There we were, sitting in the Marble Arch on Christmas Eve, supping our halves of Stouter Port Stout when Jo spotted a posted adversing the MA’s New Year’s Day opening times. Which gave her an idea…

Eight days later we were back again, for dinner (venison loin for Jo, pheasant for me, both delicious) and our first session of 2012, which covered the following bases:

Moor Amoor Porter 4.5% ABV
A rather delicious glassful of mocha sundae & toasted hazelnut flavors with a lingering dry finish. Great mouth-feel, too. Very pleasant indeed.

Marble Trial Lagonda No. 6 (IPA) 6% ABV
I’m guessing the Marble folks are testing out a few alternate hop-combinations for their Lagonda IPA? No.6 is blessed with bountiful big IPA flavors: predominantly a grapefruit dry-sourness, with a hint of honey keeping it all in check. Well-balanced and easy-drinking but with definite bite.

Marble Draft No.9 (golden ale) 3.9% ABV
Another example of the sort of sharp, hoppy session beers that Marble do so well. Pale gold in colour, hop-led, with dry citrus notes throughout. Similar to Pint, but with more of a biscuit malt character.

Marble Stouter Stout 4.7% ABV
A classic on the Marble list and with good reason. Stouter Stout is a classic bone-dry black beer with an almost charcoal-like character, off-set by just a hint of dark chocolate. One of the driest, tastiest stouts around.

Dark Star Festival (bitter) 5.0% ABV
Jo’s a huge fan of Dark Star Original and was happy to re-visit a half of its label-mate Festival: as last time, it was quite savoury and dry, with a spicy-nuttiness leading the flavour-charge. Very tasty, very drinkable indeed.

Marble Pint (golden ale) 3.9% ABV
The aforementioned king of the Marble session beers – indeed, one of the best session beers around, IMHO, right up there with the likes of Fyne Avalanche or Hawkshead Lakeland Gold – Pint was on top form on Sunday: light, refreshing, hoppy-sharp but with a softer, fruitier finish than some of Marble’s other session brews. Lovely stuff.

Marble Chocolate (stout/mild) 5.5% ABV
Marble’s show-stopping stout/mild (they describe it in their beer menu as possessing characteristics of both rather than being a blend of the two) was as tasty and more-ish as ever. Rich, malty, packed with just the selection-box array of flavors that you’d expect from the name. Not too bitter, not too sweet, a well-balanced, full-flavoured dark winter warmer. Rather fabulous.

How’s that for a cracking start to the year? Not to mention the birth of a new annual tradition, with any luck.

…and does – or should – that matter in the slightest to anyone who isn’t a Beer Geek like me?

On Tuesday night my Dad (who was staying with us during a work trip), Jo and I popped out to the Holt’s pub round the corner for a bite to eat. With my meal, I had a pint of the relatively new Holt’s IPA.

Here’s the description from the Joseph Holt’s website:

ABV 3.8% TRADITIONAL IPA

2011 saw the introduction of our IPA, which has proved to be very popular in both Free Trade and the selected Joseph Holt pubs that stock it.

Our IPA is a very pale, traditional, English ale with relatively high bitterness and a fragrant hop aroma. It is brewed with traditional East Kent Goldings and Slovenian Styrian Goldings.

What it turned out to be: a pale gold coloured, pleasant, suppable session ale with a decent body and an almost entirely malt-led flavour*.

What it most definitely wasn’t: an India Pale Ale. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

The 3.8% ABV was an obvious clue. Most IPA’s are around 50% stronger than that, particularly traditional IPAs.** Also, that “relatively high bitterness” (relative to what, I wonder?) was noticeable mainly by its absence, likewise the “fragrant hop aroma”. I could perhaps have forgiven the ‘India’ appellation if the beer had been bursting with dry, bitter hop flavours, but it wasn’t. If anything, it was slightly sweet and, as I mentioned, distinctly malty. Nothing ‘I’ about this ‘PA’ at all I’m afraid.

