Thursday 23 July 2015

For Bitter or Worse


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Some more interesting brews to pop the cap off this month, after a bit of a break. Apologies for this- but I can assure you it hasn't been for a lack of trying beers. I've been to some more rugged bits of the Jurassic Coast, but also sampled some Polish craft beers along the way, but I'm going to start with a bit of a crowd pleaser.
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Sharp's Atlantic Pale Ale is not a hardcore IPA, but a decent detour from their usual ales, such as the crazily popular Doombar (now probably brewed in China). First impressions are good- it has that fresh, citrus smell and taste. It's got a more hoppy, interesting kick than your typical pub ale too- although the flavour isn't super punchy or out. Balanced, very tasty and not especially bitter, this is an ideal summer ale I would say.

IPA MONSTER RATING: 7.5/10
SUMMARY: This is a good, smooth and hoppy summer pale ale. Nothing too risky and not much "edge", but highly drinkable.

A but stingy with my marks? Perhaps, but if you love your craft beers you become just a little bit picky and bloody minded. I object to mainstream beer in the same way I reject to mainstream music. I dislike mass marketed, bland products; I want something more distinctive and original. I don't care if it's not to everyone's taste or even if 90% of people have never heard of it.
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Talking of distinctive, our next beer is just that. Gyle 59 IPA is smaller batch ale from the Jurassic Coast (you'll find it in places like Lyme Regis and, appropriately, Beer). For some reason the bottle and name remind me of a science text book. But taste the stuff and it really gets educational. This has a sharp nose and a really cutting flavour- lime at the back and an intense, piny hoppiness. This is no beer for lager bores or lovers of mild ales. The bitterness is really dry and sharp at the end.
IPA MONSTER RATING: 8/10
SUMMARY: Sharp, complex and uncompromisingly bitter, this is a treat for the serious IPA drinker.

My other discovery this month has been a revisit to Polish brewing. I had a great time in Wroclaw, looking for breweries and things to sample in the old town, which has gothic spires and Germanic looking beer signs galore. I also noticed the logo of the Spiz Brewery (below). Look carefully at the sign and yes, the logo is a bit bizarre: it is heraldic eagle getting pissed on a tankard of beer.
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They served good, strong lager and dark beers, and also free food with pints- no doubt to pad out the alcohol intake of the stag parties that stagger around these bars. Craft beer brewing in Poland isn't so huge just yet, but I did also find some interesting stuff. Most Brits will have seen the beer Zwiec, for example, but I'd never seen bottles of "APA" before:

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It was a baking hot summer day anyway (around 30 degrees) and the beer was warmish by the time it was imbibed. Proper knock out juice this, too. Beer always has an even more intoxicating affect when you're thirsty and hot. This beer has a sweet first taste, and there's honey somewhere in the middle too (fans of Waggle Dance or any honey ales will know what I mean). It's bitter but not too dry at the end, and spiky enough really linger in the mouth and not to be boring.
IPA Monster Rating: 8/10
SUMMARY: A sweet, spiky ale with more than a hint of honey (at least when drank at "street" temperature).

What else can I say? I tasted a crazy "Valkyrie" craft beer too, which was like a Belgian beer with a weirdly delicious aftertaste of bubble gum. I also had a treat with a homebrew from my girlfriend Paulina's old school friend "Jabba" (meaning "froggy" in Polish). Using smoked rye, this illicit substance was conceived in his very back yard. It was only around 3%, intended for long summer sessions, but very tasty indeed. A very happy trip overall- and even the General got a taste for beer (you can catch his latest bits of nonsense at "Fishing with the General":
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Until next time, keep cool by drinking beer!

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