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

BEER REVIEW: 134

BREWER: Brasserie Goudale, Hauts-de-France, France

STYLE: Biere de Garde

ABV: 7.2%

VESSEL: 75cl brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 2nd May 2020

SAMMY SAY’S…

La Goudale have gone down the traditional route with their styling. It works a treat. Absolutely fantastic packaging in a great sharing (or solo, if you’re feeling selfish) bottle. You have to love the champagne style cork, which adds massively to the sense of occasion with this beer. Its French style, aligned with an old wine bottle, is hugely successful.
What we have here is La Goudale’s blonde bier. And that’s exactly what it smells like. Not always the most pleasantly aroma’ed beers, this is ok for a blonde. It doesn’t have too much depth on the nose, but there’s enough there to pique your interest.  
The sweet slightly orangey flavour is prevalent up front with La Goudale. It hits the taste buds straight away. They’re short lived and leave the palate quite cleansed.
I have to be careful as I am not the biggest blonde (beer of course) fan. But I like this. It sits well and is very refreshing. La Goudale’s sense of occasion carries all the way through their product.  
Go an get your hands on one to share, or if you so wish, enjoy alone. Remember though – once opened you need to consume in one sitting. I’m sure you’ll be able to manage it…

Sammy’s Rating: 78%

JYMI SAY’S…

I dunno, maybe it was the backdrop? Or maybe it was the fact I was sat sipping in the early evening French sun with my fellow beer reviewer Sammy. Or maybe it was because La Goudale Blonde is a simply sensational beer. OR MAYBE it was all of the above combined.

From start to finish this beer is just oozing greatness. The look and size of the bottle just suggests sitting back for a 30 min chinwag. And the beer itself, well, it’s pretty sweet, in both taste and quality. The sweetness level is just ok for me as I’m not really a fan of sweet beer. There is a lovely honey orange thing floating around. Combine this with an ultra smooth texture and a clearly high end brewing process and you end up with something pretty spectacular.

Something else that struck me with this beer is how mellow it is. Not so much in the way it drinks (though it is very mellow) but more in the way it makes you feel. Because of the strength we have going on here and the fact this is totally hidden in the taste, by the time the bottle is done you feel like you’ve been on a weekend’s caravaning trip to Rhyl with Robert Nesta Marley. And believe me, that is a nice feeling to have.

Jymi’s Rating: 87%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 82.5%

 MOB review next weekend: MAD GOOSE by PURITY BREWING CO.

M O B 2020

BEER REVIEW: 133

BREWER: Adnams, Suffolk, England

STYLE: Sour

ABV: 4%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE OF POST: 24th April 2020

JYMI SAY’S…

Well, when it comes to Cucumbers, Melons and Sours I have pretty strong personal opinions on all. So when Adnams put all three together those strong opinions really started to manifest themselves together in quite a way. Questions about how this could work and would it be a tasty brew were flying about in my… melon. 

Melons – I don’t really like melons. Nor can I eat them as my bod is definitely intolerant to them. My friends found out about this on a trip to Spain once. When out for an early dinner I consumed some sort of fruit salad not realising that it contained melon.

I’m sure my pals were trying to call for help as their friend was in trouble what with his throat swelling up and stuff but it just seemed to be that they were laughing too much. Once the episode was over and I told them that eating fresh oranges made my lips swell up they really lost their s**t.

Cucumbers – It’s not that I don’t like cucumbers, they’re fine, but they are not much more than that. That wet mess in the middle of them has always seemed unnecessary to me. With it removed the cumber is nice enough to consume but with it the whole experience is pretty bland.

Sours – I. Flippin. LOVE. Sours.. if done well of course. If I find myself momentarily blinded due to my body twitching so much from the high tart level of a sour then Jymi is a happy boy.

So how did Cucumelon Sour stack up?

Let’s take this sip by sip…

First sip made these thoughts happen in my head. “Blimey, that tastes like cucumber”!

From there I thought,well, this could be nice and refreshing but I wasn’t picking up any sour really. If you’re going to label something a sour it needs to be sour. So heading into sip two I thought, if I can pick up on some sour here with the refreshing taste of cucumber too we may be onto something.

Nope, sip two was a disaster. It’s not sour. It just tastes like cucumber. It’s terrible.

From there I lost my mind slightly. Whether it was based on frustration, a lockdown wobble or disappointment who knows, but I just chinned the rest of the glass in one. Bizarre. I think I just wanted it to be over… and thank gawd it is.

