TABLE BEER

BEER REVIEW: 87

BREWER: The Kernel Brewery, South-East London, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 3%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 7th June 2019

SAMMY SAY’S…

Hats off to The Kernel Brewery for naming a beer Table Beer. It really makes sense. I love the step away from ‘session’. To me, it’s innovative. Add to that, they have packaged it up it a neat way, which also works with the overall sense that this beer gives off.

The nose on Table Beer is faint and doesn’t offer too much insight into what might lie behind it. On first drinking, you understand why this is called Table Beer. It’s not clever or trying to be anything special. What it is, is exactly what it’s name says.

The Kernel Brewery have pulled no punches with this beer. It’s not gimmicky. It’s not the most exciting beer that you’ll ever drink. It doesn’t try to be something it’s not. What it is though, is a great Table Beer. I would hazard a guess that most people would really enjoy this beer without realising that they are enjoying it. It would sit in the background and do the job it set out to do.

I’d happily put it on my table.

Sammy’s Rating: 79%

JYMI SAY’S…

Now, what we have here is a break from three pretty hefty moulds..

Name

Packaging

Percentage

So, how’s it worked out?

Well I have to say, pretty dang well!!

Going to start with the Percentage. 3% is crazy weak for a beer. The only other pup in this sphere that we have stumbled across so far in our beer adventure has been New England Session IPA and that for my part, was a disaster of a brew. However, this offering from Kernel (if I can quote mine and Sammy’s best pal from the other night) is a different beast. Don’t care what percentage this beer is, there is a truck load of flavour coming out of this south east London pale.

On to the Packaging. Who would have thought that brown paper probably purchased from Smiths coupled with some pretty poor printing would be such a positive talking point. Dare to be different. Dare to push the boundaries. Dare to flip that right on its head but for it to have the same effect. Wow. Just wow. Utter genius.

And the name. It’s just so flippin clever. A social beer to share with friends around the focal point of any smallish gathering… the humble table. The social centrepiece where beers get crushed, laughs do be had and memories are made and Kernel go and name a beer Table Beer. At risk of repeating myself, utter genius.

I should probably now talk about the taste and its subtle hints of whatever and faint touches of this n that, as well as it maybe lacking a touch in places due to the very low percentage. But I’m not going to. Just trust me that for what this beer was designed to be it’s a work of art and it really is as simple as that.

Jymi’s Rating: 88%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 83.5%

MOB review next weekend: SURF by JAW BREW

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HIBERNATION

DATE POSTED: 5th June 2019

STYLE: London Dry

ABV: 45%

KEY BOTANICAL: Crab Apple & Blackberry

THEY SAY SERVE: Neat

MOB SAY SERVE WITH: Fentimans Botanical Tonic and Lime Garnish

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION: Corpse Reviver No. 2

Corpse Reviver No. 2 ingredients and method:

40ml Hibernation Gin

40ml Dry Vermouth

40ml Cointreau

40ml Fresh Lemon Juice

Dash of Absinthe

Combine all ingredients into an iced cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Lemon Twist.

M O B S O G 2 0 1 9

DRY ISLAND

WELCOME TO THE SECOND MUSE ON BOOZE SUMMER OF GIN

LET’S GO!!

DRY ISLAND

DATE POSTED: 1st June 2019

STYLE: London Dry

ABV: 42.8%

KEY BOTANICAL: Coriander Seed

THEY SAY SERVE WITH: Premium Tonic and Lemon & Thyme Garnish

MOB SAY SERVE WITH: Fentimans Elderflower Tonic and Cucumber Garnish

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION: Breakfast Martini

Breakfast Martini ingredients and method:

50ml Dry Island Gin

15ml Cointreau

15ml Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Spoon Marmalade

Add all ingredients to a Boston shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and fine strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with fresh Orange Peel

M O B S O G 2 0 1 9

DANCE LIKE EVERYONE IS WATCHING

BEER REVIEW: 86

BREWER: Cloudwater Brew Co., Greater Manchester, England

STYLE: Double Dry Hopped IPA

ABV: 6.5%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE POSTED: 31st May 2019

SAMMY SAY’S…

Very often, the word cloudy, especially on a summer’s day, can ruin one’s plans. Dance Like Everyone Is Watching is very cloudy. Quite clearly, it’s cloudiness is very different to the one that we experience in the sky. But what we have to establish, is whether or not it brings the same, aforementioned, feeling.

