BEER REVIEW: 67

BREWER: West Berkshire Brewery, Berkshire, England 

STYLE: Best Bitter 

ABV: 4%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 18th January 2019

SAMMY SAY’S…

There’s nothing quite like an old pair of slippers.  They’re homely, comforting and they always make you feel that little bit better. They keep you grounded and you know exactly where you stand with them (no pun intended).  And the things that would ordinarily bother you with aged clothing, such as a slightly off putting aroma, well, you can turn a blind eye to with such faithful footwear.  

Good Old Boy is exactly like the aforementioned old pair of slippers.  The packaging is very old school – and in this case it is pulled off with aplomb.  It doesn’t feel out of place; it feels perfect for the product.

Ok, the nose, just like old slippers, could be better but there are hints of caramel and burnt chocolate.  But this is a best bitter we are talking about here.  Just like those slippers, once you are fully immersed in Good Old Boy all it’s strengths shine through.  It’s light and refreshing and oodles smoothness.  The after-taste is very short, which isn’t a bad thing.  

Although this is a cracking winter (or all year to be fair) ale, it lacks a little bit of weight in its flavour.  So although it is exactly like a pair of old slippers, it’s not like your favourite old slippers.  

However, get yourself tucked into one of these and you’ll feel very at home and very happy.

Sammy’s Rating: 77%

JYMI SAY’S…

Good Old Boy.

Great Old Boy.

Flippin’ Excellent Old Boy.

Guess which one of the above best describes Good Old Boy? I’ll give you clue… It’s not Good Old Boy.

Confused? Yeah, so am I… But this beer from start to finish is most definitely not.

The packaging though not striking in any way is nigh on perfect. From font, to colour to ratios this is just a fantastic looking bottle of best.

The nose gives off that most delicate but lively scent of… about to have a decent pint.

The smoothness and lightness of this brew is just exceptional. Every single sip just glides down like Alberto Tomba on his way to Gold /  the bar at the bottom of the slope.

And the taste, the taste is just superb. Of course the flavours of GOB are more suited to the country pubs of the home counties of England rather than the pre, mid or après ski bars of Piz Bernina but nonetheless… It tastes FANTASTIC.

A job mightily well done West Berkshire Brewery.

Jymi’s Rating: 83%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 80%

 MOB review next weekend: OLD SPECKLED HEN by MORLAND

MUSE ON BOOZE 

BEER REVIEW: 66

BREWER: Electric Bear Brewing Co., Somerset, England

STYLE: Porter

ABV: 4.7%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE POSTED: 11th January 2019

JYMI SAY’S…

Sip 1: Huge taste explosion in mouth, missed every flavour that hit me due to the shock to the taste buds. Other stuff went on too but was left in such a state of wonder nothing registered.

Sip 2: Taste explosion again! And again missed everything else! Come on Jymi, you can do this man…

Sip 3: Less of an explosion but still a huge hit of flavour. Chocolate smacks for sure with cherry notes and as promised from the back of the tin a kind of biscuit tone. Then I noticed the switch in intensity of the flavour… then I quickly went in for my 4^th sip.

Sip 4: Same hit of flavour as Sip 3 but my mind was now focused on this switch of flavour intensity after about 2 seconds.. and there it was. Inspector Remorse (hats off to which Electric Bear came up with that name!) goes from full on Chocolate attack up front to this mellow beautiful biscuit and coffee delight. And it was only after sip four that I suddenly picked IR’s sublime finale…

Sip 5: Initial sip intensity had dropped actually (though still delicious) but whatever, I WANT TO GET TO THE SUBLIME FINALE! The aftertaste of Inspector Remorse seems to be this infinite yet ever fading sort of coffee with cream heaven. INCREDIBLE.. I’m going again….

Sip 6: Same as five.

Sip 7: Same as six.

Done.

This is just a fantastic work of art, and I’m not even talking about the can.

Case Closed.

Jymi’s Rating: 86%

SAMMY SAY’S…

First up, what a fantastic name for a porter, which is backed up by great packaging.  Who couldn’t help but love the name Inspector Remorse?  It’s unique and Electric Bear Brewing Co. has done a phenomenal job on the marketing front with this porter.  It really moves away from the typical image of old-fashioned beer and this modern, craft revamp of a traditional beer is exciting.  We all know there are traditionalists out there who will turn their nose up at this, but the fact is that there is room for both modern and tradition in the market place.  There’s no doubt that Inspector Remorse is aimed at the craft market. 

