DATE POSTED: 29th August 2018

STYLE: London Dry

ABV: 40%

KEY BOTANICAL: Juniper and specifically NO CITRUS 

THEY SAY SERVE WITH: Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic and Lemon Garnish

MOB SAY SERVE WITH: Fentimans Connoisseurs Tonic and Dehydrated Orange Garnish

 

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION: Gin Genie 

Gin Genie ingredients and method:

25ml Boodles Gin

25ml Sloe Gin

25ml Fresh Lemon Juice

12.5ml Sugar Syrup

8 Fresh Mint Leaves

Lemon Wheel

Lightly muddle the mint leaves in the bottom of a highball glass. Add the Boodles Gin, Lemon Juice and Sugar Syrup. Half fill the glass with crushed ice and churn. Fill the glass with crushed ice and top with the Sloe Gin. Garnish with Lemon Wheel.

 

M O B S O G 2 0 1 8

At the start of today Neck Oil from Beavertown was ranked Number 1 of all the beers that we have tested so far.

It’s not anymore…

BEER REVIEW: 46

BREWER: Siren Craft Brew, Berkshire, England

STYLE: Loose Leaf Pale Ale  

ABV: 3.6%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle 

DATE POSTED: 24th August 2018

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I honestly thought the foundation of this review was going to be the strength of this pale ale. I was wrong….

OH.

MY.

GIDDY.

AUNT.

What on earth have I just consumed?? Simply sensational does not do Yu Lu justice. I’m actually blown away and pretty speechless about how good this beer actually is. I also keep having moments of wanting to type ‘seeing as it’s only 3.6%’ but that makes no difference. Yu Lu is up there with the big boys regardless of strength. Ok, I need to compose myself here…

I do have to start with this 3.6% thing really but only because this is so weak it has dawn till dusk and dusk till dawn and back around again written all over it as a session beer. Some may find the citrus levels too much for a long stint but personally I’m more than ok with it because (not sure if I mentioned already) this beer tastes fantastic.

The nose and flavour are just so pleasant its untrue. Huge amounts of citrus hits but somehow they are not overbearing. Honestly there is a Lemon and Grapefruit smell and taste throughout but it’s not too much, it’s just right. The aftertaste is fantastic and hangs around longer than your giddy aunt trying to find her car keys.

Packaging wise, although I like the general direction Siren have taken to a point it has never blown me away. However Yu Lu looks pretty good in my opinion, the colours and scaling all sit together very nicely.

Looks great.

Smells fantastic.

Tastes better than fantastic.

And you can drink it all night long…

Lionel, take it away….

Jymi’s Rating: 92%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Sometimes things come along in life and you just know that they are meant to be.  And that’s the way it is with me and Yulu. This is an absolute belter of a beer.

Let us start with the packaging: what Siren have done so well, like many other breweries, is develop an outstanding image.  It’s a brand that could only be Siren.  It’s of note. It’s subtle.  It’s well thought out.  It thoroughly works.  

Let loose from the bottle and you have something that is quite mesmeric.  The colour in the glass is light and alluding. It’s not fully transparent but has a hint of a cloudiness that is just so alluring; there is no way that you can resist your first long pull.

However, before that you have the nose.  It is nigh on perfect.  Packed full of citrusy aromas that are backed by tropical notes that linger on your nasal cavity for such a good amount of time.  I have to say that it really is heady.

Then to the drinking.  Wow.  You are met with the promised lemon and lime hints, followed by a light tea aftertaste.  The length of this flawless brew hangs around for the time you want it to. Not too short that the party is over before it has started and not too long so as to leave an unwanted taste guest in your mouth.  Honestly, Siren has brewed Yulu to near on damn perfection.  

It is so rare to find such a gem.  It is so unusual to have anything in this world that ticks all the boxes.  Siren has done that with Yulu.  

This is an awesome beer that is light and refreshing and packs such a punch at the same time. It has bags of charisma and is filled to the bottle top with character.

Job done.

Full stop!

Sammy’s Rating: 94%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 93% 

MOB review next weekend: GAMMA RAY by BEAVERTOWN BREWERY 

DATE POSTED: 22nd August 2018

STYLE: London Dry

ABV: 47%

KEY BOTANICAL: Gorse Flower and Juniper

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

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

 

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION:

So, same as Anno Kent Dry we’re not going for a cocktail with Blue Bottle. We are going to let this Gin speak for itself in it’s purist form and suggest straight up as an alternative serve.

Yes you heard it, not even a cube this time…

NEAT.

…and indeed it is.  