So: I call ‘Fake IPA’ on this one. And that’s the end of it.

Except it isn’t. Because I have a real problem with ‘Fake’ anything and I’m going to take some time to explain why. (If you’re not interested in a discussion of marketing technique and theory, or just wanted to find out what the new Holt’s beer was like, we’re done; you can click away now.)

Still with me? Right, here’s the thing: I work in the Marketing (capital-M) department; it’s that function within any business or industry that gets the blame for pretty much anything (from production concepts right through to point-of-sale advertising) that the customer doesn’t like, understand or agree with. On the one hand, as a Marketer that can be quite irritating, especially when you know someone completely unconnected with your department is responsible for the decision that’s resulted in criticism. But on the other hand, it’s also perfectly understandable, because as a Marketer (and I’ve said this before) you know that when you’re in business, everything you decide on and everything you do (from production concepts right through to point-of-sale advertising) that’s connected with your business in any way is part of your marketing: literally, the process of bringing a product or service to the market.

That’s because everything you decide and everything you actually do could potentially influence an existing or potential customer’s decision as to whether or not to buy your product. In business, everything is the process of bringing products or services to the market. Everything is marketing, whether or not the Marketing Department is in charge of that particular decision or action.***

Which is why I say that by conceiving, brewing, packaging and selling a Fake IPA, Holt’s – and this applies equally to any other brewery who does the same thing (and there are a number of them) – are guilty of bad marketing, all down the line.

It could be that the beer they’ve brewed is actually exactly the beer they were aiming for: a golden summer ale that’s easy on the eye and easy to drink. Fair enough. But then, if what Brewery X has produced is actually a golden ale, then why not call it “Brewery X’s Golden Ale”? Or even “Brewery X’s Pale Ale”? Why include the ‘India’ element at all?

Maybe the Fake IPA breweries just don’t think it’s all that important. After all, their core market probably won’t be beer geeks like me (with an IPA-chip on their shoulder). Maybe they assume that the majority of regular ale drinkers will be happy enough to give a new beer a go and will hopefully enjoy it, without worrying for a second about what’s on the pump-clip. But that still doesn’t make it right to sell one thing as something else.

Maybe you don’t care either. “So they’ve stuck an ‘I’ on the front of a ‘PA’”, I hear you mutter into your pint. “So what? Why does it matter?”

To my mind: the best-case scenario is that all these breweries have done is recognise and respond to a perceived increase in market demand for IPAs – possibly inspired by International IPA Day earlier this year – by putting an IPA of their own onto the market. But then – for whatever reason – they’re missed the point of what makes an IPA an IPA and as a result, rather than attempt to create a genuinely remarkable mid-to-high strength beer with an impressive hop-profile, they’ve just applied their target buzz-words (“traditional”, “IPA”, “high bitterness”) to a product that meets none of those criteria and in truth is something else instead.

And of course, the worst-case scenario is that these breweries know exactly what they’re doing and have make a deliberate attempt to mislead their customers – beer geeks and regular ale drinkers alike – into buying a product that simply isn’t what it claims to be. In the worst-case scenario, Breweries who put out a Fake IPA are, in effect, passing-off a golden / pale ale as something else entirely. That’s false advertising. That’s mis-selling. And by either hoping or assuming that nobody important will notice or care they’re showing a certain amount of contempt for their own customers as well.

Then again, all that said and seeing as it’s the weekend and all, I’m going to give them all the benefit of the doubt and assume that the former scenario is the more common one. Even so it’s still a particularly dumb form of Bad Marketing, because Bad Marketing via Bad Branding has to be one of the most essential mistakes any business can make.

