Tag Archives: Golden Ale

Little Valley Withens Pale Ale

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  • Brewery: Little Valley Brewing
  • Country: England
  • Style: Golden Ale
  • ABV: 3.9%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: K-Citymarket, 3.49€
  • Beer Advocate
  • RateBeer

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    Have had a short break in writing, since I’ve been practicing and preparing for my orchestra’s 50-year anniversary concert that was held last weekend. It went surprisingly well, and am relieved that that project is finally over. Today it’s time for a “light and hoppy” pale (golden) ale by Little Valley Brewery. Their Withens Pale Ale is brewed with 100% organic ingredients, including Barley Malt, Wheat Malt, Cane Sugar and Cascade hops. Looks promising!

    [easyreview title=”Little Valley Withens Pale Ale” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a pale-golden color, and forms a slight white-colored head, that quickly collapses leaving minimal lacing along the glass. I poured the complete bottle (not remembering this was a bottle-conditioned ale), meaning chunks of yeast sediment ended up in my glass. That is my own fault though.” cat1rating=”3″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is quite light, with floral, spicy and citrusy (some grapefruit and orange) tones of the hops, combined with a slight maltiness.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor is also quite light, and is dominated by a combination of slightly toasty maltiness and some grassy and citrusy hop tones. The flavor ends in a surprisingly bitter and crisp finish. Quite a good balance for such a light and low-ABV beer.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a crisp, light and quite dry body, and a moderate carbonation level, making it easy to drink and refreshing. A refreshing thirst-quencher that would probably make a great summer beer. The large yeast chunks bother a bit, but can be left out with a careful pour.” cat4rating=”3.5″ cat5title=”Overall” cat5detail=”A light and refreshing golden ale, with some nice hop tones and pleasant bitterness. Quite a good price as well for the large bottle. If you are a fan of organic products, this will please you as well. Definitely try out if your after something light and crisp instead of something very complex and packed with different flavors.” cat5rating=”3.5″ overall=”false”]

    Thanks to Pia for buying me this!

    Around the World in 1 day

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    Last Saturday my girlfriend had organized an ‘Around the World’-themed date for me. The day included trips to a lot of bars, and I was to have a ‘local’ beer in each one. The day began with some breakfast in France at home, and after that the first stop was Belge, a Belgian-styled bar. Here I had a Poperings Hommelbier (from tap; Beer Advocate; Ratebeer), while my girlfriend had a Lindemans Cassis (bottle; Beer Advocate; Ratebeer). The Hommelbier was OK, with both fruity hop tones and spicy Belgian yeast tones, but it is not amongst my favorites. Belge is a cozy place, but a little on the expensive side. They have a (average) selection of Belgian beers on bottle and tap. We also had a waffle there that was tasty, though service was a little slow (we were one of the only customers in the bar, and it took them almost 30 minutes to prepare the waffle).

     

    Lindemans Cassis to the left and Poperings Hommelbier to the right

     

    After Belge, we travelled to (Bierhuis) Rotterdam, where I had a Dutch beer: Tilburg’s Dutch Brown Ale (bottle; Beer Advocate; Ratebeer). I was thinking about having a La Trappe, but since I knew it would be a long day and many beers I opted for the lower ABV beers in the first bars. My girlfriend a Magners Pear Cider, since she didn’t really find any beers she liked. The brown ale was also OK, with a taste that was malty, caramelly and slightly chocolately and roasty. Some Belgian yeast tones were detectable as well. It didn’t fit so well with the warm weather though. The label on the bottle featured a painting from “Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch. Rotterdam has a nice selection, a cozy interior, and great location, which makes it worth a visit (if you can fit in).

     

    Tilburg’s Dutch Brown Ale in the front, Magners Pear Cider in the back.

     

    After Holland it was time to travel to Italy. This time it wasn’t a bar, but we went to Cafe Java to have an espresso and ice latte. With some caffeine in the body we traveled to Africa, and went to Kiasma, where they had an African art exhibition. After some interesting art, we had lunch in Japan (Daruma Sushi in Kamppi). They had some tasty and reasonably priced sushi, so I can recommend the place! It is a little hidden in Kamppi, but worth the search. After Japan we traveled to China and with Nomads, when we visited Kulttuurien museo in Tennispalatsi. They had two exhibitions Värimatka Kiinaan (Colorful Travels in China) and Liikkuva Koti (Movable Home). The visit was free, and certainly interesting. After China it was time for another beer, so we traveled to nearby Australia, which meant a visit to Aussie Bar of course. Here I had a Coopers Sparkling Ale (bottle; Beer Advocate; Ratebeer). This is an Australian Pale/Golden Ale, featuring some honey and fruit tones in the aroma and flavour. Unfortunately I don’t recall anymore details on the beer (this was not because I was drunk, just because this beer wasn’t anything special). It was a good thirst quencher in the heat though.

     

    Coopers Sparkling Ale

     

    After Australia, it was time for a trip over the Pacific Ocean to the United States. It was a long visit in this country, as we first went to Chico’s, where we had some snacks and I had a Sierra Nevada Torpedo (you can read a review here). After this we went to William K Tennispalatsi, where I had a Victory HopDevil (taste notes here) and we played Kimble while waiting for our US comedy (Bad Teacher) to start at Finnkino Tennispalatsi.

     

    Sierra Nevada Torpedo

    Victory HopDevil

     

    After the movie, we headed towards Spain and Bar Celona to have some Tapas, Cava and San Miguel. The beer was unfortunately, as I remembered, a quite typical and tasteless bulk-lager. Then it was time for the final destination of the journey: Siberia/North Pole/Some goddamn cold place. We ended the day with a visit to Arctic Icebar, a bar made out of ice and with an interior temperature of -5 degrees C. They had a very limited cocktail range, and it was expensive, but it certainly was a fantastic experience and a perfect end to a great ‘trip around the world’ here in Helsinki. I had a Screwdriver and a shot of Minttu Black (they had no beer, and only Absolut products), which helped warm the body up in the cold bar.

     

     

    Icebar

     

    Thanks to Pia for arranging this fantastic day!