BEER REVIEW: 330

BREWER: Overtone, Lanarkshire, Scotland

STYLE: DDH Double IPA

ABV: 8.4%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 4th February 2024

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

It’s quite a bold statement naming your brew Pure Magic. As the brewer, you must believe in it to be so confident. 

And the verdict is Overtone have nailed this beer. It’s a banger of a DIPA. Packed with melon, grapefruit and mango and finishing with grassy notes, I’d be surprised if any beer drinker out there were disappointed with Pure Magic. 

As an aside, it has a sumptuous mouthfeel to carry all these well brewed flavours through. 

Whether or not this monster of a beer is pure magic or not will always be in the tongue of the taster. But there’s not many out there who would argue with this beer being anything less than magic. 

Sammy’s Rating: 88%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

With a name like Pure Magic you kinda need your beer to deliver, if not over deliver to back up it’s label. Otherwise you get punks like me and Sammy thinking they’re clever by concluding a sh***y amateur beer review with obvious lines like Pure Magic… it is not or Pure Magic, No. Pure Pants, Yes.

Thankfully our buddies up in Glasgow, Overtone, have flippin’ nailed it! This is an awesome brew let me tell you!

First off Overtone have decided to use the hops Galaxy, Motueka and Strata for this power beer. Now, I’m no brewer but I do know that these are all hops that bring a lot to the party so balancing out would be no mean feat. Second off once turning the very good looking can around I was informed that this isn’t just a DIPA, it’s a Double Dry Hopped DIPA. So appearance in glass and nose should also be bringing a lot to the table here.

I can confirm that our Scottish brewers have without doubt balanced this beer perfectly as well as presented something that looks SENSATIONAL in the glass and smells as tropical as it gets. Just wow.

In mouth Pure Magic brings all the juice with Mango and Lime playing the staring roles. It’s worth noting here that the mouthfeel of this beer is nothing short of exceptional. Once swallowed a necessary and divine bitterness sneaks in to balance the upfront juice and then progresses to an almost savoury melon tone in the late aftertaste.

Excellent beer. Find. Drink. Love.

Jymi’s Rating: 91%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 89.5%

MOB review next weekend: WAPALOOSIE by TARTARUS BEERS

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M O B 2024

BEER REVIEW: 329

BREWER: Valmiermuiza, Valmiera Parish, Latvia 

STYLE: Porter

ABV: 6.5%

VESSEL: 0.33l brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 28th January 2024

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

It’s a very heart-warming experience when you come across a beer that gets you excited. It piques the old tastebuds and gets your juices flowing. 

To be fair, I had high expectations for Riga Porter. There’s something about it that oozes class from the outside. Its classic style bottle and label is very well thought out. 

Riga Porter is a class beer. Let’s get that out there. 

It’s packed with coffee back notes, which is what you’d want from a porter. But the real surprise is the berry fore notes.   All these complex flavours combine to make something very special. 

It has an unctuous mouthfeel to cap it all off. 

Wonderful offering – well worth a try. 

Sammy’s Rating: 84%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I have never been to Latvia, let alone Riga. I want to go. I want to go and sit outside with a huge coat on in a square (it’s the middle of winter in this dream scene btw) in the city centre with Sammy. I want to sit there, chillin, chewin the cud and sipping on the utterly divine Riga Porter. This brew is made for the cold and sitting for a while with a chum discussing all things. It’s rich, luxurious and FULL OF FLAVOUR. Huge tones of cherry, dates, raisins and soft coffee come at you with every sip. It’s smoother than a groover and just a delight to drink.

Please try to find it and enjoy when you do.

Cracking beer.

Jymi’s Rating: 86%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 85%

MOB review next weekend: PURE MAGIC by OVERTONE

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M O B 2024

DUE TO A COVID OUTBREAK AT MOBHQ WE HAVE HAD TO CHANGE THE BEER REVIEWED THIS WEEK. HOPEFULLY WE’LL BE BACK ON TRACK NEXT WEEK AS LONG AS ONE OF US MAN’S UP. NO NAME MENTIONED (Sammy). 