Jymi’s Rating: 27%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Now, sour is not everyone’s style of beer. If I were to conduct a straw poll with my friends, it would only be me and Jymi that liked them. However, we must assume that others out there do like sours because if they didn’t, then there wouldn’t be a market for them.

The idea of cucumber and melon as a sour is interesting. I’m not saying I’m against it. It’s just interesting. And it does smell of cucumber, with a little bit of melon. That’s no mean feat, to pack in such aromas in the nose.

Then, when you drink Cucumelon, you get the cucumber. And melons there too. but the sour part is absent. It’s not there. Not existent. And the problem is, cucumber and melon beer (without the sour) is pretty awful. It’s like a gimmick. A novelty. Terrible.

If you’re going to make a sour, make a sour. Do it properly. Don’t scrimp. Don’t hold back. Because if you don’t go for it, you’ll end up with something so wishy washy, it’s not worth the can that it’s held in.

And, so, here we are, Cucumelon started off so well. But it ended disastrously. I had great hopes for this beer. But they were dashed. Shredded. Trodden into the ground.

This does not even come close to the great sours out there. It’s not a sour so don’t be fooled!

Terrible.

Sammy’s Rating: 29%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 28%

 MOB review next weekend: LA GOUDALE BLONDE by BRASSERIE GOUDALE

M O B 2020

BEER REVIEW: 132

BREWER: Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle, Antwerp, Belgium

STYLE: Dubbel

ABV: 7%

VESSEL: 33CL brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 17th April 2020

SAMMY SAY’S…

Westmalle Dubbel is, as you’d expect for a Trappist, dark in colour. And that makes it look a little foreboding, as is often the case with this style of beer. But it’s not. It’s light and easy to drink.

In fact, I could see myself supping WD very happily on a warm summer’s day in a bustling Belgian square. Sound idyllic doesn’t it? Well, that’s what I’m dreaming of while swigging it back in my garden during our countries current lockdown.

But it gets me thinking, dreaming perhaps, of a beer trip to Belgium. Drinking the local beers in their natural habitat with not a care in the world (except about which beer next). Oh the places we’d go! The things we’d see (more and more blearily as the trip progressed and the beers flowed)!

As I said, just dreaming. But that’s what WD has done for me during this sunny spring lockdown day in the UK.

Time you tried one I reckon…

Sammy’s Rating: 87%

JYMI SAY’s…

Craft beers used to be really hard to get hold of in the UK and some still are to be fair. Some of the relatively everyday beers from around our globe also used to be very hard to source. You may have known a guy who knew a guy that knew a shop where one could venture many miles to get some of the less mainstream and international beer offerings. But other than that, unless you got lucky, the variety available to us beer drinkers was fairly limited.
Nowadays, things have changed. I have to say I am always amazed at the selection available in most UK supermarkets. Yes you still have the classic 24 lagers for 14p offerings but now you can find a literal wall of ale, as well as an adjoining craft beer wall. The selection is vast and the price is mostly fair if not cheap. Now I don’t care if you’re a purist or not, this has to be a good thing. Tesco winning awards for independent beer retailer of the year in this field is a step too far, I concede, but quality beers well priced that are easily accessible to the masses has to be positive. It HAS TO BE. The fact you can pick up the worldy of a beer that is this Trappist Westmalle Dubbel from a supermarket for under £3 just underlines this.

This beer is an absolute superstar, I am telling you now!

Before you even get to tasting WD the senses of sight and smell get a good working over. This dubbel presents itself an incredible cherry red and the lacing up the side of the glass reassures you that you’re in good hands.

Once drinking, a beaut of a sour cherry nose leads the way into a light and soft sip with the most delicate of touches (please remember this beast is 7%, it will pay to concentrate here). During the sipping experience an almost marzipan thing comes along but even for the almond haters among us this is honestly a good thing. There is such a full dark fruit cherry flavour to Westmalle’s Dubbel but not so much that is comes anywhere near to taking your head off (it’s 7% remember so it will take your head off).

A superb beer that isn’t too complex. Dare I say a starter Belgian?
Can’t actually believe I wrote that.

