Liberty Ale (Anchor)

First brewed back in 1975 to celebrate a certain colonial revolution, this beer has long been a mainstay of the famous brewery's range.

The nose is grassy, hints of dried herbs, reminiscent of an English style IPA. It pours a light copper with a rather assertive fizz.

The malt is relatively light, gentle biscuit notes mingle with the nearest pinch of orange fruitiness. The 5.9abv is well hidden despite this simple pale ale approach to the malt. The hops arrive in perfect balance with the malt, providing a decent stamp of bitterness but not going overboard despite it's dry hopping.

6/10 A solid English style Pale Ale, delivers but fails to shine above fierce competition.

Black Chocolate Stout (Brooklyn)

The immaculate black and gold label hints at the quality within.

It pours thick and black, with roasted chocolate notes powering above wisps of oak and coffee. The head is a light tan, not that you can see that from my rather over (and under) exposed photo.

This is 10% ABV, serious stuff. The impact of the sup is heady, sweet and of course very chocolatey, but not sickly. The consistency is a proper motor oil stout, and it comes across as an after-dinner delight for the discerning.

The texture is like a satin asp sliding over velvet. A mildly buttery midsection gives way to a rising coffee bittering which never peaks but balances out the drink immaculately.

Utterly luxurious, comprehensively delicious.

9/10 - Remarkable strong after dinner stout, blackly gorgeous.

- The Broadside

Southampton IPA ( Southampton Publick House)

Another fine US beer bought over by my friend from New York, the brewery is near to him in NY State and comes highly rated.

Opens with gentle fizz, pours a deep deep copper. Gentle toffee in the noses, slight pine, no big American floral hops but a lovely grassy tingle of English ones.

It kicks off with a giant blast of Crystal malt, big sweet caramel flavours delight the tonge, before warping into burnt sugar, complete with it's bitterness. There is a glimpse of fruit before kicking on to the finish. No shortage of hopping here, like the earlier aroma it's not a big blast of America hoppy citrus, but the subtle bittering of the English style IPA.

8/10 A big caramel transatlantic IPA, floating somewhere between a big West Coast IPA and a Fullers ESB.

Hop Devil IPA (Victory)

Snaps open and pours darker than expected, a deep golden amber. The aroma is sensational, amazing zingy grassiness, big dry hops, a lovely toffee sweetness.

With the deep malt you expect sweetness, not so, it's presumably all been converted to alcohol leaving a very dry malty start. The finish is a hop crescendo, big loud crashes of bitterness, crisp, dry and tangy. The dryness continues long into the finish like chewing dry hops.

Truly amazing aroma, a huge lingering hop finish, but in my view needs a bit more malt sweetness to bring balance. Too dry and bitter to saviour.

7/10 Top marks for hops, but falls short with the malt. A rather one sided beer.

Indian Brown Ale (Dogfish Head)

Pours far darker than expected, less like the Newcastle Brown I was expecting and more like a dark porter. The smell is divine, like melted chocolate and a sweet but potent after dinner liquor.

Slightly dry malt to start, that very quickly builds into perpetual sweetness. Powerful chocolate notes assert their dominance in the malt, melting into the tongue like a rich pudding. Slight hints of coffee poke through without taking anything away from the big brown sugar sweetness. This rich boozey pudding of a beer slides to the finish where fine hops twine themselves into the flavours, adding fresh depth to the beer, but without too much in the way of sharp bittering, just mellow lingering dry hopping.

Reminds me very much of Flying Dog Gonzo Porter

8/10 Like a rich boozey Tiramisu of a beer, chocolate, coffee, divine.

Arrogant Bastard (Stone)

Pours a darker than expected malty brown, with perfect fizz and head. The aroma is delicious but again surprising, gentle pine and caramel malt but that's all. No huge blast of nuclear dry hopping.

The initial malt, where do you start, it's one of the most unique thinks I've tasted. It gives an instant roasted bitterness, followed by a deep malt taste, leading to some beautiful caramel sweetness. Its almost like caramel centred choclates, the flavours building as released, coating the mouth.
The finish follows in perfect balance, a flash and a bang of hops deliver razor sharp bittering, followed by some delicate pineapple fresh fruit notes that join the lingering malt caramel perfectly.