Let’s hope then, that this porter is as strong on the inside as it is on the outside.

The nose gives us the first insight into the ‘inside’.  There are the exact notes that one would expect from a porter, with malted barley front stage, chocolate stage right and biscuit stage left.  It’s a reassuring aroma and gives a strong hint to a great drinking experience.

Inspector Remorse is a great porter to drink.  It ticks all of the boxes.  It’s very light but has strong up front flavours of dark chocolate, that are supported by short bitter after notes.  All in all, it is a very well balanced porter and highlights that Electric Bear Brewing Co. really do know how to brew.  The mouth feel is perfect.  All of this leads to a very easy drinking experience and a porter that is actually incredibly refreshing.

It’s all very well having unique, bold packaging but that needs to be backed by a great product.  And that is exactly what we have in Inspector Remorse.  It’s got everything going for it.  If you’ve never tried a porter before, this is your way in…

Sammy’s Rating: 90%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 88% 

MOB review next weekend: GOOD OLD BOY by WEST BERKSHIRE BREWERY

MUSE ON BOOZE

BEER REVIEW: 65

BREWER: Uiltje Brewing Co., North Holland, Netherlands

STYLE: American Black Ale

ABV: 5.5%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle 

DATE POSTED: 4th January 2019

JYMI SAY’S…

The aviarian eyed of you will have noticed that the packaging for this American Black Ale is centred around a cartoon. The cartoon’s dialogue is between two curious looking chickens discussing Sir Turnaround and it goes a little something like this…. In fact it goes exactly like this…..

‘What a klutz’!

‘What a goof’!

‘Nah, he’s just playing mind games with you’.

‘What do you mean’?

‘He looks dark and toasty, but he actually flies like a butterfly’.

‘Huh’?

‘He hops like an IPA’.

‘By God that’s genius…. Any drinking tips’?

‘No flashlights, no strobe lights, no sunlight. Drink fresh or keep dark and cool’.

What an incredibly innovative way to describe the experience you should get from a beer and what the characteristics of this ABA actually are… my only issue is, it looks terrible!. Don’t get me wrong, marks are certainly being awarded for the innovation here but when it comes to the look of the packaging I’m really not being so generous. The colours are terrible and the fact you can’t really see the name of the beer without turning the bottle is pretty irritating. I love and admire what Uiltje have attempted, it’s just not worked out.

Nose is of burnt caramel which should be a huge highlight but because it’s a bit thin only comes out as pleasant enough. This pretty much carries on into the ‘sip n swallow experience’…. A huge plus is that there is plenty of flavour up front, again of burnt caramel, but the body is so thin it just disappears into a large disappointment. Then come’s a very bitter almost acrid aftertaste. Oh dear. None of the above is helped by the fact that the whole beer seems to be over carbonated.   

However, in conclusion I’m actually going to finish on a high! With a bit more care, attention and thought all the way through from packaging to body to carbonation, this could actually be a really good beer.

Idea…Good.

Execution…Meh, not so good.

Jymi’s Rating: 52%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Sir Turnaround is a fantastic name for this beer.  The unique way of presenting the story on the label works to a degree. Many would like it.  The USP is clear: it’s a dark beer that isn’t heavy. It’s obvious that even before you get into this beer you know what you should be experiencing.  However, I am going to state that I do not like the gimmicky cartoon.  And chickens? Why chickens? Talking chickens?  What do chickens know about beer?  I must be missing something (I mean to cause no offence to the poultry world).  It somehow makes the beer feel cheap.  But hey…what do I know?

In the glass, the nose doesn’t give the impression of a light beer.  In fact, it backs up the colour, which is very, very dark. Once on the palate, it’s like you are dealing with a lighter coloured beer, as promised by the chickens on the label. The thing is, it is not great. There’s very little to the taste and when I drink it, I find myself searching and waiting for the flavour to deliver…and it just doesn’t.  Nothing comes through.  There is no follow up.  The initial sip is the best you’ll get. It has very little body to it, so you’d be able to happily throw a couple of them back, and that’s about as good as it gets. 

