The man from Del Monte - he said YES! In Pineapple Oceans Amundsen have successfully managed to can a tropical summer day. The saying 'it does what it says on the tin' has never been more apt. Aromas of the pineapple chunk sweets I enjoyed as a child compliment the full on pineapple taste. While subtle notes of other tropical fruits like mango are apparent it's the big juicy pineapple taste that dominates the palate. This is a splendid beer that we really can't get enough of. Pairs best with a handlebar moustache and Hawaiian shirt. If this beer had a voice it would almost certainly sound like the laid back, good time music of Hawaiian Donavon Frankenreiter. The former professional surfer turned musician's soulful, light and breezy 'It Don't Matter', like Pineapple Oceans, provides the perfect accompaniment for campfires on the beach and good times with friends. So whatever it is that's stressing you out, put it to the back of your mind, because with this perfectly matched combination in your life........it really don't matter.
As cool as Huey Morgan of the Fun Lovin' Criminals and as smooth as Barry White - Brew York have taken everything great about their milk stout Tonkoko and beefed it up into this absolute belter of a beer. Coming in at 7.5% it's at certainly at the lower end of the ABV scale for imperial stouts but it certainly isn't lacking when it comes to flavour and mouthfeel. On pouring you are treated to enticingly sweet aromas of nuts, chocolate and vanilla. On first sip you are treated to a rich, silky smooth mouthfeel and the flavours come through in waves. A big initial hit of tonka bean and coconut gives a lingering nutty taste that is complimented by waves of chocolate and vanilla. This really is a pleasure to drink. This decadent brew is the closest we've come to finding a 'session' imperial stout!
You say you're ready, if I'm an animal. Let's get a room real soon. We'll call the supernatural. Demon In Profile is a deliciously dark track from the Afghan Whigs with layered keys, guitar and brass that build into an epic sound. A mournful masterpiece that compliment's Wylam's Club Of Slaughters perfectly. A rich, incredibly complex monster of an imperial stout with waves of flavour that envelop the senses. On opening the bottle you are greeted with smokey, boozy aromas of port and peat that also come through strongly int he flavour, taking your taste buds on a dark journey. Fruity red berries, spices and strong boozy port dominate the palate before giving way to a lingering smokey, peat finish. Demon to some. Angel to others. Club Of Slaughters won't be to everyone's taste but if you do dance with the devil tonight don't you dare look him in the eye.
With perky bass lines and dreamy reverb The Drums' wistful tunes could be the soundtrack to a montage on an all American teen movie. The Drums cite The Beach Boys as one of their major influences and you can imagine running up the beach and grabbing a West Coast IPA after a days surfing on the California Coast. West Coast IPA is a cracking beer from underrated Swedish brewery Stigbergets. It's pure summer in a glass with a lovely sweet, cinnamon nose and thirst quenching tropical fruits on the palate. Packed with peach, mango, stone fruit and citrus, very little bitterness and a very drinkable 6.5% ABV West Coast IPA is the perfect remedy for a wash out British summer!
I am back to yesterday savouring my sorrow days...... Let's not beat about the bush, Cloudwater Brew Co. make exceptional beer, consistently knocking it out of the park brew after brew and NW DIPA Ekuanot is no exception. In fact, it is up there with my favourite beers of 2017 so far. In true Cloudwater style it is a murky, fruit bomb of the highest calibre that lures you in with it's irresistibly sweet, fruity aroma like a bee to honey. To taste it is brimming with fruit flavours (mango, melon, orange) and is packed with oats that give it a thick, silky smooth mouthfeel. It comes in at 9% but it hides it so well you could serve this beer up for breakfast and be none the wiser. The only problem with Cloudwater beers is they are here today and gone tomorrow and as Black Honey lament I am soon back to yesterday, savoring my sorrows and agonising over a lost love.........until the next time.
Bright lights, feel alright. I'm gonna see her again tonight. New in store from Australia's top rated craft brewery, Pirate Life Brewing, IIPA is a big, old school West Coast style double IPA that bucks the recent trend of murky fruit bombs. On opening you're greeted with a boozy, light caramel and citrus blast. Clear and golden to pour it has a lovely, full, chewy body and smooth mouthfeel. To taste it's medium sweet with flavours of grapefruit pith and pine and has a mild bitterness to finish. Surprisingly it hides it's strength well and whilst you feel the warmth of the alcohol as it slips down it doesn't burn or overpower. Is This How You Feel? put the Preatures on the Australian indie pop map and I think it's safe to say that IIPA will follow suit for Pirate Life Brewing here in the UK.
I've got myself trapped in the black of your heart...... As its name suggest Evil Twin's Molotov Cocktail is a spiky, aggressive beer that gets right up in your grill and spoils for a fight. An arrogantly hopped triple IPA that makes no attempt to hide its brash 13%. It certainly packs a punch, doing its best to knock your tongue off before slipping away and leaving you with a strong alcohol burn. Sweet, sticky and dank with earthy notes and pine, this is a beer that won't let you forget it in a hurry. Like King Krule's voice in your ear, Molotov Cocktail's has an aggressive bitterness that is always there, intimately threatening. A giant beer that isn't for everyone but if you like your beers big and in your face you're in for a treat.
Hey little monster, I got my eye on you....... The Lost Abbey's Deliverance is a monster of a beer depicting the epic battle of heaven and hell for the souls of mortal men on Earth. A complex barrel aged bonanza created by blending bourbon barrel aged Serpent's Stout and brandy barrel aged Angels Share. At the time of writing this beast was rated 6th in Rate Beer's top American Strong Ale's. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle you will most certainly have love on your fingers and lust on your tongue. Pitch black like the devil's heart, the heavy, boozy aroma of bourbon and sweet, enticing maple syrup hit you when pouring. To taste it's sweet and syrupy - caramel, maple syrup, dark fruits and honey battle to overwhelm the senses. A lingering, potent boozy aftertaste of bourbon and brandy warms the soul and lingers with a smooth burn Despite it's 12.5% and boozy taste Deliverance is dangerously smooth and certainly not for the faint of heart or weakened souls. |
ListenFollow the Music To My Beers playlist on Spotify
AuthorCombining two of his passions in life, beer and music, Music To My Beers is a collection of ramblings from Left Field Beer founder Mike as he seeks to answer life's big question: Archives
March 2018
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed