Partizan, IPA - Simcoe

No need for notes on this one - typically sound IPA from Mr. Smith at Partizan. I like Simcoe alot - created by those clever folk in the Yakima Valley I think. I went back to this IPA a few times if I remember rightly.

Partizan, Foreign Export Stout

Stouts are alot easier for me to quantify and calibrate than IPAs it seems - I seem to have more notes for them than my IPAs... Fantastic FES from Partizan: stinks of coal, charcoal and sweet tar. Murky yellow foam head. Creamy mouthfeel with the alcohol detectable on the extreme edges. It's strong though and it got me drunk. Heavy and my sips were small and slow. Knowing with Nicholas Cage was on whilst I drank this - some scenes reminded me of the the Thin Man from that educational children's series that I watched at middle school. Anyone else remember that? Late on in the drink I realised that my teeth had sort of a slight iron coating on them.

Partizan, IPA - Bobek & Amarillo

Another yellow pour this one. Something distinctive in this, possibly due to the Bobek? Vanilla possibly. Very smooth mouthfeel. What abv? Too easy to drink!

Partizan, IPA - Columbus, Chinook & Cascade

An almost perfect IPA for me: lighter in colour than my previous Partizan IPA (which was almost red). No taste of the abv. Drunk very fresh (almost within a couple of weeks I think).

Partizan, Pale Ale - Columbus and Cascade

Yellow pour. Distinct nose. Drank this one week fresh at the brewery. Orange squash and some bits of bubblegum. Medium bitter finish.

Great Heck, Yakima IPA

Terrific IPA from Great Heck. Overly-hoppy madness typical of the Yakima valley produce (the hoppiest hop?). Deep copper pour, not an insane nose, but a severe and thick hop taste that I've only recently started to appreciate (see this post for an amateur's take on this type of flavour......). Very bitter aftertaste indeed. Morish, smooth, delicious and very importantly: cheap - under £2.50 from Mr Lawrence.

Kernel Brewery, SANS IPA

I hadn't had a Kernel for a while (a month or two) up to this one which I drank just before going on holiday this month. It reminded me just how good drinks from the Kernel Brewery can actually be - this one properly made me sit back and go 'cor'. I'm hesitating to call this an American style IPA - have the Kernel established their own distinct type of IPA now?

Kernel Brewery, Double Citra

My first DIPA experience I think? Set the bar really quite high this one from Kernel. Very hazy pour, much deeper in colour than the pale ale version (being drunk next to me by my wife). Obviously a fat and healthy body to it. Intense tropical flavours. Pursing the lips after swallowing seemed to trap the alcohol around the gums - you could certainly get a feeling for the 9.7% alcohol this way. I liked this drink quite a bit - I felt it deserved the Tarkovsky background.

Kernel Brewery, Export Stout London 1890

Possibly my favourite stout from The Kernel. I don't have any notes for this, but I don't suppose you really need them: if you love stout and you haven't tried this one then you're an idiot.

Kernel Brewery, Mosaic IPA

Some slightly gushing notes on this IPA from Kernel - zero head, but a tight carbonation, pours a deep orange, intense tropical nose. First taste is like Lilt then deep hop resin flavours rise above. A drink of 2 halves then? Brewdate on this one was 12th March - I drank it a month after that.

Kernel Brewery, Cascade Pale Ale

My first beer write-up for a while - I have a bunch of bottles under the sink that have been sitting around waiting to be photographed and for one reason or another, I simply haven't got around to it. Anyway, I thought I'd make a series of sorts out of a bunch of Kernels. Their cascade pale ale is from back in April I think. I suppose you'd sort of know what to expect from this, a standard affair really - a typically amazing pale ale.