Chickens, you are definitely not beer experts.  Stick to laying eggs. 

Sammy’s Rating: 53%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 52.5% 

MOB review next weekend: INSPECTOR REMORSE by ELECTRIC BEAR BREWING CO.

MUSE ON BOOZE

BEER REVIEW: 64

BREWER: Thornbridge, Derbyshire, England

STYLE: Coconut Chocolate Porter

ABV: 5.5%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 29th December 2018

JYMI SAY’S…

Now, I’ve had a fair few Thornbridge brews over the last year or so and I have to say they have always delivered and I’ve not yet been disappointed… taste wise that is.

Packaging wise I’ve been disappointed Every. Single. Time.

The whole labelling concept looks flippin’ terrible. It’s not that it’s unappealing and not eye-catching, it’s just s#*t.

The only saving grace for Coco Cocoa’s look is that the pink label is very striking but with one teeny eye movement you’re back to the tacky, crappy and unnecessarily sparkly gold upper label.

Anyway, let’s get to the beer itself.. As I’ve already mentioned this Derbyshire brewery have yet to let me down. I’m especially looking forward to this as knowing that I’m a coconut super fan (if done correctly) and knowing that Thornbridge have never let me down, I could be in for a real treat.

Bottle cracked and poured, what’s the whiff like?

Average…

And so to the taste…

Now what I really wanted was a well brewed, soft velvet smooth porter with hints of chocolate and coconut.  And I have to say team Thornbridge nailed it!!

The only trouble is…. I didn’t like it.

I really thought the coconut flavour was going to work here as long as it was just a hint… and it was just a hint. But it didn’t work. For me anyway it tasted like a Piz Buin cocktail…and that’s that.

Jymi’s Rating: 50%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Sammy’s Rating: 58%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 54% 

MOB review next weekend: SIR TURNAROUND by UILTJE BREWING CO.

 MUSE ON BOOZE

BEER REVIEW: 63

BREWER: Black Isle Brewing Co., Highlands, Scotland

STYLE: Porter

ABV: 4.6%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 21st December 2018

JYMI SAY’S…

Errrrmmm, Well….

Errrrrrm….

Where do you start with something that is great but isn’t actually great?

Leicester City 2015-16

Philadelphia Eagles 2017-18

Wimbledon FC 1998

Chicago Cubs 2016

Chatauenauf du Pape 2002

I really can’t put my finger on just what is going on with Black Isle Organic Porter I have to say.

The packaging and name probably took a combined 7 seconds to come up with. The nose though not at all unpleasant really isn’t doing much. And the flavour and taste impact barely register on the palate.

BUT,

BIOP is good, in fact it’s verging on great! How, how is this possible? I hear you all cry from your pre Christmas drunken parties / sofas.

Well, let’s start with how smooth this beer is. It’s smooth let me tell you. Like, crazy ridiculous smooth as silk smooth. With this comes lightness with the body too, normally something that you would not necessarily associate with the super dark beers, but it works. Then for all the lack of flavour there are tiny little hints of liquorice and coffee.

On paper this just doesn’t work as a Porter, but in glass and gob it most certainly does.

Somehow… very well done!

Jymi’s Rating: 77%

SAMMY SAY’S…

So…let us step into the world of porter with Black Isle Organic Porter, which comes from the Scottish Highlands and is brewed in small batches. 

I don’t think anyone could claim that this would jump off of the shelf and grab you by your senses and scream buy me.  Black Isle Porter is very understated in it’s appearance.  However, I like the way it’s very clearly linked to it’s Scottish beginnings and there is no doubting that what’s on the inside is a dark ale.

Some stouts have a strong aroma, which vary in their pleasantness.  This porter is actually very light on the nose, and while it’s quite pleasant, it just doesn’t pack a hearty wintery punch.  But that all changes when you take your first sip when you are warmed by the light bitter malts, which are exactly what you want from a porter.  The small batch brewing really does work with Black Isle Porter and it’s balanced incredibly well, with just the right amount of what you want that clears the palate in good time.

And another thing – it’s incredibly smooth, which really works with this porter.  The smoothness supports the balance of flavour and gives a great mouth feel.

