Taylor's Tipple (Hambleton Ales)

This has been in the vault for a while at Station Two, so time to give it a crack. Rumours have reached the Bunker shortwave radio that Hambleton Ales have won a few awards in their time, so I was curious to see how this beer stood up.

The label oozes class, in a wine-bottle style. No big cartoon motifs, no zany font, just silvered trim, a lithographed race horse and autumnal plated colours. The text explains that the drink is a tribute to grocer Thomas Taylor, who in 1857 used six tonnes of lime to score a giant horse on to Hambleton Hills.

It pours a proper beery red-brown, deep ambered fudge with a benevolent fluffy head.

The smell of it is remarkable - caramel is very marked, and sweet malts and butter-toffee framing the experience. I rarely salivate just on the smell of a beer but this one got me.

The taste isn't nearly as sweet. Some malty sugar and berry flavours pipe fleetingly up in the pre-taste, but firm strides of tea, earth and a burnt 'something' channel through almost immediately.

Then, curiously for an ale, there seems to me to be a resurgence of sweetness at the death of the taste, albeit hand in hand with a lengthy bitter finish. Sounds illogical but there we are.

It's creamier than cream, and the bitterness closes off like a valve in time to invite the next sip. At 4.5%abv this is an eminently drinkable fine-class product, and one I'd return to especially in the cold months.

8/10 - Well mixed and pleasantly chewy winter beer. Good for later in the evening when the hour invites complex, rewarding flavours.

- The Broadside

Yorkshire Christmas Ale (M&S)

A special brew created just for Marks and Spencer's by the Cropton Brewery.

It starts with an explosion of bold aromas, ripe cherry, clementines and powerful blackcurrant. The beer itself is on the ruby side of brown.

Big fruity malt to start with tangy notes, quickly flooded with ripe forest fruits. The middle lost as the edges of the mouth try to get to grips with the powerful fruit start. The finish is a long lingering aniseed, I would love to say I could spot other subtle spices there (the bottle lists nutmeg) but I am struggling.

This could almost be served warm in place of mulled wine, it feels like its almost half made of mulled wine.

4/10 A bold beer, trying to be different, sadly ends up like a beery spiced cocktail.

Holy Grail Ale (Black Sheep)

The nose is gentle citrus with a floral aroma, perhaps shrubs? It pours a clear gold, like a shining beacon of ale.

The taste is initial caramel, quite sweet, no big malt flavours. This is soon matched by a rather robust bitterness. A lingering gentle dryness stays on the tongue. Rather thin at points and lacks any big flavours of note, but does provide nice balance.

6/10 Very drinkable. Not too sweet, not to bitter, lighter than a duck.

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Yorkshire Square Ale (Black Sheep) 5% Abv

Its a copper brown ale. The nose is malty with hints of toffee and sugar.

The opening taste is like of powerful but very smooth malt, this leads into more sweeter flavours of honey and maybe a touch of maple syrup. There is a subtle but definite yeasty bite to the middle. The finish is not of powerful hops but lingering dry bitterness and a delicate ripe fruitiness.

I know the brewery are very proud of their heritage and the Yorkshire Square Fermentation system, a traditional method dating back 200 years, using double stacked stone vessels. It's believed to give the beer a smoother taste and more pronounced bitterness, both of which i can happily say are present in this beer.

6/10 A respectable score, a good beer, if you like your beers malty smooth and dry I would encourage you to try this.

Thanks Black Sheep Brewery!

Big thanks to the Black Sheep Brewery for sending these beers through to review.

The Best Bitter has been a real treat everytime i've had it on draught, but these are all new to me. Looking forward to reviewing.

I've heard the brewery runs excellent tours.

Buy the beers from their online shop