Category Archives: Beer Hawk

Day 24 of Advent, and I got a dark beer at last!

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When this is posted it will be December 25th so it’s a big Happy Christmas to everyone.

Anyway back to the beer, day 24 and I got a dark beer at last in my Beer Hawk Advent Calendar! A bottle of Anchor Porter. I’ve never had one of these, even though the brewer reckons it was the first modern USA style porter, back in 1972. The definitive American Porter, they say!

We’ll see about that later, because I haven’t had time to try it and no one will be reading this on Christmas Day anyway! I’ll give you an update after Christmas when I post my thoughts and a few facts and figures about the Beer Hawk Advent Calendar case.

In the meantime, whatever your faith or outlook on life I wish you all the very best wishes and, may peace be with you, whoever you are, wherever you are

Day 23 and a Siren call of Summer

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There’s still no concordance with The ‘official’ Beer Hawk tasting video, the team today are opening a bottle of Dry Hopped Anchor Steam Beer, the bottle I got on Day 19, instead of Two Roads Espressway stout. I’ve got a hopeful eye on the larger flap to Day 24 of the Advent Calendar, and I’m dreaming of it being a pint bottle of dark beer. I’d be quite happy with a bottle of the Two Roads stout. Maybe the packers in the warehouse just got mixed up? We’ll see.

Normally, I might get all worked up about a Siren beer, this one just didn’t get my pulse racing. It wasn’t the fact that it was a 2.8% QIPA (Quarter), more the fact that the Siren web site says that Half Mast is a seasonal special that was brewed between May and October 2015. Thankfully a scan of the bottle shows a BBD of July 2017, which is acceptable. Phew … I wouldn’t have wanted a jaded, faded bottle of low ABV un-hoppiness by now. They must have brewed it again this year, it’s actually billed as the perfect summer time drink in the Siren online shop (out of stock). Get your web site updated Siren! Thing is, I’m not sure that I want a bottle of ‘the perfect summertime drink’ in a winter Advent Calendar Beer Hawk?

So, is this beer a fine example of the brewers art, flavour and balance in a low ABV beer? A brief foamy head soon disappears from the top of this hazy pale golden beer. The aroma is ripe fruits, maybe pineapple? Pineapples, grapefruit and tropical fruits continue on the palate and it finishes with quite a sharp, dry bitterness. Refreshing, tongue tinglingly zesty. I wish I was sat outside in the garden and the sun was cracking the flags. Unfortunately we’ve got the back end of storm Barbara and it just doesn’t feel right drinking this in front of a roaring fire.

I asked Mrs C what she thought? ‘That’s nice, refreshing, but it’s just lacking something?’ I then told her it was only 2.8% ABV, which met with the response, ‘That’s a cheat!’ She meant on the Beer Hawk  cost of the case front here and not the brewer. However, £2.25 online from Siren and £2.39 from Beer Hawk, so it’s not the cheapest option in the case.

I thought this was an impressive effort in the flavour stakes at 2.8% ABV. Well done Siren, I would expect no less.

Verdict: I didn’t expect a Summer beer in my case, it was nice to try it, but I think this is a bottle of old stock they wanted to get rid of?

Day 22 – Yorkshire Yankee

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If this Advent Calendar were a game of snap, playing against Beer Hawk, then I wouldn’t be winning very often! The good people commenting on the daily Beer Hawk YouTube Video are enjoying a glass of Camden IHL, whereas I’ve got a can of Roosters Yankee. Am I bothered?

There’s nothing wrong with Camden, Mrs C’s ‘go to’ beer in our local Stew & Oyster is a Camden Pale on draught, and once you get over the initial metallic hit, then it’s nice easy drinking. A regular visitor to the same establishment is Roosters Baby Faced Assassin, on cask, it’s always a big hit, even amongst the more traditional drinkers. Likewise, a few hundred yards up the road, The Pax at Thorp Arch, a smashing little traditional village pub, has a permanent hand pump with a Roosters cask ale. That isn’t unusual you say, after all this should be Roosters heart land, they only brew it just up the road in Knaresborough. Thing is, Roosters are quite a progressive brewer, who were in at the start of the trend towards more progressive styles in the British beer industry; 1993 in fact, and Yankee was one of the earlier brews that showcased American hops and a new style of beers.

