The latest batch of beery goodness from MyBreweryTap.com‘s US 52 Week Beer Club arrived safe and sound yesterday morning.

• Goose Island Honkers Pale Ale – 4.2% ABV
• Flying Dog Road Dog Porter – 6.0% ABV
• Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA – 7.1% ABV
• Flying Dog Tire Bite Pale Ale – 5.6% ABV
• Brooklyn Brown Ale – 6.9% ABV

• Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale – 5.5% ABV
• Ballast Point Big Eye IPA – 6.0% ABV
• Uinta Anglers Ale – 5.8% ABV
• Smuttynose Robust Porter – 5.6% ABV
• Smuttynose Finestkind IPA – 6.9% ABV

• Caldera IPA – 6.1% ABV
• Buckbean Black Noddy Black Lager – 5.2% ABV
• Caldera Pale Ale – 5.6% ABV

Another interesting, varied selection from MyBreweryTap – none of which I’ve tried before, as far as I can remember – which I’m looking forward to getting to grips with. I’m particularly intrigued by those canned goods, anyone know if I should chill ‘em before I pop ‘em?

Slogging through snow, ice and who knows what else, the intrepid delivery bloke made it to my front door yesterday, bearing a Big Box of Beer: the second instalment in the US 52 Week Beer Club saga from MyBreweryTap.com.

• Anchor Humming Ale – 5.9% ABV
• Anchor Christmas Ale 2010 – 5.5% ABV
• Odell Isolation Ale – 6.0% ABV
• Odell IPA – 7.0% ABV
• Sierra Nevada Porter – 5.6% ABV
• Sierra Nevada Celebration – 6.8% ABV

• Goose Island Harvest Ale – 5.7% ABV
• Mild Winter – 5.6% ABV
• Stone IPA – 6.9% ABV
• Levitation – 4.4% ABV
• Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale – 5.0% ABV
• Brooklyn Winter Ale – 6.0% ABV
• Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter – % ABV

I’m happy to say that most of those are entirely new to me, with the honourable exceptions of Sierra Nevada Porter and old favourite Gonzo Imperial Porter, which is always welcome (and harder to get hold of these days, since Tesco stopped selling it a few months back).

I’m looking forward to sampling a few of those over the next couple of weeks. Mind you, I think I’ll stick the Anchor Christmas 2010 in the special cupboard and let that mature for a while. Twelve months or so should do it. Likewise the Sierra Nevada Celebration, I reckon.

My grey and rainy Friday has been considerably brightened by the arrival of the first consignment of US 52 Week Beer Club beers from MyBreweryTap (@MyBreweryTap).

I could go on (probably at length) about how much I’m looking forward to sampling these little beauties, but I’ll save all that for the (eventual) Tasting Notes.

In the meantime, snapshots:

• Flying Dog – Raging Bitch 8.0% ABV
• Flying Dog – Old Scratch Lager 5.3% ABV [
  • Victory – Hop Wallop 8.5% ABV
  • Sierra Nevada – Torpedo IPA 7.2% ABV
  • Anchor – Liberty Ale 5.9% ABV
  • Brooklyn – East India IPA 6.8% ABV

  

  • Goose Island – 312 Urban Wheat 4.2% ABV
  • Goose Island – IPA 5.9% ABV
  • Victory / Dogfish Head / Stone – Saison Du Buff 6.8% ABV
  • Dogfish Head – 90min IPA 9.0% ABV
  • Dogfish Head – India Brown Ale 7.2% ABV

  Any suggestions as to whether any of the above should be consumed while they’re still young and zingy and / or which of them could stand a little cellaring would be gratefully received…

I seem to have become increasingly interested in US craft beer recently. As per my recent new arrivals post, my last couple of specialist beer shop hauls have been largely US-themed. I’ve also been slowly but steadily working my way through Andy Crouch’s Great American Craft Beer (Book Notes to follow in due course) and I think that’s helped opened my eyes to the sheer size of the US craft scene and the vast amount of choice that’s on offer… if you can get hold of it.

Which is why when Richard Burhouse of MyBreweryTap (@MyBreweryTap) announced the launch of the US 52 Week Beer Club yesterday, it didn’t take me long to decide to sign up.

I did the sums first of course: with the initial delivery charge taking the price to £125.98, it works out at around £2.42 a bottle over the year. Which is slightly more that you would expect to pay for the two or three US imports currently on offer in Tesco, but perhaps slightly less than the independent retailers tend to charge, especially for some of the more interesting brews on their shelves.