Marketing as a whole (remember: everything a business does) ought to be about putting a product out into the market that is genuinely, authentically the very best example of its type that it can be (based on the criteria you choose to compete on) and then standing behind that product and proudly saying: “We made this. We believe in it. We want you to enjoy it and talk about it and recommend it to others. This is our product and we’re damned proud of it.” Because let’s face it, in this day and age to do anything else – with so many alternatives to be had and so much more information available quite literally at your fingertips via the mobile Internet – is just a pointless waste of time.

That’s why Branding – sending clear and obvious signals about your product’s quality and desirability to potential consumers – ought to be about so much more than just putting an keyword-stuffed name to a product, in an attempt to catch the wave of current trend or popular opinion. And why starting the branding process off with a deception – even one that only a small (but fanatical and vociferous) segment of your market is even likely to notice, never mind care about – is an inherent flaw that’s always going to be pretty much impossible to overcome. Bad branding is bad marketing writ large for all to see.

So to flip my earlier question: what’s right with calling a Pale Ale a Pale Ale and having done with it?

Firstly, regular punters will most likely be happier because it’s pretty obvious what a Golden Ale is supposed to be and they can choose to try it knowing pretty much what to expect. Secondly, beer geeks and can likewise sample a new Golden Ale knowing that’s exactly what they’re sampling. They won’t have their false-hopes raised so they’ll have nothing to complain about and won’t end up spouting rants on their blogs about an otherwise perfectly pleasant beer that only fails on the grounds that it doesn’t do what it says on the pump-clip / website; because it doesn’t meet up to the weight of expectation created by that use of the seemingly innocuous ‘I’.

One last thought: maybe in the case of Holt’s (and again, any other Fake-IPA brewers likewise) it truly, genuinely doesn’t matter. Maybe they’re just not at all interested in brewing remarkable beers; the sort of beers that beer geeks will rave about online and plead with the likes of the Port Street Beer House or Mr Foley’s or The Euston Tap to stock up on. Maybe these brewers actually know their market pretty well and know for a fact that all their market demands is safe, familiar, unchallenging beers that are a reasonable strength and a reasonable price, whatever the heck the brewery decides to call them and that’s just the end of it, Beer Geeks be damned.

In which case: fair enough. They all can (and no doubt will) ignore every word of the above and just carry on regardless. But I still say that putting a Fake IPA onto the market is a misleading and deceitful act of false advertising. That’s still a Bad Thing in my book and it always will be. And I still say it’s a huge shame when any brewer – any company – chooses the lazy path of Bad Marketing rather than trying to create something impressive, something authentic, something truly remarkable, instead.

Then again, what do I know? I’m just a Beer Geek.

I’d definitely like to hear what you think, whether you’re a fellow beer geek, a regular pub punter, a brewer, a marketer, or none of the above. Hit me up via the Comments below, if you feel so inclined…

* It reminded me most of cask Boddington’s Bitter as it used to taste, back in my Salford student days in the early ’90s, and that’s not a bad comparison to arrive at.
** Martyn Cornell’s rather excellent Amber, Gold and Black tells us that: “The strengths, at least, of early Burton IPAs seem to be much the same as later C19th versions at around 1065 – 1075 OG.” [p.112] which in my rough-and-ready-reckoning is around 6.5% – 7.5% ABV? And most modern US and UK IPAs weigh in at around 5.6% (e.g. Worthington’s White Shield) to 9.2% (e.g. BrewDog Hardcore) or even higher.
*** This isn’t my idea or riff by any means, it’s one I’ve been following and reading up on for years in the work of writers and bloggers like Seth Godin, Hugh MacLeod, Guy Kawasaki, Chris Anderson and others.

