhouse isn’t just lacking here too, it just doesn’t bother with an aftertaste at all!! It really is quite bizarre.

I’m sure if this saison was passed to you on a sizzling summers day by a chum it would be drunk without much thought and probably enjoyed to a point. However, tasting like it does and being the strength it is you wouldn’t be enjoying yourself for too long, trust me.

Jymi’s Rating: 53%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 51.5%

MOB review next weekend: SLEEPING LEMONS by THE WILD BEER CO.

M O B 2020

CLOCKWORK TANGERINE

BEER REVIEW: 136

BREWER: BrewDog, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE OF POST: 15th May 2020

SAMMY SAY’S…

So, on the face of it, Clockwork Tangerine does as it promises. The can, well, it’s orange, like a tangerine. And the beer, that too is orange like a tangerine. Then, when you pour the beer into the glass, guess what? Yep, it smells of tangerine. And so it appears as if this is one hell of a well marketed beer, name included.

Sadly, oh so sadly, the drinking just doesn’t come together. There’s bitterness for sure. not sour, definitely sharp bitterness. And there’s a hint of early sweetness, all of which sounds so promising. But CT is lack lustre. It’s neither here nor there. And we have all come to expect so much more from Brewdog. To put it bluntly, there are so many more beers I’d rather have than this.

To sum up, it’s ok. But I don’t feel there’s a place for it in my drinking repertoire. However, it appears the masses out there disagree with me because we all know the success of the beer. Oh well, they can’t help it that they’re wrong on this occasion!

Sammy’s Rating: 62%

JYMI SAY’S…

In keeping with the MOB SQUAD style of review I’m going with 5 words, but with a wee bit of elaboration.

Tangerine – Without doubt Clockwork Tangerine brings Tangerine to the party when it comes to the nose of this beer.

Sweet – The initial sip is quite sweet but does not hang around for very long at all.

Bitter – Once the sweetness has almost instantly gone it is replaced by a bitterness. But I wanted more bitter tones.

Nice – This is a pleasant enough drop that I would happily drink if offered.

Disappointing – I have come to expect more from BrewDog over the years so can’t help but feel I was left wanting more here.

On a side note I feel that BD’s new packaging angle cannot go without comment…

When I first saw this new design online I honestly thought it was a classic BrewDog marketing ploy to get people talking. I honestly thought it was THAT bad. On closer inspection once I got my hands on a can of Punk I think it was, the design grew on me slightly as the sides of the tin are pretty cool and a nod to the old design at least. However over all, I’m really not that much of a fan of the ‘Dogs new clothing.

Clockwork Tangerine specifically I really like the colours used but the fact the word CLOCKWORK doesn’t fit on to one line winds me up beyond belief. Do better.

Jymi’s Rating: 63%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 62.5%

MOB review next weekend: FARMHOUSE by BROUWERIJ KEES

M O B 2020

MOB SQUAD: CLOCKWORK TANGERINE

Following on from BIG WAVE, JAIPUR and NEWCASTLE BROWN ALE now it’s the turn of BrewDog’s Clockwork Tangerine to go under the squad’s nose…

The MOB SQUAD say…

cWobble: TANGERINE, LACKING, LINGERING, OK, OBVIOUS – 65%

OJ: LIGHT, CRISP, SESSION, REFRESHING, SEVILLE – 80%

Capone: INTERESTING, CLEVER, SHARP, CLOYING, DEBATABLE – 70%

Steve C: TANGY, UNDERWHELMING, LIGHT, SUMMER, FRUITY – 61%

Tulane: BITTERSWEET, CITRUS, ALRIGHT, REFRESHING, TANGERINE – 63%

B.T.I.G.: JUICY, FRESH, SESSION, CITRUS, BANGER – 83%

PanthBrew: NOSEY, SMELL, LASTING, FRAGRANT, ENJOYABLE – 82%

Rush: CITRUS, SESSION, UNDERWHELMING, PLEASANT, NEXT – 61%

VK: DULL, OBVIOUS, MAINSTREAM, TROPICAL, JUICY – 49%

Lava: SESSION, SMASHABLE, PUNCHY, REFRESHING, GREAT – 77%

Skeletor: HAZY, ZESTY, MEDIOCRE, WEAK, DRAUGHT BETTER – 44%

Mark: SUN, CRUSHABLE, CITRUS, TASTY, BIG – 72%

Earl: GRAPEFRUIT, BITTER, BURNT, HARSH, SODA – 52%

Han: AMBER, AVERAGE, BITTER, LIGHT, INOFFENSIVE – 44%

MOB SQUAD RATING: 64.5%

THE MOB SQUAD’S NEXT OUTING WILL BE ON 17th JULY – THE BEER WILL BE BLUE MOON.

FANCY A FREE BOTTLE OF BLUE MOON AS PART OF OUR NEXT MOBPACK RELEASE? WELL, CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE FOR NEWS ON THE NEXT RELEASE OF MOBPACKS

RETURN TO SAMMY AND JYMI’S REVIEW OF CLOCKWORK TANGERINE

MAD GOOSE

BEER REVIEW: 135

BREWER: Purity Brewing Co., Warwickshire, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 4.2%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 8th May 2020

SAMMY SAY’S…

I love the idea of a mad goose. Let’s be honest, geese are scary enough as is, but a mad one, well, that would be off the charts scary.

So, when you name a beer Mad Goose, you reckon it would be pretty off the charts. You know, like out there off the charts.

Trouble is, when you unleash this Mad Goose, it’s actually quite tame. Now, let us be clear, there ain’t nothing wrong with tameness. So many beers are perfectly good and happy in their tameness. But when you’re promised madness, you want madness.

MG isn’t bad. It’s just not amazing. It’s certainly not mad. For me, this is one I’d be happy to have if offered it again, but wouldn’t go out of my way to have.

Sammy’s Rating: 73%

JYMI SAY’S…

Mad Goose is just a sensational name for a brew!! It really is!

Pint of Mad Goose Ralph my man..

Already started pouring when I saw you walk through the door Jymi boy…

Just brilliant.

Whether this beer is good or not it will never detract as to how good this name is. It’s not clever, it’s not fancy, it is brilliant.

Right, the illustration of our Mad Goose aside, the packaging has left me wanting a little. It’s not rubbish but it could certainly do with a little tidying up. Big fan of the Purity logo however.

To the main event…

Mad Goose Pale Ale is a great beer there is no doubt. This brew opens up with a slightly uninspiring nose but once sipped that worry falls right away. There is a lovely and smooth mouthfeel to MG, I almost want to say it’s soapy?! But honestly not in a bad way, if that is possible. There is plenty of flavour up front but it is the aftertaste that takes centre stage. Slowly slowly Mad Goose creeps to a fantastic bitter finish. Cracker.

This nutter of a bird is a great beer and I strongly urge those who spot to grab one… when in season of course.

Jymi’s Rating: 82%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 77.5%

MOB review next weekend: CLOCKWORK TANGERINE by BREWDOG

m o b 2020