And the first quarter’s selection looks pretty darn interesting to me:

• Anchor – Liberty Ale ABV 5.9%
• Brooklyn – East India IPA ABV 6.8%
• Flying Dog – Raging Bitch ABV 8.0%
• Flying Dog – Old Scratch Lager ABV 5.3% [US 52 Week Beer Club you’ll have to be quick: MyBreweryTap are limiting the club to 50 subscriptions in order to guarantee supplies of the more interesting and/or limited brews and I know for a fact that there’s a maximum of 49 available as of 20 minutes ago…

Brewery: Thornbridge
Location: Buxton, England
Style: Imperial Russian Stout
ABV: 7.7%
Version: Bottled
Source: Courtesy of MyBreweryTap.com

I’ve learned a lot in the almost-two-years that I’ve been expanding my beer horizons and two of the most emphatically driven-home lessons have been:

1) Imperial Stout is my absolute favourite beer style.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good, hoppy IPA, I’m steadily growing partial to a range of interesting Belgian beers and I’ve even learned to appreciate a good Helles lager. But give me a choice of something to sip and savour and love, then I’ll pick a rich-nosed, full-bodied, black-as-the-inside-of-a-cat Imperial Stout any day of the week.

2) Thornbridge brew bloody good beer.

No, scratch that. Thornbridge brew bloody excellent beer. Every one of their brews that I’ve sampled to-date have genuinely impressed me.

So, combine 1) and 2) in the form of Thornbridge St Petersburg Imperial Russian Stout and it’s pretty much a no-brainer.

I’ve had Thornbridge St Petersburg before, on draught at the Marble Arch, and it was superb. And the bottled version – whilst not quite hitting the same dizzy heights – was still very good indeed. Big hits of chocolate and coffee accompanied by faint vanilla notes; a slight sweetness up-front, with a long, smooth, dry, roast-malty finish to follow. Lovely.

If I’m being perfectly honest I’ve had bottled Imperial Stouts that I’ve enjoyed more – Dark Star Imperial Stout and BrewDog Tokyo* spring to mind, as well as BrewDog Paradox – but it’s definitely up there with the likes of Acorn Gorlovka and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout; one of those big, bold, flavourful beers that I’ll happily come back to time after time.

Another very big thank you to Richard at MyBreweryTap.com for adding this one to my recent order!

Brewery: Thornbridge
Location: Buxton, England
Style: Green Hopped IPA
ABV: 7.7%
Version: Bottled
Source: Courtesy of MyBreweryTap.com

Halcyon 2008 was my first Thornbridge beer and it was magnificent. Halcyon 2009 turned up as a bonus item in my recent order from MyBreweryTap.com and it was…

Well, Mark Dredge summed it up quite succinctly (and has linked to a few other folks who pretty much concur). And I know I’m a bit late to the party, so I’m just going to chuck my 4p-worth into the hat with a quick gist of what I got from this incredible beer:

A nose-burst of fresh, grassy hops, cut through with lemon and lime, developing to newly-peeled clementines after the pour; the sticky tang of resinous pine honey, a steadily mellowing sweetness slowly rounding out to vanilla caramel; a light, balance-preserving, hop-bitterness on the after-taste that keeps the sugars nicely in check; above all: half an hour of purest beer-drinking pleasure from another truly memorable Thornbridge brew.

MyBreweryTap.com is offering a 12-case of Halcyon 2009 and Jaipur (the new, bottle-conditioned version) for £37.50 or a 12-pack of Halcyon 2009, Jaipur and St Petersburg Imperial Stout for £38.00 (plus p&p in both cases). Or if you’re in the vicinity of a specialist beer retailer then they might have singles bottles available. But however you source it, you really, really should make the effort to track this one down. Very highly recommended indeed. Huge thanks to Richard for sending this one along.

About a month ago I decided to put my hand in my pocket and order the current quarterly mixed case from MyBreweryTap.com (mainly because The Baron made me do it…)

Here’s what turned up just a couple of days later:

Namely (from L to R):

• Box Steam Brewery Cog
• White Brewing Co Heart of Rother
• Green Room Ales Icon
• Country Life Brewery Old Appledore
• Fyne Ales Avalanche
• Bitter End Brewing Co Lakeland IPA

Those being (L to R again):

• Crown Brewery Unpronounceable IPA
• Ole Slewfoot Brewing Co Fox on the Run
• Wincle Beer Co Undertaker
• Grainstore Brewery Rutland Panther
• Williams Bros Ginger
• The Backyard Brewhouse East India Old Authentic IPA
• Thornbridge Jaipur

I’ve only supped the Jaipur so far (couldn’t resist… and even though this non-bottle-conditioned version is a pale imitation of the utterly superb draught pint, it’s still a very, very tasty beer indeed) and the other dozen bottles are resting up in the Beer Cupboard. I reckon I’m most looking forward to the Bitter End, Crown and Backyard Brewhouse beers. Could be another IPA Night on the cards before too long.

