Tag Archives: England

Trip to Amsterdam

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I’m just back home from a great and relaxing trip in Amsterdam with my girlfriend. Had some great beers during the trip, and even managed to bring back home 10 bottles. I really fell in love with De Bierkoning, a small beer shop featuring some very nice brews from around the world (they even recently got some 1 month old bottles of Pliny The Elder, which I didn’t buy since I’ve tried it before and didn’t want to pay the 15€ for the bottle). The prices were mostly nice, but the American beers were predictably quite pricey. They had a large selection of Dutch microbrews, which was really nice.

The first beer of the trip was ‘t IJ Zatte, an Abbey Tripel by Amsterdam-based craft brewers ‘t IJ.



Zatte poured with a hazy orange color and a small off-white head. It featured some caramel and some nice spicy and fruity yeast tones in the aroma. Flavor is similar with tones of yeast, citrus and coriander. The finish was quite dry, with a slight bitterness. A nice attempt on a Tripel. I had the beer while we were at blue°, a cafeteria/bar at the top of a shopping center in the middle of the town.

 
Next, I tried a couple of bottles I bought from Bierkoning at the hotel. First up was Cigar City’s Jai Alai IPA.



This IPA was bottled 23.06.2011, so it was around 7 months old. It poured with a slightly hazy golden-orange color and a fluffy white head, which collapsed leaving some nice lacing along the glass. The aroma featured tones of caramel, resin, grass, citrus, and flowers, and was mostly hop-dominated. The flavor begins with slightly sweet caramel tones, that were joined by piney, resiny, and grapefruit tones from the hops. The beer ended with a quite dry and biting bitter finish. The beer features lots of hop flavor. This was a really crisp and smooth IPA. Overall a very nice American IPA, with some huge resiny hop flavors with a bitter finish. Would really like to try this one fresh. Score: 4/5

 
Next up in the hotel was The Kernel’s India Pale Ale Simcoe Centennial. The Kernel are a London-based microbrewery, that I’ve been hearing some great things about.



This IPA had a BBE of 27.07.2013, so guessing it was bottled 27.07.2011, making it about 6 months old. The beer poured with a slightly hazy golden-orange color (very similar to Jai Alai) and a slight white-colored head, that collapsed leaving minimal lacing along the glass. The aroma was very hoppy, with fruity, resiny and citrusy tones. Really liked the aroma. The flavor begins with a minimally sweet and caramelly maltiness, that is overtaken by hop tones of grapefruit, tangerine, resin and grass. The flavor ends quite dry and a nice bitterness. I thought the flavors were nicely balanced, and the hop flavors were especially nice. The beer had a smooth and medium-full body, making it easy to drink. A great American IPA, that in my opinion was slightly better than Jai Alai. Great hop flavors in a better balanced package. Simcoe and Centennial are amongst my favorites hops as well. Score 4-4.5/5

 

Next, it was time to head to Beer Temple, a quite small and cozy bar focusing on American craft brews, located right next to De Bierkoning. They had 30 beers on tap, with the majority being from the US (e.g. Great Divide Titan IPA, Rogue OREgasmic Ale, and Flying Dog Kujo Coffee Stout), the rest being from different European craft breweries (E.g. Mikkeller and Brewdog). They had an awesome list of bottled beer as well, and the first beer I ordered was Founders Breakfast Stout (since I brewed something similar a couple of weeks ago):



The Breakfast Stout was fantastic, and poured thick and black, with tones of coffee, chocolate and roasted malts in the aroma and flavor. Hopefully my latest homebrew inspired by this tastes at least half as good. After the stout, it was time for both an Imperial IPA and an Imperial Red Ale: Weyerbacher’s Double Simcoe IPA and Rogue’s Imperial Red Ale (from tap):



Unfortunately I only took a picture of the Weyerbacher brew. Both beers were very nice, with the Double Simcoe IPA being my favorite of the whole trip, and probably one of my favorite IPAs ever. Fantastically balanced Imperial IPA, with truckloads of resinous and tropical fruity hop flavor and aroma, and a pleasant bitter bite. The Imperial Red offered a nice combination of caramelly maltiness and citrusy hoppiness. Great beers and a great bar. Definitely worth the visit if you are after tasty beers in Amsterdam. The place got quite crowded when we visited it again on a Saturday, so come early. On the second visit I had some Brewdog/Mikkeller I Hardcore You from tap, which tasted very similar to what I remembered, but with even more hop aroma. After our first Beer Temple visit, we headed to ‘t Arendsnest, a bar serving only Dutch (craft) beer. They had tons of De Molen and Emelisse beer, and of course other beers from other nice breweries such as SNAB, ‘t IJ, and La Trappe. I played it safe and ordered a bottle of De Molen’s Tsarina Esra (Imperial Porter) and some Emelisse Triple IPA from the tap (note the fantastic drapes of lacing along the glasses):



