Tag Archives: England

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Farmhouse Grissette, Mills Brewing

Mills Grisette Perry

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Brewery: Mills Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Farmhouse Grisette
Other Notes: Mills Brewing make beer with minimal modern intervention, relying on local wild yeast cultures and the influence of nature to ferment

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Grisette Perry was made from a turbid mash containing barley and oats. The resulting wort was hopped with Sorachi Ace in the boil and Amarillo in the coolship. Fermentation took place in a single ex-Scotch barrel with juice from Gloucestershire grown Gin perry pears. The finished beer was primed with Conference pear juice to provide the sugars for bottle conditioning.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in December 2020, with a best before date of December 2025. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with a big almost three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin but fluffy cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, wood, pear, apple.
Taste: Tart, sour, pear, apple, lemon juice, funk, oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to high crisp carbonation.
Overall: Light, bright and enjoyable. Just so easy to drink with refreshing pear notes.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Siren Craft Brew, Stout - Imperial

Siren Project Barista Mucha Mocha

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Brewery: Siren Craft Brew
Country: England
ABV: 10%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Quarter House Coffee. Project Barista 2021

Brewer Description: (from can) Project Barista combines two of our greatest passions! This series takes the relationship between coffee and beer in different directions, with four unique brews, four kinds of coffee used in different ways, in collaboration with four incredible independent roasters. Mucha Mocha is the big one – all the barrel aged coffee, chocolate and roasty goodness you could ask for.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.48
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 440ml can, with a best before date of 13th September 2022, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger brown head that had decent retention, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, coffee, chocolate, caramel, light nuttiness, and light bourbon notes.
Taste: Lightly sweet and a touch bitter, roasted malts, espresso, coffee, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, with light bourbon notes.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, velvety, full bodied with mild to soft carbonation.
Overall: The coffee in this is really enjoyable. There is a good sweet and bitter balance, and it’s rich and smooth. Tasty!

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, England, Siren Craft Brew, Sour Ale

Siren Pombango

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Brewery: Siren Craft Brew
Country: England
ABV: 8.8%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Barrel aged grapefruit & mango sour

Brewer Description: (from can) A rare treat from our barrel store, only previously available at very special events! Pombango is a bourbon barrel aged Pompelmocello, blended with mango purée and fresh Pompelmocello. The resulting beer is cocktail-esque, vibrant with tropical fruits and refreshing sourness.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1

Intro: A 440ml can, with a best before date of 19th August 2022, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A nice clear dark copper orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet-ish, dark fruit, raisin, brandy, bourbon, oak, with notes of mango and even lighter notes of grapefruit peel.
Taste: Similar to the aroma, sweet and sour, dark fruit, raisin, grapes, brandy, bourbon, oak, mango, grapefruit, a little syrupy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I’m a little unsure about this one as I’m on and off with each sip. I think in the end, it has this sweet syrupy note, like raisins doused in sugar syrup, that I found to be too much, probably from the barrel. Maybe if it was more sour, I would have enjoyed it more.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, IPA - Sour, Siren Craft Brew

Siren DDH Pompelmocello

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Brewery: Siren Craft Brew
Country: England
ABV: 7.4%
Style: IPA – Sour
Other Notes: Juicy grapefruit Sour IPA

Brewer Description: (from can) An exclusive double dry hopped version of Pompelmocello. This beer is brimming with Simcoe and Talus, our favourite hops for driving pithy grapefruit notes. Grapefruit juice and zest accentuate the hoppy aromas, while a sensation of vibrant sourness, inherent sweetness and subtle bitterness all combine for a taste sensation.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 440ml can, with a best before date of 18th August 2022, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A nice clear golden orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light sour, tart and tangy notes, grapefruit pith, citrus zesty, with notes of lychee.
Taste: Sweet and sour, juicy, candied grapefruit, grapefruit zest and pith, lemon zest, grass, pine, passion fruit, lychee.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable easy to drink sour IPA, with lots of juicy grapefruit aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut, England, Mills Brewing

Mills Islay Brut

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Brewery: Mills Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 9%
Style: Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut
Other Notes: Mills Brewing make beer with minimal modern intervention, relying on local wild yeast cultures and the influence of nature to ferment.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Islay Brut is a blend of four barrels from three separate worts produced in March, May, and August 2018. One of the brews fermented in two small Islay whisky barrels, imparting aromas of maritime peat. The blend was refermented with golden caster sugar to produce a strong and dry beer. Finally, it received a large dose of primings to produce a Champagne type carbonation. Serve at fridge temperature.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in August 2020, with a best before date of August 2030. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had good retention and eventually settled to a fluffy cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Grapes, peat, leather, with oak and lemon zest creeping through.
Taste: Light sour, tart, super lemon candies, grape, oak, peat, with light mineral notes.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: I think you have to like peat to enjoy this, and luckily I do. It’s really well balanced as the peat is obviously there, but it doesn’t overpower everything else. The champagne like effervescent carbonation was also enjoyable, while the 9% abv was well hidden.