Tasting Notes: Newmans: Winter Hog Ale

Newmans: Winter Hog Ale (Wales: Bitter: 4.6% ABV)

Visual:  A slightly reddened chestnut ale with the slightest banana and beige tinge to the otherwise white creamy head.

Nose: Peanuts. Creamy.

Body: Bitter, in fact a separate bitter chocolate element as well. Plus a touch of treacle. Light nuttiness that grows over time.  A solid creamy texture and a hit of sweetness.  As the beer warms it get a more raisin and vinous touch and some chestnuts.

Finish:  Dry chocolate orange and good feel of chocolate dust.  Coffee granules. Earthy hops come in as everything else diminishes. Sour grapes and raisins.

Conclusion: This is really a dusty laced beer. Ok I may need to explain that one.   Like a lot of cask ales it’s thick and creamy textured, but added to that is this gritty feel that runs through it.  That’s not its only oddity; it had an old ale style sourness woven in along with accompanying sour grapes. Then there is treacle sweetness and bitter chocolate.

This range means that the beer really needs to have its flavours clear and distinct to keep it from getting muddled.  Unfortunately it’s that element that the beer is missing. The mix is murky and doesn’t allow you to fully appreciate the elements within it.  Thus you get beer with promise, but the feeling that it needs to pick one flavour to make prominent and weave the others around it.

It’s not really selling itself to me because of that. The end bitterness is quite simplistic as well, holding on far beyond the more interesting flavours.  It really is a pity, as on the first sip I could sense a lot of room to explore, but it never capitalises upon that.
An unfortunate failure to grasp potential.

Background: Drunk at a pub in Llantwit whilst visiting a friend. Thought it would be a shame to hit Wales and not sample a local brew. The beer was at the end of cask when I ordered so the bartender not only drew a pint from the new cask, but gave me the half pint that ended the last one for free as well.  A very nice way to start a review.

Tasting Notes: Facers: Cwrw Campus: DHB: Dave’s Hoppy Beer

Facers: Cwrw Campus: DHB: Dave’s Hoppy Beer (Wales: Golden Ale: 4.3% ABV)

Visual: Just a bit hazy browned grain with barely a sheen of white suds.

Nose: Greenery and resin. Light sweetness and pineapple.

Body: Prickly hops and nettles. Greenery. Sweetness. Pineapple juice and toffee.

Finish: Hops, citrus lime and bitterness. Resin and hop oils. Vanilla.

Conclusion:  Sometimes all a beer needs is a simple trick done well. This is a simple beer of just such a style. Its trick is prickly hops and pineapple juice.  It tastes well enough as well, with the hop style being such that I wondered initially if it had been green hopped (for reference best I can tell it wasn’t).

The abv is nearly low enough to be a true session beer, and frankly it’s not far off so it does that job well enough as is.  The taste lasts well over a couple as well.  Nothing too heavy but it stays fresh and flavoursome.  Frankly it is a one trick pony, but if you are looking for something hoppy to tide you through a pub conversation then this will fill the session nicely.

So a nice prickly of moderate bitterness and nice hoppiness. None too bad I must say.

Background: Drunk at the Royal Oak.  Was the only beer I hadn’t tried on tap.  That about all I knew going in.

Tasting Notes: Brains: Black

Brains: Black (Wales: Stout: 4.1% ABV)

Visual: Guinness style opaque black with a creamy off white head.

Nose: Slight roasted nut, cream, liquorice and treacle. Very light.

Body: Bitter, roasted elements. Cream, slight sourness. Some hops Muggy flavours. Treacle.

Finish: Coffee. Charring is obvious as is the bitterness. Touch of chocolate.

Conclusion: A bad stout? Can there be such a thing, I’m afraid it seems so. The flavours are indistinct and dominated by the bitter and charred elements over the more subtle flavours.

It seems to be the stout offspring of Brains evil smooth line, and suffers much the same failings as that line. Fellow taster Chris says “Like Brains dark, but after your tastebuds get removed with battery acid, if fact, less Brains Dark, more Brains got beaten up in the dark” It seems no-one is impressed with this beer.

To finish with another quote

“The first bastard child of the unholy Brains-Heineken Alliance”

Tasting Notes: Brains: IPA Smooth

Brains: IPA Smooth (Wales: IPA: 3.4% ABV)

Visual: Light syrup brown gold, small creamy and sturdy head.

Nose: Creamy vanilla and toffee hops, condensed cream. Very sweet.

Body: Hops, lime, grainy hop character. Moderate bitterness. John Smiths texture. Cream and caramel. Slightly rough back- slightly sour.

Finish: liquorice, dry hops, surprisingly dry for a “smooth” beer.

Conclusion: Why do people “Smooth” beer. It’s just a way of saying its going to taste as bland as John Smiths.