The Tsarina Esra was a very Imperial Porter, with sweet roasted malt tones, chocolate, licorice and hops in the aroma and flavor. Really nice beer to sip on. The Triple IPA had a sweet caramelly maltiness, combined with grapefruit and resin tones. A nice Imperial IPA, but there are better beers in the style available. ‘t Arendsnest was also a cozy bar, with a great selection, and definitely worth a visit if you’re after some great local brews.

 

The beer selection in the largest (?) supermarket chain in Netherlands, Albert Heijn, was quite bad, but at least they had something else than bulk lagers. La Trappe Dubbel and Tripel 6-packs were available for 6 euros (which is fantastically cheap for Trappist beer), as well as Duvel, La Chouffe and Mc Chouffe for around 1.40€. I had a La Trappe Dubbel, La Trappe Tripel (sorry no picture) and La Chouffe in the hotel:




 


I liked the La Chouffe best of the trio, with it’s spicy and lightly hoppy finish, and really disliked the Dubbel, which in my opinion had too much alcohol presence, and an unpleasant estery fruitiness with tones of banana and raisins. The La Chouffe has recently become available at Alko as well, so you can try it out at home.

 

I managed to bring home some really nice beer I bought at De Bierkoning to Finland. A nice blend of Pilsner, IPA, Imperial IPA, Imperial Stouts and of course a bottle of the famed Westvletern 12:



Back row, left to right: Alesmith Yulesmith (Summer), Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary Ale, Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, Hoppin Frog DORIS the Destroyer, and De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis 666
Front row, left to right: De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis, De Molen Vuur & Vlam, De Molen Winterhop, ‘t IJ Plzen, and Westvleteren 12

 

Overall, it was a nice and relaxing trip. One week was a bit too long for a small city as Amsterdam, as we ran out of things to see and do after a couple of days (we were not interested in the coffee shops), but my travel companion was great, so we were never bored. For a shorter weekend trip, I would definitely recommend the city though, especially if you want to see canals, crooked houses, windmills, or want to try some nice beers.

Below are some random photos taken during the trip:













Bath Ales Dark Side

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  • Brewery: Bath Ales
  • Country: England
  • Style: Stout
  • ABV: 4.0%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: K-Citymarket, price unknown but probably close to 4€
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To start off the weekend, I’m having a bottle of Bath Ales Dark Side, which I got as a gift from my girlfriend (thanks!). Bath Ales are famous for the hare on the label, and I believe it was one of the reasons it caught the attention of my girlfriend. This English Stout has been brewed with a blend of roasted malts and hopped with Fuggles. I’ve had a beer by Bath Ales earlier, an it was tasty, though nothing special, so lets see how this tastes.

[easyreview title=”Bath Ales Dark Side” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a dark brown, almost black, color, and an almost non-existing off-white head. As the head collapses almost no lacing clings to the glass.” cat1rating=”3″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is dark and roasted, with tones of molasses and coffee, and just the slightest hint of ash and licorice.” cat2rating=”3″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor is also roasty, beginning with flavors of caramel and molasses, and then moving on towards tones of roasted malt and coffee. The flavor finishes dry, with a slight bitterness and some almost burnt tones.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a quite light and smooth body and a moderate carbonation level, making it quite easy to drink. The slighty burnt tones withdraw some points from the mouthfeel.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”Overall another good beer from Bath Ales. Quite nice for such a low ABV beer, but I felt it lacked a little bit of body and complexity. Probably wouldn’t buy again though, but this is only because I’m not such a fan of light stouts.”]

Thanks Pia for buying me this!

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€
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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!

    Black Sheep Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale

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  • Brewery: Black Sheep
  • Country: England
  • Style: English Pale Ale/ESB
  • ABV: 4.7%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: K-Citymarket, 3.89€
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    Have had a short break in blogging, as I’ve been abroad in Denmark on tour with my orchestra. Didn’t have much time to drink (craft) beer there, but tried a Nørrebro New York Lager, Nørrebro Ravnsborg Rød, Skovlyst India Pale Ale, and a Svaneke Stout, all of which were good, but nothing really special or memorable. Today it is time for a beer my girlfriend bought to me. Black Sheep’s Monty Python’s Holy Grail, which was commissioned for Monty Python’s 30 year anniversary, is an ale brewed with Maris Otter malt, hopped with ‘old English Hop varieties including a touch of WGV hops’ (I have never heard of these before, but it is apparently an abbreviation of Whitbread Golding Variety), and features an imaginative name and recognizable label. Let’s see how this one does.