From the very first sip, it is plain to see that this beer can only bring joy. Drinking it is like the clouds lifting and feeling the heat shining on your face. It has fantastic sharp grapefruit flavours, which leave a pine like trail in your mouth.

However, it’s the mouthfeel that is out of this world and glues everything that is good about this beer together. It’s so smooth; it’s a triumph. There’s also bags of body, it’s almost like drinking a thick shake. And I mean that in a good way. I find Dance Like Everyone Is Watching a real pleasure to drink. All the way from the aroma through to the taste, then the swallowing and finishing with the aftertaste. It leaves the mouth feeling very cleansed and wanting more.

This is one cloudy experience that anyone should enjoy on a hot summer’s day!

Sammy’s Rating: 88%

JYMI SAY’S…

Ok, let’s start with the negatives. Well, there are none.

On to the positives then.

This beer is SENSATIONAL!!

The joyous journey begins with the visual. The almost pearl like can design coupled with the look of this beer in the glass are just an absolute treat for the eyes. The tin itself though not necessarily the greatest design gives off this ‘you just know I’m going to be a refreshing crushable beer don’t you’ vibe and without doubt draws the the drinker to the well with eyes wide open.

On cracking this can the info on low carbonation becomes a reality as your first thought may well be ‘oh, my #DLEIW is flat’ because there is no pssst. But once you remember that this is a deliberately under carbonated brew then calmness can return.

The nose that comes off of Dance Like Everyone is Watching may not be for everyone but is certainly for MOBJymi. It’s one of pure Grapefruit juice and reminds me of holiday hotel breakfast times!! Again not necessarily for everybody!

Now taste and texture wise we are talking high high end here… The low carbonation is an absolute masterstroke from Cloudwater as it gives the flavour room for being the best it can possibly be and I can confirm that it is an absolute belter!! It’s crazy intense upfront which my lead the odd drinker into a mild panic but it soon mellows out into a meandering wander of delight. The brewer mentions below it’s ever so clever logo that this beer is punchy and juicy… and it is. AND IT’S FANTASTIC. AND YOU BETTER GO FIND ONE.

Jymi’s Rating: 91%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 89.5%

MOB review next weekend: TABLE BEER by THE KERNEL BREWING COMPANY

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BRAVADO

BEER REVIEW: 85

BREWER: Magic Rock Brewing, West Yorkshire, England

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 4.1%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE POSTED: 24th May 2019

SAMMY SAY’S…

In hindsight, some decisions turn out to be absolute crackers, while others, sadly, are best never mentioned again. Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing. And it’s something that we all have. High quality foresight, however, is much more of a rare thing. It’s strong foresight, with a pinch of luck, that makes people money and makes good ideas have legs.

The trouble I have with Bravado is that I’m just not sure that calling a beer Bravado is a good thing. I’m not convinced that it shows Bravado. To understand my doubt, you really have to think about what bravado means and when the reality dawns on you, this association with an alcoholic drink might not be the best idea ever.

But let’s strip back the name and find out what lies beneath it.

Firstly, there’s that old familiar tropical nose, which on this occasion is heavier on the grapefruit scale. Bravado is a great looking, light beer in the glass. It strikes me as moorish.

On the palate it’s very light and very refreshing. In fact, it very easy to drink and it’s very enjoyable to drink. While it may be short in length, it has a crisp tropical starting note followed by a very short bitter punch. This all makes Bravado a very enjoyable beer.