I’ve started sampling my way through that selection of Great British Beer Festival 2011 beers that I picked up from Sainsbury’s last week. Here’s what I’ve checked out so far…

Williams Bros Profanity Stout 7%
A big blast of smoky coffee and liquorice flavours and plenty of dry bitterness on the after-taste, but delivered by a slightly thin mouth-feel, which was a tad disappointing. I like stronger stouts a lot, and I was expecting a lot from this one, so maybe it was a victim of over-inflated expectation, but I just thought that at 7% ABV it ought to have a bit more going for it in terms of body. It’s no BrewDog RipTide, put it that way…

Williams Bros Caesar Augustus 4.1%
I thought this second beer from Williams Bros was (perhaps oddly) much more impressive. A lager / IPA hybrid (judging by the the back-label, in this case an ale brewed with lager yeast, then cold-stored before being dry-hopped with ‘IPA hops’, if I read it right) it’s actually one of those rare beasts: a bottled session beer that tastes really rather good indeed. Pale gold in colour, malty in flavour with a hop-burst after-taste that builds and builds, it benefits from not being over-gassy or watery on the mouth-feel. Very nice indeed. A definite candidate for my favourite bottled session beers list.

Harviestoun Wild Hop IPA 5.1%
Pale almost to the point of crystal clarity with a big, big citrusy hop profile: there’s a mix of Fuggles, Goldings and assorted American hops in this one, apparently, and they really shine through. There’s just enough malt sweetness to keep everything check and the beer has a very pleasant mouth-feel as well. All in all a rather excellent drop of ale all round. One I’d definitely be happy to try again, in bottle or draught form alike.

Robinson’s Frederic’s Great British Alcoholic Ginger Beer 3.8%
Definite ginger aroma from this dark copper-coloured beer. Strong malty character with a hint of lemon and a good wallop of Ginger. Jo (who drank this one and has provided the tasting notes) reckons it could be Robinson’s Young Tom with added Fentiman’s ginger beer (in the same way that Ginger Tom is Old Tom + Fentiman’s). Not too sweet; definitely a proper ale-with-ginger rather than an alcopop-masquerading-as-ginger-ale. Very pleasant.

Sadler’s Worcester Sorceror 4.2%
A copper-coloured bitter with a slightly spicy, peppery edge to a mainly malt-led, cough-drop sweet base. Good mouth-feel (not too thin). Easy-drinking and very flavourful indeed. Another good session beer, from what’s turning out to be a very good selection all round.

Hunter’s Full Bore 8.0%
Slightly cloudy (but maybe because I didn’t realise quite how much sediment there was in the bottle) golden amber coloured strong ale, packed with marzipan and toffee flavours, it doesn’t taste quite as alcoholic as its 8% ABV might suggest. Smooth, sweet and distinctly drinkable, a highly enjoyable strong ale, I might have to get a couple more of these in while the stock is still available.

So far, so good. I know these beers were selected by means of a public / expert tasting / voting session (I got an invite myself, but I couldn’t schlepp on down to the Midlands mid-week to take part) and it seems as though the pre-selection process has resulted in some very good choices indeed. More to follow on the other six (and I might have to go back for three of the four I missed – the wheat beer among them excluded for intolerance reasons) when I’ve had a chance to drink them.

Last night Jo and I supped that bottle of Adnams Ghost Ship that the Adnams folks very kindly sent my way.

Ghost Ship – a “ghostly pale ale” inspired by Adnams’ own reputedly haunted Bell Inn – pours a bright, crystal-clear amber colour and gives off plenty of fresh lemon-citrus hop aromas. It’s got a big, solid malty base with plenty of sharp hops on top and a pleasantly lingering, dry finish. It’s very enjoyable and at 4.5% it’s very sessionable as well. If you’re looking for an easy-drinking, refreshing bottled bitter that still packs a lot of flavour and a decent bite, Adnams Ghost Ship would be a good one to go for.

In fact, I think the only thing that would stop it making my shortlist of all-time favourite bottled session beers is that it was just a little thin on the mouth-feel and a little too heavy on effervescence for me to absolutely love it. But still, Ghost Ship is definitely an ale that I’d be more than happy to try again, especially if I found it on draught.

Picture Credit: Rather groovy anigif blatantly stolen from the Andams website. But I’m sure they won’t mind.