I had big expectations for this beer, it has an aura that crosses continents. I was expecting a nuclear dry hopped strong pale ale. It's far more classy than that. Critically, it's the malt that's the star of the show not the hops, it's very unique, balances dry bitterness and sweet caramel perfectly.

10/10 Bold, unique and balanced. A tour de force for your beery tastebuds

For those interested here is my attempt to Homebrew a clone of this beer

90 minute Imperial IPA (Dogfish) 9%Abv

Pours a rather unassuming caramel brown, unleashes a beautifully sweet smell, liked treacle and melted muscovado sugar.

It hits the tongue like a car crash, a speeding muscle car of sweet malt, big caramel, and an almost lemon sharpness. Like an explosion it then engulfs every corner of the mouth, like a rich barleywine, it's clear this beer is potent. Like Rum soaked sweet raisins this beer is rich and warming.

The finished is not a hell hopped IPA (they boast about dry hopping through out), no big dry hop smells or pine notes. It's sutbly bitter, but not enough to even attempt to compete with the rich boozey malt.

9/10 A rich, boozey malt epic. Potent, yet dangerously drinkable,

Celebration (Sierra Nevada) 6.8%Abv

Made with the fresh hop harvest, an IPA for the holiday season.

Pours with beautiful snow drift foam, a gorgeous toffee brown. The aroma is not big dry hops, but a lovely fresh spiciness, think candy apples.

The malt is sweet and welcoming, no tanginess or dry bitterness, flooding into a tidalwave of caramel and toffee, coating the sides of the mouth. The finish is a mix of gentle bittering, mixed with some beautiful spice notes, cinnamon, nutmeg, before leading to a balanced but noticeable dry hop bitterness, it's not Torpedo, but it's close.

8/10 A winter treat, sweet warming malt with lovely gentle spiciness. It's their Torpedo relaxed in a Christmas jumper.

60 minute IPA (Dogfish) 6%Abv

Hand delivered by a friend from the US, this is a beer of some repute. Continually hopped over a 60minute period to create a "session IPA"

Pops open with a gentle fizz, pours beautifully clear a golden Amber. The aroma is not overwhelming, but clear notes of sweet oranges and piney hop stand out.

The malt is rather light, a clean sweet taste that doesn't dominate. It leads to a surprising biscuity middle, rather reminiscent of some English ales, Wadworth etc. The finish is a full blown hop blast, but with as much diversity as depth, grassy notes, hints of oak, more biscuit, and a bitterness that resonates to a wonderful dry finish. The brewery compare it to a Chardonnay, and in a strange way I am really compelled to agree with them.

7/10 A very drinkable session IPA, biscuity, balanced with some lovely diverse flavours.

Porter (Sierra Nevada)

Pours as close to black as you can get, only narrowest waves of light pass through. The aroma is shy and unassuming, hints of toffee and roasted malt, but no big coffee or hop aromas.

The initial taste is dominated by a big malt, roasted to the edge of stout, delivering bitterness without sharpness and gentle sweet undertones. A rather smooth middle leads to a finish that refuses to assert a dominant claim on the beer, mellow hop bittering mixed with the slightest of toffee sweetness.

5/10 A capable balanced porter, but lacks anything to distinguish it from even the most average rivals.

Anchor Steam Beer (Anchor)

The smell is not overpowering or delicate, just a strong balance of whiskey noted malt, and gentle fresh hopping. The colour is the very definition of beer, a light golden brown.

The initial malt is very distinct, its like a familiar face that you know but can’t place, it reminds me more of fine whiskeys I’ve drunk than of beers, with its unique tangy sweetness. The middle demonstrates glimpses of biscuit and fruit, and leads you like a kind maître’d to the finale. In keeping with what’s preceded it the finish is, well, polite. Its not an overstated crescendo of hops, nor a brash American IPA, its a perfectly measured hop bittering to compliment the malt that came before it. Slight floral undertones dance with the initial malt.