A very big thank you to Richard from MBT who included a bottle each of Thornbridge Halcyon 2009 and Thornbridge St Petersburg Imperial Stout from his sample stock. I drank those very soon after arrival and the posting notes will be following shortly…

And a quick plug: the next Mixed Brewery Case is on the website and available to order (I think I read on Twitter that it’ll be shipping this weekend if you’re a 52 Week Beer Club member) and it looks like Richard has put together another rather interesting selection…

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.

Source: Courtesy of MyBreweryTap.com

Into the second half of the box I delve.

Penpont Roughtor
Situated on the northern edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, the Penpont Brewery has only been operating since December 2008 and has three beers on offer, of which this 4.7% amber ale (pronounced Row-tor and named after the second tallest hill in Cornwall) was the second to be produced. It’s dark amber in colour with a floral hoppy aroma and some grassy notes. Flavour is quite citrusy but not overly so, with some grapefruit and lemon character, and a nicely balanced bitterness providing a very pleasant zingy attack down the sides of the tongue, leading into some sweet malt on the dryish finish. There’s quite a chewy texture which makes it a bit heavier than I’ve come to expect from my, admittedly limited, experience of amber ales. An interesting one all in, well worth sampling.

Saffron Blonde
The Saffron Brewery set up operations in May 2006 near Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire and has 8 beers to choose from. Saffron Blonde is 4.3% and with a name like that, it’s an expected rich mid gold colour. The aroma is light and fruity, with nothing really standing out as a dominant smell. That light, fruity nature comes through in the taste as well, with an added warm malty finish. The second half of the bottle lets more caramel malt come through, the bitterness develops a bit more and the dry character falls back. Overall, it’s perhaps a bit thin in body but that makes it easy drinking and refreshing, which is really what I want from a summer ale. Not outstanding, but does the job.

Wooden Hand Cornish Buccaneer
We’ve sampled beer from Cornwall’s Wooden hand Brewery here before and found them reliable so I was interested in seeing how this offering would fare. Cornish Buccaneer is 4.3% and a slightly cloudy, mid-amber colour, with a light fruity aroma with a touch of earthiness. Flavour is very much of hoppy fruitiness to the fore, with some malt hiding in the background, but there was an underlying dry grassy element adding some harshness that I felt unbalanced the overall flavour, to its detriment.

Source: Courtesy of MyBreweryTap.com

The continuing adventures of one man’s journey through a case of free beer.

Quantock Sunraker
The Quantock Brewery is based in Somerset, England and has only been operating since December 2007, but has already picked up an award for this, the 4.2% Sunraker. It’s a light golden colour with a sweet fruity aroma, like fruit salad chews, and a bit of pear in the background. There’s more of that fruit in the taste, with citrusy notes of lemon, grapefruit, orange and lime all vying for attention. The bitterness edges a bit too close to the sour end of the scale at times, and the dryish finish stops the beer being as fully satisfying as I think a summer ale should be, but the interesting hoppy flavour certainly makes it worth sampling.

Empire Victory Ale
The Empire Brewery in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, (not to be confused with the Empire Brewing Company of New York), is the only one to have two offerings in the case. According to the sheet in the box one of them was meant to be Golden Warrior, but it must have sold out as instead I got Victory Ale. This must be a new release as there’s no mention of it on any of the sources I looked at, and that includes the MyBreweryTap site. It’s 4.2%, a cloudy amber/brown colour and with quite an odd aroma of peanuts, brown vinegar and tar. The taste has a nutty maltiness, but a strange, and very unpleasant, bitterness ruins everything. Maybe it’s a bad bottle, maybe it’s a failed experiment – either way, I can find nothing to recommend this, one of the worst beers I’ve ever had.

Empire Strikes Back
The second offering from the Empire gang is a much better affair. A 4.0% pale gold ale, Strikes Back has a quite light citrusy aroma of grapefruit and lime. The flavour is also light and hoppy, with more of that citrusy grapefruit and lime, and a touch of orange, but it quickly falls apart with a short –lived and slightly dry finish. The second half of the bottle shows a marked improvement, and it’s certainly a pleasant and refreshing beer, just not a must-try one.