Beer Reviews by SIGMUND

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# Beer Origin Style Score Date
7001 t IJ Paasij Netherlands Belgian Ale 4.1

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This Easter brew is one of the best Dutch beers I've had, even if the "style" isn't my definite favourite. Had it on tap in Amsterdam, very enjoyable indeed. Pleasant spicy aroma with hints of leather and wood, the yeast is not as dominant as with some other beers of this style. Some sweetness in flavour and aftertaste, but not too much. Apparently this is a "you either like it or you don't"-beer. And I like it!

Mar 21, 2005
05:23:21 PM
7002 Broadstone Priorswell Porter United Kingdom Porter 3.6

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

(Cask condtioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival, where it was served at room temperature with no carbonation. Dark ruby colour, OKish porter with just too little of everything.

Mar 20, 2005
08:11:20 PM
7003 Bridge of Allan Glencoe Wild Oat Stout United Kingdom Oatmeal Stout 4.5

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Colour is black / dark ruby. Lovely aroma of dark fruits / prunes, English pipe tobacco, chocolate and coffee. Flavour is roast barley and oats on a surprisingly fruity background. Very drinkable. Fruity aftertaste - not what you expect from a stout, but nice! (And the beer is vegan - as if I cared!)

Mar 20, 2005
07:58:20 PM
7004 Brains Bread of Heaven United Kingdom Bitter 3.5

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Copper coloured, moderate malty and caramel aroma. This is a malty "bitter" in the Welsh style, i.e. with very little actual bitterness, just some dusty hops in the finish. A slight acidity keeps it from being too sweet.

Mar 20, 2005
07:47:20 PM
7005 Blackawton Headstrong United Kingdom Extra Special Bitter 3.8

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Oops - forgot to write in the ABV when I added this beer to the database: It's 5.2% (described as "deceptively strong" by the brewery - but then, the English are used to cask bitters at 3.8%). Sampled cask conditioned at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. (Room temperature). Golden coloured strong bitter, rather heavily hopped.

Mar 20, 2005
06:46:20 PM
7006 Santa Clausthaler Germany Reduced Alcohol 1.1

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

A non-alcoholic Christmas beer! Sounds like a joke - tastes like a joke too. Brownish golden colour, just a little darker than the ordinary Clausthaler. Malty aroma that gets sickly as the beer warms up. Sickly flavour, foul aftertaste. Avoid!

Mar 20, 2005
06:16:20 PM
7007 Clausthaler Extra Herb Germany Reduced Alcohol 2.0

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Considerably better than the ordinary Clausthaler (Clausthaler Classic). The Extra Herb (known as Extra Dry in some countries) is drier and has more and better hops. It's still a n/a beer, don't expect too much - but at least it's drinkable with a meal when alcohol is a no-no.

Mar 20, 2005
06:08:20 PM
7008 Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen Germany Hefeweizen 4.2

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

(Sampled 0,5 liter can.) Good head, cloudy golden colour. Lovely aroma of citrus and spices, refreshing light flavour. A good hefe, recommended for everyone who loves the style.

Mar 20, 2005
05:57:20 PM
7009 Clausthaler Germany Reduced Alcohol 1.3

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

No - no - no!! This n/a "beer" is definitely to be avoided. The sickly aroma and flavour of over-boiled vegetables, baby porridge and wet cardboard leaves nothing to please anyone who actually LIKES beer.

Mar 20, 2005
05:53:20 PM
7010 Bath Barnstormer United Kingdom Extra Special Bitter 4.0

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004. Deep copper coloured. Roasted malts, fruit and chocolate. Flavourwise if fits in the gap between a premium bitter and a porter, proving that "styles" are not an accurate science. Good beer.

Mar 20, 2005
05:41:20 PM
7011 Bank Top Flat Cap United Kingdom Bitter 3.6

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival, where it was served at room temperature. Low natural carbonation. Looks like a pale/blonde/golden ale. Good aroma, quite fruity flavour. Would probably taste a lot better if served cooler.

Mar 20, 2005
05:39:20 PM
7012 Ayinger Brau Hell Germany Helles / Dortmunder 3.5

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pilsener-like golden helles, decent head. A tad more malty than the average pilsener, probably more hops than the average helles, otherwise this is just a decent pils to me. Nothing wrong with it, but this style rarely gives me an orgasmic drinking experience.

Mar 20, 2005
05:29:20 PM
7013 Alfa Greece Pale Lager 2.5

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

(Draught at Iolida Village, Agia Marina, Crete, Greece.) "Neutral", unremarkable pale lager. Unoffensive. The beer was cold, I was thirsty, it did the trick.

Mar 20, 2005
05:22:20 PM
7014 Asia Pacific Tiger Beer Singapore Pale Lager 3.1

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

For an Asian pale lager, this is not too bad. Far more flavour than e.g. Thailand's Singha. I've never been to Singapore, but can imagine Tiger Beer would be great in the the tropical heat there. So leave the Singapore Gin Sling for the chicks - be a Tiger!