BEER REVIEW: 328

BREWER: BrewDog, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

STYLE: Stout 

ABV: 4.1%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 21st January 2024

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

I can’t ignore the elephant in the room when writing this review.  This is not a stout that originates from its own beginning. The team at Brew Dog set out to make a stout to take on Guinness. Put that in perspective- they are trying to recreate the world’s best selling stout so that they can compete with it. This is a huge issue for me. If you’re going to brew a stout, do it because you’re passionate about it. Do it for the love of the beer. Make folk want to buy your beer, not a recreation of another company’s success. Do not try and hang in someone else’s coat tales, all in the name of creative marketing. 

The thing is, I gave Black Heart to a friend of mine without telling them it was not Guinness. They made no comment, leading to the conclusion that they were indeed duped into thinking that they were having Guinness, not a Brew Dog rip off. 

But I have also had Black Heart followed by a Guinness. And I can tell you which beer was superior and which was inferior. I don’t need to spell it out – you can guess. 

Black Heart is an imitation beer – it’s a leech that’s trying to suck the life out of a hugely successful product. And while it has some success in that it’s an ok stout, its biggest downfall lies in the very fact that it’s not original. It does not exist on its own. It is a parasite. 

The thing with parasites, take away the host and they don’t survive. Black Heart lives in the shadows of Guinness and it will be cast off, meaning it won’t survive on its own. 

Have a Guinness instead. 

Sammy’s Rating: 58%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

On 3^rd April 2022 Sammy and I tested Tony’s Hopolonely by BrewDog.

On 3^rd April 2022 I decided to boycott beers by BrewDog due to them being shite and the ethics of the company being even more… shite.

However, as a multi award winning beer reviewer you still have to crack, sip and review what comes your way regardless of personal belief.

And here we are at Black Heart, a draught Stout and BrewDog’s attempt to take on Guinness.

You have to take your hat off to these morons sometimes. Black Heart was never going to take on nor take over from Guinness. And BrewDog knew that when they stated this was the beer to topple the Irish power brewery. All they wanted was for folk to try it to see if it could or would rival the stout from St. James’ Gate. They knew intrigue would take over, as it did for the MOB boys and at the end of the day, each beer sold is another beer sold.

So how did it stack up?

To be fair, it’s pretty good. Very smooth with all the flavours you would expect from a draught stout.

Is it like a Guinness? Kinda is yeah.

Is it as good as Guinness? To be honest, no. But it is not a million miles away.

For me it’s lacking something in the back end. It’s lacking umph and clout in the aftertaste. There is more of a sweetness at the end where really there should be a dry and faint bitter aftertaste. I know BD are not trying to totally replicate Guinness but to take it on I’m not sure a sweetness at the end is the way to go.

Either way, all bad BrewDog vibes aside this is a pretty tasty beer and dare I say it… worth a try.

Jymi’s Rating: 69%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 63.5%

MOB review next weekend: RIGA PORTER by VALMIERMUIZA

(hopefully!!!)

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M O B 2024

BEER REVIEW: 327

BREWER: Wye Valley Brewery, Herefordshire, England

STYLE: Premium Ale

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 12th January 2024

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Interesting name. Butty Bach. Read the label and it’ll tell you what it means. It might have a nice sentiment but still, it’s an important interesting name for a beer. No more needs to be said. 

As a beer, BB is pretty unremarkable. I mean, it’s ok. It’s drinkable. But it’s wholly uneventful. 

It’s hard to pick out any points of difference. The drinking experience is bang average.

This is one of those beers that will pale into insignificance. It’s not an unpleasant drink. It’s just so meh that it defies definition. 

To be honest with the millions of readers, I was hoping for a little more from BB. But there’s really very little to say about it. 

Sammy’s Rating: 61%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

It’s only when you take some time to observe Butty Bach’s vessel that you realise it’s splendour. The 90s font that our beer’s name is written in needs to be ignored but the rest of the bottle I adore. Really clean, really simple with a logo the creative brand marketing team at Nike would be proud of. Well played.

Beer wise, we have a bit of an odd one here. As soon as BB hit my lips I thought we were onto a winner. By the time I had finished my glass however I was left wondering if I actually liked it at all.

