In this week’s Beers of the Week post, we have three fantastic British beers from the Midlands that have caused me to linger long in the pubs that I have devoured them in. Let’s go ahead and meet our Beers of the Week this week.
La Brouillard – Mashionistas
Type: New England IPA
Percentage: 4.4%
Aroma: When you stick your honker into the air above this pint, you will immediately think of Summer Fruits. There’s a gentle waft of strawberries and it wouldn’t be weird if you were reminded of a strawberry, kiwi and grape fruit salad when you sniff at this one.
Taste: There are resolutely strong hoppy flavours with this one, but they’re not overwhelming at all. Then there’s the faint citrus notes that delicately cut through beneath them. Overall, this is a beer about subtlety and that lovely bitter aftertaste that barely lingers is testament to that idea. What we have here is a beer made to be quaffed and enjoyed on a summer’s day. Let that silky texture play with your tongue and enjoy this gentle, flavourful beer as a treat, but not a rare one.
Who Is This Beer For: Lovers of good beers in a good pub garden on a summer’s day. It’s another great one for tempting non-real beer drinkers into our ranks.
Pair with: BBQ sausages burnt just right, or perhaps, a bag of skips. I don’t really know.
Steeplechase – Round Corner Brewing Co.
Type: Pale Ale
Percentage: 4.4%
Aroma: Very fruity, but not sharp fruity. It’s a soft and gentle scent that reminds me most of Jelly Tots or Fruit Pastels.
Taste: Full disclosure, I am a huge fan of Round Corner. If you ever find yourself in Melton Mowbray, a trip to their Tap Room is well worth it. But regardless of my bias, I have devoured pretty much a full barrel of this over the last week. There are very traditional ale flavours here, but presented in a wonderfully silky way. This beer flexes its traditional muscles, to bring a new twist to those fantastically old-school bitter flavours. It’s refreshing without being too fruity, and there are some citrus notes but they’re not prevailing at all. It’s got that Pale Ale lightness with a good Bitter body – a cracking beer indeed.
Who is This Beer For: Anyone looking to branch out from traditional ales, or Pale Ale drinkers wanting more robust flavours.
Pair With: Chinese street food, or ready-salted crisps.
Into The Void – Liquid Light Brewing Co.
Type: Porter
Percentage: 5.6%
Aroma: Coffee. It’s like you’re smelling coffee. Perhaps a well made espresso, but it has a sour/bitter note defining it as a beer rather than a hot beverage but it’s amazing nonetheless. The bitterness is reminiscent of 90% dark chocolate and the porter flavours sing strong with this one.
Taste: It’s coffee. I can’t reiterate that enough. I love coffee so I’m a huge fan of this beer (and Liquid Light brewery), and it literally has a double espresso flavour to it. I should also note that it’s remarkably smooth, and I’m so happy it’s in the 5-6% range because it’s quite quaffable and I’d like to neck a few without collapsing in a hedge at some point on my way home. And while it’s smooth, it’s not silk or velvet smooth, but rather a high tog Egyptian cotton smoothness, that’s honest, warming and comfortable. Also, coffee.
Who is This Beer For: Dark beer drinkers who want to enjoy the best of this breed.
Pair With: I think it will compliment umami flavours for some reason, so either marmite on toast or beefy noodles with a lot of soy sauce.
Ye Olde Pub Painter 