Mar 20, 2005
05:18:20 PM
7015 Arundel Chilly Willie United Kingdom Extra Special Bitter 4.0

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the Lambton Worm (JDW), Sunderland. Copper coloured, moderate head. Fruity sweet aroma with malts and hints of barnyard. Flavour is instantly very sweet, but there’s also an instant breakthrough of zesty hops that are not very bitter but still add nicely to the flavour. Slightly warming mouthfeel, you might think it’s stronger than it actually is. (No particular effect on my willie, though.) An interesting beer!

Mar 20, 2005
05:13:20 PM
7016 Archers Oyster Stout United Kingdom Oyster Stout 4.0

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the Smithfield, Derby. Black (= very dark ruby) colour, low head. Prune / plum aroma. Flavour is quite fruity for a stout, but the coffee notes are there too. Decent.

Mar 20, 2005
05:09:20 PM
7017 Vos Bovengistend Bier Netherlands Belgian Ale 3.5

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

(Bottle in Amsterdam, the restaurant nearest the Concergebouw). Reddish amber colour, moderate head. Flavour and mouthfeel more of a premium lager than an ale, good beer but nothing to get excited about. Fairly malty, some caramel, lager-like carbonation.

Mar 20, 2005
04:42:20 PM
7018 Stonehenge Ales Old Smokey United Kingdom Old Ale 4.2

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Cask at The Cricketers, Ipswich. Black colour, moderate roasted malts aroma. Flavour is all roasted and smoked malts with some faint vinegary sidenotes. Very nice.

Mar 17, 2005
07:05:17 PM
7019 Erdinger Pikantus Germany Weizenbock 3.9

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

(500 ml bottle). Enormous thick and lasting beige head, colour is very dark brown, cloudy. Aroma is immediately bread yeast, bread dough, fresh sweet buns. As the beer warms up, I also get rye bread, leather and caramel. Flavour is rye bread, caramel (too much), molasses, hints of roastiness and spices. Warming mouthfeel. There’s a very good beer hidden in here somewhere, but it remains unreleased. Sweetness is mostly to blame.

Mar 17, 2005
06:44:17 PM
7020 Crouch Vale Anchor Street Porter United Kingdom Porter 3.9

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Colour is black / very dark ruby. Aroma is roast malts on an initially unpleasant background of vomit, gets better as the beer warms up. Flavour is much better, again: roast malts and coffee. Bitterness seems just right. Easy drinking.

Mar 16, 2005
08:10:16 PM
7021 Crouch Vale Brewers Gold United Kingdom Blonde Ale 4.3

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. The hops are what it’s all about with this light and refreshing golden ale. Would benefit from being served at a slightly cooler temperature than was the case at the IBF. Lovely hoppy aroma and flavour, notes of grapefruit and pineapple. Recommended!

Mar 16, 2005
08:01:16 PM
7022 Kirin Lager Japan Pale Lager 1.8

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

The bad thing about living in Norway is the price of beer. The good thing, however, is that those of us who live near the coast and have a small boat (yes, like me) can catch our own seafood - for free. Freshly caught crab was my chosen accompaniment with Kirin lager - a good choice, I believed, as the Japanese love seafood more than anyone else in the world. I'm sorry to say that most European pilseners / light lagers would have been a better choice than this one. There is very little aroma, the beer is dry (which is a good thing when you have it with seafood) but some more flavour would have been good too! - aftertaste is metallic. Surely the Japanese can do better than this??

Mar 16, 2005
07:54:16 PM
7023 Banks and Taylor Edwin Taylors Extra Stout United Kingdom Dry Stout 4.1

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Black (and I mean BLACK) colour, even when held to the light. Aroma has some dark chocolate, coffee and wood. Roast malt flavour. Hints of tar in the finish. Dry, woody aftertaste. This is not a stout of the "smooth and velvety" kind, but an interesting aquaintance indeed!

Mar 16, 2005
07:48:16 PM
7024 Marston's Resolution / Low C United Kingdom Light / Lite Lager 1.6

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

(275 ml bottle). A low carb bitter - what an idea! Commercial description: "Full flavoured English beer" - my ass! Weak malty aroma, very weak flavour. They sure haven’t used too much of the Golding and Fuggle hops which the label boasts! Quite dry. I used most of it to wash down a meal. Definitely not a beer I’ll buy again!

Mar 16, 2005
07:20:16 PM
7025 Old Chimneys Natterjack Premium Ale United Kingdom Extra Special Bitter 4.0

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle conditioned, 500 ml, bought at Memorable Cheeses, Ipswich. Dark copper coloured, hazy (poured the yeast in). Low head, moderate natural carbonation. Moderate malty aroma, hints of caramel, spices and camphor. Flavour is well balanced, malty and a bit spicy, but has a substantial hoppy bitterness in the finish. Very good.

Mar 16, 2005
07:07:16 PM