We’ve got a great porter on our hands here.  Lovely job.

Sammy’s Rating: 82%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 79.5% 

MOB review next weekend: COCO COCOA by THORNBRIDGE

MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL FROM MUSE ON BOOZE xxx

BEER REVIEW: 62

BREWER: Loch Ness Brewery, Highlands, Scotland

STYLE: Stout 

ABV: 4.4%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 16th December 2018

JYMI SAY’S…

Darkness is just the most stunning name for a Stout!! I mean, how very simple and just totally perfect. I’m going to ignore the fact that this is a play on words from the brewery that produced it as frankly I find it quite annoying. No, I’m concentrating on the fact that Darkness is one of the best and most apt names for a beer out there. I’m just hoping that once released from it’s rather underwhelming bottle that it pours a rich black, as when you come with a name tag like this you better hope that you’re darker than a ninja at night.

And it most certainly was… Darkness poured a beautiful deep black colour with a hint of cherry and gave off a lovely lovely rich burnt chocolate and coffee aroma. Taste wise Darkness delivers in a big way. Such a full flavour with a wonderful smooth finish. And for such a full flavour it’s amazing just how drinkable this stout is.

So big ticks for nose, taste and drinkability… However, by the time I had finished this offering from Loch Ness Brewery the rich full flavour had given me my fill and I was only ready for one more really.

All in all this would be a great opener for any wintery occasion but for me anyway I would have to move onto something else pretty quickly.

But it’s a job well done by #LNB.

Jymi’s Rating: 72%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Loch Ness Brewery has a good thing going on with the naming of its beers.  I don’t think this needs explaining, but just in case the Ness bit of the names of all of the beers is in relation to the Ness part of Loch Ness.  This is where the beers come from.  Get it?  Clever isn’t it?  This great play on the name isn’t backed up by the packaging (the less said about that the better) so the overall marketing isn’t quite the full ticket. 

Dark Ness, is quite obviously, a stout from Loch Ness Brewery.  It most definitely looks like a stout (first box ticked) and it definitely smells like a stout (second box ticked).  To be fair, it smells really good for a stout packed full of with lovely chocolatey hints backed up by backdrops of cherry, both of which are most welcome at this time of year. 

In the drinking, there is a chocolate sweetness that is actually very well balanced with the heavier coffee, earthy flavours that we usually associate with stouts.  It’s not a deep flavour and this makes Dark Ness incredibly light for a stout.  It’s easy on the palate and it’s very easy to drink.  The flavour doesn’t have much length, but this leads to this being an incredible session beer (and please do remember that this is a stout!).

In a (Christmas) nutshell, Dark Ness is a contender for an excellent session stout, which has character in abundance.  It’s definitely a big hitter and one that I would recommend for cold winter months. 

 Sammy’s Rating: 81%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 76.5% 

MOB review next weekend: BLACK ISLE ORGANIC PORTER by BLACK ISLE BREWING CO. 

MUSE ON BOOZE

Another Winter warmer for you on this second Sunday in December, though this one is actually cold

INGREDIENTS: 

25ml Hennessy 

25ml Bulleitt Bourbon

15ml Gran Marnier

15ml Lemon Juice

15ml Sugar Syrup

METHOD:

Add all ingredients and shake with Lemon and Clementine Peel. 

Fine strain into chilled glass.

Garnish with Clementine peel.

BEER REVIEW: 61

BREWER: Dawkins, Bristol, England

STYLE: Chilli Chocolate Stout

ABV: 5.1%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle 

DATE POSTED: 7th December 2018

SAMMY SAY’S…

Sammy’s Rating: 43%

JYMI SAY’S…

Hi there, my name is Jymi and I eat Habanero Peppers for breakfast.

I’m a spice head, I’ll admit it.

Every time I go to my local greasy spoon the Sicilian owner Franco will shout ”Hey Jymi, you want extra Tabasco yeah”? I’ll raise my hand and smile like the cool kid I am.

Every time I pop to my local Deli for lunch Michael asks me “Jalapenos in your sandwich sir”? I nod. He delivers. It’s a nice relationship that one.

Every time I order a curry from down the road for tea I ask if even the hottest of dishes can be spiced up a bit, but they have still failed to take me down.