M O B S O G 2 0 1 8

BEER REVIEW: 45

BREWER: Camden Town Brewery, North London, England

STYLE: Lager

ABV: 4.6%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle 

DATE POSTED: 17th August 2018

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Think craft lagers and it’s almost certain that Camden’s Hells will be one of the first to spring to mind, if not the very first.  So is it deserved of that reputation?

The pilsner notes first appear on the nose, which isn’t unappealing, especially for a lager (which at times can be indistinctive at best and at worst, nasty).  As you gulp down the first sip, those pilsner notes quickly pack a punch on the taste buds and you are left in no doubt that Hells is most definitely a lager with pilsner origins.  But what’s clever about this lager, is that if you don’t like the pilsner brewing, it doesn’t mean you won’t like this.  And that’s because the initial hit is followed by sweeter larger notes, which wash away the original pilsner punch.  The problem is that the end result is very confused…

It all comes wrapped up in that very distinctive packaging which is distinctively from the Camden Town Brewery, which in turn is distinctively London.

Hells seems to know what it is from the outside but gets lost once untethered from its strong branding and, dare I say it, gets lost. So, here we have a beer that is good…but not great.  It doesn’t have its foot firmly in any one camp and it’s a little lost as to where it should be.  I know I’m going against a tide of popularity here – but that’s the way it is!

Sammy’s Rating: 71%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Camden Town Brewery let me take my hat off to you. Not necessarily for the beer (as I’ve not actually opened it yet) and not for the look of the bottle, as I don’t particularly like it if I’m honest.  But for the name…

For months I’ve had reviewing this beer in the back of my head. The review was going to start with what on earth is this name all about then?? Helles is spelt Helles not Hells! And can it even be a Helles if it’s brewed in flippin North London?? If it is trying to be a Helles why is it misspelt?!! And if it’s not a Helles, it’s pretty misleading don’t you think CamBrew?? Huh, huh??!!

Then I read the label.

It’s a Helles / Pilsner hybrid, hence HELLS…. Brilliant, just brilliant!

Right, time to lift that lid… I am actually excited now.

Powerful yet light, flavoursome yet dry.. A very nice lager.

Now normally a lager that is weighing in at less than 5% I’m wary of. It’s not that I want that strong hit as such it’s just historically if it is less than 5% it just doesn’t taste that great (with the odd exception of course). CH is only 4.6% but has the flavour of something between 5 and 6%. It’s great, it really is.

Starting off a scorching hot BBQ based Saturday with a few of these crisp beauties would be just dreamy.

Great work CTB, great work indeed.

Jymi’s Rating: 79%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 74.5% 

 

MOB review next weekend: YU LU by SIREN CRAFT BREW

 

DATE POSTED: 15th August 2018

STYLE: New Western

ABV: 42%

KEY BOTANICAL: Sarsaparilla 

THEY SAY SERVE WITH: Elder Flower Tonic and Orange Slice Garnish 

MOB SAY SERVE WITH: Fentimans Rose Lemonade and Lavender Garnish (note, no Ice to be used with this, just make sure the Rose Lemonade is very well chilled)

 

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION: Aviation 

Aviation ingredients and method:

37.5ml Aviation Gin

12.5ml Creme de Violette

12.5ml Lemon Juice 

3 Dashes Maraschino Liqueur 

Maraschino Cocktail Cherry 

Place all ingredients (minus Cocktail Cherry) into a cocktail shaker. Shake and double strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with Maraschino Cherry.

VOTED BEST COCKTAIL EVER BY EVERYONE THAT TRIED IT 🙂

SERIOUSLY YOU FOLKS, IF YOU HAVEN’T TRIED THIS GIN OR THIS COCKTAIL THEN YOU NEED TO. YOU WILL NEVER LOOK BACK.  

 

M O B S O G 2 0 1 8  

BEER REVIEW: 44

BREWER: Hobo Beer + Co., Surrey, England

STYLE: Lager

ABV: 4.666%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE POSTED: 11th August 2018

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Before we even venture into the world of taste, you have to consider the poor display of packaging from Hobo Beer Co.  They have managed to make Three Hop Lager look like a budget brand from a leading UK supermarket.  When you’re trying to get a beer out there, you must do better.  Anyway, let us move away from the very orange packaging (although it is hard to do as it stands out like a flare on a dark winter’s night) and get down to the important stuff.

