Brewery: Siren Craft Brew Country: England ABV: 6% Style: American IPA
Brewer Description: (from bottle) This sour IPA is hopped with Enigma, Bravo and Apollo to create the biggest grapefruity hop profile we could muster, but we’ve also included grapefruit zest and juice for good measure. Added lactose rounds things off with a sweet and smooth touch.
My rating: 4 My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12 My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 7th December 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly but left some nice lacing. Aroma: Intense fresh grapefruit and grapefruit juice aromas with some gummy bear candy orange and a hint of lime and pine. Taste: Tart and sour mango with pomelo, grapefruit and orange in the background. However, the finish just drops off to nothing. Mouthfeel: Tangy, light bodied with medium carbonation. Overall: I don’t get much bitterness from this IPA. Its much more sour than bitter and just seems more like a Berliner Weisse to me. I really liked the taste at the beginning and would have rated it higher if the finish was better. It really didn’t taste like much at the end. However, it’s very juice like and so very easy to drink. This was nice, but just missing a bit at the end.
Brewery: The Wild Beer Co. Country: England ABV: 6.8% Style: American IPA Other Notes: Hops + Hops + Hops
Brewer Description: (from bottle) When Brett arrived from California he couldn’t believe there weren’t any of his beloved “West Coast IPA’s” readily available in the UK. This beer is his version of the style that sparked the craft beer revolution in the US. Open the bottle to a tropical punchbowl of aromas, as this beer is all about the hops. There are masses and masses of late hops and dry hops to maximise the beautiful flavours and aromas so you can experience wave after wave of tropical and citrus fruits. Navigate the rural lanes of Somerset where the orchards and pastures of the green and pleasant land are at their finest and you will find our unusual brewery in the midst of Cider and Cheddar country. Our friends at Westcombe Dairy make one of the finest Cheddar’s in the world and Madness balances its intensity and marries with its flavours.
My rating: 3 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.33 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 25th May 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Appearance: It poured a lightly cloudy golden orange colour with a one finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice lacing. Aroma: Citrusy candy orange and mandarin with hints of mango and pineapple. Taste: Similar to the aromas. It starts with sweet candy orange and mandarin with some light pineapple. This was followed by strong grapefruit bitterness and grapefruit pith plus light caramel. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with mid to high carbonation. Overall: This beer was ok. The main thing was that I did not enjoy the sweet beginning. The bitter finish was nice especially since it lasts. But I just got to get around the beginning first.
Brewery: Hawkshead Brewery Country: England ABV: 5.6% Style: American Black IPA Other Notes: Hops – Chinook, Citra and Simcoe.
Brewer Description: (from bottle) Dark in colour but surprisingly light and refreshing on the palate, with aromas of tropical fruit and resinous pine from big flavoured American hops, Chinook, Citra and Simcoe.
My rating: 2 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.28 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of March 2016 and poured into an oversized wine glass. Appearance: It poured a clear dark brown colour with a slightly less than one finger tanned head that dissipated quickly leaving spotty lacing. Aroma: Pine, citrusy orange juice followed by cocoa and toffee. Taste: Lightly bitter with citrus orange, cocoa, chocolate and pine. Mouthfeel: Light bodied with low to medium carbonation but on the watery side. Overall: Was hoping for more hoppy bitterness and it was definitely on the thin side. Too watery for my liking.
Brewery: Hawkshead Brewery Country: England ABV: 5% Style: English Extra Special Bitter
Brewer Description: (from bottle) This is a well hopped golden ale which marries traditional English with modern American hops – five varieties in all, including Golding, Citra and Amarillo. The full biscuity taste of English Maris Otter barley combines with orange marmalade citrus, floral, spicy and herbal hop flavours to produced a complex modern beer.
My rating: 3 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.49 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of May 2016 and poured into a pint glass. Appearance: The beer poured a hazy golden orangey colour with a thin weak white head that leaves some stringy lacing. Aroma: Fruity aromas, starts with melon, pineapple, tangerine and orange with hints of caramel. Taste: A little on the weak side when you consider the amount of fruit in the aroma. Biscuity caramel malt with some citrus mandarin and grapefruit. There are hints of mango, grass and pine with a long bitter finish. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with low to medium carbonation. Overall: This was quite good especially the aroma but was hoping that there was more of a punch in the taste considering the nice aromas.
words of another dreamy traveller 