    [easyreview title=”Black Sheep Monty Python’s Holy Grail” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a clear golden color, with a quickly collapsing white-colored head, that leaves nice lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”Not a strong aroma, but there is a presence of malt, herbal hops, and a slight fruitiness.” cat2rating=”3″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavour begins with a slight sweetness, that is joined by a crisp herbal bitterness and some green apple-like tones (acetaldehyde?). There are some bread tones present also, but overall the flavour is quite reserved.” cat3rating=”2.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has light body with a quite harsh medium-high level of carbonation, making it a bit difficult to drink.” cat4rating=”2.5″ summary=”Unfortunately nothing special here, a drinkable beer, that I wouldn’t buy again though (especially because of the high price). The unpleasant carbonation, crisp bitterness and slight green apple flavour let me down.”]

    Thanks to Pia for buying me this!

    Bath Ales Gem

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  • Brewery: Bath Ales
  • Country: England
  • Style: Extra Special Bitter
  • ABV: 4.7%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: K-Citymarket, 3.99€
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    Bath Ales Gem is an ESB with a funny-looking rabbit on the label. The marketing text on the label promises rich aroma of hops and malt, with a long, deep, bitter-sweet finish. The beer is brewed with Maris Otter pale malt, and hopped with Challenger and East Kent Goldings hops. Let’s see how it does!

    [easyreview title=”Bath Ales Gem” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours a very deep clear amber-brown color, with a thick tan head, that lasts a long while, collapsing with some lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is malt-dominated, with tones of biscuits, bread, caramel and honey. There are some tones of floral and herby hops in the background as well.” cat2rating=”3″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavour is malty, with strong tones of caramel, toffee, biscuits, honey, raisins and fruits. Some herbal, grassy and spicy hop tones become present after a while, and the flavour ends in a quite sweet, and only slightly bitter finish.” cat3rating=”3″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body and a moderate carbonation level, and is (quite well) balanced towards the malty side of the spectrum.” cat4rating=”3″ summary=”A good and drinkable beer, that is just a bit too much on the malty side for my taste. Could use a bit more hoppiness and bitterness for my taste, but this is still a good bitter.”]

    Thanks to Pia for buying me this!

    Meantime Yakima Red

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  • Brewery: Meantime
  • Country: England
  • Style: Amber Ale
  • ABV: 4%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: K-Citymarket, 4.20€
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    Today it’s time for Meantime’s Yakima Red, an Amber Ale hopped with 5 hop varieties from the Yakima Valley, USA. I have no idea what these hop varieties are, but I assume they are American in style and probably includes some C hops. The label is artsy, with silhouettes of hops vines, making me guess this will probably be a hop centered beer.

    [easyreview title=”Meantime Yakima Red” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a deep amber color, and is clear (the beer is unpasteurized though), and has a thin white head, that collapses leaving no lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”3.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is quite light, but contains fruity and floral hops tones, as well as some sweetness.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavour is mostly fruity hops with tones of grass and citrus, together with a slight caramelly and maltiness, and a surprisingly bitter and dry finish. Even though this is an amber ale, there isn’t much malt, caramel and biscuits available in the flavour, and I would certainly like a fuller body, but considering the low ABV the light and dry finish is understandable. The beer is unbalanced, with not enough focus on the amber, and too much focus on the hops and bitterness.” cat3rating=”3″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a quite light body and a moderate-high carbonation level, making it a bit tough to drink, especially with the sharp finish.” cat4rating=”2.5″ summary=”It’s too bad that a beer focusing this much on hops turns out to be a disappointment. This beer suffers from the same syndromes that many other low ABV hop-driven beers suffer from, and that is a dry and bitter finish, that overtake that hop flavours and maltiness, that should stand in front.”]

    Oakham Citra

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  • Brewery: Oakham
  • Country: England
  • Style: American Pale Ale
  • ABV: 4.6%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: K-Citymarket, 4.25€
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    • Here is another Citra single hopped pale ale, which has gotten some good reviews in the Finnish beer community. It is also readily available in larger K-Supermarkets and K-Citymarkets (here in Finland), so it should be easy to find if you want to try it out. Note: The picture above makes the beer seem darker and redder than it really is.

