What to drink now? I don’t know about you, but I’ve been spending the past couple of weeks knee deep in rich porters, big seasonal ales and generally anything that’s dark and wintry. So I’m kicking off the New Year with something a little bit fresher for a change, just to shake me out of my hibernated state.
Redchurch Urban Farmhouse: ‘In Barrels: Herbs’ Sour Ale - 4.7% abv/ 330ml/ £3.80
Probably the most unusual beer I’m having this week, Redchurch’s Urban Farmhouse range are always firm favourites of mine. This may not come as much of a surprise as I’ve always been a sucker for sour beers, but this is their first that I’ve come across which doesn’t feature fruit in some obvious shape or form. It has an almost cider-like sourness on the nose with savoury herbal notes of bay, sage and thyme – so far so weird. The initial sourness fades quite quickly (probably due to the barrel ageing) to reveal lemony apple flavours with that herbal character underpinning, but not overpowering, the whole thing. This is crying out for a roast chicken to accompany it, but the balance of sourness is so good that it is a real pleasure on its own as well.
Clockwork Beer Co.: ‘Hazy Daze’ Ginger and Lemongrass Saison – 5% abv/ 330ml/ £1.80
Keeping things sour but going more local with the Clockwork Beer Co., Hazy Daze has a delicate grassy aroma with fresh ginger and a floral hint with that touch of farmyard funkiness I love so much in a saison. The flavours are a bit bigger than the nose implies: nice, sour and sharp. There’s a bit of grapefruit going on and you can definitely taste the lemongrass coming through too. The floral aromas carry onto the palate and it has a slightly bitter note on the finish.
Merchant City Brewing Co.: American Pale Ale – 4.7% abv/ 330ml/ £2.40
Another Glasgow based offering this week comes in the form of this tea-infused American Pale Ale. I generally prefer APAs over IPAs for their balance, particularly when at the lower end of the abv scale such as here. There’s a definite warm citrus aroma with notes of hay and an earthiness that might be coming from the tea. Orange and bergamot fruit dominates on the palate with a full body and good bitterness. A nice and dry finish with the bergamot still lingering gives this the hint of an Earl Grey tea at the end.
Tempest Brewing Co.: ‘Centennial’ India Pale Lager – 5.4% abv/ 330ml/ £3.20
Again, not quite as full on as a proper IPA, IPLs tend to taste a bit cleaner to me. Tempest Brewing do a couple of different IPLs showcasing the different hops that they use and this one is really fresh and crisp with a bold green hop and gooseberry nose. Similar characteristics show in the palate with citrus fruit and the centennial hops being quite dominant giving a resinous note to the finish.
Campervan Brewery: ‘Pacific Zest’ South Pacific Pale Ale – 4.5% abv/ 330ml/ £2.90
Finishing off with another ‘not quite IPA’ this is probably the lightest beer out of the lot. A really delicate lime zest nose doesn’t quite prepare you for the really sharp hit of fresh lime that you actually taste. There’s a great bitter note that smacks you round the face at first but then fades away quickly to leave that limey fruit lingering for just a moment. This is basically a short, sharp shock of flavour that is really rather refreshing.
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