Day 81, Beer 81 - Purity's "Pure Ubu"

Today's Beer





Name - Pure Ubu

Brewer - Purity

Classification - Premium amber ale

Strength - 4.5% ABV


Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye - Possibly the best looking beer I've ever seen.

On the nose - A very finely poised battle between buttery sponge cake malts and citrus/ginger hops.

On the tongue - Dry, creamy and generally delightful.

On the subject - Warwickshire based but with a truly global reach via their distribution network, the 'own-brewed' beers of this company look set to become well known fixtures on supermarket shelves worldwide.

On the market - Purity beers have been criminally rare for too long - but that is slowly changing with major players like Tesco now stocking the range in selected stores. Try the brewery's own online shop.

On the whole - 8.5/10


Full Review

I used to find it rather odd whenever an ale was described as being 'creamy.'

This was partly because I don't actually like cream all that much, but I'm pretty sure that even if I adored cream - I wouldn't really appreciate it showing up in my beer.

However, over the years, I've gradually cottoned-on to what it means for a beer to be creamy, and Purity's Pure Ubu is as good a candidate as any to demonstrate why 'creaminess' in an ale can be a very wonderful thing.

Of course, a good creamy beer has very little in common with thickened, sweetened milk - it's really in the rich and smooth consistency of the liquid that the similarities lie - and this very sophisticated brew has that particular quality in spades.

In fact, the flavour of this drink could hardly be less like cream. Dry, bitter, with punchy spiced fruits and dazzling citrus undertones - all bonded together by some lovely smoked-caramel malt which never dominates but is always present, and what a very welcome presence it is.

There's a dried fig sweetness there too, which is so cleverly pitched that I deemed it worthy of a paragraph all of it's own.

It's a lovely beer, this.

But, by some distance, the very best thing about this drink is - speaking quite frankly - its jaw dropping sex appeal. As my 'On the eye' section has already hinted, this beer sits in the glass like some liquid supermodel on a coffee break - utterly gorgeous in an off-guard, unassuming, un-showy kind of way.

It is effortlessly but quite mesmerically beautiful.

Apart from all the other attractive elements of this beer's appearance - there is a shade of soft deep red at play here that you'll never witness anywhere else in the world. Neither nature nor science has ever produced this remarkable hue before.

What a gorgeous drink this really is.

It looks more like a fine ale than any such beverage that my feeble human mind could ever conjure-up - even in it's very wildest imaginings.

In truth, what it actually looks like is the most magnificent English ale ever brewed.

And, when all is said and done, that's really not too very far from what this beer proves to be.

Day 74, Beer 74 - Badger's "Fursty Ferret"

Today's Beer

Name - Fursty Ferret

Brewer - Badger

Classification - Amber ale

Strength - 4.4% ABV


Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye - Bronze meets copper in a dark alley for a fistfight which, mercifully, ends in a draw.

On the nose - Granary loaf oats and seeds. Faint straw. Rather yummy.

On the tongue - Traditional malt-led ale, elegantly executed.

On the subject - A seasonal beer in cask form, Badger have taken this ale from very humble beginnings in a tiny brew pub and made it one of the best selling bottled beers in Britain.

On the market - Very well stocked nationally in the UK. Supermarkets have long since signed up to this beer's considerable fan club. Badger's online store is there for those so inclined.

On the whole - 8/10


Full Review

For the first time (or should that be the 'furst' time?) here on The Bottled Beer Year, I have just reviewed two beers back-to-back which share an overwhelming array of similar qualities.

In fact, I've little doubt that an absolute newcomer to the gloriously nuanced world of ale would name them as the same drink in a blind tasting.

But even I (who now barely recalls ever being a newcomer) find myself having to admit that my most recently reviewed brew prior to this - Belhaven's Robert Burns - and today's beer - Badger's Fursty Ferret - really are quite alarmingly similar drink experiences.

But therein lies a lesson to any folk who might still be subscribing to the unfortunate preconception that 'all ales taste the same'. After featuring nearly 80 brews during this project - for two similar beers to crop up on only one consecutive occasion must say something about the sheer variety on offer in the modern world of finely crafted ale.

And a 'finely crafted ale' is certainly what Badger have here with their delightful Fursty Ferret.

But for all it's similarity to Belhaven's previously mentioned Scottish interpretation, there are just enough subtle differences at work here to set this drink apart.

