It’s been another wonderful week or so of beers for me, and I’ve got three crackers to share with you include one of my new absolute favourite pints. Let’s meet the latest brews to be sampled…
Yelling At Inanimate Objects – Newtown Park Brewing Co.
Type: New England IPA
Percentage: 3.9%
Aroma: This beer has a very, gentle perfumed scent to it. Fruity and floral, but ever so soft. It’s like sniffing the inside of an empty bag of sweets. Perhaps Dolly Mixture or Fruit Pastels.
Taste: There is an immediate flowery flavour that hits your tongue like you’ve just had a lick of the Chelsea Flower Show. That soft flavour lingers long into the aftertaste and is most welcome to do so. There’s a distant rumble of bitterness that never quite makes it to the forefront of your tastebuds, and a delicate carbonation keeps your tongue enticed. This is a beer that’s all about subtlety, but all of these individual whispers come together to form a raucous chorus in your mouth that you’ll cry “Encore!” for. This is a very drinkable pint, and it’s so sweet, you might even call it cute.
Who’s Is This Beer For: Anyone looking for a great starting beer for a session.
Pair with: Unsalted crisps or plain rice crackers (just because you don’t want anything to dilute that flavour).
Heathen – Abbeydale Brewery
Type: Pale Ale
Percentage: 4.1%
Aroma: You can catch a whiff of this one a mile away thanks to the Mosaic hops which kick down the door to your nose and force their way in bodily. I can’t quite put my finger (or schnozz) on what exactly the smell reminds me of, but I’m leaning towards dry grapefruit peel. It’s incredibly fresh and crisp though – quite a beautiful scent.
Taste: I have been going back to the bar where I found this beer all week just to squeeze in a couple more pints of it. It has a lovely, light fizziness that helps to deliver a refreshing dry and bitter taste that splashes across your tongue like one of Jackson Pollock’s best efforts. The flavour is subtle, but there’s so much of it that it becomes overwhelmingly delicious. The aftertaste then comes in strong and the waves of bitterness crash around your mouth like a tempest tossed sea. Your tongue will remember this beer with great fondness and I am absolutely a fan of this pint – a new favourite.
Who Is This Beer For: Cultured ale drinkers and Martini-lovers alike.
Pair with: Pad Thai or Twiglets. Seriously though, anything – it’s great.
Pillars Pilsner – Pillars Brewery
Type: Pilsner
Percentage: 4.0%
Aroma: Simply the faint and fizzy aroma of good malt. It’s such a classically beery smell, but here it’s done so well. It’s at just the right level as to entice you to take a sip.
Taste: That malty smell transforms into a delicious flavour for your tongue to wrap itself around when this beer cascades into your waiting gob. It has all of those traditional brewery flavours but all perfectly aligned and delivered in an orchestral hit of refreshment. It reminds me very much of Camden Hells but with less bubbles and more personality. There really is a lot to this beer and it’s certainly worth sampling even if you’re not a pilsner/lager drinker. This is that genre of beer done expertly.
Who Is This Beer For: Anyone looking for a refreshing pint on a hot day.
Pair With: Chip Shop sausage and gravy, or flamin’ steak flavoured crisps.
Ye Olde Pub Painter 