Source: Courtesy of MyBreweryTap.com

Saving the best ‘til last.

Brentwood Hope & Glory

The Brentwood Brewery Company may only have started operating in July 2006 but already they have 7 regular beers in production and a further 7 seasonal ones. Hope & Glory is a 4.5% dark reddish-brown bitter, and gives off a light caramel malt aroma. The maltiness carries through in the flavour, providing some sweetish toffee character offset with a mild bitter tang from the fruity hop, nicely mixed to give an appealing flavour.

Burton Bridge Burton Porter

Burton Bridge really needs no introduction and of the 13 beers in the box this was the one I was most looking forward to. A 4.5% porter, the first thing that struck me on opening the bottle was a quite unexpected aroma, very floral and herby, with a hint of cloves. And that sets it up perfectly for the subsequent tasting, which was a very interesting experience. Things are more normal at the start, with malty hints of liquorice, chocolate and coffee but there’s more of the herby element (possibly a mix of sage, basil and coriander?) mixed in there. As far as I can see none of these are actually added so I’m presuming it’s a by-product of the brewing process. It’s by no means detrimental, and adds a intriguing element to the taste. Overall, not too bitter, not too sweet, not too dry, a fine porter. I really enjoyed this one.

Tring Death Or Glory

Another beer bathed in Glory, this one takes its name from the motto of the Queen’s Royal Lancers, and is brewed each year on the 25th October to commemorate the anniversary of the Charge of the Light Brigade. You can read more interesting stuff about the beer here. It’s a red tinted brown colour, with a complex and delightful aroma – I picked up on biscuity malt, plums and bubblegum. Considering the 7.2% strength it tastes quite tame, still packed full of flavour but very easy drinking. Malt, toffee, liquorice, vanilla, pear, raisins, brown sugar; there’s more but that was what I could readily identify. After all that the finish is a bit thin, but it’s still a fine beer and well worth seeking out.