Wild Beer Co, Bliss

Argh - I really wanted to get into this one from Wild, but try as I might, I just couldn't help but think that there simply wasn't anything massively special about it. Having said that, I remember thinking something similar about their IPA, and have subsequently come to realise that it's actually quite brilliant. So it may well be that I'll appreciate this saison better the second time around. Perhaps I drank it a bit too cold, or maybe I should've left it on the shelf longer?

De Struise, Ignis et Flamma

I drank this Belgian IPA from De Struise before I got all silly about saison etc. It wasn't my usual tipple then - I was expecting some of sort of hoppy monster.... Anyway, check out the head on that! And I poured it very carefully indeed. I had to spoon some of it out so fit more actual liquid in the glass! Rich body with the merest tint of citrus hops at the edges, warming with a foamy carbonation (!) mouthfeel. I've got a Meantime Cali-Belgian IPA waiting to be drunk. I wonder if it'll taste similar to this?

Trappist Achel Bruin, Brouwerij der St. Benedictusabdij de Achelse

I really don't think I have the credentials to even be pretending to know what I'm talking about with this beer, so I'll leave any taste/nose talk out. Youngest monastic order in Belgium? More info here on Sint-Benedictusabdij De Achelse Kluis. Wow, what a lovely, lovely beer - just look at the colour of it in that first photo....!

Brasserie Dupont, Saison Dupont

The archetypal saison? This signature farmhouse ale from Brasserie Dupont smells of lager and pours a beautiful, hazy straw colour. Über fresh and cleanses the palette. Brief bitterness at the back of the tongue. A really nostalgic taste for me so I'm possibly a bit biased towards this one. My second pour had a few spirals of yeast in it, which absolutely in no way detracted from my enjoyment of it (unlike it might do in, say, a bottle conditioned IPA). I'm a total saison novice so I wasn't too sure what to look for - ignorance is bliss I suppose - so I get the feeling I was in the (perhaps slightly enviable?) position to simply enjoy it for what it was rather than scrutinizing the enjoyment away. Argh - just writing this makes me want one...

Kernel Brewery, Bière de Table

I had a Partizan saison a while back and I didn't like it particularly. I think I wrote some naive guff about the hops seeming out of place and that i didn't think saisons were my thing. Then, in the summer, I had a De Koninck on tap at the Greenwich Union, and it reminded me of holidays in France as a teenager. This nostalgia prompted me to get a 750ml bottle of Dupont which them promptly sat in the wine rack for a few months. One night, Vicky suggested I crack it, so we shared it over Silver Linings Playbook (average). I wasn't immediately blown away, but the more I drank of my glass, the more I was taken back to France, to Pelforth and fresh Kronenbourg, sunflowers, vineyards and sunshine.

This Kernel really hit the spot. I know it doesn't do too well on Ratebeer but for me it was soaringly refreshing, just a delight. I'd spent the day thinking about trying to get hold of a belgian beer for the evening, and I'd read that the Kernel was a 'farmhouse' ale so I thought: sod it - I'd give it a go. And I'm so glad I did. It really ignited a drive to sample more beers from Belgium, in particular their saisons. I've tried Kernel's hersbrücker saison which is obviously quite different but nonetheless equally satisfying. I can't wait for next summer - I'm going to drink these by the bucket load I tell thee.

Brugse Zot, De Halve Mann

My parents brought back from this 750ml bottle for Vicky and I from their trip to Bruges. A dependable Belgian pale beer from De Halve Mann, but nothing jumped out at me unfortunately, maybe a bit of lemon going on in here I think. Drinkable though.

Tap East, Coffee In The Morning

Massive coffee flavours from Tap East. Less roasty/crunchy and bitter, more of a 'clean' coffee flavour c/o Grind Coffee). Decent body, almost flat.

Magic Rock Brewing Co, Cannonball

Alot has been said about the calibre of this IPA from Huddersfield stars Magic Rock, and by people more fully versed in beer related wordery than myself. (This post by Matt Curtis is pretty good.) I agree with pretty much all of what's been said. Sweet tinge from the caramel malts is the perfect foil to the hop wallop in this: there's perfect balance all the way through. Negatives: in short supply and relatively expensive. Not being bottle conditioned is a plus though (for me). Getting a bit tired of the unavoidable yeastiness (however small) in my IPAs at the moment.

Magic Rock Brewing Co, Barrel Aged Bearded Lady

I think that this was the drink that really kick started a drive to sample imperial stouts for me. I drank my first bottle (perhaps somewhat incongruously at the height of summer. I've started to get into saisons as the winter is settling in, think I've got my season pairings back to front somehow...!), of this back at the beginning of August, way before I deliberately started to search out any other similarly styled drinks. After the Un-human Cannonball (bottles of that stored waiting for review + relatively 'special' photo idea) I kind of had the geek-greed for this special edition bottle, so I bought 2 just in case (courtesy of the good folk at Mr Lawrence).

It poured thick and opaque - almost purple. I'd never smelt anything like this before, bitter and dark chocolate, used coffee, liquorice and boozy aromas. The taste for me had all this plus some more wet coffee grounds, the faint tinge of whisky right at the edges, and some hard grape bits - possibly brandy-ish? Peppery smoked meat tinges??

Mouth feel very smooth despite decent carbonation, you could feel the alcohol slightly on the gums (I good thing I think) and a very gentle bitter after. For my 2nd glass from the bottle it was nice to have a Maoam on the side just to sweeten the edge off.

I've had more whisky-er impy stouts since this one (most notable the Kernel BA Glen Spey), but in it's 660ml presentation, wax seal and beautiful bottle graphics, this had an air of occasion about it that adds to the drinking experience. Of course the limited nature of it helped too, plus the hype online and on the Magic Rock website.

Having said that: there's a contingent of electronic music producers/labels that release very rare tunes on a very limited run of vinyl and this alienates those who will never be able to get hold of it. (The vinyl then inevitably appears on discogs at silly, well over-inflated prices). I saw on twitter that beer releases such as this one and the Un-human Cannonball from Magic Rock can have the same effect. I was fortunate to get both, but I think I'd prefer them to be more available, if only to drive down the price a little bit. (Obviously, the rarity adds to the desirability...a double edged sword I suppose.) £12 for 660ml of 10.5% liquid is certainly high. A similar amount of money will get you A Chateauneuf du Pape. It seems that's where we're at with this type of strong beer (leaving aside tax issues on creating beers above 7.4% abv). It is certainly a sting on the wallet, but I for one, am more or less content to pay these prices. For comparison, Kernel did a BA impy at £6/330ml, Mikkeller obviously take the piss even more (and on tap: Even More Jesus from Evil Twin at £13/pint...). Whatever, vote with your wallet I suppose.