The sweet malts are in excellent form, but there's a shade more bitterness in this recipe, resulting in an overall experience which feels a shade more mindful of balance and flavour-contrast than many of the other 'big malt' ales.

Badger - being the great lovers of floral and fruit themes that they always have been - have integrated soft twangs of rosewater, apricot and orange into the mix which, again, add a certain sharpness to delicately counter that sweetness which might otherwise be too syrupy and rich.

This is a full bodied ale - not in the same way that many of the new wave beers are full bodied, with their hyper-dense, velvet textures - but in the classic sense, that feels substantial in the mouth whilst still feeling more like a liquid than a solid.

And perhaps that's the trick of this beer - it wears tradition like a badge of pride, and no brewery could be more proud of a traditional beer created with this degree of skill and care.

It might not be massively 'trendy' in the current beer climate - which is in danger of becoming nothing more than a high-jump contest for ever more exotic hops, who compete purely and simply to induce our tongues to protrude ever further outward from our skulls - but I'm deeply grateful for beers like this which quietly continue to do their own thing, in spite of the clamour of the crowd.

This is a pretty damn tasty ale.

Let that be enough.

Day 69, Beer 69 - Brew Dog's "5 A.M. Saint"

Today's Beer





Name – 5 A.M. Saint

Brewer – Brew Dog

Classification – Amber Ale (I steadfastly refuse to write 'Iconoclastic Amber Ale' as the label would have me do. But then, there's a lot about this label that I choose to disregard. I have to, otherwise I'd never be able to drink it. Read on...)

Strength – 5 % ABV


Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Brooding, deepest walnut. Very handsome.

On the nose – Monumentally zingy hops. This is Citrus-Kong! Bonus wafts of pepper and spices. Utterly unique.

On the tongue – Complexity and nuance are both off the grid. Top end heavy, but deliciously so. Very special.

On the subject - As Scotland's largest independent brewery, Brew Dog have scampered along very impressively since their arrival on the market in 2007. Loved, loathed, but seldom ignored. But then, it's hard to ignore a dog that never stops barking.

On the market – The cult of Brew Dog has yet to reach it's goal of global domination. Will it ever? Well, maintaining such a diligently manipulated public image could become tedious to them, but failing that - global domination looks pretty likely. This bottle came from The Real Ale Store.

On the whole - 9/10


Full Review

I don't like Brew Dog.

The list of reasons is too lengthy for a single posting, but let me give you an example.

On the label of this beer bottle, Brew Dog have written "The UK beer scene is sick. We are the cure."

An earlier version - as displayed on their own promotional website - was phrased "The UK beer scene is sick. We are the fucking doctor."

Setting aside the earlier version (with it's revolutionary use of naughty language) - what you have here is the distilled essence of what this brewery's marketing strategy is all about.

Brash, boastful, brattish, and supposedly cool.

They're like that kid back in school who thought he was popular just because he was louder and ruder than everyone else. The kid who grew up to run his own car clamping firm, or sell expensive industrial vacuum cleaners to elderly widows.

Oh, how we all look back and regret not punching that kid square in the jaw! Why did we all smile along with this idiot for so long?

That's the Brew Dog public relations ethos. They've applied time, money and effort into making themselves 'be' the most irritating child in your class, the one who nobody ever dared to tell to 'shut up.'

Quite honestly, my eight year old son has a far greater flair for PR.

But then, eight year old kids are precisely who this beer is aimed at, as is made clear by the child-sized bottles it's sold in. (This is not a problem unique to this brewery, because like always, those who are scared tend to follow the bully...)

The chief reason why this particular label-quotation makes me resent the brewery with such unbridled enthusiasm, is because (aside from being massively cheesy) it is just plain old incorrect.

Having spent the last three months sampling bottle after bottle of beers from all across this country, I can say with absolute certainty that the 'UK beer scene' (the reductive phrase these guys use to describe the 'UK beer industry') is not nearly 'sick' as they claim, but is actually in the most excellent health - possibly better than ever before in it's long and illustrious history.

The only 'sickness' at work here is in the shape of a relatively new business deciding to drop it's trousers, crouch down and empty it's bowels upon every other firm in the sector - purely in order to make a splash, if you'll excuse the phrase.

Snore, snore, snore.

Good luck with that car clamping business.