Last Tuesday night, I dragged my mate Andy over to Huddersfield for the Magic Rock Brewing launch at The Grove [warning: their website is decidedly Not Safe For Eyes at the moment]. It was just a half hour on the train from Manchester Piccadilly (with a tinnie of Punk IPA for company) then a short stroll through Huddersfield town centre to the pub.

We got there about five past seven; the place was already hammered and stayed that way until we left about 8 o’clock. In the meantime we chatted to South Manchester CAMRA’s John Clarke and sampled three of Magic Rock’s beers between us: Rapture (a dry, hoppy, 4.6% red ale), High Wire (a dry, hoppy, 5.5% pale ale) and Cannonball (a full-on 7.4% IPA that was sweet and not insanely over-hopped). Plenty to like in all three; definitely worth trying them all if you see them, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for their Dark Arts “surreal stout” in future.

We also spotted cask Thornbridge Jaipur down the end of the bar, so that just had to be done. But after an hour of rising heat and with the bar not getting any less busy we left The Grove – great pub by the way, about a dozen hand-pumps plus keg taps and bottle-fridges, we’ll definitely be back another time – we headed back to the station and called in at The Head of Steam for a refresher or two; Black Sheep Bitter for Andy and a mild from Phoenix for me (can’t actually remember the name of it – Black Magic, something like that? It was tasty, though.)

Suitably refreshed, we hopped on the 9.27 train and my plan was then to head home and get some kip, but Andy had another idea: the Port Street Beer House. I tired hard to stick to my guns, but he played the ‘it’s my 40th birthday at the weekend, we’re celebrating’ card and I was left powerless to resist. I’m quietly glad I did, because they had Hardknott Queboid on tap and it was lovely. A US-style double IPA weighing in at 8% ABV (I only had a half…) it was packed with rich, full, sweet-herbal flavours, but not too heavy on the hop-burn. I’ll definitely be trying that one again if I get the chance.

See the Magic Rock blog for an official report on the launch, as well as a detailed write-up from Neil at Eating Isn’t Cheating.

Brewery: Roosters [@roosterbrewing]
Location: Knaresborough, North Yorks, England
Style: Pale Ale, Golden Ale
ABV: 3.9%
Version: Draught
Source: The Euston Tap, London

Last Friday, before my mid-afternoon train back from London to Manchester, I called in for a quick pit-stop at the Euston Tap. Perusing the blackboards, I spotted a fair few I was familiar with (Marble beers aplenty that day), as well as the usual selection of mid-strength US imports. Normally I’d go for something interesting, something challenging, seeing as I’m only in the vicinity of the Tap once a fortnight or so. But last Friday I was feeling jaded after a company conference the day before, so I just wanted something refreshing and I spotted one beer that I reckoned might fit the ‘mid-afternoon pit-stop pint’ bill perfectly: Roosters Orange Blossom Ale.

I was right, too: Roosters Orange Blossom was light, fresh and thirst-quenching, zesty hops on a decent malt base with a clementine-citrus aroma that made me think of summer Sunday afternoons reading a book in the garden whilst the bees buzz fat and lazy among the strawberry blossoms. Exactly what I was looking for, mission accomplished. I supped that one slowly (whilst gazing longingly at the Mikkeller and Kernel section of the bottle-fridge opposite, wondering how many I could afford / carry / explain to Jo when I got home) then headed off for my train a happy man.

Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Co
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Style: Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 7.0%
Version: Bottled
Source: The Porterhouse, Covent Garden, London

I picked up a bottle of Porterhouse Brainblásta when Jo and I visited their Covent Garden establishment earlier this year. They had the stuff on draught at the time, but at 7% ABV and it being the last beer of a session, I decided to err on the side of bottled caution and go for a Wrasslers XXXX Stout, instead.

