Category Archives: Real Ale

Einstök Olgerd (Brewery) – Icelandic Toasted Porter

Einstök Ölgerd, Iceland, My 5* Rating, Porter, Real Ale, , ,

Einstök Olgerd (Brewery) – Icelandic Toasted Porter 6.0%

Einstök Olgerd – Icelandic Toasted Porter

 

This is a very dark to black ale, with toasted coffee and toffee aromas. It has a warm coffee taste with a toasted coffee and chocolate bitterness. It is an excellent porter style ale.

This ale is brewed with toasted a chocolate malts and is brewed with Icelandic roasted coffee.
 
An interesting and successful Icelandic brewed traditional ale originating in the pubs around the traditional London markets.
My 5*
 
This 6 Pack of Icelandic Toasted Porter was was a much appreciated present, brought back from Rekjavik by my son on a visit to see the Northern Lights.
 

Einstök Ölgerd (Brewery) – Icelandic White Ale

Einstök Ölgerd, Iceland, My 5* Rating, Real Ale, Wheat Beer, , ,

Einstök Ölgerd [Brewery] – Icelandic White Ale 5.2%

Einstök Ölgerd - Icelandic White Ale
Einstök Ölgerd – Icelandic White Ale

This is a lemon coloured ale with a fresh and sweet aroma. It has a sweet light spicy taste making it a refreshing ale.

The ale is flavoured with coriander an orange peel. Based on the classic witbier, with coriander and orange peel, oats and Icelandic water. This is very good spicy white ale and is unfiltered. It has a lighter spiciness than the classic Belgian White Beer and is an interesting ale from our Northern European neighbour.
 
The brewery is 60 miles south of the Arctic circle. In the fishing port of Akureyri. The water comes from rain and glaciers from Hlidarfjall Mountain passing through lava fields. My 5*
 
 

Williams Brothers Brewery & Brooklyn Brewery – Aweebit

Brooklyn Brewery, Porter, Real Ale, Scotland, Stout, USA, Williams Brothers Brewing, Winter Ale, , , , , ,

Williams Brothers Brewery & Brooklyn Brewery – Aweebit 4.8%

A Dark Peaty Scotch Ale

Williams & Brooklyn - Aweebit
Williams & Brooklyn – Aweebit 
This ale is a dark Ruby colour with burnt oak and pest aromas. It has a sweet taste running rapidly into a dry peat and smoke aged oak taste. It leads one to think of being in an old Tudor house, with the smell of the smoked wood beams and dark oak furniture.
This ale is a collaboration between the Williams Brothers Brewery in Scotland and the New York based Brooklyn Brewery. Made with pested malt, Scottish honey, Treacle and Brooklyn yeast.
An ale somewhere between a porter and a stout.
 
 

Saltaire Brewery – Hazelnut and Coffee Porter

Porter, Real Ale, Saltaire Brewery, UK, Yorkshire, , ,

 Saltaire Brewery – Hazelnut and Coffee Porter 4.6%

Saltaire Brewery - Hazelnut and Coffee Porter
Saltaire Brewery – Hazelnut and Coffee Porter

This is a dark chestnut coloured ale with a sweet toasted malt and coffee aroma and a hint of plum fruits. The taste is coffee with a hint of hazelnut, starting with sweetness leading to a light bitterness of coffee.

This is a good porter, being on the mild bitter side rather than a sweeter porter ale, from this Yorkshire brewery. This porter does include chocolate in the recipe and is the second porter tried that includes chocolate.

Belhaven Brewery – Robert Burns Brown Ale

Autumn Ale, Brown Ale, Real Ale, Scotland, UK, Winter Ale, , , ,

Belhaven Brewery – Robert Burns Brown Ale 4.2%

Belhaven Brewery - Robert Burns Brown Ale
Belhaven Brewery – Robert Burns Brown Ale

This is a chestnut coloured ale, with a good fruity aroma. It has a good sweet taste and fruit notes, for brown ale.

This ale is a  very pleasant brew, produced in memory of the Scottish Poet Robert (Robbie) Burns and to celebrate Burn’s Night. This ale would go well with hagis.
Belhaven Brewery is in Dunbar and has been brewing for 300 years.

Coach House Brewing – Three Kings

Bitter, Cheshire, Christmas Ale, Coach House Brewery, Real Ale, UK, Winter Ale, , , , ,

Coach House Brewing – Three Kings Christmas Ale 5.2%

 

Coach House Brewing - Three Kings
Coach House Brewing – Three Kings

This is a golden ale with malty aromas. The taste has malt and sweet orange notes, and a following hop bitterness. A rather light coloured ale for a typical Christmas beer but had orange warmth. Overall it tastes like a darker ale.

This brewery is based in Warrington, Cheshire.

 

Acorn Brewery – Barnsley Bitter

Acorn Brewery, Bitter, My 5* Rating, Real Ale, UK, Yorkshire, , , ,

Acorn Brewery – Barnsley Bitter

Acorn Brewery - Barnsley Bitter
Acorn Brewery – Barnsley Bitter

This is a darker chestnut coloured ale, which comes with rich malty and toffee aromas. The taste is a good full bodied malty ale and is an excellent English bitter. My 5* rating. Surprisingly this ale is 3.8%, as I would have expected it to be around 4.5 or so.

Barnsley Bitter was traditionally locally brewed, and in the past was brewed by Courage, now long defunct. It is good to find such a good version of this traditional northern bitter ale, brewed in Barnsley, which was fortunately on tap at my local micro pub – Just Ales in Wells. Do look out for this ale.

Acorn Brewery, Barnsley, Yorkshire

The Vaults in Devizes

Beer, Craft Beer, Micropub, Real Ale, UK, Wiltshire, , , , ,

The Vaults in Devizes, Wiltshire.

The Vaults in Devizes
The Vaults bar

Find one micropub and you are sure to find another. Having a wander around Devises, we happened to come across The Vaults, a micro-pub ale house and bottle shop, in sight of the famous Wadworth Brewery. The Vaults is another  gem where it is all about good beer, talking about good beer and the enjoyment of this wonderful drink.

The Vaults Ale House
The Vaults Ale House

Well worth a visit to sample the latest ales or a cider, or coffee. I bought 3 new porter ales to try, including one I had been looking for, from Anchor Brewing. There were also a number of Belgian Trappist beers on offer.

If you are around West Wiltshire and want a little break, hunt down The Vaults by the Town Hall just off the Square.

The Vaults ale house and beer shop

James Street Brewery – Rudolf Revenge

Christmas Ale, James Street Brewery, Porter, Real Ale, Somerset, UK, Winter Ale, , , , ,

James Street Brewery – Rudolf’s Revenge 5.2%

James Street Brewery Rudolf's Revenge
James Street Brewery – Rudolf’s Revenge

This is the Christmas seasonal offering from the brewery based within The Brew House in Bath. It is a dark red ale with a spicy aroma. The taste is a slightly sharp start, with a full Christmas spicy and fruity follow-on. A porter style and a good Christmas, seasonal ale.

James Street Brewery