The first thing to note about Three Hop Lager is the colour; it’s a golden amber, not unusual for a lager, but it has depth to the colour.  And the nose is good for a lager – you draw in the bitter notes of good quality hops.  Those bitter notes do carry through to the drinking, but not enough to make it a bitter – it is definitely a lager.  The trouble is, those bitter notes don’t hang around on the tongue and you are very quickly left with a metallic aftertaste.  While this isn’t at all unpleasant, it leaves you wondering what if… what if they’d followed through with the hops in the brew and drawn out the flavour a little more?  Well, we could then have been dealing with an altogether classier lager.  We could have had a lager that has true depth to it’s taste, one that lingers on the taste buds and stays long in the memory.   As it is, it has to be said that Three Hop Lager is average at best and the taste is gone almost before you’ve known you’ve experienced it.  

With a little tweaking, this could be a contender.  But it hasn’t had any tweaks…yet!

Sammy’s Rating: 56%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

4.666% huh?

Very precise that. Very demonic that. But why? Why do we have three decimal places here? Why is it not just 4.6%? Or 4.7% if we’re being mathematically accurate?

I was looking forward to turning the reasonably cool tin around and all being explained to me. But there was nothing to tell me why we have all these decimal places. In fact there was barely any information at all about the lager I would soon be supping… But there was a sentence telling me that if I visited hobobeerandco.com I could find out more about hobo life… so I fired up my Quadra 700 and started hitting some keys.

Turned out to be a pretty looking site but still no info on my Three Hop Lager. So, I scanned the QR on the side of the can…. Took me straight to the website…. Man, I am bored of this… To the beer!

First off, Three Hop smells wonderful! It’s not that often that a Lager puts out a decent nose. Most Lagers just kind of smell like Lager, never offensive but not something to get you excited about either. However Three Hop’s nose has something about it. Pine with a bit of citrus maybe?

Now taste wise I went in to this with a touch of apprehension… I’ve always worked on the theory that a Lager needs to be between 4.6% and 5.5% to taste any good. With Three Hop being 4.666% (flippin ‘el, we’re back to this again!) it was right on the edge of MY bracket..

But after the first sip I settled down, Three Hop tasted pretty good. Actually, Three Hop tasted good. ACTULLY Three Hop tasted better than good. I was a fan! The taste on sip and whilst in mouth is a little thin but as it slips down the flavours start to load up and a bitter aftertaste left me one really happy chappy. And at this percentage suddenly we have a session Lager that tastes better than good! I never thought I would see the day!

You’ve done well here you cheeky Hobos I tell thee.

Jymi’s Rating: 78%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 67% 

MOB review next weekend: CAMDEN HELLS by CAMDEN TOWN BREWERY 

DATE POSTED: 8th August 2018

STYLE: London Dry

ABV: 43%

KEY BOTANICAL: Baobab Pulp

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

MOB SAY SERVE WITH: Freshly squeezed Orange Juice and Lemon Disc Garnish 

 

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION: Queen Martini 

Queen Martini ingredients and method:

37.5ml Whitley Neill

12.5ml Dry Vermouth

12.5ml Sweet Vermouth

12.5ml Orange Juice

12.5ml Pineapple Juice

Shake all ingredients with Ice. Strain into a chilled glass.

M O B S O G 2 0 1 8

BEER REVIEW: 43

BREWER: Fuller’s, West London, England

STYLE: Lager

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE POSTED: 3rd August 2018

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Fact: Fullers produce some great beers.

Fact: There are some undeniably fantastic craft lagers available.

Frontier, I am afraid, is neither a great Fullers’ beer, neither is it a worthy craft lager.  Actually, it is quite hard to even argue that it’s a craft lager at all.

From the packaging to the nose to the drinking, everything about this product is forced.  This is Fullers attempt to compete with the large, ever growing craft market and to be frank, it fails.  It has no points of interest and is drab at best.  The taste is lack luster and does not fulfil the brief of being at all craft. You’d be hard pushed to separate this from mass produced lagers with no soul, which in fact it quite obviously is.

Fact: Frontier has no place in the Fullers range.  This is a miss marketed and miss placed product.  Frontier is most certainly not at the front of beer products.

Sammy’s Rating: 50%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Having lived in either West London or West of London pretty much all my life and having  worked in or around Central London for a fair chunk of that I feel like the Fuller’s Griffin Brewery has been in my peripheral vision probably about 7,000,039 times over the years. And for a long time a whopping great and garish FRONTIER CRAFT LAGER sign has been bolted to the lovely Georgian brickwork of the brewery walls for all passing by to see.

Now I have to confess until just now I had never had a Frontier from a tin nor a bottle. I have definitely had a few pints on tap here and there but that was a while ago. So that got me thinking…. I have sampled this Lager and I drive past the ill sitting FRONTIER CRAFT LAGER sign probably on average 6 times a week and have done so for many years. Sometimes I have driven past on a roasting hot summers Friday evening with the roof down on my car on the way home from work. What better a time for that huge ugly free advertising to tempt me to grab a cold Frontier? So why, oh why, have I NEVER done so? I’m putting it down to two things. The Packaging is pretty lame and the pints that I have had cannot have left an impression, whether good or bad.
So what did I make of this Frontier from the tin? Well it was as I thought it was going to be, uneventful. The one positive I would say is it’s initial early taste, which is nice enough but other than that the whole thing just pales into insignificance.

