Colonsay 80/-

It has been some time since the prelude to this particular dream was published but I am now finally (and I apologise for the delay) in a position to let you all in on my part of the fantastic experience that has been Beerswap 2009. For those who don’t remember I was sent a selection of refreshing beers from North of the border by Robbie @ I Might Have a Glass of Beer and this is what I thought…

Colonsay 80/- Ale – 4.2%

The initial impression I got of this beer (largely from the bottle) was that it looked a little camp. The pink label and fancy writing stood out but it didn’t take too much of a closer inspection to see that this really isn’t the case. The Brewer’s description states that they ‘think the slight peatiness of our island water brings out the malt, almost smoky flavour’. I soon realised that this beer isn’t the gaudy insecure chap making a lot of noise in his bright pink shirt but rather the big guy who’s comfortable in his salmon shirt happy in the knowledge that;
1.    if he wanted to (and he never would) he could kick your arse; and,
2.    his  girlfriend is gorgeous.
And so it is with 80 /-. The initial taste is similar to a traditional non hopped British Bitter, John Smiths Cask for example, and only a slightly lighter tone of colour indicates the crisp, clearer and lighter flavour that follows. The smoky depth comes through into your mouth after you have swallowed but whilst on the tongue the beer offers a soft clarity which, while not dominating the taste buds, flows around the mouth with a velvet smoothness.
The sum total of these attributes results in a subtle drinkability, with the flavoursome aftertaste quickly drawing the glass back to the mouth until the full pint has quickly vanished. This is one of the most pleasingly drinkable Ales I can remember enjoying in recent times.

Houston Crystal Pale Ale – 5.0% abv

Crystal Pale Ale

I thought things were taking a step towards the wild side when I turned to this Pale Ale. All the ingredients (and lets be honest there are only a small number required) were there for a decent Pale Ale. When I originally drank the beer I was a little disappointed. However, as I type, I have to confess that I am now concerned that I may be a victim of the ‘Brewdog Generation’. In other words I am beginning to expect to have my tastebuds blown out by every bottle coming out of Scotland with the word ‘Hops’ on it.

Let me first say that of the four beers I received this made the most attractive (beauty of course being entirely the opinion of the beholder) pint when poured. As I would expect of a beer whose brewer attentative enough to list the quality of the water used in brewing amoung their main beers attributes, the texture was crisp and sharp. As a member of the ‘Brewdog generation’ I would say that the Hoppyness left me wanting a little more, but this is as likely to be a deficiency of the hop addicted reviewer than the beer itself. The taste almost fizzed away with a hint of sherbert rather than dominating the mouth in the way I was eager for.

I di enjoy the sherbert flavour, like thousands of little of crystals creating mini explosions in the mouth. I get the feeling that, if I wasn’t such a Hop fiend, I would be raving about this beer.

St Mungo Premium Lager, 4.7% abv

This is a golden lager, less carbonated than I expected from the appearance, strong and malty in flavour but not to the degree of a Brooklyn or similar type lager. While comparing this to other lagers I should say that it also does not have the crispness or cleanness of a James Boags.

This walking of the line between the strongly flavoured robust lagers and the refreshing clean lagers means that this was a new and almost unique drinking experience for me and, although I would be reluctant to spend an evening drinking just this lager, I would certainly make it an addition to the beer cellar for something different.

Isle of Arran

Isle of Arran Ale – 3.8% abv

This beer offers 9 different ways of saying the word beer on the bottle and this reflects the fact that it was clearly the most ‘touristy’ of the beers that I had been sent in this year’s beer swap. The picturesque label, guilded in faux gold, suggests that it is probably marketed more at my Grandad’s generation than my own.

This beer falls somewhere between the 80 /- and Crystal Pale, my first few mouthfuls presented the malt but the hop seems to have become more dominant to my tastebuds as I worked my way down the glass. The same citrussy, sherbert fruitiness that was present in the Crystal Pale was in this beer but again the hoppyness could have been stronger for my tastes.

Conclusion

It might  be easy to see from my tasting notes which was my winner but, having had the opportunity to sample four new brews that would have otherwise possible never met with my Southern tastebuds, BEERSWAP was the real winner!!!