Considering the reputation of the original Brains IPA this weak representation is very disappointing. Little flavour and to quote my fellow taster (another Chris) “Smooth beers, you know how people saying everything tastes like chicken? Well every smooth beer taste like bad chicken”

Enough said I feel.

Tasting Notes: Otley: 06 Porter

Otley 06 Porter (Wales: Porter: 6% ABV)

Visual: Deep red brown with but a dashing of a head.

Nose: Light coffee.

Body: Intense roasted coffee beans. Very rich treacle – mellows out as it lingers. Very slight blackcherry. Brown sugar.

Finish: Treacle and barbecued burnt meat. Orange.

Conclusion: Full speed ahead on the front of this beer. Sweet, smooth and distinctly unsubtle.

It’s possibly slightly sickly, but taken in smaller measures it is a distinctly enjoyable and smooth pint which defies its comparatively mild nose. More treacle than coffee, it’s a beer for when you need that sugar shock.

Tasting Notes: Bragdy’r Nant Winter Ale

Bragdy’r Nant Winter Ale (Wales: Porter/Ale?: 4.8% ABV)

Visual: Dark hazy red with a medium off white head.

Nose: Light oats, feed bag and coffee. Burnt oats.

Body: Alpen (the cereal). Roasted nuts. Smoked tricks come through. Touches of slight wood and malt chocolate.

Finish: Dusty and roasted nuts. Touch of burnt caramel/ treacle. Very light.

Conclusion: Not a very assertive beer. It has reasonable flavour but does it in such a mild fashion that it doesn’t really stand out.

Unobjectionable and nice nuttiness but not particularly great.

Tasting Notes: Newmans: Last Lion Of Britain

Newmans: Last Lion Of Britain (Wales: ESB: 5% ABV)

Visual: Clear light brown red with a small bubbly head.

Nose: Light treacle lattice, black cherry. Stewed apples. Good dose of malt.

Body: Treacle and apple pie. Cinnamon. Very sweet, blackcherry. Some light coffee at the back.

Finish: Malt, dry dust. Sherry. Coffee and syrup. Slight bitterness and charcoal

Conclusion: Great beer that punches above its weight with a lot going on under the surface. Can be appreciated for its simple sweet front but as you delve deeper you can peel away many tasty layers

This is a good pint for most occasions, simple enough for casual drinking, enough there for appreciating, and whilst not low alcohol, low enough for a session if you don’t go insane.

The epitome of a British bar pint, to keep an eye out for.

Tasting Notes: Brains: Dark

Brains Dark: (Wales: Mild : 4.1 ABV)

Visual: Pretty consistently black with hints of red shining through. Slight cream brown head.

Nose: Hops, thick treacle and cream. Heather field.

Body: Treacle again; bitter depths. Burnt wood and toffee.

Finish: Dry dusty wood, vanilla at the end. Slight breadness , maltiness and spices.

Conclusion: A firm beer; the treacle is somewhat too prevalent and overwhelming of the other flavours, but it still stands up. The flavour is slightly over harsh for the style. Another beer that’s worth a grab if you see it but don’t worry about searching it out.

A side note: The locals tell me this beer is “Tidy, isn’tit”

Tasting Notes: Newmans: Celt Bleddyn 1075

Celt Bleddyn 1075 (Wales: Strong Pale Ale 7.6% ABV)

Visual: Light bronzed amber with a light dusting of white froth.

Nose: Chedder cheese; hops, mature corn chips

Body: Sweet, orange, citrus, golden syrup, touch of lime. Mature cheddar.

Finish: Brown sugar; orange juice. Hoppiness sinks in after a few sips.

Conclusion: A nice sweet rounded beer; Thankfully not so overly sweet that it becomes sickly. A good pork pie would go perfect with it to balance the flavours. Lots of fruit flavours on the main body. Worth a go, especially with a few savory snacks on the side.

(Notes: Apologies to the kind bar staff at the Royal Oak; After their kind posing with the bar pump my photo skills ended up leaving a lot to be desired )

Tasting Notes: Brains: The Rev. James

Brains Beer: The Rev. James (Wales: Old Ale: 4.5% ABV)

Visual: Sunset red with a solid lasting ice cream froth that looks ready for a flake.

Nose: Hops, processed vanilla, caramel syrup sauce, sickly sweet, an actual whiff of fresh ice cream.

Body: Creamy, rising heat, cloves in minute traces at the very end. Slight wood muttering.

Finish: creamy, hops, more vanilla, banana syrup.

Conclusion: A satisfying sweet beer with just the edge of spice to keep it from becoming dull. The sweetness edges forwards towards sickliness but never quite tips over into it. Wales has done good again with this beer.