Another judged... another blogged!

#2 Already... Hey! I just had dinner!

Again... without further ado...

The colour is amazing

2. Morland - "Old Crafty Hen" - Alc.Vol. 6.5%

I've had this one before. I had it about 5 days into London... Well... Essex really, which is not London, but from an Aussies point of view, it's one and the same

I've decided to have a go at Old Crafty Hen, before the more well known Old Speckled Hen, just because this beer is oak aged, and is a premium dark and malty bitter. I love the colour. It's a colour you don't get that much of in Oz (from now on Australia, or "Straya" will be known as Oz, simply because we live in a land just like the movie, and it was once a prison planet...), and through this Oak-Aged process, it comes with this rather beautiful colour

The only problem is that people usually have this at room temperature. Now as an Aussie, it's almost a cardinal sin to drink a beer at room temperature. But after drinking so many beers, and wines, and liqueurs, you know you have to drink as the locals do. So I had a go at this at room temp...

Emptied

NOT BAD... you can get a real toffee taste, which really matches the colour. I could get the dried fruit, raisiny taste, like Sunbeam raisins that we get in Oz. When you breath it in, you get a lovely oak taste, a little burnt maybe, but that just gives it taste. A great taste.

On the bottle - Aroma - Toffee and raisins; Taste - Toffee malt combined with dried fruit for a complex richness. And that complex richness does it wonders, which compliments the colour and the aroma perfectly. The Master Brewer at Morland has created a pure belter for the English drinkers whom like to have a room temp beer. And this beer is well respected, and consumed in quite large amounts. And it's amazing with cheese... Let me be the judge of that, eh?...

So... here I am with some Fully Matured Cheddar. A lovely sort actually... Grated, so I can get the full flavour with the beer...

Oh my lord!!!

I cannot believe the way this beer
is with cheese!!!! More please!!!

Get me more cheese - STAT!!! I have never quite experienced a beer that does this. It gives the cheese that red wine & cheese feel. You know, when you have a dinner party you're cooking for, and the guests are there, and you pull out the cheese for and appetizer (or even dessert), and you can't help but pop a bottle of red with some Camembert or Brie, and they just go so amazingly together...?

Well this beer does the same thing. I will now be drinking this on alternate dinner parties! It's totally marvelous! A big wow!

However, I'm not sure I could neck these all day. It is a quite robust beer. It's almost like a Belgian Monk beer - like a Duval or a Trappiste... And it's rather heavy. But rather low on fizz..

So... down to the nitty gritty...

• Sight - 7 - Very dark and foreboding, with the pour being very slow as a head can and will puff. Colour is marvelous
• Smell - 7 - I think it has a rather weak smell
• Taste - 8.5 - good drop, very good. And because of the taste with cheese rated very high
• Feel - 7.5 - thick, nice as it flows in the mouth
• Aftertaste - 7.5 - nice, the toffee and raisin flavours really stick out, but not unpleasantly
• Pleasure - 7 - I do like it, but it's not for everyone, as it is a room temp beer
• Ability - 7 - this is a vintage beer, so it's for the conneseirs 
• Encore - 7 - I could, but only in milder climes
• Reputable - 7 - it's well known in the U.K., so that's a pretty good beef
• Purchase - 7 - not the first time I've had it, but it seems unusually hard to get here in the U.K.

So... drum roll please...

Out of 10 I will be giving it  - 7.5 out of 10

This is certainly a well aged beer, but the fact that it goes with cheese (on of my favourite foods ever!), gives it the extra oomph that I like. I will be telling my mates to try this instead of a wine with cheese sometime soon.

Once again, please your input is needed and respected, so please put something down on here, and give your own reviews to this fine beer...

Until my next review on my tour around the world...

Cheers! And drink on!

Wazza

Wazza's Drinking Around the World!

Wazza's Drinking Around the World!

This is the very first entry to another of my infamous (may I hope it turns famous!) blogs that I entail to do, and maybe fail miserably, but will be enjoying some great drops around the world.

I will be trying to taste, swig, skull and drink my way through as many beers, lagers, bitters, ales, red's and whites, and of course, liquors and liqueurs that I possibly can and put the details up here through my new drinking blog.

So without further ado...

NUMBER 1, NUMERO UNO, UNE...

1. BrewDog - PUNK IPA - Post Modern Classic - Alc.Vol 5.6%

BrewDog Punk IPA

This has a WONDERFUL nose on this. The smells of citrus and (maybe) as slight honey scent. I like these types of ales. I do like ales in general, but it doesn't bias me in the slightest

A 'Post Modern Classic' is a bit of a oxymoron, but you can understand where they want the beer to be. In the future, still being sold, and being sold by the dozen. 

I do like the colour. It's a bit darker than some of the IPA's that I've had, especially the Aussie ones. The clarity is very high, and there isn't too much fizz. I like that. 

The taste - okay... I think that this needs to be sold in Australia. If it isn't, it should be. I could have this with prawns or fish, especially something cooked on the BBQ, with some dill and lemon, salmon. You could also have it with good street tucker, like the markets or street stalls in Asia and Europe. 

Great to have in the arvo (afternoon for all you non-Aussies), with some chips, or even with tapas. 

The blurb...

PUNK ON TOUR - available in bottle, can or on draft. I haven't seen it on draft yet, but I have to "high tail it" to one of their bars to experience it. And they have been opening 50 bars - and counting. BrewDog do have others that I will be trying, such as the Doodlebug, Stone, Mikkeller, Oskar Blues, and the Paradox, which I have heard is a belter. 

Well, here comes the grading. I will be grading this out of 10, like all my drinks, as a 5 or a 100 are just not worth it...

So here are what I will be grading my drinks on:

• Sight - The colour, the fizz, the pour, the head
• Smell - the aromas, the scents
• Taste - the first taste, which to me is most important
• Feel - the feel in the mouth and on the tongue, temperature
• Aftertaste - the taste after you have swallowed
• Pleasure - the feel of the beer after the above has happened, if it makes you smile
• Ability - where it could go, who could drink it, and what you could drink it with, can you smoke with it
• Encore - whether you could have it again or not
• Reputable - If it's got a reputation, or new, or needs more empty bottles
• Purchase - If it's easy to get, or if it has to be imported

So here goes...

• Sight - 7 - looks the goods, head was fluffy, colour vibrant and clear
• Smell - 7.5 - fascinating, with citrus obvious
• Taste - 7.5 - good drop
• Feel - 6 - thought it a bit weak
• Aftertaste - 7 - nice, no unusual flavours
• Pleasure - 7.5 - I do like it, and would tell people to have one
• Ability - 8 - this does have a great ability to become a large beer
• Encore - 6 - I could, but it would have to be a rather hot day
• Reputable - 5 - it's coming up, more work to be done
• Purchase - 5 - first time I've seen it, but I'm sure it won't be the last

Rating out of 10 - I've given it a 7 out of 10

BrewDog Punk IPA GONE!

This can be a bolter. I'm very happy to have had this crisp ale. And I do look forward to having it in the future. I can say that I certainly am a fan of the first BrewDog Breweries PLC that I have tasted. 

So get out there to experience one of these.

I like it, I'm sure you will too.

I am looking forward to the next drop

Please comment on YOUR experiences with this beer, and any of the drinks that I judge. Your input is required and respected. 

Cheers! And drink on!

Wazza