Tag Archives: England

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Siren Craft Brew, Stout - Milk / Sweet

Siren Shattered Dream: Nitro

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Brewery: Siren Craft Brew
Country: England
ABV: 9.6%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: Nitro version. Imperial Breakfast Stout

Brewer Description: (from can) Shattered Dream is the scaled up version of our award-winning flagship stout – Broken Dream. In addition to its imperial strength and generous espresso hit, we’ve also added cacao nibs and vanilla to make this beer even more luxurious than the much-loved original. This version is nitrogenated, meaning it pours thick and drinks smooth. An intensely indulgent and unctuous treat.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.08
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 440ml can, with a best before date of 12th February 2022. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: As per the can, poured hard and fast, and it poured black in colour, with a decent cascading effect, and a big two finger beige head that had excellent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Dark malt, light roast, coffee, cocoa, sweet milk chocolate, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Taste: Light to moderately sweet, milk coffee, cocoa, milk chocolate, vanilla, light roasty bitterness, with notes of dark berries.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable creamy smooth sipper with lots of coffee. It was almost too milky sweet for me, but there was just enough roasty bitterness to balance it out.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Burning Sky Brewery, England, Farmhouse Saison

Burning Sky Saison Provision

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Brewery: Burning Sky Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: Batch 2 (2020)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This tavern strength farmhouse beer is first fermented with Saison yeast and then with a blend of Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces whilst ageing in oak foudres. The result is tart, crisp, slightly sour and incredibly refreshing.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, Batch 2 (2020), bottled on 26th August 2020, and with a best before date of 26th August 2030. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quite quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, lightly sweet, lemon zest, grapefruit, apricot, hay, with light floral tea notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, lemon, grapefruit, citrus sherbet, with notes of stone fruit, floral, wood and funk.
Mouthfeel: Dry, crisp, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable Saison. Balanced and really easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bière de Garde, England, Mills Brewing

Mills Bière de Garde

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Brewery: Mills Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Farmhouse Bière de Garde
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) Bière de Garde was made from a blend of three contrasting brews produced in January, July and October 2018. The blend produced an easy drinking, dry, malt-forward taste with balancing bitterness and funk. The beer was lagered in bottle at ambient temperature over winter, before completing maturation in the summer months of 2020.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in November 2019, with a best before date of November 2029. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: It was a slightly hazy golden orange colour with an almost three finger frothy white head that had decent retention, and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, fruity, citrusy, orange zest, lemon sherbet, apple peel, slightly vinous, oak, hay, funky, musty wet wood.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, grape skin, slightly vinous, lemon zest, green apple, oak, funky, musty wet wood.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not so much opportunity to try many Bière de Garde’s, but this was enjoyable and easy to drink.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, Sour Ale, Staggeringly Good Brewery

Staggeringly Good Souropod Papaya and Lychee Kettle Sour

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Brewery: Staggeringly Good Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 5.7%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Papaya and lychee

Brewer Description: (from website) Our latest Souropod with 300Kg of Papaya and 400Kg of Lychee is available now! This is without doubt our most complex sour with vibrant lychee and tropical fruits on the nose followed by flavours of sweetened sherbet, papaya and lychee finished with a light effervescent body.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.78
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 11th December 2020, with a best before date of 11th June 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy, slightly murky dark orange colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention but eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, papaya dominates, with mango and lychee notes, and a splash of lemon.
Taste: Sour, tart, sharp citrus, lemon juice, with notes of papaya and lychee.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The sourness was a bit sharp to be easy drinking, and also hid the papaya and lychee flavours a bit. As a Souropod, I preferred the triple fruited Gose’s.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Gose - Imperial Fruit, Staggeringly Good Brewery

Staggeringly Good Souropod Imperial Triple Fruited Gose – Mango, Raspberry & Vanilla

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Brewery: Staggeringly Good Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 7.4%
Style: Imperial Gose
Other Notes: Mango, raspberry & vanilla

Brewer Description: (from website) Once more the term ‘liquid’ is tested with this triple fruited Gose oozing with Mango, Raspberry and Vanilla. Set your dishwasher to the longest cycle because this thic boi beer is going to make a mark on your life. The ‘Beer/Not Beer’ trolls are sure to have a field day but all we can say is we’re a brewery, we made it, get over it! So whilst they argue over details join us and chill with a cold glass of this indulgent fruited madness.

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

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 18th November 2020, with a best before date of 18th May 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A thick puree like mango juice orange colour with a one finger orange head that disappeared almost immediately to a replenishing thin cap, with no lacing, but some puree fruity bits on the sides of the glass.
Aroma: Sweet fruit, ripe mango, mango juice, with slight raspberry notes.
Taste: Lightly sweet and sour, mango, mango juice, lemon, with notes of raspberry and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, thick, smoothie like, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: It’s a good thing I love mango juice, because mango dominates here in both aroma and flavour. As in their description, I’d still question whether this was ‘beer/not beer’ though. And although I won’t answer this question, I definitely did enjoy this drink.