For me, Magic Rock may regret naming this beer Bravado because it’s a belter of a craft IPA but is let down by it’s name and dress. Hey, who knows? Maybe hindsight will prove me wrong…

Sammy’s Rating: 77%

JYMI SAY’S…

Key:

b – bravado

a – alcohol

boakh – bit of a knob head

So normally when the human action of bravado meets the consumption of alcohol the person that has brought this action and consumption together ends up looking like and actually being, a bit of a knob head. It’s not necessarily totally their fault. A bit of harmless bravado (though not really my cup of tea) is fine. And of course sipping on a few light ales of an evening is also perfectly acceptable. But more often than not when the two are brought together, especially in extreme cases, the end result is not particularly good for anyone.

b + a = boakh

Now what we have before us here is the collision of these two things once more. An IPA named (without too much thought it would seem) Bravado and a beer that contains… alcohol.

So is this session IPA that Magic Rock have put forward to the world a bit of a knob head?

Well, quite simply…. no.

It’s great. It really is.

You’re greeted by Bondesque opening credits of an can design and once cracked are then hit with a sharp tangerine blast up the nostrils. What then follows is an absolute delight. It soon becomes apparent that this ale is devastatingly smooth and soft at first but flavour then builds with bitter yet zingy smacks going on all over the place. Bravado then moves to a malty and bitter finish. Then comes the aftertaste… which is one that brings us full circle… the aftertaste is one of tangerine. Very clever…

… a bit like the thought, skill and process from the brewers to create such a beer.

I doff my hat to you Magic Rock.

Jymi’s Rating: 83%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 80%

MOB review next weekend: DANCE LIKE EVERYONE IS WATCHING by CLOUDWATER BREW CO.

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COLONSAY IPA

BEER REVIEW: 84

BREWER: The Colonsay Brewery, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 3.9%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 17th May 2019

JYMI SAY’S…

As you approach the confectionery section of any newsagent you are faced with the same cast time and time again. You have the heavyweights such as Mars, Snickers and Twix. You have the underrated Bounty and Topic knocking around too. Then there are the ones that nobody in the whole world has ever even opened let alone actually eaten, I’m on about the likes of Picnic and Star Bar. But underpinning all of these you have the likes of Chomp, Freddo and FUDGE.

Now, do not underestimate a Fudge bar. Of my 104 friends only 3 dislike a Fudge. Ernie the bin man, Short Bob and Dave Baxter. A bar of Fudge may have a thin body (unlike Short Bob, his other nickname is Wide Bob) but it is packed full of flavour… and this is exactly what this IPA from Colonsay Island is bringing to our drinking table. And it’s a table where many folk may stick around for many hours drinking this India Pale Ale from the wee isle of Colonsay. See what we have here, (unlike this liner on the label losing beer bottles everywhere due to an unexpected wave that seems to be bigger than a cliff) is the perfect storm. A beer that tastes great and isn’t so strong that it will see you in your bunk by mid arvo.

And as a parting note I’m going to draw us to the information provided on the label….

Firstly a great fact: Colonsay is the smallest island in the world with its own brewery.

Secondly the ingredients state that Pure Scottish Water is used in the making of this brew. And you know what… you can tell.

Crisp is the word, is the word, is the word, etc.

Jymi’s Rating: 76%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Firstly, a big shout out to Colonsay Brewery for setting up their production; it’s the smallest island in the world to have its own brewery. Having this claim, though, will only get you so far. To make the claim mean anything, you have to produce good beer…

This offering from Colonsay Brewery, simply named IPA, isn’t a complex beer. It provides a sweet and light aroma, which is different to what one might expect from an IPA. It’s subtle, not at all in your face, and you have to pull deeply to get a hint of what the aroma is about. I really like the fact that it makes you work to get this sense.

The drinking is very similar. When you first draw on the IPA, it’s almost not there. You may feel a little short changed. But the strength of this beer is the more you drink, the more it gives. It builds up subtle complexities and, while it never stands up and shouts, ends in a refreshing crescendo of loveliness.