Its like the spinning top of beer, an example of equilibrium away from the battles of malt vs hops IPAs.

7/10 An example in balance, the dictionary definition of beer. If the Russians had won the cold war, this would have been the beer of the Communist States of America.

30th Anniversary Imperial Helles Bock (Sierra Nevada)

A unique beer brewed as part of the celebrations for the 30th Anniversary of Sierra Nevada. This is Charlie, Fred and Ken’s Imperial Helles Bock.

It pours a golden light brown with a beautiful foamy snow white head. Bountiful aromas of wet grass and light fruit, specifically cantaloupe melon and satsuma’s.

The initial malt is distinct, flooding the palette with a sweet but dry rounded flavour. No big ripe fruit in the middle, no biscuit crunch, you are left with a moment consolidate as the big alcohol builds like a heartbeat towards the showpiece finish.

The ending is sweet and rich, like gin soaked raisins, with an authoritive stamp of bitterness. Strong notes of cracked black pepper on the finish linger on the tongue.

8/10 A beautiful beer, well crafted and critically well balanced. Brewed to match a traditional style, but falling slightly short of expectations for such a special occasion.


A note of Thanks : This beer arrived as a gift from a friend in California, it kindly travelled in his luggage all the way over to the UK, sadly two bottles of Tumbler didn’t. This review is devoted to his stained suitcase, his soaked clothes, and the frantic dry cleaning he had to do on arrival in the UK. Thanks Bushy!

IPA (Full Sail)

This is an American "English Style" IPA, hopped with Challenger and East Kent Goldings hops, can't get more English than that can you?

No big citrus in the aroma, just hints of ripe satsumas, no big dry hop smell.

Sweet malt with a dry bitterness to balance. The middle is limited, gentle sweet citrus that lingers to the end, involving with the hops. The finish is a blunt hammer of dry bitterness, less blended distinct flavours, more like a slap to the tounge.

6/10 A US IPA in all but the hops, which sadly lack depth and diversity.

Gonzo Imperial Porter (Flying Dog)

This is a powerful pocket porter, 8.7%abv. US brewers Flying Dog say it's a "turbo charged version of Road Dog Porter", which I assume is their standard offering.

It pours with a lively coffee coloured head, and the same coffee laced with liquorice wafts headily on the nose. Properly black, the brewery claims this uses a double porter recipe and will "bite you in the ass if you don't show it proper respect". As if to underline the point an expressionistic Hunter S. Thompson self portrait stares hollow-eyed from the label.

The malts used are black, crystal and chocolate. First taste is a detonation of flavour with sweet malt, chocolate and coffee atomising on the tongue. It's heady and smoky, and in truth nearly a little too much.

The sweetness is more than offset by a big ass-kick of piney hops that leaves a long, ranging bitter aftertaste. I think this beer would best be served with a rich chocolate dessert at the sort of meal that ex-colonial colonels with impending gout might enjoy.

Further sips reveal a dusting of pepper and I'm finding appreciation acquires as the drink goes down. Its heady, rich and absolutely committed to it's aim, the antithesis of a dull beer.

I don't know much about Flying Dog, but I bet the Brewdog boys enjoy this. It's a complex, tumultuous beer, and a transatlantic bedfellow to their radical offerings.

8/10 - Overwhelming and virile, an impressive cauldron of flavours.

- The Broadside

India Pale Ale (Goose Island)

Pours a delicate golden colour. The aroma is like an explosion, sweet citrus followed by a very powerful dry hop smell.

The taste is sweet to start, like a lemon sorbet with very limited maltiness. The middle is rather thin, lacking either a yeasty taste or a biscuity crunch. What comes along for the finish is amazing, powerful dry raw hops, eclectic bittering and a lingering notes of citrus and spice, like a lemon ginger tea.

8/10 A fantastic US IPA, one to turn to at any time. The ultimate "go to" US IPA.

Hallowe'en Special II : Pumpkin Ale (Smuttynose)

I received this as a gift from a friend over from New York, and what better time to try it.

