Day 91, Beer 91 - Wadworth's "Malt & Hops"

Today's Beer






Name - Malt & Hops

Brewer - Wadworth

Classification - Premium seasonal ale

Strength - 4.5% ABV


Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye - Mango gold.

On the nose - Buttery and zesty in equal measure. You can literally smell how this beer's name came about!

On the tongue - Full-on bitterness and loaded with rich fruits. Intense.

On the subject - Wadworth produce a total of six seasonal beers covering most times of year, this is their early Autumn brew.

On the market - Rare even when it is available, which is (technically) only around September and October as it's only brewed for a very short period prior to then. Fortunately, bottles keep, so the restriction is less of a problem once you've got your hands on the stuff. The brewery keeps a stock, so try their own online store.

On the whole - 7.5/10


Full Review

The label of this beer reveals the ugly truth.

It reads "Brewed for only four weeks of the year. When it's gone - it's gone."

Few truths could be uglier.

The simple reason why this truth is so appallingly ugly is the fact that this beer is so very good. Therefore it has no business being a limited availability seasonal offering. But then, I find this a lot with 'seasonals' from all kinds of breweries, and I often wonder why decisions to keep good beers restricted are ever made in the first place. I mean, who benefits from this?

Let me be clear though - this brew is not for all tastes. It is, in a word, 'strong.' Not in the alcoholic-content sense of the word (though it is hardly the world's weakest beer in that regard) but rather it is strong in flavour. The zesty bitterness and the rich floral fruitiness are pitched for maximum impact - so much so that it would be hard to imagine consuming much more than a couple of these during any one session. The fruits even take on a slight 'sweetshop' feel at certain points, which could eventually become a little overwhelming even for me, I suspect.

But a single jar of this is very rewarding experience, and there is a overall sense of fun about this beer that I found highly endearing.

Wadworth ales are never shy and retiring, and very rarely are they subtle in flavour.

What they are though is absolutely packed with personality, and there is no better example of this than the distinctive and characterful Malt & Hops.

Day Twelve, Beer Twelve - Brakspear's "Triple"

Today's Beer

Name – Triple

Brewer – Brakspear

Classification – Strong Ale

Strength – 7.2% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Dark oak. That very ancient dark oak which I image High Court Judges prefer their dinner served upon.

On the nose – Sharp fruits and deep malts.

On the tongue – Remarkable. That's lazy writing and very unhelpful, I know. But, nevertheless...

On the subject – Oxford's Brakspear have produced a beer whose complexity of flavour is almost outdone by the complexity of its brewing process. But don't let the science put you off!

On the market – Widely available in the UK. Picked mine up at Sainsbury's.

On the whole – 8.5/10

Full Review

Whoever said beers over 6.5% ABV could never be among the best ales available?

Well.... I did.

Quite embarrassingly recently, as it happens.

Well, I suppose this year of beer sampling was always going to be a learning process.

Can you sense my crude attempt to hide my unrelenting shame?

Anyway, moving rapidly on...

Those of us crying into our ale over the new government proposal to increase tax on all beers over 7.5% ABV can take some comfort that a bottle of this distinguished brew will narrowly miss out on any price rises.

At a mere 7.2%, Brakespear's ludicrously complex 'Triple' just slips under the bar, as will anyone foolish enough to drink more than one bottle in any great hurry.

But let me move swiftly (as swiftly as I'm able after 500ml of this powerful juice) away from the issue of strength, because what this drink does best - is use a clever trick to almost entirely mask its potency. That trick comes in the form of the most wonderfully abundant array of flavour themes of any beer I can recall.

The sheer amount of individual flavour characteristics flourishing in this beer is nothing short of astounding. Its high-end sweetness simultaneously collides and complements its deeply malted base notes, and the myriad flavours found in between these extremities is staggering.

I found sherbet sweetness, playful traces of peach and honey, oats, cola cubes, tobacco, pine needles... the hand written notes I penned eventually decay into a flatline – symbolising the futility of trying to identify every last nuance contained within this brew.

It is, in a word, remarkable.

For a drink experience that will leave you satisfied, quenched, challenged and pleasantly bewildered, look no further than a bottle of this.

If, on the other hand, you require a beer that will see you through an evening – you must simply ignore what this potion's seductive subtleties would try to make you believe – and instead you should trust in me...

If you're having more than one - Triple is not your tipple.

For anyone strong-willed enough to stick with a single - go ahead and simply savour.

Day Eleven, Beer Eleven - Bateman's "Rosey Nosey"

Today's Beer

Name – Rosey Nosey

Brewer – Batemans

Classification – 'Seasonal' beer.

Strength – 4.9% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Red and brown, each in their warmest of moods.

On the nose – Rampant caramelised fruits.

On the tongue – Tree bark, cinnamon and sandalwood. Nice, though!