For me our ‘little friend’ starts off with a crisp refreshing smack. I reached for by note book and jotted down some seasoned favourite adjectives… crushable, zingy… you know the drill. However as I worked my way through things began to turn a lot more malty with some dark berry notes dropping in to say hello. Not bad, but not the drink that I was enjoying so much at the start.

I’ve ended up giving BB the benefit of the doubt but, though it’s kinda cool and clever when a beer switches up on you, really I just wanted it to stay as it was.

Jymi’s Rating: 69%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 65%

MOB review next weekend: RIGA PORTER by VALMIERMUIZA

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M O B 2024

BEER REVIEW: 326

BREWER: Ringwood Brewery, Hampshire, England

STYLE: Golden Ale

ABV: 4.9%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 6th January 2024

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Unfortunately I have to start this review and New Year on a sombre note. Ringwood, the brewers of our beer today have recently closed down. I should probably fact check this actually as have only heard on the grapevine…

Gimme a sec…

Yep,

Jymi’s Rating: 35%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

With a name like Fortyniner, I can’t help but think of American Football. More specifically, San Francisco. And even more specifically, the gold rush. But this beer has nothing to do with America whatsoever. And it certainly has no connection to gold. 

To be more accurate, Fortyniner would be better aligned with a dull metal. It might not be an awful beer. It’s even quite drinkable. But the thing is, it has no character or personality and it’s as dull as beer can be without being awful. 

If I were to describe Fortyniner in one word, it would be inoffensive. But being described as inoffensive could actually be quite offensive. An oxymoron I know. Anyway, you get the picture. This simply ain’t a great beer. 

As an aside, I scored Fortyniner 49% – perhaps its name is a self-fulfilling prophecy…

Sammy’s Rating: 49%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 42%

MOB review next weekend: BUTTY BACH by WYE VALLEY BREWERY

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M O B 2024

BEER REVIEW: 325

BREWER: Disruption IS Brewing, Surrey, England

STYLE: Pastry Stout

ABV: 6.5%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 31st December 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I’m not really a pudding kinda guy. Don’t get me wrong, I do not dislike a pud, but I’d sooner opt for the savoury side of life nowadays.

Once upon a time when I was just a lad, if out for dinner, 3 courses would not be an issue. Bit of fish to start, nice bit of meat for main and a sweet sugary mess to finish no drama. But I just can’t do it now. Two courses is the absolute max and because of the savoury sway a starter and a main will always win.

But as said, I do like a pudding… Bit of cheesecake? Defo! Nice dollop of Lemon Posset? Yes please! Rhubarb and Apple Crumble with clotted cream? Get in my belly!!! It’s when the time arrives I’m too full to take advantage of such delights.

Our brew today, and final one of the year, is based on an absolute British CLASSIC of a pudding. The mighty Sticky Toffee Pudding!!!

Now a STP is made up from Dates, Brown Sugar, Treacle and Golden Syrup. Stick this influence into a stout and you should obviously get sweetness in abundance!

And Alright Treacle? as you might expect does bring sweetness to the table. Not in a massive way but plenty enough to make this a sweet beer. There is a very good Date foundation holding everything together well and I have to say a Date flavour in a stout is actually lovely but ultimately the sweetness that it brings is a little too much. This brew is also a little over carbonated for my liking. Is it fizzy? No. Is there too much fizz though? Yes.

And just when I was about to state that the essence of Sticky Toffee Pudding isn’t actually present, there it is… deep, deep, deep into the aftertaste. Actually quite cool.

Look, I’m not the biggest fan of this beer and that is probably just me with the elevated sweetness thing. It’s brewed well and hey, give it a go! YOU may just like it.

Jymi’s Rating: 49%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Alright Treacle is a sticky toffee pudding pastry stout. Sounds like a mighty good combo to me!

For starters, I like the festive packaging – it looks like a steamed pudding. Perhaps on the budget side, it’s still a nice touch. 

Then onto the second course, a light treacle nose mixed with the usual stout features makes for an enticing lead into the drink. It really does get you in the festive mood. 

For mains, the sweet treacle definitely comes through. There’s no doubt this is a good, solid festive beer. It might not be one to be had in abundance but defo a good fireside sipper. 

I won’t be rooting AT out until next year’s winter season but by then I’ll be well ready for another!

