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The best place to get to know unknown (craft) beers: Reading, Berkshire, 2015. Cheers, indeed.
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Well I had the distinct pleasure of combining two passions last night. Real ale and Doctor Who, what's more the Wetherspoons I was in was teeming with Who fans as a result of coming out of yet another Symphonic Spectacular devoted to the music of Murray Gold. The icing on the cake in this pub literally next door, was that the barmaid (one of those sweet ones I mentioned earlier, and blonde to boot) asked me about the event as she poured my beer. I used to dream about this kind of combination in the eighties!,lol. Too bad it had to wait 'till I'd been married (very happily I might add) some thirty years before the privilege! Very little cosplay on display too, making it possibly the least nerdy Who event yet.
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ND: Maker: Brewdog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire, AB41 8BX Beer: Dead Pony Pale Ale (bottled, 330ml) Style: American IPA ALC.VOL.: 3.8% This is a "session" (which means, low acoloholic volume) IPA by the now-famous Scottish craft brewery that has expanded from 2 employees in 2007 to 358 as of 2014. Color: deep golden, clear Nose: intense grapefruit, herbs, pinewood, slightly sweet Texture: despite the low volume, not watery, rather full mouthfeel Taste: Intense bitterness at first, dry, strong herbal notes, grapefruit, resinous pinewood. Resinous notes increase towards the middle, fruit is muted now. Finish is dry, bitter, hoppy. Pinewood returns in the long-lasting aftertaste. Impressions: Familiar grapefruit and resinous pinewood in this American IPA, but more bitter than even most USA-made IPAs. No doubt the makers are trying to hide the low alcoholic volume by making it as bitter as possible (they did that too in their 1% ALC beer, The Nanny State). Not subtle, but powerful and certainly thirst-quenching.
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The Punk IPA is now available on tap at many British pubs, as is their "This is Lager". ND: Maker: Widmer Brothers, Portland, Oregon, USA Beer: Upheaval IPA (bottled, 330ml) Style: American IPA ALC.VOL.: 7.0% "Widmer Brothers Brewing is located in beautiful and brew-friendly Portland, OR. Our publicly-held brewery since 1984] [employs over 150 people who are as passionate about quality craft beer as Kurt & Rob themselves." Colour: Light orange, slightly cloudy, medium white head Nose: Sweetish pineapple, floral hops, subdued medicinal notes Texture: Not watery, a wee bit oily, soft Taste: Pineapple and bitter grapefruit at first, strong floral hoppiness, not the least bit sweet, mild medicinal notes. Then, a tiny bit of sweetness creeps into the still dominantly hoppy taste, pineapple fruit stays. A bit resinous now, too. Finish is bitter grapefruit and orange peel. Moderately bitter (and not too long-lasting), still powerfully hoppy aftertaste. Impressions: Because of the dominant hops you won't feel the 7.0% at first. But it's on the softish side, with its pineapple notes, only a wee bit resinous. Not quite as impressive as I expected.
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ND: Maker: Privatbrauerei Gessner, Sonneberg-Malmerz, Germany Beer: Alt-Sumbarcher Dunkel (bottled, 500ml) Style: German "Dunkles" ALC.VOL.: 5.2% Brown ale by a Thuringian brewery that dates back, allegedly, to 1622. Now the largest privately owned brewery in the state. Colour: Dark mahogany, clear, huge beige head Nose: Barley & roasted malts, wee bit of hops & brown sugar Texture: Medium bodied, slightly oily, creamy Taste: Roasted malts and toffee at first, bit of raisins, slightly sweetish. Floral hops enter towards the middle, balanced by coffee malt. No fruit remains. Dry now. Finish is more obviously bitter, with moderate coffee notes. Malty aftertaste of moderate length, some mildly sour elements at the end. Impressions: Rather typical German "Dunkles", a bit stronger in the coffee notes department than some. Not too characterful, but not too flat either. Perfectly drinkable session brown ale.
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