    [easyreview title=”Oakham Citra” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a pale yellow-golden color and is slightly hazy. The beer has a slight white head, that leaves a little lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”3″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The beer has a smooth fruity and floral aroma, featuring tropical fruits and citrus. Definitely a lot of typical Citra aroma. Not much maltiness in the aroma.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavour is full of sweet, floral and fruity Citra hops. There is some mango, orange and lemon, that combine with a light and sweet maltiness. The flavour finishes quite dry with a very slight bitterness and some fruitiness.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a quite light body with a low level of carbonation. The beer is very easy to drink and refreshing.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”The beer is great showcase of the fruity Citra hop, and a very refreshing beer. It isn’t super hoppy, bitter, or malty, but a well balanced session beer that’s light and tasty.”]

    Weekend beers

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    Had some different beers this weekend, some of them very good. First up was a Dixie (by Dixie Brewing), which is an American Lager that was quite tasteless, but very easy to drink. Would probably make a good thirst quencher in the summer, but otherwise it was nothing special.

    Next up was an Anchor Porter, which is an American Porter. The beer poured very dark brown/black with a tan head. Flavour was sweet, roasted, and chocolatey, and the beer had a thick creamy feel. Not a big fan of darker beers, but this one was really tasty.

    Next up was a Bitter & Twisted (by Harviestoun Brewery), which is an English IPA. The beer poured a golden color, and had a very citrusy (lemon) aroma. The taste was malty with hints of grassy and citrusy hoppiness. A tasty English-style ale.

    Then it was time for a Sierra Nevada Hoptimum from Oluthuone Kaisla. This huge (10.4% ABV, 100 IBU, 660 ml bottle) Imperial IPA is a limited edition release from Sierra Nevada, hopped with Magnum, Simcoe, Citra, Chinook, and a new unnamed hop variety. The beer poured an amber color with a minimal head. The beer was full of fruity, piney and citrusy aroma and flavour, balanced with a sweet and malty backbone. A fantastic beer, that is one of my absolute favorites. Unfortunately the beer is limited, hard to find (only available in Kaisla), was expensive, and was a bit big to drink on my own.

    Next was a visit to Olutravintola Pikkulintu, where I had a Pikkulintu Triple IPA (brewed at Grassroots Brewery). A full review of it will be posted later.

    Finally I had a Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA, which was a bit fresher than the last one I had last weekend, but it still disappointed me a bit. Almost no hop aroma, and taste was lacking as well. I remember it being much better. Maybe I’ve just been unlucky receiving another one that has gone a bit bad.

    Dark Star Espresso Stout

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  • Brewery: Dark Star
  • Country: England
  • Style: Stout
  • ABV: 4.2%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: K-Supermarket, 4.97€
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    [easyreview title=”Dark Star Espresso Stout” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a very dark brown color (well, black), and when held against the light the beer is still black and non-translucent. The beer also has a nice tan head, which leaves lacing.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The beer has a nice roasted aroma, with some slight hints of coffee and chocolate. The coffee aroma is present, but not overpowering.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The initial taste is burnt/roasted with slight sweetness and maltiness. The coffee flavor creeps up and is present. The slight sweetness, balances the bitterness of the coffee, earthy hops and slight hints of chocolate well.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium-low body, with a medium-low carbonation level, which helps with drinkability. The burnt and roasted flavors aren’t too dominate.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”This coffee stout actually tastes of coffee, and is well balanced, making it drinkable. The price is on the high side, but overall a good beer.”]

    Thanks to Pia for buying me this one! <3

    Timothy Taylor Landlord Strong Pale Ale

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  • Brewery: Timothy Taylor
  • Country: England
  • Style: English Pale Ale
  • ABV: 4.1%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: K-Supermarket, 4.97€
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    [easyreview title=”Timothy Taylor Landlord Strong Pale Ale” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a golden-brown color, and is clear (the beer has been filtered and pasteurized), with a couple centimeter thick head (leaving some nice lacing along the glass) and fine bubbles rising in the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The beer has a malty and fruity smell, with some hints of earthy hops. The aroma isn’t very pronounced. (Note: I currently have a cold, so my olfaction isn’t at its best)” cat2rating=”3″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The beer initially has a sweet and malty taste (with some notes of caramel), while slight bitterness and fruitness takes over, leaving a slighty bitter aftertaste. Maltiness dominates the flavour, without being too sweet. The beer is well balanced.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The body is smooth and quite light, with moderate carbonation, making it easy to drink. The alcohol level is low letting you enjoy many of these in an evening.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”A good tasting, easily drinkable English ale, with a great malty flavour balanced with some earthy hops. A little on the expensive side, but might buy again. A little too low hoppiness for my taste, but great for a session beer.”]

    Thanks to Pia for buying me this one! <3