So yes, a bottle came back from London and I finally cracked and cracked it open on Saturday night, even though it was still a full month before the alleged best-before date. Brainblásta (according to the back label “an brain blásta” is Irish for “tasty drop”, but I have my doubts) poured a dark golden colour with a thin head. Flavour-wise it was leaning towards the dry and hoppy, albeit with swerves into toffee-sweet from time to time. There was a wine-like character in there as well, maybe dry sherry? In any case, it was all rather pleasant, a tasty drop indeed. I couldn’t help wondering what it would have tasted like after another six months or so in the bottle, though. Ah, well…

It’s well worth picking up a bottle or two if you see Brainblásta around, although given that I think it’s probably only sold[*] most easily found in Porterhouse pubs, you’d probably be better off checking to see if they have the draught version available while you’re there. I did have a drop from the cask on my first Porterhouse visit a year or so ago and it was definitely even tastier.

[*]You can actually get Porterhouse beers from Beermerchants.com (see Steve’s commment) but that kinda kills the paragraph… ;)

I made my way up to Bury Met for this year’s Bury Beer Festival just after five on Friday evening, picked up my £5 worth of beer tokens, paid my £2 pint glass deposit and then headed straight on over to the CAMRA bar.

I spotted bar-manager Tandleman right away and wandered on down to his section of the bar. He was deep in conversation, so rather than butt straight on in, I had a quick chat to one of his colleagues, who poured me a half of Steel City Brewing Nightmare on Henry Street. I stuck my nose in the glass (one big advantage of having a half in a pint glass is that it allows plenty of room for the vapours to congregate) and was rewarded with a big blast of hops, cut through with a tangerine tang. The flavour of this 5.2% ABV pale ale was excellent; dry and sharp but with just enough malt-sweetness to keep everything nicely in balance. This was my first Steel City beer and on the strength of this one I’ll be keeping an eye out for their other brews in future, definitely.

Sensing a lull in the ongoing conversation, I stuck my nose in and said hello to Tandleman. He in turn introduced me to the other gent, who turned out to be John Clarke, editor of the (rather excellent) Stockport and South Manchester CAMRA branch magazine, Opening Times. And that was that for the rest of the hour or so I was there – I’d made arrangements to meet up with friends in Manchester for food and a mini-crawl around the Northern Quarter so I was watching the clock – as I enjoyed a thoroughly convivial time chatting to messrs Tandleman and Clarke.

Topics of conversation were generally beery, but ranged widely: the desirability of Belgian beers, he best place to drink German ones, the appropriate length of time to cellar a strong bottled ale, the importance of proper conditioning to overall beer quality, the difference between a keg and a cask (the actual container – I’d always been a bit fuzzy on the details), recommended Manchester pubs, the best way to serve Marble Dobber (see next paragraph re: sparklers), the state of the UK beerblogosphere, the rise of the Euston Tap, the pros and cons of Brewdog Paradox, the Stockport Beer Festival (recommended: John will be running the foreign beers stand at next year’s event) and many, many more. I just wish I’d been able to stay longer. Also: that I’d remembered to pick up the copy of the latest edition of Opening Times that I managed to leave on the bar. Never mind, I’ll be sending off a subscription cheque later today.

Tandleman also set up a couple of tasting experiments: the three of us tried the same beers with and without a sparkler. Tandleman’s a big advocate of the device and I’ve always agreed that beer generally tastes better when served through one, but we thought we’d better test the theory a couple of times, just to make sure. We tried one dark beer and one pale and in both cases the aroma was enhanced, the mouth-feel was richer and individual flavour notes more pronounced. John made the point that a sparkler can sometimes transfer the bitter notes from the body to the head, but I suppose if you’re taking mouthfuls of both at once (the difference being that with a sparkler you actually get a head that lasts) then that’s okay. So there you go. (Okay, not quite conclusive proof of the theory, I know, so I’ll continue to do the research when I can and report back with my findings…)