So, it turns out that Colonsay Brewery aren’t just about being the smallest island in the world with a Brewery. They are about making good, very drinkable beers. A big shout out to them, then, for doing so.

Sammy’s Rating: 76%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 76%

MOB review next weekend: BRAVADO by MAGIC ROCK

MUSE ON BOOZE

RADICAL ROAD

BEER REVIEW: 83

BREWER: Stewart Brewing, Midlothian, Scotland

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 6.4%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 10th May 2019

JYMI SAY’S…

Quite how you combine Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch and end up with an open chested hop popping pagan pigeon as the focal point of your packaging is beyond me. But we are where we are.

I also have to bring up the brave use of the word Radical in the name. Pretty sure the last time MOBJymi used that word I was chatting to a girl in a bowling alley in the early nineties dressed as a Ninja Turtle…. but we are where we are.

Have to say I was pushed for time a little when testing this Triple Hopped Pale. So when I turned the bottle and was told I was going to be having a Grapefruit – Marmalade – Pine – Bitter/Sweet experience I was pretty chuffed. From the description at least, this beer had a chance of being a goodun’.

Pressure was on to deliver Stewart Brewing, as a bad brew reviewed in a hurry is not going to work out too well.

Tell you what, we are darn professional over here at Muse on Booze.

Well, this is a very pleasant brew I have to say. There is an initial hit of orange and pine that is pretty intense but this Pale then softens and allows the drinker a bit of room to absorb that hit. This is then followed by a pretty intense (almost too intense actually) grapefruit finish which hangs around a long time I have to say. It’s a good beer this, there are elements I’m not too sure on and the over grapefruit and strength of this pale means not too many would be had before moving on but as said… ‘tis a good beer.

Anyway, I’m off…

# Can you tell me how to get, how to get to…. West 63rd St and Broadway? #

Jymi’s Rating: 70%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Radical Road is a strange creature on first meeting. It takes a some time to get used to, a little like a cousin that you haven’t seen in many a year and since you last saw them they have changed beyond recognition. You see, Stewart Brewing have produced a beer that looks like an amber ale, but is so strong in its bitter grapefruit nose. In fact, the nose is so strong you can almost taste the beer through the smell.

Unsurprisingly, Radical Road does taste like it smells. The grapefruit comes through in waves and pulls on the taste buds at the back of your tongue. I have to say, I really like it. There is an incredibly dry feeling once finished and as soon as I have finished one sip, I find myself going back for more.

Strangely, it leaves you both thirst quenched as well as thirsty. RR is a well brewed and well balanced beer. The team at Stewart Brewing haven’t compromised with their delivery of bitter grapefruit. I am really pleased that they haven’t.

While Radical Road may take some time to get used to, especially on first meeting, it is an acquaintance well worth meeting. If it were a long lost cousin, time has served it well and its unusual appearance is supported by an uncompromising personality, which steals the show without being overbearing.

Radical Road quietly goes about its business and does a very good job of doing so.

Sammy’s Rating: 80%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 75%

MOB review next weekend: COLONSAY IPA by THE COLONSAY BREWERY

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ROYAL RHA

BEER REVIEW: 82

BREWER: Bronckhorster Brewing Company, Gelderland, Netherlands

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 6%

VESSEL: 33cl brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 3rd May 2019

SAMMY SAY’S…

From the outset, if I were buying a beer on packaging alone and Royal RHA was the only beer available, then the fact is I would never drink beer. As it is, I am on a mission to try as many different beers as possible so I find myself with a bottle of Royal RHA in hand.

Before drinking, Royal RHA claims to be a regal beer. A big claim…it needs to be tested…here we go…

On opening, Royal RHA fizzes up quickly in the bottle, but this strangely doesn’t translate to being poured into the glass, where the head isn’t disappointing, but it’s by no means…regal. One should definitely not compare it to a crown.

