Advent Calendar Beers: Williams Brothers Brewing - Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale December 4
Beer 4: Williams Brothers Brewing - Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale
6.5% ABV
Appearance - 4/5
Pours a very dark red - almost black in normal light. Loose tan head quickly diminishes but leaves lacing throughout.
Smell - 3/5
Malt, stewed fruit and molasses. Slightly yeasty.
Taste - 3.5/5
Sweet, fruity with molasses / black treacle - some liquorice on the finish. Very little hops - a little too sweet for me.
Mouthfeel - 4/5
Nice carbonation - the thickness of the beer needs it. Very smooth. Fills the mouth but doesn't get cloying.
Drinkability - 3/5
A bit sweet for me but very nice on a cold winters night. High ABV makes it a bit lethal as the alcohol is well hidden. Could easily have a couple if you liked the style and weren't aware of / bothered by the ABV.
Advent Calendar Beers: Brewdog - Chaos Theory December 3
Beer 3: Brewdog - Chaos Theory
7.1% ABV
Appearance - 4/5
Pours amber with a thick tight white head. Slight haze.
Smell - 4/5
Lots of hops and some alcohol. Lemon and passion fruit.
Taste - 3.5/5
Slight sweetness to start with some burn from the alcohol - resiny hops - biscuity dry finish but not too long.
Mouthfeel - 3/5
Slightly too carbonated. Coats the mouth but doesn't leave a residue - leaves the palate clean for the next mouthful.
Drinkability - 3/5
The high ABV means this isn't really a session beer, but the way the beer cleans the palate after each mouthful makes it very drinkable.
I am a fan of Nelson Sauvin hops which I believe are what give this beer it's lovely lemony passion fruit aroma and resinous hop feel.
I'd like it noted though that I can't stand the bullshit they write on the labels - either making you sound stupid or them great or quite frequently, both.
Advent Calendar Beers: Orkney Brewery - Dragonhead Stout December 2
Beer 2: Orkney Brewery - Dragonhead Stout
4.0% ABV
Appearance - 3/5
Pitch black with a light brown quickly diminishing head.
Smell - 3/5
Chocolate and coffee with some vanilla. Slight nuttiness as well.
Taste - 3/5
Coffee with tobacco notes followed by chocolate. Medium sweetness throughout with a grainy, long bitter finish after the swallow.
Mouthfeel - 3/5
Quite carbonated - too much for my taste. Medium body for a low ABV beer.
Drinkability - 3/5
A little too carbonated to quaff and the bitterness does dry the mouth out. Sometimes finish with more thirst than when you started.
Better than yesterdays and a decent low ABV stout. A little less drying on the finish and less carbonation would have made it more to my taste.
Advent Calendar Beers: Flying Dog - Snake Dog IPA December 1
I've made myself an advent calendar this year out of 25 different beers - one for each day. I've made an effort to try beers from breweries I've not tried before, though most of the beers come from either the UK or the US. I plan on posting some notes on each one, each day, so here goes.
Beer 1: Flying Dog - Snake Dog IPA
7.1% ABV / 60 IBUs
Appearance - 4/5
Pours a nice amber with a good firm white head - leaves lacing on the glass throughout.
Smell - 2/5
Sweet sticky sugar and a bit stale - bit of alcohol - some hop bitterness but nothing more.
Taste - 2/5
Not much sweetness up front moving to some rough bitterness on the swallow. Alcohol on the tongue very apparent. Very dry with a long finish.
Mouthfeel - 3/5
Nicely carbonated but too thin for the ABV. Dries the mouth and throat out.
Drinkability - 2/5
Not the best aftertaste. Alcohol burn and dryness with teeth coating bitterness. If this was your last beer of the night you'd go home thinking you licked a carpet as your last act.
Wasn't that impressed with this one. The alcohol wasn't very well hidden and combined with the sweetness of the malt left you feeling a little sick. Glad this was the 1st December.
Brews and brewfacturing February 28
I've done three more brews in the last two months and just got round to writing them up. They are:
AG #7 - Timothy Taylor Landlord
AG #8 - Nerdinger
AG #9 - Nelson's Challenge
The first two were of mediocre quality, so I set about building a fermentation chamber to regulate fermentation temperatures better and also enable me to make lagers :)
I've written up the build with photos. The Nelson's Challenge is currently fermenting at 20C inside it :)