Jymi’s Rating: 91%

Jymi’s Rating: 91%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 89%

MOB review next weekend: CUCUMELON SOUR by ADNAMS

M O B 2020

BEER REVIEW: 131

BREWER: Ascot Brewing Company, Surrey, England

STYLE: Golden Ale 

ABV: 4.6%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 10th April 2020

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Before I even lift the lid on this sucker I need to get a few things off my chest. Ascot ales have gone down the horse racing road of branding with their range. Pretty clever really seeing as Royal Ascot race week is world famous. Now my first and biggest issue here is that their beers are not brewed in Ascot. They are brewed in Camberley, which is 10 miles away AND not even in the same flippin’ county. Now I’m sure business wise this makes perfect sense but I just find it pretty irritating if I’m being perfectly honest. What also irritates me is the name and label. I know we’re on the horse racing theme but 5/4 Favourite as a name? Really? Surely ‘The Favourite’ or just 5/4 would be better? Oh I don’t know. Also going down the jockey silks road for the label I like, but please do better if you do. Please.

Anyway, I need a beer after all that ranting!

And thank the good laaaawd that it is a good one! In fact, it’s a great one!!
5/4 Fav pours a gorgeous thick brown that then brings us a light citrus nose. When getting into the taste the amount of flavour coming from this beer tells you that you are instantly onto a winner, and I suppose at odds against that is a good thing. There is a lovely build of lemon that then turns to an almighty bitter burst. It really is delightful.

All in all, as I’m sure you have to come realise, this is a splendid beer all dressed up in ridiculous robes. But at least this Surrey brewer has got the most important part oh so very right.

Jymi’s Rating: 75%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

I’ve never had much luck on the gee gees. But then, I’ve never put a bet on a favourite, especially not a 5/4 favourite. The thing is, I’ve had more luck in the beer world. I’ve had the pleasure of trying many beers, you see. Some of them good, some of them great, some of them less so. And just a few come in as a good old favourite.

I have to say, much about Ascot’s offering impresses me. I’m on board with the whole racing theme. I mean, what else is there in good old Ascot? And there is the danger that such a theme could be gimmicky and lack any sort of punch in the drinking. Happily, that’s not the case with 5/4. It’s quite a charming beer. For a golden ale, it has some great bitter notes, but not too many. And its crisp, light and enticing.

Funnily enough, 5/4 Favourite would be right at home at the races. Unlike me. But when I come across one of these bad boys on tap, I’m going to be seriously tempted into supping one down, any time of the year on any occasion.

Well done Ascot Brewing Company, you could put Ascot on the map for something other than horse racing. Except it’s brewed in Camberley, which is a different county altogether. Oh well, doesn’t detract from the beer!

Sammy’s Rating: 82%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 78.5%

MOB review next weekend: WESTMALLE DUBBEL by BROUWERIJ DER TRAPPISTEN VAN WESTMALLE

 M O B 2020

BEER REVIEW: 130

BREWER: Vibrant Forest, Hampshire, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE POSTED: 4th April 2020

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

There are things in life that are good. They fit the bill. They tick boxes and make you happy. But they could be better. They almost hit the mark; they’re close but you feel they’ve left something in the tank. And then the whole overall experience, while being ok, is just a little bit of a let down.

Pupa is like that.

It’s got lots going for it. And I like it. But it somehow just falls short. It’s light and crisp. And the nose is great. But the drinking, it’s just not packing enough of a punch. And for some beers, that works really well. But for Pupa, it feels like it stops too early. It’s got more to give but it’s held back.

I don’t want to be hard on it because Pupa is good. It could just be better. And that’s a bit of a problem for it because there are beers out that in its class that are better. A lot better.

Oh well, you can’t have everything…

Sammy’s Rating: 77%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

The New Forest, a quintessentially English region of Great Britain. It bares such quaint towns like Lyndhurst and Lymington, as well as hundreds of idyllic English villages. Relatively left alone on the south coast, if you ever have the good fortune to drive through certain areas of the New Forest, wild horses roam freely across the roads, whilst seemingly endless landscapes are in abundance. It really is just a splendid part of England’s green and pleasant land.
Now, Vibrant Forest have waltzed along with their rather multicoloured neon flag and jammed it straight in that New Forest ground. A pretty brave move. This packaging is hardly quintessentially English and I’m sure this beer isn’t going to be either.
The packaging is fantastic however! So sinister yet bright, dark yet…Vibrant. FANTASTIC!