Spice, I love it. But do I want a warming Stout on a chilly Friday evening in December to actually be spicy? Quite honestly… no. If I get the flavour of chilli from HM I’ll be happy I’m sure but if it is actually spicy I may throw my glass against the wall in disappointment..

Here goes…

What the actual what??

The initial sip and taste we have here is pleasant enough, though the beer itself is certainly lacking a bit of body. But then…. OH BUT THEN!!!…… HOLY MOLÉ, in comes that chilli and wrecks it all! Look, it’s not blow your head off spicy as such but it is without packing chilli heat at the middle and end of every sip. It’s too much and I know that this is what this Stout is about but just kills anything decent it had going for it.

I didn’t throw my glass against the wall but it did however take me almost an hour to drink and that right there tells you all you need to know.

Holy Molé Batman…

Not for me Robin.

Jymi’s Rating: 50%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 46.5% 

MOB review next weekend: DARKNESS by LOCH NESS BREWERY

MUSE ON BOOZE

A little warming cocktail for you to try on this first cozy December Sunday…..

INGREDIENTS:

750ml Red Wine

600ml Cold Water

150ml Dark Rum

1 Breakfast Teabag

125g Caster Sugar

6 Cinnamon Sticks to serve 

METHOD:

Pour the Wine, Water and Rum into a Slow Cooker. Add the Tea Bag and Sugar and cook on High for 1 hour. 

Stir the Punch and remove the Teabag. Cook on Low for 3 hours. 

Stir and serve with Cinnamon stick. 

BEER REVIEW: 60

BREWER: Fuller’s, West London, England

STYLE: Bitter  

ABV: 4.7%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 1st December 2018

JYMI SAY’S…

“Pint of Pride please landlord”

“Evening Stan, I’ll grab a Pride when you’re ready”

“Three London Pride’s and eleven packets of pork scratchings please”

“Afternoon…..errrrrrr, yes, I’ll have a pint of London Pride. Thank you”

“Mornin’, usual ta”

Just a snippet of the words muttered by folk when it comes to this absolute stalwart of an ale. London Pride is at the absolute forefront when it comes to go to beers in a boozer in the UK. It will never let you down. But the genius behind Pride, for me anyway, is this…

There are far better beers out there for sure but if nothing peaks your interest and you’re not in an adventurous mood a London Pride will be ordered with confidence. It’s a go to beer, a safety blanket.

Now the trouble is when we arrive at #LP in a bottle it suddenly has way more dudes to contend with. At a boozer you can pretty quickly asses your options and hit up your choice. But at the majority of places Pride in a bottle will be sold there will be a plethora of alternate options…. and that’s why until today I have never had a London Pride from a bottle.

It’s fine. It’s not quite as good as from cask obviously, but it’s fine.

Pub wise. forever an absolute go to in my book, but if something else does catch your eye, well who could blame you.

When it comes to the premise of consumption from a bottle it may not even make it in the beer basket, but when it comes to a beer you can always just always rely on….LONDON PRIDE IS QUITE SIMPLY.. THE ONE

Jymi’s Rating: 71%

SAMMY SAY’S…

London Pride does not refer to a group of lions based in London but rather to a beer that is aimed at being the top most offering from our fair capital city.  And you’d be hard pushed to come from London (or indeed much further afield) and not know about this staple of the ale world, which is Fuller’s flagship beer.

You know where you stand with Pride, and its somewhere right in the heart of London, just as intended.  This beer truly does represent where it’s from with grandeur.  It’s proud to be from London and Londoners should be proud to have it as their representative.

It has a distinctive taste, which while not groundbreaking, is so very comforting.  It really is a strong representative of an English bitter that is fairly light on the palette with light malty hopiness supported by the almost perfect length of bitter after bite.  The nose is isn’t anything to get excited about – but let’s be fair, it is a bitter!

The success of London Pride lies in its unwavering consistency.  One bottle after another, it always delivers.  It is refreshingly old school.  It doesn’t dress up in anything other than what it truly is.

Fuller’s know what they’re doing and they know that with this brand they have a hit on their hands.

Sammy’s Rating: 78%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 74.5% 

MOB review next weekend: HOLY MOLÉ by DAWKINS 

MUSE ON BOOZE