The reality is that my eight year old son would instinctively know that taking the 'screw you - but love me' approach to marketing only works on the gullible, the timid, or those who actively enjoy being treated with disrespect.

This leaves every other drinker in the marketplace without a Brew Dog beer in his hand, because he will never buy products which tell him what a clown he is for doing so. (The rest of the label essentially tells the drinker what an ignoramus he probably is.)

Anyway, when it comes to the corporate image of this brewery, I think you get the idea.

But what of the important bit?

What about the beer they produce?

Incidentally, that really is the important bit - though it's not at all clear whether Brew Dog actually realise this, such is the emphasis on the aforementioned public image.

The other question, of course, was how the hell I would react if it transpired that their beer was actually pretty decent? I'd potentially be forced into a very tricky corner.

Imagine then, how unequivocally mortified I was rendered when - mere moments into the taste test of 5 A.M Saint - I became horribly and acutely aware that I was in the presence of one of the most sublime fluids I've ever encountered.

Actually, I think my very first though was - "The bastards!"

This beer is astonishingly delicious, and - in complete contrast to all the swagger and posturing of the branding - it is also exquisitely delicate, elegant and refined. It actually tastes 'friendly'. I could almost feel the beer apologising for the unruly behaviour of it's own label.

But, my goodness, how many ways did I enjoy this ale. And for how many varied reasons.

Newly-ripened grapefruit, spiced apple, fresh ginger, black pepper - all wonderfully distinct and vital, having been blended and crafted with the most distinguished skill and precision.

The supremely gifted craftspeople who work this palpable magic in the brewhouse are surely not the very same individuals who toss around lunatic marketing concepts like paper planes over in the office.

If they are the same - it would lend serious weight to the notion that even a genius is never good at everything.

The harsh reality is that Brew Dog's ultra-rubbish PR approach needs to be set aside - because this beer needs everyone, and I do mean everyone, to look beyond the branding and discover a brew of rarefied excellence. It is truly gorgeous, and it really has no business being sent-up and compromised by the irritating comedy exploits of an amoral vacuum cleaner salesman.

Like I said, I don't like Brew Dog.

Until their playground media mentality evolves, I'll always have trouble buying their products.

But there's very little point in pretending otherwise - I absolutely love their beer.

Day 63, Beer 63 - Badger's "First Gold"

Today's Beer

Name - First Gold

Brewer - Badger

Classification - Traditional, 'country' ale

Strength - 4% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye - Copper sunset. Lovely.

On the nose - Smoked fruits. High toned hops.

On the tongue - Simultaneously traditional and unique. Wonderfully nutty, with some extraordinary use of hops.

On the subject - Badger have an almost unrivalled bottled beer presence in the UK. For such an elusive creature to have been chosen to represent them seems a little inappropriate these days!

On the market - Everywhere. Seriously.

On the whole - 8.5/10

Full Review

This is a very sophisticated drink.

There's a breadth of flavour themes surging through every mouthful, which both bedazzles and soothes to extreme effect.

It's distinctive, too. Without being eccentric or overly experimental, Badger have concocted a beer which I'm certain I would be able to identify with no trouble at all in a blind tasting. It really does have a character all to it's own.

It's an odd mix of super-traditional and utterly unique. I'm sure that's an entirely illogical statement, but it identifies this ale all the same. It's richly nutty, satin/velvet in the body, and is possessive of around seven separate floral and citrus 'twangs' in the rapidly arriving finish.

Midway through the glass, I became convinced that it was the hops that were chiefly responsible for the uniqueness of the taste, and at that very moment (most unusually for a Bottled Beer Year taste test) I reached for the bottle's label, which dutifully informed me that 'First Gold' is actually the name of the low-growing dwarf hops which are solely used in the brewing of this beer. For a brew to be named after the hops which it contains reveals quite a lot about their acknowledged influence.

I'm sure there's much more to this ale's fabulous flavour than just well selected hops, which cannot possibly take the credit for that deliciously firm consistency, or for that fiendishly fulsome nutty base - but they really do add the most wonderfully ethereal bitterness to the mix, a bitterness which sets about delighting the mouth quite relentlessly from the very start.

I quickly grew to adore this beer.

Frankly, I defy anyone not to.

