Kona Brewing Company: Big Wave Golden Ale

Big Wave Golden Ale

This beer is a little beauty, not only is it beautifully designed but it is full of flavour to match. Big Wave Golden Ale is an example of what really gets me excited about craft beer. 

Kona Brewing Company is based in Hawaii and really promotes its Hawaiian style, from the flavours in their beers to the aesthetically pleasing packaging. Although I have never visited Hawaii this beer sure as hell makes me want to jump on the next plane to Honolulu. 

While drinking this beer I envisaged the beautiful beaches, fresh air and the laid back culture of Hawaii. 

OK OK OK…… enough daydreaming about surfing in Hawaii; I need to tell you about the beer itself.

This beer is a light golden colour and is highly carbonated with a small head that fades quickly. The appearance is crisp and clean just like the beaches of Honolulu. Like most pale ales Big Wave exudes amazing fresh smells. The aroma is sweet with a distinctive grapefruit aroma that is hoppy and citrusy, making this a truly fresh and zesty aroma, which is easy to get excited about. The taste matches the smell; there is a fruity explosion full of subtle hoppy flavours. The taste is both zingy and sweet with a distinctive grapefruit flavour, which is in no way overpowering. The finish of this beer is full bodied and fizzy, which makes this beer amazingly refreshing.

 

Big Wave Golden Ale

I could drink this beer all day long on a summer’s day. This flavours and aromas within this beer are the characteristics I relate to Hawaii. This beer is yet another reason to want to go and surf around the beautifully unique U.S. state of Hawaii.

Camden Town Brewery: Pale Ale

Camden Town Brewery

This brewery is an exciting product of the craft beer upsurge we are experiencing today in Britain. Camden Town Brewery began its life recently in 2010 representing the success of craft beer and its increased popularity, exemplifying what craft beer should be like and why it is the future of brewing; flavourful, unique and local with a tale to tell.

Camden Pale Ale

 Camden Town Brewery’s website describes this beer as:

“Like the Queen wearing dirty sneakers, it’s traditionally British with a rock star twist of American hops.”

This is exactly what this beer is; a multicultural beer within a globalized world. This is not your standard beer, instead it is packed full of flavours and fragrances that are intriguing and plentiful. Even more it is locally brewed in London; you can’t get much fresher than that.

The appearance of this beer is a vibrant golden colour, which is illuminated by a heavily carbonated body and a clean head. The aroma is the centre piece of this beer. Like many American styled pale ales the aroma is fruity and aromatic with subtle hoppy tones. For me this beer smelt like a fruit punch salad; the original scent is full of freshness and delight, which is then complemented by a mild citrus hoppy aroma to finish. After such an exciting start to this beer I was ready to jump in and go swimming; I decided to drink it instead. The flavour was powerful yet subtle. You are first hit by a sweet fresh flavour, which is complimented by a hoppy bitter finish that is wonderful. The mouthful topped off the experience; it has a watery texture and is slightly fizzy with a crisp finish.

This beer is a must try. It is exciting, tasty and exactly what a good craft beer should be. Overall this beer is beautifully balanced and is one of the most refreshing beers I have tasted that actually manages to maintain bags of flavour.

Honey Dew

Honey Dew

This is a very interesting beer. Fuller's Honey Dew is as unique as its concept and is a delightfully intriguing beer that will leave you confused yet contempt. I was pleasantly surprised by this beer as I thought the honey may be overpowering, however I am  happy to say that honey in beer does works!

The appearance of this beer is a light golden amber colour with a subtle head, which makes it a very clean looking beer. The aroma is sweet and malty with a hint of honey, which lives up to the title. Now onto the flavour, this matches the aroma but is only more intense. There is a sweet honey flavour with a slight citrus finish that is supported by a subtle bitterness. The flavour is well rounded yet perhaps overpowered by the honey; so if you don’t like honey this beer is not for you. The mouthful is of medium carbonation making it a refreshing beer that is very drinkable.

Overall this is a nice summer beer if you like sweet flavours, but if you are not an adventurous beer drinker this may not be for you as it is very sweet. This beer has encouraged me to try some more interesting flavoured beers as I believe there is more potential for beers outside the use of the simple ingredients.

Hertag Jan

This is a good lager; nothing exciting but nice and refreshing. Perfect for complimenting a packet of crisps while watching some rugby.

The appearance is simple yet vibrant, with an amber colour that is carbonated with very little head.

The aroma is sweet and simple; there is not much there expect a malty sweetness. The flavour matches this it is malty, with a smooth crisp flavour that is lightly hopped.

The mouthful is carbonated with a watery consistency, which may sound obvious considering beer is predominantly water BUT with this beer it really slips down your throat lacking any body.

Bring out this beer for the everyday drinker.

Florival

Florival

This is simple and refreshing beer. It may not make you jump out your seat with excitement but it does tick a lot of important boxes when it comes to good beer.

This beer has a large thick head, which is nice for a frothy flavour that some people like. However like my surfing skills I prefer to spend less time in the foam and more time in the surf. Somewhere underneath the head there is a beer. The beer is a light golden colour and highly carbonated. The aroma of this beer is a sweet malt flavour with a minimal scent of citrusy hops. The flavour is not what you would expect from your standard lagers. There is a spicey sweet flavour upfront, which has subtle floral notes that are finished with an unexpected subtle bitter finish. The mouthful is of medium carbonation, making this a crisp and refreshing beer that is very drinkable.

This is a well balanced beer that has very subtle flavours. It may not create fireworks but it will not disappoint.

Ommegang

Ommegang (Blonde)

This is a well rounded Belgian blonde that holds its own among the blondes in Belgian.

The appearance is light and golden with a highly carbonated body that is vibrant, making this a very clean looking beverage. The aroma is sweet and exciting. The sweetness is complimented by a hoppy bitterness. There is little to no smell of alcohol, which is surprising for such a strong beer. However this is probably because it is overpowered by a rich malty whiff. The flavour is the centrepiece of this beer. It starts of with an explosion of a light hoppy flavour, complimented by a sweet and citrusy malty taste, which is then finished with a delicate alcohol flavour. This beer is not finished there however as it ends with a delightful bitter lingering flavour that is subtle yet complex with notes of caramel.The flavour is complimented by a full bodied mouthful which is smooth and refreshing, finishing this beer off nicely.

This is a great Belgian blonde that you must try, however it doesn’t quite live up to my favourite blonde, which is the Bruge Zot.

Brouwerij’t IJ Zatte

Zatte

This is a follow up review of my visit to the Brouwerij’t IL windmill in Amsterdam. I decided I couldn't leave this experience at home so I brought some of these little beauties home.

Zatte was the first beer to be produced by the brewery way back in 1985 and is a tripel, the category reserved for the stronger, blonde beers in Belgian tradition. This beer more than lives up to its reputation and is an excellent example of what an exciting tripel should be like.

The appearance of this beer is a  mystically murky amber colour, full of bubbles with great head retention. The enticing appearance of this beer is matched by its fruity aroma. The aroma has a malty sweetness that is mixed together with hints of citrus with a delicate yeast finish.

The flavour backs up the intriguing appearance and exciting aroma. There is an extremely malty flavour, which is complimented by a subtle bitter notes that retains in your mouth throughout, complimenting one another. These basic flavours are mixed together with hints of nuttiness and spices.

This is a good beer that deserves to be drunk in places other than its unique brewery.