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. 

Brouwerij’t IJ

Brouwerij’t IJ

 

The Windmill at Brouwerij't IJ

Don’t worry I couldn't pronounce its name either. Brouwerij’t IJ translates quite simply as “The IJ Brewery”. This I a small brewery located just outside the centre of Amsterdam in a very unique setting; A WINDMILL. 

YERR!!!!! This got me exited as well.

I visited Amsterdam this summer with my girlfriend and never being one to shy away from the local beer culture I decided to do a bit of research into the local breweries other than Heineken. This is where I found the "IJ Brewery," which I was able to convince to my girlfriend was a must see. Not only is it in a windmill (this sold her) but it sells fresh from the barrel craft beer, which is stylish and unique.

Now that my girlfriend and I were both excited and ready to go; it was time to visit. We set off to the brewery, which is located about a 30 minutes walk from the centre of town. This walk passes by the zoo, so if you are an animal fanatic set aside some time to visit. However Unfortunately for my inner child we did not have enough time to visit the zoo.

Nevertheless we arrived at this lovely little brewery/pub, where we were pleasantly surprised by its simplistic yet inviting feel. There was a large outside terrace that seated plenty and would be great for any size group. However considering it was slightly overcast we decided to start off inside. I was also drawn in by their collection of beer bottles around the walls (inspiration for my collection).

 

Taking it all in

At the bar we decided to go for a beer sample board, which included tasters of 6 of their beers, all of which were unique in there own way. These included:

1. Zatte (Tripel)
2. Natte (Dubbel)
3. Ijwit (Wheat beer)
4. Columbus (Copper-Golden Ale)
5. IPA (Indian Pale Ale)
6. Struis (Barley Wine brew)

Menu

This was a great experience; sitting in this quite bar (as we were first to arrive; it soon filled up) eating peanuts and cheese while sipping on this fresh craft beer. The experience was made even better by the intimacy with the brewing process. I was drinking my beer while glimpsing into the brewery and seeing it being made. The best way for me to describe this would be by comparing it to fresh fish. Like fish; THE BEST IS FRESH. You always want the freshest fish and beer is no different.

The Bar

This experience at Brouwerij’t IJ was like catching a fresh fish. It came straight from the pump and went straight to my belly; It was amazing.

If you want to visit a real brewery while in Amsterdam, skip the Heineken factory and ramble on down to Brouwerij’t IJ; you will not be disappointed.

I will shortly be writing a review on their Zatte and IPA, however check out their website; it will make you want to visit them for sure: http://www.brouwerijhetij.nl/homepage/zomerblond-6/

Pulled Pork and Belgium Brown

I decided to do my daily good deed for the family, which tonight involved putting down the beer glass and doing some cooking. Rather than whipping up something boring and simple I pulled out all the stocks to create my specialty; Pulled Pork (with homemade BBQ sauce), Coleslaw and Garlic and Cayenne Potatoes. Since the pulled pork had to be cooked for 7 hours to ensure perfection I had plenty of time to sample a beer; and this is where this review begins.

Pulled Pork (See I can cook to)

The chance to sample a new beer brought me back to the random assortment of beers I have hidden away in my room. And the lucky one today was Ciney Bruin. This is a no nonsense Belgium brown ale that is not particularly noticeable from the packaging but has a simplistic appearance that compliments the beer itself.

Ciney Bruin

Ciney Bruin's appearance is a clear dark brown with a polite head retention that is not particularly prevalent or thick. Just like its appearance, the aroma  is what you would expect from most brown ales; it is sweet with a scent of roasted malt.

The flavour very much matches the aroma; it has a sweet toasted malt flavour that has caramel characteristics. The aftertaste is however the highlight of this brew; it has a lingering flavour that is bitter while smooth with a hint of floral. This flavour is well balanced with a medium carbonated body that is watery but very crisp.

Overall this is a very nice beer and is a great example of what good brown ales should be. At 7% it’s also strong so packs a kick. I would recommend this beer to most people, especially if you are in Belgium were its rustic characteristics will shine through. 

P.S. The pulled pork was DA BOMB !!!!!!

Pauwel Kwak

Pauwel Kwak

This is the first review of my Belgium imported beer collection and the reason for this was my lack of excitement for drinking it. Although I had seen many people in Bruges drinking this beer out of its unique traditional glass I was not overly intrigued to try it, so instead decided to bring a bottle home so that I could really break it down.

To explain this beer in one word is easy …….. It is PUNCHY. This beer packs a serious amount of alcohol, measuring in at whopping 8.4%, which to us Brits is only really seen within the hand of a tramp in the form of special brew. However this should not take anything away from this beer, especially since in Belgium where it is tradition to brew beers with a higher alcohol percentage.

Like any beer testing the first thing to check out is the appearance. This beer is of an amber appearance, which I would best describe as a muddy orange without the mugginess, as this beer is clear with limited carbonation. The head retention was minimal however this was probably due to my inability to pour and the fact that I was not serving it the traditional way . The traditional way of serving this beer in Belgium (as seen below) is in fact very distinctive, which makes it a very popular beer among tourists.

Pauwel Kwak, served in its traditional glass

Moving onto the aroma, which to me is the most exciting part of tasting a beer, not only does it kick start the drink but it gives you subtle hints about what you are about to taste. Pauwel Kwak has a real punchy aroma that is intriguing while very simple. It has a sweet malt aroma with a hint of yeast, however these scents are overpowered by the strong smell of alcohol, which gives the beer a real rugged aroma.

Now onto the taste, which is where this beer really comes alive. As you could imagine from the aroma alcohol is the first flavour you are going to taste and as a matter of fact it will be the last flavour you taste. There is no real depth or variety of flavour and although there is a subtle sweet finish the malts and hop flavours are lacking as the alcohol flushes them out. The real shock of this beer however came in the mouthful; considering its unassuming appearance it is extremely carbonated, packing your mouth full of excitable bubbles, which only manages to intensify the alcohol flavour.

Although I did not overly enjoy this beer I did not dislike it. Pauwel Kwak had enough to keep me on my toes while wanting to taste more. I would recommend this beer to the more rugged individual who likes to feel the hairs on their chest rise.

BEST SERVED … with a pint of testosterone.

BrewDog Dead Pony CLub

Brew Dog Dead Pony Club

I tucked into this little bad boy while tuning into England vs Moldova; the beer was in fact much more exciting than watching England thrash one of the worst teams in the world (no offence !!!!).

So to the beer. I am going start this review by commenting on the packaging. I think the turquoise label is not only warm and inviting but also gives the beer a very unique image, which compliments the flavours inside. The appearance of this beer is a light amber colour, which has a clear carbonated body full of freshness and vibrancy.

Before jumping in and drinking this beer one must smell it and as with any good beer this is where the magic happens. Dead Pony has a great aroma that jumps out at you; it is fresh with a summer sweetness, dominated by an apricot aroma that entices you to get drinking.

After smelling this summer party in a bottle I was excited to try the beer. Surprisingly however I anticipated that there would be a depth of sweetness; this was however not met and was instead overpowered by an explosion of subtle hoppy bitter flavours. These hoppy flavours left a pleasant subtle sweet citrus lingering in my mouth. This was surprising, as with such a strong sweet aroma I would have expected overpowering sweet flavours. The lack of sweetness was however greeted positively as I believe that too sweet a beer can be sickly.

Overall Dead Pony is a beautifully aromatic beer, full of hoppy complex flavour, packed into a light beer with a refreshingly crisp finish.

Recommendation ---This beer is great for everyone. Its weak alcohol percentage and refreshing finish makes it very versatile. I would recommend it for a summer’s day BBQ. I would also recommend this to new beer drinkers as an excellent introductory to craft beer, which is likely to excite.

Buy from many local supermarkets or at BrewDog’s online website: http://www.brewdog.com/product/dead-pony-club

About Me

My name is Brian Abplanalp and I am a 23 year old beer enthusiast who wants to continue to travel the world and drink good beer.

This is not a blog to show off my wide array of knowledge but is instead a journey to discover more about beer while expressing my own experiences with the great liquid.

The beauty of beer for me is its anti-elitist status, anyone and everyone drinks beer and this is what I want to explore through this blog. I want to get people excited about trying new beers, helping them recognize the unique and exciting aspects that beer can offer outside of the mainstream lagers. Beer is more than just a tool to get drunk, pissed, smashed, belligerent sloshed, blackout etc, it is about new experiences and sharing.

About My Quest

Two main factors encouraged me to start this blog and those were:

1. I love beer.

2. I have been lucky enough to travel to many parts of the world meeting new people and seeing amazing places.

This may sound like a diary but I assure you it is not. I am aiming to create an informative and light-hearted record of my experiences with beer while trying to give an insight into what I believe makes beer great. This will include updates of great places to consume beer, beer reviews and exciting articles on beer in general.

A blog would not be a blog without a theme or at least some sort of order and for this reason I thought I should come up with a point of reference more concise than just beer. As I have explained above, not only do I enjoy a beer or two but I have been lucky enough to travel to amazing parts of the world, tasting a variety of beers in unique and exciting environments among a variety of cultures. This is where my USP comes in. I have managed to keep an account of my prowess over the last two/three years with a collection of 457 different beer bottle tops. This has been surprisingly therapeutic and addictive. Not only has it helped jolt my memory of amazing beers it has also encouraged my travels. I will be attempting to be a beer preacher; recommending countries to invade and great beers to consume.

So please join me on my “Quest To 1001” !!!!!

I would like to finish my first post with a quote from Britain’s most famous Prime Minister Winston Churchill:

“Always remember I have taken more from alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.”