Sammy’s Rating: 80%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 64.5%

MOB review next weekend: FORTY NINER by RINGWOOD BREWERY

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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M O B 2023

BEER REVIEW: 324

BREWER: Innis & Gunn, Lothian, Scotland

STYLE: Imperial Stout

ABV: 11%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 23rd December 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

So you know in our last review I was going on about Foreign Export Stout not being BIG enough for an 8% beer… well it’s happened again!

VP04 as I hope you read above is an 11% Imperial Stout. This brew should be HUGE and it just… isn’t.

Once the lid is lifted and the drink is poured the nose coming from VP04 actually is massive to be fair. Really boozy with notes of coffee, Christmas spices and liquor. On sip things continue well. There is a great mouthfeel here and the beer slips down great with continuing tones and coffee, spices and bourbon. But it’s once swallowed things start to go down hill. The aftertaste and body is just so thin. You would expect it to be full on, cloying, intense and robust seeing what has gone before and it’s super heavyweight ABV. But it kinda just, pardon the actually now very deliberate pun, vanishes.

As said, Vanishing Point does actually taste great and is crazy smooth but I was expecting, and wanting, so so so much more.

Jymi’s Rating: 69%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Vanishing Point is an 11% potential powerhouse of a stout.  Before drinking (and ignoring the substandard packaging), it promises so much festive hope and cheer…

The strong bourbon coffee nose gets us off to a great start.  And the drinking is full of vanilla , sweet coffee and chocolate. In fact, if you keep drinking you can pick out a whole plethora of great stout combos. Although VP is more on the sweet side, there’s enough bitterness to counteract it. 

Despite all the strengths of VP, I can’t help feeling a little short changed.  Yes, there’s a lot going on in the flavour, but it just doesn’t carry through. To put it bluntly, for an 11% beer, I’d expect all the popping flavour notes to carry through more. But they don’t. The flavour simply dissipates as quickly as the beer’s gone from the mouth. 

While VP might not live up to its powerhouse potential, it is a decent drop nonetheless and, if offered one again, I would not say no. It just won’t be on my to buy again list. 

Sammy’s Rating: 70%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 69.5%

MOB review next weekend: ALRIGHT TREACLE? by DISRUPTION IS BREWING

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M O B 2023

BEER REVIEW: 323

BREWER: Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England

STYLE: Stout

ABV: 8%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 18th December 2023

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Foreign Export Stout promises much.  A heady abv for a traditional stout, one might hope that the flavours in this brew are carried through.

So what are the flavours at play here?  Well, there’s coffee dominating and playing second fiddle is liquorice.  Even though I am not a liquorice fan, it lingers in a good way with FES, only adding to the profile.

Where this stout falls short though, is with the depth of the flavour.  While it is very pleasant, there is almost no carry through at all.  Bearing in mind that this bad boy is packing above 6% abv, you would hope it was able to punch more in the mouth.  Truth be told, it comes across as a much lighter beer and that brings issues as if you’re going to drink a weighty beer, you want it to benefit from the added alcohol.

FES is a decent enough drop but it is nowhere near best in class.  I would have it again, but there are many more go to stouts for me.

Sammy’s Rating: 67%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

If I had tested this blind… it would have scored higher.

If this was 5ish%, I would have scored it higher.

But it was not tested blind and is not 5ish%, so, though we still have a decent enough score here (because it tastes lovely) I walked away from the test slightly deflated.

At 8% you should defo not be walking away thinking that the brew needed more oomph, but FES does. It really does.

And it is such a shame, because as mentioned, it tastes great… but unfortunately does not deliver where it should.

Jymi’s Rating: 77%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 72%

MOB review next weekend: VANISHING POINT by INNIS & GUNN

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M O B 2023

BEER REVIEW: 322

BREWER: Wold Top Brewery, East Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Porter

ABV: 5%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 11th December 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I have to be honest, Marmalade and Porter uttered in the same sentence I don’t think I have ever come across. Marmalade and Porter in the same beer description definitely not. Marmalade Porter as a beer style, 100% categorically not.

The reason being, citrus and Porter are not really a well known combo now are they.

So it’s fair to say I went into this thinking, well this is going one of two ways isn’t it.