Pours with a floral, almost spicy smell, with obvious pumpkin and similar sweet potato leanings.

The opening taste has almost no sweetness, and almost no bitterness, like a first half 0-0 draw. What comes out for the 2nd half is a deep pumpkin flavour, like a roasted butternut squash soup, mixing savoury with sweetness. It finishes with a landslide of bitterness which lingers on leaving a dry peppery taste.

4/10 Its a speciality beer for sure, its well made, but too soupy and savoury for me.

American Style IPA (Adnams)

Part of Adnams new Handcrafted Ales range, head brewer Fergus has created some world famous beer styles in the heart of Suffolk.

Its bottled conditioned so pours with a gentle rumble, the aroma is immense, the US hops deliver a powerful but delicate bouquet of grass, pine and gentle floral notes, all hidden within a fantastic sweet citrus.

The malt is far more present than in say an English IPA style, less golden, more brown sugar. With the malt comes a beautiful sweetness and deep malt flavour. What follows soon after is those fantastic US hops, I’m told they are Cascade, Willamette, Centennial, Chinook and Amarillo! Its like you can taste every one of them, a hop overload to the senses. Grass, charcoal, honey, citrus zest are all hidden within the gentle bitter finish.

Strong malt, powerful hops, and a decent 6.8% ABV are all perfectly balanced within this stunning beer.

10/10 A truly fantastic American IPA, the fact it has been brewed in the UK only makes it even more impressive. Up there with the best of the US IPAs

The mind boggles at what the rest of the range is like. Suffolk today, tomorrow the world!

Buy Adnams ales here

Pale Ale (Independence, TX)

Pours a bright amber, smells of grassy hops and pine resin.

Starts with a deep malty taste, a crisp fresh middle, powerful hop bitterness floods through. A strong dry bitterness to the finish is followed by a delicate sweet balance leaving a lingering dry hope tone.

8/10 Leaves the palate craving more with every sip, the most morish beer I’ve had in a long time.

Independence Brewery Texas

Whilst out in Texas I couldn’t resist a tour of a local brewery, I was on holiday after all. The experience was simply fantastic, I’ve got to hand it to the team at Independence Brewery, and they know how to keep fans happy! It wasn’t your normal stuffy tour of the brewery as I’ve done so many times in England, it was more like a party for locals, what I can only imagine Tailgating is like, without the football.

A queue of about locals gathered pre the opening, wristbands on entry, and a live band. Being a true English man I immediately began looking for a bit of shade from the 37c Texas heat, second on the list was a beer, obviously.

There were six beers on offer (which you will see me ),review in the weeks ahead), I started with the enigma to the English beer fan, the US Style IPA. The Stash IPA is a beast of a beer, beautiful malt, powerfully hopped, but in such perfect balance it’s effortlessly drinkable. What followed was the special release Saison, a brew they were very proud of, and I can understand why, a delicious beer with all the delicate flavourings of the European style, cardamom, grapefruit wrapped in a creamy smoothness.

As the day rolled on the beer flowed, the band (imagine Crosby, Stills and Nash going a cappella) sounded sweeter and the company got more entertaining. My thanks goes to all the great people of the brewery who make such days so great, I don’t doubt a lot more Stash IPA gets sold every time they hold one of these events.

During my visit to the USA it struck me that there many American craft breweries, who despite much love and care for what they do, simply go through the motions of trying their hand at recreating the standard styles of US beer, and European clones, with rather bland results.

There is however another group, who thrive to innovate and dare to do something different, in a way that only a handful of English brewers can say they do.

There is no doubt which category Independence fall into. Their approach is typically Texan, not affraid to break the mould and lead the charge on innovation.

You can take part in the tour on the 1st Saturday of each month, details here.

Censored (Lagunitas)

So called because they were censored when they tried to call it "The Chronic", pours deep copper and smells very strongly of malt, freshly steeped malt to be precise.

This is really really malty, not overly sweet but full of malty goodness like a kilo of melted Maltesers. Gentle burnt smokiness with limited bitterness or traces of hops in the finish.

6/10 If Maltesers made beer it would taste like this.