Let’s see if the beer is…

Well it’s not fantastic, but it is very good.
It all starts with the olfactory thrill of passionfruit up the schnozz. It makes this pale alluring beyond belief. Next is that first sip… well the passionfruit does not transfer from hooter to moosh but the flavour is still good and one of citrus. Pupa is also lovely and dry which complements the flavours nicely. However, where this brew falls down, I believe, is in the body. It’s too thin for me and detracts from all the positives already mentioned. It just needs to be a bit fuller to take it up a wee notch towards greatness and beyond.

But all said, this is without doubt a good beer and if I saw it again I would happily dive into a few.

Jymi’s Rating: 80%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 78.5% 

MOB review next weekend: 5/4 FAVOURITE by ASCOT BREWING COMPANY

M O B 2020

BEER REVIEW: 129

BREWER: Castelain, Hauts-de-France, France

STYLE: Biere Blonde

ABV: 6.4%

VESSEL: 33cl brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 27th March 2020

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Pretty ugly looking little brute this isn’t it?!

Can you imagine… you’re laying there in your deck chair enjoying the mid afternoon French sun when the thought crosses your mind. “I fancy a bloomin beer I do”. So you mop your brow and reach for one of those little bell things that rich folk have in the movies. You ring said bell and Bruno your trusty butler appears from nowhere to tend to your need. “What can I get you sir”? “Can I please have an ice cold beer my good man”. “Of course sir”. Bruno then whizzes inside with alarming pace to fetch your request. Upon his return the mood turns rather sour. It’s not Bruno’s fault, he didn’t design this thing. Bruno can see the disappointed look on your face and you spend the next 2 hours explaining to him that although the look of a beer bottle doesn’t affect the taste of the beer it certainly goes a long way towards a beer being appealing or not. Eventually you get to the moment where you crack this gloomy looking mess open only to discover that sunshine does lay inside.

Ch’ti, as is to be expected from a French blonde, is light, crisp and smooth with a touch of sweetness knocking around. It is about as classic as it gets really when it comes to this style of beer. And it is certainly good. But it is not great. It does the job. However there are superior brews out there in this style that are simply doing a better one.

Jymi’s Rating: 67%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

I’m going to get it out there straight away: as an English speaking person, this is a pretty awful name for a beer. I mean, I’m sure in it’s native France, it’s pronounced in a perfectly acceptable way. But here, you can’t escape the giggles that follow as soon as the name of this beer is uttered: Chti…

As a product, it’s very acceptable. It’s quite light, it’s easy to drink and it has a pleasant sweetness about it. Chti (still giggling) is what you’d expect from a French beer.

However, for me, it doesn’t do too much to impress. It’s got no, how do you say it? Ah yes, je ne sais quoi.

Would I have one again? Most definitely.

Would it be top of my list? Most definitely not.

Are there better beers out there? Yes.

Are there better French beers out there? Yes.

Sammy’s Rating: 74%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 70.5% 

MOB review next weekend: PUPA by VIBRANT FOREST

M O B 2020

BEER REVIEW: 128

BREWER: Jubel Beer, South London, England

STYLE: Flavoured Lager

ABV: 4%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 21st March 2020

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Urban suggests something cool, on trend, hip even. Yet this Urban is cut with elderflower. And let’s be honest, that’s not very urban at all, is it? Actually, it’s quite rural. And, almost a little bit gimmicky.

But let us not shoot it down before the lids even been popped off of the bottle…

Smelling like elderflower cordial is good, if you’re looking for an elderflower cordial. I’m not sure it works so well on a beer, particularly one called Urban. Not quite getting the vibe of this yet.

Look, when you drink Urban, it’s not terrible. But it’s not good. It’s quite watery and not really beer like. I’d say it’s more like a shandy with elderflower laced through it. And that folks, ain’t how I like to drink my beer.

Would I drink it again? Hmmm, possibly yes, as a replacement for a thirst quenching shandy. However, the thing is, I’d rather have a thirst quenching beer. Like a proper beer. After all, that’s what this whole blog is about. Urban is like, well, it’s like a cordial. It’s gone in seconds but I’m not left feeling satisfied after the whole experience.

Urban is not very urban. And it’s most definitely not for this cat.

It don’t look like beer. It don’t smell like beer. It don’t taste like beer. So I’m declaring that it ain’t a beer.

Sammy’s Rating: 40%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I like beer me.

One does also like the delicate and quaint taste of the elderflower. Wonderful.

But do I like BEER CUT WITH ELDERFLOWER as Jubel so obviously tell us? No, not really.