And I have to be honest, I was surprised at the way it actually went… Somehow the orange and lemon tones work here. I don’t know quite how, but they do. Marmalade Porter is officially a good beer!

MP is all about the subtle touch in the brewing from Wold Top. There are defo moments where this beer could have gone very wrong but WT stayed right on top of things.

A rich but subtle nose leads to a great mouthfeel in the sip and then to a perfect bitter sweet balance. It’s light in the drinking but somehow also rich in the flavour that it’s bringing. Coffee and chocolate touches lead the way but in the aftertaste, quite late on, the citrus tones begin to sneak in… and work. Subtle but clever.

Do not be put off by what you think this brew could be like from the description. It’s a tasty drop and well worth a go.

Jymi’s Rating: 72%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Marmalade Porter – at first, this may seem like a strange concept for a beer.  But, delve deeper, and it makes sense.  Marmalade is, of course, usually orange based.  And then porters can be quite chocolatey in their notes.  So, put these two together and what you have, well, it’s a bit of a chocolate orangey potential mash up.

And so it is with Marmalade Porter.  It does have some chocolate notes on the nose and these carry through into the drinking.  It pleases me greatly that the marmalade does deliver on the orange notes, too.  As you move further down the glass, there’s a coffee finish.  And to be fair, those coffee flavour profiles do go well with the mix, giving this beer a well-balanced drinking experience.  

If I were to be hyper critical, and I will be, the body is quite light.  For such a flavourful drink, it could do with a little more oomph to carry through all the well brewed notes.  

This is definitely a porter that will tick many festive boxes.  Marmalade Porter does as you might hope.  If you like your dark beers, then you will probably not be disappointed with this offering.  

Sammy’s Rating: 77%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 74.5%

MOB review next weekend: FOREIGN EXPORT STOUT by RIDGEWAY BREWING

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M O B 2023

BEER REVIEW: 321

BREWER: Black Sheep Brewery, North Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Stout

ABV: 4.4%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 2nd December 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

WHAT. IS. GOING. ON??

I need to get away from this I’ve had a bad bottle and Sammy a good one thing, but I do fear it’s happened YET AGAIN. However I’m proceeding with a review of what I drank and how I felt about it as, well, that’s all I can do now.

This is an awful beer. Black Sheep have f**ked it. A milk stout should be smooooooooooth, this is not. It is way too carbonated in the mouth that then leads to an overwhelming bitterness in the aftertaste. Of course you expect some bitter tones but this is INTENSE and frankly way too much. Because of this trying to find the notes of chocolate, vanilla and coffee that our bottle promises is nigh on impossible. The bottle label also mentions that the drinker should expect a light bitterness but as mentioned, light is defo the wrong word to describe the bitterness here.

Nearing the end of this pretty shocking drinking experience Milk Stout began to settle down a bit due to the large carbonation running out of gas. This then exposed a thinness to the body and flavour, though I’m sure this would be due to the fizz overload early on.

Just moving back to the comparison to Sammy’s experience of Milk Stout for the final time… If I had consumed the brew he had I would not be scoring this beer so wildly low. And if he had gone through what I had there is no way he would have awarded the rating he has. Make of that what you will.

Happy freakin’ Christmas ya filthy animals!

Jymi’s Rating: 23%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Before even opening, there’s much to mull over with Milk Stout. 

For starters, there’s the tagline – creamy rich and dark. That’s promising a lot.

Then there’s the awards:

• World beer awards winner (England) 2022 
• Gold in the international brewing awards 2019

And then, add to that, Milk Stout supports human milk foundation with a nice pull back label. 

So, before even opening, you better hope this beer delivers. 

And it does. 

On the nose, there’s a light milky dusty hint which is subtle but is undoubtedly there. 

But the magic really starts when you tuck into Milk Stout. It is indeed creamy rich and dark. In fact, it’s just like a milk stout should be or as you’d hope it would be. Creaminess vanilla sweetness gives way to burnt caramel,  with a good, but not overpowering, bitter finish. And as you drink down the glass, this experience does not diminish. 

Milk Stout lives up to its awards.  I think I may well chug down a couple over the festive period. 

Sammy’s Rating: 82%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 52.5%

MOB review next weekend: MARMALADE PORTER by WOLD TOP

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M O B 2023