What I like about Roosters is they aren’t overpowering ‘in your face’ beers. Good beers, undoubtedly, but nothing is extreme. I also like the fact they continue to evolve, they were among the first smaller, progressive British brewers to produce their beer in cans.

The 4.3%, pale golden, Yankee, is as clear as a bell in the glass. The aroma and taste is citrus, and there’s a very pale malt taste, the whole thing finishes moderately bitter, and the presence of Cascade hops is obvious. Like I said, although everything you want is in there, nothing is overstated and it all nicely balances together. The brewer rightly terms it a modern classic. Something that can be enjoyed by those with both progressive and traditional tastes alike.

Verdict: Would I have preferred the more expensive (£2.59) 6.2% Camden IHL or the can of 4.2% Roosters Yankee (2.29)? I don’t know, I’ve never tried the IHL. I enjoyed the can of Yankee, it’s excellent beer. If Santa could have granted me one wish, I would have asked for a can of Roosters 6.1% Baby Faced Assassin (£2.49), instead.

All prices obtained from Beer Hawk web site today (23-12-16)

Day 20 – V for Victory again.

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Back on the same footing as the official Beer Hawk Advent Calendar today. We both got Victory Beer  Vital IPA. Although it’s the second beer from this Pennsylvania, USA, brewery it’s a can rather than a bottle this time. I like cans, I like draught beers better, but I like cans better than bottles. The beer always tastes fresher to me and I actually don’t mind drinking out of a can, whereas I’m not keen for drinking straight from the bottle. I know you don’t get to see the beer, but there’s just something about cans. For starters they don’t smash when you drop one out of the fridge onto the floor.

Whatever. I’m glad I got this one, it’s a belter. Really, really enjoyed it. My first thoughts were it’s a Lager with attitude, real attitude. When I had a look on the Victory Beer website this was confirmed as this IPA is made with Pilsner malt and a Kölsch strain of yeast and hopped with Citra, Simcoe, and Chinook hops. If you want, a sort of a cross between an IPA and Lager, and it works big time. At least it does for me. It’s available in the USA in cans, bottles and draught. I think I could get smitten with the draught version?

Vital is ever so slightly hazy, if you hold it to the light you can see the fine suspended particles. The taste is piney, citrusy, grapefruity but it’s not ‘in your face’ and it’s nicely balanced with a silky sweetness from the malt running through it, but yet it’s crisp, clean tasting and refreshing. When I say all this, you really have to swirl it around your mouth and sieve the various layers of flavour out before you try and verbalise the constituent parts – can you tell I’ve been on a Sommeliers course? Not!

My first thoughts were, ‘this really is a session IPA’! You know one that you could drink all afternoon watching the match on TV. I think there are far too many so called American ‘Session IPA’s’ that are given that appellation on strength alone. Despite their lower ABV, they’re so hop forward, after four or five pints you end up with a mouth like a budgie cage bottom. You don’t get that with Vital because everything is in moderation and balanced. The only drawback is that it’s so balanced it doesn’t drink like it’s 6.5% ABV. I was quite shocked when I saw those numbers on the can and it’s firmly in the category of ‘fighting beer’, if drank on a proper session. For those not familiar with UK drinking habits, and I am seeing quite a few visitors from the other side of the Atlantic, for example a session would be like, a couple of hours or three and at least six pints. You can’t do that with beers much above 5%.

Verdict – Very good beer, beer made for enjoying rather than beer geeking – in my current top 3 from this case (I think). Make sure you drink responsibly folks!

Day 19 – Still no dark beers and I’m Steamin’.