I have to say as soon as I knew this was coming up to test my head thought that Elderflower beer could defiantly NOT work unless it was a super light ale or a lager. Thankfully when I read the slightly off the wall writings (I know, I can’t talk) on the back of the bottle I was told that Urban was a lager. So it had a chance of at least working. But it didn’t.

The taste, well, is one of elderflower at the start and then cuts to lager. Though not disgusting it really isn’t what you want from your brew. The only positive that can be drawn is that in a super hot setting like a beach chill or over at a pals for a BBQ, as long as super cold it would go down well, almost like a soft drink. However it would actually become very sickly very quickly.

This is just a confused beer really, if you can even call it a beer. I admire the bravery and innovation here but sorry Jubel, I’m just not a fan.

Jymi’s Rating: 47%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 43.5% 

MOB review next weekend: CH’TI by CASTELAIN

M O B 2020

BEER REVIEW: 127

BREWER: Heineken, North Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Brown Ale 

ABV: 4.7%

VESSEL: 550ml clear bottle 

DATE POSTED: 13th March 2020

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I‘m fairly sure it was a Friday during the early Spring of 1996. My Mum announced that she and my younger sister were heading to Cornwall for the weekend. I looked at my Dad and my Dad looked at his 15 year old son… FREE HOUSE!!! (we both said in our heads). So I went about calling my chums Sammy and Oli to hatch a plan. My Dad went about calling his pal Malc to see if he maybe fancied a pint later. He did.

Fast forward a few hours and somehow a plan was set for the five of us to go and watch a band in the pub down the road. Solid. Fast forward a few more hours and it was time to depart for the White Horse in Winkfield Row near Ascot (it’s now an Argentine Restaurant in case you lot thinking about flocking).

Now, as the cab rolled up another glance was exchanged between my Pop and I. This time it was him saying to me in his head, ‘Don’t f*”k this up’.  ‘Cool ya jets old man, I got this’ I said back, again with no words actually spoken.

We arrived. The other three were already there at the bar with three lagers in front of them. My Dad ordered up a pint of Best and then attention switched to me. Now the expectation was that I would simply slip into a lager too but no, I thought that I would mix it up a bit. I had seen some pretty slick cats kicking around drinking Newkie B from the bottle and seeing that I was wearing a fake fur coat I thought it was time to join this crew.

I flippin’ loved this ale and it flew down!! Like really FLEW DOWN!! The night pumped along nicely I seem to remember and everyone was on top form. And I was holding it together too which was pretty surprising seeing as I had necked about 200 bottles of Dog in 3 hours. We said our goodbyes and all headed back home. Now, this is where things suddenly took a turn. Once in bed with my eyes shut the room suddenly went into what can only be described as a South Shields spin. I was in trouble, big trouble. After the flying down there was now a large concern that things were going to fly up. Let’s just say that I didn’t quite make it to the toilet in time shall we…

Until now, I had not touched NBA since. Not necessarily because of my experience with the Broon that night but more circumstance. I went back to lager for a bit and once the ale stage came along in my life there were about a million to choose from and Newkie just didn’t come into my thinking.

So, how is it then?

GOOOOOD!!!

We have one of the most iconic beers ever here and she is a winner! There is a fair amount of carbonation but that does not stop this brew being very smooth in the sip. The texture is really thin too which again helps it slip down well. I can now see how I ended up in trouble with this ale all those years ago. It really does FLY DOWN!! Once into the taste a lovely soft caramel develops slowly to accompany the slightly bittersweet and nutty flavour.

Classic and class.

Jymi’s Rating: 77%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

In days gone by, it used to be that Newcastle Brown Ale was a staple of a night. And for many I bet it still is. But, sadly, for me, I left it as a regular in my menagerie of tipples when I waved goodbye to those heady university days.

The thing is, now that I’m reacquainted with it, I find myself wondering why I left it behind. With it’s aroma sending me straight back to the student union, I feel young again. But this is not just a young person’s drink. Oh no, it’s so much more than that. This is a big hitter. As in, think of a drive from a young Tiger Woods kind of big hitter.

I like NBA’s mild flavours. It sits well in the range of beers available. And considering that range has increased since I was a uni student, that’s impressive.

Truth be told, I really enjoyed having a trip down memory lane drinking this. And yes, an old flame has been rekindled. It’s back on the (ever growing) list of beers for a night out!

Sammy’s Rating: 83%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 80%

MOB review next weekend: URBAN by JUBEL BEER

M O B 2020