Cotswold Premium Lager - 330ml bottle

Following the brief response I made to comments asking about this lager left on an earlier unrelated post, I have now taken delivery of a batch to get a full review done. Firstly I would note that I was wrong before when I said that this came in a 500ml bottle. It does in fact come in a 330ml and so is right there in my opinion to take on the mass produced bottled lager area of the  market. I could not stand in a bar drinking Old Hooky from it’s bottle but I would have no problems doing so with a 330ml bottle like this. Having said that, the brading itself does perhaps leave a little to be desired and the label does not really have the colour or liveliness it would need to cut it on the shelves of a busy bar. The outward appearance of the bottle unfortunately does not do justice to the contents.

Golden Premium Lager

The beer is pale golden with a lingering malty aftertaste, probably down to the Maris Otter malted barley. The beer has as strong a flavour as those that it would, in my perfect world, displace from the shelves in all bars, but it is less aggressive with it. I am having a bottle with Winnie and Jim, I have been the most disciplined and dragged mine out for 15 mins but Jim polished his in less than 5 and Winnie was under 10. All three of us agree that this is drinkable, with the 5.0% abv maybe too much so!!!

I would love to see a day when locally produced lagers, available in 330ml bottles, take over from the mass produced bottles that are available in Vodka Revolutions up and down the country. If this work from the Cotswold Brewing Company is anything to go by there are certainly British lagers more than capable of taking up the fight.

Grozet: A quality lager the real-lager-reviews boys should sample.

Williams Brothers Brewing Company have couple of lagers in their range, including Ceilidh (reviewed here). Rather unusually, this beer is described on the bottle as a ‘lagered fruit beer’, which suggests that it is something of a hybrid product aimed across a couple of beer styles. Based on an old Scottish harvest beer recipe from the 16th century, we should anticipate a fruity beer infused from the gooseberries prevalent in the ingrediants.

The nose is extremely sweet, with the citrusy, fruity aroma backed up with a chocolatey note that cuts through at the end. In the glass, the liquid is a very pale blonde that lets the liveliness of the lager shine through. Despite the fruit beer connections, the appearance is definitely one of a lager, so it seems natural to describe it as such.

Despite the effervescence of the beer in the glass, the fizz on the tongue quickly fades away to something of a creamy mouthfeel that is surprising as it is pleasant. The taste continues the sweet theme set up in the aroma, but does have a citrusy sharpness about it as well.

In fact, the sweetness from the fruit – most likely from the natural sugars from the gooseberries used in the brewing process – is the most striking element of the flavour. This is definitely a lager for sweet tooths, and it would be interesting to see if it appeals to avid fans of fruity beers, or possibly wine drinkers.

The aftertaste is particularly dry and disappears with a fresh, citrusy flavour that lingers satisfactorily some time after the final drop. The fruity element, in my opinion, makes this an interesting lager as opposed to a lively fruit beer. It is a nice twist that should appeal to fans of both styles should they be looking for something a bit different that may expand their palate somewhat.

In a week where ‘real lager’ has caused some controversy, it is interesting to see how the microbreweries are tackling the lager commundrum. We are well aware that CAMRA has its principles, but examples such Grozet suggest it might want to be careful before casting a stone in the direction of certain, well-meaning breweries.

Brewed in Tasmania, Australia, this little green bottle has travelled some distance to find its way in my hand. I’m glad it did.

This full bodied crisp lager is becoming a mainstay in my fridge this summer. I really like the freshness of this lager, when served ice cold it seems to reach down and refresh me from the pit of my stomach rather than many non premium lagers that refresh the mouth but leave the stomach with  something of a gassy non-entity. For certain this is in no small part to the carbonisation, not only is it not overly carbonised but it is also stylised in such a way that the bubbles feel small and unimposing meaning that bloatation is bottles away.

In terms of flavour it is crisp and full, the perfect compliment to the lightness created by the texture.

If you manage to find enough sunshine this summer to get some coals on the BBQ, I think you could do far  far worse than having a dozen or so of these in  the ice box ready to go.