On the subject – A drive to the Lincolnshire coast from the Midlands will illustrate the expansion-hunger of this nascent brewing giant. Every other pub is a Batemans pub. They do brew good ale and, given the rate of their growth, lets hope they manage to remember how.

On the market – All major supermarkets and beyond.

On the whole – 6.5/10

Full Review

Although they don't refer to him by name, it's a pretty safe bet that the flush-faced old gent gazing out from the label of this beer is none other than Father Christmas himself.

And, to be perfectly frank, this particular Saint Nick looks like he's already sunk a few.

As you will have deduced – yes, this is the second 'festive offering' that I've tinkered with so far, chiefly because I feared I might seem like a miserable, Scrooge-like so-and-so if I didn't at least appear to enter into 'the spirit'.

My problem is - that it often seems like brewers have also entered into a few 'spirits' before they begin work on their inevitable Xmas 'specials'.

Far too many of these 'novelty' ales feel like their recipe was agreed on after a seven hour session at a nearby inn, rather than the more customary method of doing this kind of work before such visits.

Bateman's of Lincolnshire have a fine tradition of excellence and, after many recent supermarket deals, many of you will be aware of their excellent beers such as 'Victory Ale' and 'Dark Lord'. So, with a strong track record, you would think these guys could be relied upon to at least stay semi-sober before assembling together to dream up a Christmas Beer.

And, I'm happy to say, you'd actually be right to think that.

This is an impressively level-headed attempt to invest something unquestionably 'seasonal' into a beer, without making it into a party piece or a gimmick.

Don't get me wrong, this is not the most benevolent Santa around, he's actually pretty bitter, and maybe he needs a touch of counselling to bring back that warmth and generosity. At times, he's even a little bit tart for your average bringer of joy.

Having said that, if I'd just traversed the globe in a single night, delivering gifts to almost every human on the planet, I can hardly imagine a better drink to be waiting for me back in chilly Lapland.

But, much like Father C, this is the sort of beer you enjoy the company of just once in a while, knowing that you might not want to overdo it and spoil the fun. It's the sort of beer whose 'fun' you won't want to go taking advantage of.

That 'fun' though, while it lasts, is really quite enjoyable.

In fact, I could even stretch that a little bit further and claim that this beer is just ever so slightly magical... if only in that 'once a year' kind of way.

Day Eight, Beer Eight - White Horse's "Rudolp The Red Nosed White Horse"

Today's Beer

Name – Rudolph The Red Nosed White Horse – (And, no – I am not lying!)

Brewer – White Horse

Classification – Premium Ale

Strength – 4.8%

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Ruddy, in a welcoming, seasonal sort of way.

On the nose – Mercifully non-experimental. None of that festive 'spice' which can often emerge at this time of year.

On the tongue – Basically, far too good for a novelty, Christmas-themed offering.

On the subject – Be gentle with this horse! With your love, this evolving Oxford enterprise will take control of the universe. Feel free to quote me when that time comes.

On the market – An inexcusable and inexplicable golden handcuff arrangement with one UK supermarket. Bad news for most of us.

On the whole – 8.5/10

Full Review

This is going to sound a little harsh, but I think the White Horse Brewery have messed up.

Selling their soul exclusively to one supermarket chain is one thing, but by also releasing this particular beer as a seasonal novelty, they are effectively denying most beer lovers a very rare treat which they should be able to savour not only everywhere, but also all year round.

Seasonal beers come and go – the concept itself somewhat dictates this fact – but, by and large, it is usually the 'Christmas' themed brews which wind up being the most experimental and, frankly, the most crazy.

But flying in the face of this trend is a drink named 'Rudolph The Red Nosed White Horse' – which has nothing particularly 'seasonal' about it, which is also not even close to being insane, and which is just too good to be disappearing from our shelves on December 26^th.

This is a fabulous drink experience and, as I write this, I'm trying hard to find a good enough reason not to give it the highest rating of any beer I've reviewed so far.

Of course, I don't actually have to look very far to find that good reason. After all, this is a seasonal beer – and a Christmas novelty beer at that – so a chart-topping rating would be inappropriate to say the least. Imagine recommending one beer above all else – one which may never be seen again after less than a month or so on the market.

But what a travesty this beer's imminent withdrawal from sale really is.

This brew manages to be simultaneously warming and refreshing, both to maximum effect – and so very few beers on this planet can genuinely achieve this feat. It's fruity, malty, comforting, rewarding... all manner of things that a good ale should be.

You might argue that a year round beer ought to be a trace more nutty, or have more of a biscuit finish, or some other such quality which the brewer failed to incorporate.

The trouble is – I don't think it lacks a single thing. This beer is a little Christmas miracle, and I think it needs some serious re-branding, and with all possible haste, so it can stay right there on the market where it belongs, and where it will surely become a force to be reckoned with in no time at all.