Day 39, Beer 39 - Spire Brewery's "Britannia Cream Ale"

Today's Beer

Name – Britannia Cream Ale

Brewer – Spire

Classification – Strong Amber Ale

Strength – 6.4% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Gorgeous shades of yellow and gold, ruined almost entirely by copious amounts of floating yeast. I tire of this subject almost as much as it tires of me...

On the nose – Thickly buttered hot cross buns. Toasted, of course.

On the tongue – Fresh ginger and pink grapefruit. In a cake.

On the subject – Chesterfield's Spire Brewery is the brainchild of David McLaren. As a former secondary school teacher - he will have NONE OF YOUR BACKCHAT about his beers.

On the market – Local suppliers score an A+, but non local suppliers all get detention! Mine was supplied by The Real Ale Store (who totally loves 'Sir' and always brings him an apple)

On the whole – 8/10

Full Review

If you'd just been through what I've been through, you'd realise just how hard it is to know where to begin.

From the very first sip, this crafty little beast had me all brow-furrowed and head-scratching and, if I'm entirely honest, I'm still pretty bewildered by what I just experienced.

Before I go any further, let me quickly establish that this is a beer that needs to be taken very seriously.

It is, in other words, a very serious beer.

It's a serious beer, and I've been left with little reason to doubt that it's probably also quite an excellent beer.

But I couldn't be absolutely certain of that, or of anything else in relation to this brew because - boy oh boy - is it enigmatic!

It simply refuses to fall neatly – if at all – into any of the usual beer categories, and the brewery's claim that it is a 'cream ale' is certainly one that I'm in no great hurry to embrace.

For sure, there are cream-like aspects to the beer, particularly in terms of the sumptuous buttery fragrance and that huge Hagen Dazs head which billows forth impatiently regardless of how fast you pour.

But a long time before I would have thought of picking out 'creaminess' as this beer's overriding defining quality, I would surely have opted for one of the clearly more dominant properties such as its highly hopped 'kick' or its richly complex finish, or I'd have focused onto its unrelenting citrus appeal.

Mind you, its not as though any of this matters after a few mouthfuls, because at an insidiously deceptive 6.4%, this ale soon renders most Earthly matters devoid of any real significance.

But then again, at 6.4%, I probably shouldn't be craving several more of these – but the awful, terrifying truth is that I am, and it wouldn't be fair on the beer not to confess that.

To be even more fair, though, I also have to confess that my craving is not necessarily due to an intense love which has developed for this ale. The feeling I have is more akin to an investigators obsession with a case he can't yet solve, such is the tremendous sense of intrigue behind this beer and its devilishly elusive character.

Day 27, Beer 27 - Dent Brewery's "Aviator Ale"

Today's Beer

Name – Aviator

Brewer – Dent Brewery

Classification – Amber Ale

Strength – 4% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Warm, deep orange. Tempting to behold.

On the nose – Creamed raisins and buttermilk.

On the tongue – Biscuits, bread, baked apples... not at all horrible.

On the subject – Nestled into picturesque the hills of Cumbria, the Dent Brewery's idyllic setting literally finds its way into the beer.

On the market – A very useful list can be found here. Being in Cumbria helps!

On the whole – 7.5/10

Full Review

There's a lovely 'bake-house' feel to this beer.

It's possesses the kind of malty deliciousness which brings to mind warm shortbread biscuits and freshly baked farmhouse loaves.

All in all, for a beer marketed very much the spirit of an adventuring pioneer, there's something paradoxically even-keeled and comforting about it.

But then, perhaps they had this sense of paradox firmly in mind when they choose an aeroplane-flying sheep as their mascot. I certainly had no inclination to board a jet after a couple of sips of this very decent brew. In fact, after a short while, a trip to the nearest comfy chair was about all I was planning.

There's even a soothing undercurrent of apple pie to further add to this wondrously 'fireside' appeal. I was left feeling a certain inclination to begin befriending random strangers, and it was as though this was exactly what the beer had in mind. I do admire that quality in an ale, and it's an increasingly rare quality to find.

If all this talk of domesticity, warm breads and kinship sounds hopelessly romantic, well, I would say it's very much a case of the 'beer talking' in this particular case, and for what it's worth – it is absolutely speaking my language.

For those who like their beers well hopped, deeply malted, but with the added appeal of citrus infused biscuit – this could well be the ale for you.

For those who like kicking off their shoes, finding comfy chairs and getting social....well, it's right up your street, too.