The nose is definitely there…and I can’t say much more about it. It doesn’t even begin to compare with other IPAs, and while there is a hint of fruitiness, it definitely doesn’t smell like it’s fit for any royal table.

Royal RHA is so thin in the drinking, that it disappears into insignificance. There is a nasty bitter flavour, which hints at a poor brew. It’s almost as if the alcohol has been added afterwards and has not been borne out of a high class brew.

To summarise, Royal RHA is not a regal beer by a long chalk in my view and all you monarchs out there would be best off searching for your ale hit elsewhere!

Sammy’s Rating: 31%

JYMI SAY’S…

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, went I, as Sammy handed me this latest beer to be tested and reviewed. Now the reason for this outburst of chuckle was because I honestly thought that he had handed me a bottle of White Wine Vinegar. I mean really, what on earth were the Bronckhorster design team thinking when then pencilled, then penned and eventually signed off this bottle art? It’s an absolute disaster. I could actually get over the whole white wine vinegar thing if it looked super slick, but it doesn’t, so I won’t. I WON’T I TELL THEE!!
And what is with the name? I learned that Rha was a town in Holland but I do not see the connection with this being royal and this being a regal tasting IPA. Why? What? Where? Is it because it’s an English IPA? I do hope not.

Ok, to the inside of the bottle we go…

Now I wasn’t holding out much hope that this would be any good but my mind was open and as the ol’ regal saying goes… Do nei judge a boook by its cover like.
The nose I got from Royal Rha was one of trout. Now I like the whiff of trout but… Yeah I think you can draw your own conclusions here.
Now taste wise I have to say there was almost no flavour at all. Certainly not undrinkable and the feel of this IPA in the mouth was actually pretty good but as I’ve already mentioned, there was hardly any flavour whatsoever. If you could pick up on anything the flavour was possibly one of very faint banana but you really do have to go searching for it.
Once the zero flavour had faded (if that’s even possible) it’s then replaced by a reasonably pleasant bitter finish.

All in all what we have here is an ale that is drinkable but would I think about drinking it again?

Nope…

See ya.

Jymi’s Rating: 35%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 33%

MOB review next weekend: RADICAL ROAD by STEWART BREWING

MUSE ON BOOZE

FAR BEYOND

BEER REVIEW: 81

BREWER: Odyssey Brew Co., Worcestershire, England

STYLE: Double IPA

ABV: 8.2%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE POSTED: 27th April 2019

SAMMY SAY’S…

Far Beyond is a place that you may or may not want to go to.

Far Beyond (unsurprisingly) is a German heavy metal band.

Far Beyond is a beer brewed by Odyssey.

Far Beyond (the beer) is very grapefruity both on the nose and on the palate. And on the palate it extends beyond beyond grapefruit to deep bittersweet, which is very good indeed. It has the back of your tongue going into overdrive.

Far Beyond (the beer) is unreserved in its brew. Odyssey haven’t held back or limited themselves – and they were right to do so.

Far Beyond (the German band) isn’t very good.

Far Beyond (the beer) is incredibly good.

Sammy’s Rating: 81%

JYMI SAY’S…

Houston, we do NOT have a problem.

So once you’ve got over the ridiculously good waft of lemon and lime that comes off of your Far Beyond DIPA you sit back for a second. Excitement begins to flood your body yes but also with that comes apprehension. The excitement is because the wonderful nose of this beer has to mean, surely, that something tip top is coming your way. But the apprehension is there because of the percentage of this monster. Weighing in at 8.2% this pup needed to be handled with care but also, it could taste like rocket fuel.

Blah blah blah

You take your first sip and… WE HAVE BLAST OFF!!

Literally this beer keeps coming at you as though you’re accelerating towards space at 8 gazillion million MPH (I have to admit I did need to use Google to find out that figure).