During that hour I sampled another three beers as well (all halves). The first, as highly recommended by Tandleman, was Crown Brewery Samuel Berry’s Pale Ale. Beautifully fresh, this 5.1% ABV pale ale had mixed citrus hop flavours bursting out of it. There was a slight sour-sweet acidity as well, which helped to keep the overall bitterness in check, and a dry finish that was deeply refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed a bottle of Crown’s 7.0% ABV Unpronounceable IPA earlier this year (although I’ve been too bone idle to write it up yet) and Samuel Berry’s is definitely in the same league. Well worth trying if you see it on draught, especially if you’re a fan of the likes of Marble Lagonda IPA, Hopback Summer Lightning, Hopdaemon Skrimshander, Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale, Little Creatures Pale Ale and the like.

Next up I opted for another Tandleman recommendation, although it was one I’d already made a note to try: Mallinsons Chocolate Stout. I love a good chocolate beer, when it’s done right (Marble Chocolate, Meantime Chocolate, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and Boggart Chocolat Noir being a few favourite examples) and this one was done just right. A distinct coffee nose gave way to dry, dark chocolate and coffee flavours for a cappuccino finish (Jo would love this one). An easy-drinker at only 4.1%, this would definitely be a great session candidate.

Finally, by now being very definitely in the mood for dark-and-roasty flavours, I went for the Crown Stannington Stout. I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about this one for a while and had clocked it as soon as I’d gotten to the bar: had to be done. At 5% ABV it has a little more kick than the Mallinsons, and a noticeably different flavour-profile. Slightly sweeter, with richer roast-malt flavours, the Stannington had a definite hint of sherry and a silkier mouth-feel as well. Deeply satisfying, the sort of stout I could sup a slow pint of any day of the week.

All the beers shared a couple of things in common: they were in excellent condition, having been beautifully kept and tasted fantastic. That Tandleman bloke? Knows his beer. Knows how to put on a good show (he’s got previous, too). If you hear about a beer festival that he’s either running the bar at or has helped buy the beer for, stick it in your diary and make a point of going.

Brewery: Odell Brewing Co.
Location: For Collins, Colorado, USA
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Version: Bottled
Source: MyBreweryTap.com US 52-Week Beer Club

A bottle of Odell St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale arrived as part of the first consignment of US 52-Week Beer Club beers from MyBreweryTap.com back in September and I cracked it open last week.

St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale – named for a mythical ‘patron saint of hops’, according to the yarn on the label – was slightly sour-sweet with definite tropical, citrus and floral notes. It was obviously packing a good hop-strength, but it wasn’t overpoweringly dry or acerbic either. All in all, a well-balanced, well-flavoured, light, easy-drinker despite its relative strength. I enjoyed this one and would happily drink it again sometime, although I don’t think I’d make a point of picking it out of a line-up.

As a side-note: I wasn’t so impressed with the Odell Cutthroat Porter that was included in the same consignment. It lead with a promising coffee / chocolate aroma, but the follow-through was surprisingly weak and wimpy, with a watery mouth-feel and almost anonymous flavours. Not one I’ll be rushing back to.

Brewery: Outstanding
Location: Bury, England
Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Version: Draught
Source: The Robert Peel, Bury / The Magnet, Stockport

I’ve sampled local brewery Outstanding’s Standing Out twice in the past few weeks; once at The Robert Peel up in Bury town centre and again on a trip down to The Magnet in Stockport, just last Friday.

Each time I was suitably impressed: a well-kept pint with good body, rich mouth-feel and that deeply satisfying flavour-burst that you get from a really good mid-strength pale ale. Not as dry or astringent as a big IPA, not as sweet or caramel-luxurious as a Belgian Dubbel (or Outstanding’s own Pushing Out), but definitely a pint with a lot more to say for itself than your average session pale.

Think: Marble Dobber, Flying Dog Classic, Little Creatures Pale Ale, that sort of ball-park. Well worth trying if you see it on draught.