The nose is pleasant enough giving off subtle hints of pine and almost freshly mown grass. As I’ve said the initial taste is good with citrus tones and the texture is smooth, seeing as it is quite highly carbonated. It is then that FCL lets itself down as is lacking decent body and the aftertaste is not great.

Look, all in all it doesn’t taste horrible by any means but if you’re looking for a craft lager to sit back, savour and raise your eyebrow I simply wouldn’t bother with this offering from the brewers that have been churning out some great ales for the past 173 years.

Jymi’s Rating: 59%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 54.5% 

 

MOB review next weekend: THREE HOP by HOBO BEER + CO 

DATE POSTED: 1st August 2018

STYLE: New Western 

ABV: 43%

KEY BOTANICAL: Passion Fruit and Elderflower 

THEY SAY SERVE WITH: Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic and Grapefruit & Blueberry Garnish 

and we agree!

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

 

MOB COCKTAIL SUGGESTION: Passionfruitini

Passionfruitini ingredients and method:

25ml Black Shuck Passion Gin

50ml Passion Fruit Juice

12.5ml Fresh Lime Juice 

Shake all ingredients with Ice. Strain into a chilled Martini glass.

 

M O B S O G 2 0 1 8 

BEER REVIEW: 42

BREWER: Renegade Brewery (West Berkshire Brewery), Berkshire, England

STYLE: Lager 

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 330ml brown bottle 

DATE POSTED: 27th July 2018

 

JYMI SAY’S…

The day was Tuesday…

The weather was fine…

The sun was baking…

The time was 4pm…

And I had the day off!!

AND my lovely, lovely wife volunteered herself to go and get the bin lids from school. This was it. This was the time to crack an ice cold crisp Lager and take five in the garden.

However, the only Lager I had on chill was Renegade. Now as far as unappealing looking bottles of beer go, this has to be up there. What is with the Flash Gordon / Harry Potteresqe zigzag on the label??  I’m all for a bit of retro here n there but this just looks rubbish. The only real positive from the packaging was the blue label contrasting off the brown bottle. Don’t get me wrong, due to the situation I was still very much looking forward to cracking a cold one but to have ANY negative thoughts has to tell a story.

So I set my deckchair up, tied a hanky on my head, prepared a glass and got to work.

Now seeing as there was a hint a negativity in the air I was pleased as to how RCL poured, looked and smelled. Things were without doubt looking up, as was I, as the aforementioned deckchair was now fully reclined.

So in the tranquillity of a roasting summers day in the garden with the chorus of flies flying and my dog barking as my soundtrack I threw down that all important first sip. Ooooh, it was good… for three seconds. And then fell away to a bit of a classic crappy Lager undertone.

Jymi was confused so went in again, same result.

So the first three seconds after sipping RCL has good citrus flavour that build’s in your cheeks and is pretty nice and refreshing to be fair, but once that’s gone it’s very much downhill with EVERYTHING!

Session wise this could work but only because you would want to replace the aftertaste with the lovely initial taste. And because of that you would probably fire down way too quickly so would fast become a non session beer.

Renegade Craft Lager is perfectly drinkable but is a sip of two halves. After being 2-0 up at half time, you end up losing 5-2… Gutted.

Jymi’s Rating: 61%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

It’s hard to decide if the look of Renegade Lager is inspired or insipid.  But I am going to give it the benefit of the doubt and come down on the side of inspired, owing mainly to it’s purposeful retro look.  And there is a lot to get your brain around on the label too, which for a lager is unusual. It leads one to think that we could have a very decent beer here.  It’s most certainly a strong start for West Berkshire Brewery’s Renegade Craft Lager.

Into the glass and it has great colour, which is on the lighter side of amber, but with more depth than some lagers.  On the palate, there are most definitely light bitter notes and they are matched well to this lager.  They don’t hang around for long, but who wants them to when it’s a lager that’s in hand? The slight issue with Renegade is the bitter notes aren’t backed up by too much else, meaning that the overall impact is slightly underwhelming once one is deep into the bottle.  

This is a well-tempered, pleasant lager.  It’s not a super hero of a beer, but it could most definitely play the starring role on a hot summer’s evening, if one were so inclined.    

Sammy’s Rating: 72%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 66.5%

 MOB review next weekend: FRONTIER by FULLER’S