First up you get a large smash of citrus followed by a massive bitter hoppy build and build and build and build and build that keeps intensifying with flavour then cut… to a long beautiful finish. Superb. Just from the texture in the mouth that Far Beyond gives you you can tell that it has been brewed to a very high standard… and it doesn’t even taste too strong. Dare I say, it almost could be sessionable.

Now this is where the drinker needs to mentally step up. If you’re going to have a few of these then do it over a night at a slower pace than maybe you’re used to. If you’re having one or two and nothing else then go hard and fast no problem. But because FBDIPA tastes so damn good and isn’t obviously the strength it is if you don’t stick to this then the drinker won’t even be saying Houston we have a problem…

They’ll be screaming, Houston we’ve got a pretty f*c#~ng massive problem.

Excellent job Odyssey.

Jymi’s Rating: 82%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 81.5%

MOB review next weekend: ROYAL RHA by BRONCKHORSTER BREWING COMPANY

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LONDON GOLD

BEER REVIEW: 80

BREWER: Young’s, South-West London, England

STYLE: Blond Ale

ABV: 4.8%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE POSTED: 20th April 2019

JYMI SAY’S…

This is a poor effort from start to finish from this iconic London brewery that has lost it’s soul over the past years and I have to say it shows in this beer.

I used to associate Young’s and their Ram Brewery with good quality no frills brews that just delivered time and time again. Young’s brewed possibly one of the first ales I ever consumed properly by way of purchasing at a pub. I was cutting about in Kew when the reason I wasn’t driving was not because I was drinking (if you know what I mean). I remember enjoying the Young’s run pub very much and chilling outside in a beer garden supping on Young’s ales and thinking, ‘this is bloomin nice you know’.

So to say I was disappointed with pretty much everything on offer here from London Gold was pretty accurate.

The packaging is limp and lifeless. Just because you stick a few silhouetted landmarks on the label doesn’t automatically mean the packaging will pass muster. Especially if those landmarks are geographically inaccurate as well looking like knock off imitations of what they are supposed to be representing. The colouring and fonts used are also a shambles. Where’s the effort? Where’s the passion? Where’s the soul?

The ale itself really is nothing special. In fact it is nowhere near special… it’s somewhere between very average and awful.

The nose though floral and zesty has a background hint of spilt petrol on a fuel station forecourt. Not too sure where that sits on the aroma wheel?

Once in further London Gold really did start to get to the point of letting me down. I’ll do a list (I love a bloody list I do)…

Harsh in mouth.

Faint taste of hops.

Faint bitter tone.

Faint citrus back drop.

Weak to finish.

Aftertaste almost non-existent.

If you’re looking for positives… there are none.

I can’t help but feel if this beer had been developed in it’s original SW London home it would never have made it off the testing table, out the door and to the consumer.

Not good enough.

Jymi’s Rating: 44%

SAMMY SAY’S…

In the glass, Young’s London Gold looks exquisite. However, to get to this stage, you have to overcome a bit of a tough psychological journey. You see, the washed out sky blue look with a silhouette of London and black lined gold writing is not what one might expect from the giant that Young’s is. I’m not sure where they are trying to pitch this beer, but it doesn’t work for me…and I’m not sure that it would work for my dad either…

But let us pick up from that look in the glass. The blonde colour is fantastic and its aroma is light on the nose, and while it doesn’t set the world on fire is very pleasant indeed.

But the real surprise with LG is that it is zesty and crisp on the palate. Where it’s pitched is somewhere in between a lager and a more traditional ale. It makes for very pleasant drinking, which is well balanced and not too heavy on the hops. It’s quite the surprise, and one which would be enjoyable one after another.

Young’s have produced a great beer in London Gold. It is well brewed and is incredibly light on the palate. It’s not quite marketed in the right way, and if this were to be nailed on, then we have a very strong beer on our hands. Unfortunately, first impressions are long lasting and the first impression with London Gold is a long way off of strong.

Sammy’s Rating: 71%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 57.5%

MOB review next weekend: FAR BEYOND by ODYSSEY BREW CO.