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Seventh time in nineteen days that I’ve had a different bottle/can to the one being tasted in the video for the official Beer Hawk case! The most annoying thing being they’ve got a dark beer and I’ve not. And I was certain whoever curated this case had to have included at least a … ? Dark IPA, an Imperial stout, a porter perhaps? Well they have, and it’s a bottle of Two Roads Espressway, an oatmeal stout brewed with roasted coffee beans, in the ‘official’ case that is, just not in mine.

My spirits fell even lower when I thought I’d just got a bottle of Anchor Steam Beer (£1.99 a bottle in Tesco). Closer investigation revealed that, although it was from Anchor, I’d got a bottle of Dry Hopped Anchor Steam Beer (£2.85 330ml, Beer Merchants). I’d never seen one of these? Reason being, I discovered, that they were first brewed in 2016 and are only available between September and December. Now if the Anchor website is to be believed, and I do, that means I must have one from a very early batch of this brew. Like many other beers in this case it has come via importers James Clay, and the date on the bottle confirms my thoughts with it’s BBD of August 2018.

The bottle and label will be familiar to those who’ve had an Anchor beer before. It’s just got ‘Dry Hopped’stamped over the normal label. Other interesting features on the bottle include – ‘Use Opener’ printed on the crown cap! How else you going to get it open? You can only do it with your teeth for so long before the old molars start to crumble.

The beer? I quite liked it actually. It’s a take on the California Common, just a bit more extreme. The beer is a deep Amber and is slightly hazy. You get a nice head on it as it pours and a malty aroma. It tastes malty, almost malteser malty, along with some juicy ripe fruits. It’s quite sweet until the end when a quite strong bitterness takes over. You really have to let the bitterness subside between sips, otherwise all you would get is the hoppy bitterness.

To be fair, I quite enjoyed this beer. It might not be an esoteric one, but it’s certainly pleasant, in an undemanding, yet nicely bitter way. Craft beer? Best ask those who reckon they know. It’s certainly a slightly different take on a recognised, traditional Californian style. All I will say is that Anchor have been making beer in San Francisco since 1896.

Verdict – Please, please Beer Hawk, tell me you have put at least one bottle of dark beer in my case?

Day 18 – Real ale or craft beer? Does it really matter when it’s this good?

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It seems that whilst everyone else is poring over the CAMRA Revitalisation Project proposals at the minute, I’m stuck with my Beer Hawk Advent Calendar, and I’ve started, so I’ll finish; only five more beers to go! I didn’t realise how much was going to be involved, blogging every day for nearly a month. It’s been interesting, almost firing from the hip on a daily basis, and I’ve been intrigued by some the feedback.

If you ask me what I think about the CAMRA proposals? I think my initial reaction is that it doesn’t go far enough, yet I hear reports of branch chairs saying that they will not be a part of CAMRA any more? Personally, I think that’s sad. Almost as extreme as the reaction I got from the twitterati when I suggested that a distinctive and traditional, regional German beer may not be ‘craft’.

Some of you will know that I’m a proud and active CAMRA member who is trying to promote diverse styles and dispense systems of distinctive and quality beers, including both traditional and cutting edge, progressive brewers, at the same time as upholding the traditions and values of the organisation. These thoughts all came together with Day 18’s beer – Real ale, in a can!

I’m not entirely bothered whether this unpasteurised, unfined and unfiltered ale is, by CAMRA’s definition, a real ale or not. It is without doubt the best beer to date that has come out of Beer Hawk’s case. Fresh, fresh, fresh, pale, pale, pale, hops, hops, hops, tasty, tasty, tasty, and hazy. Nay murky, something that would put many a traditionalist off. Thing is, it’s not a pint of Timmy Taylors that’s designed, and expected, to be bright, it’s something else entirely, yet they are both excellent examples of the brewers art. Both something to be enjoyed, just like a true motoring enthusiast can equally appreciate a vintage Bentley alongside the latest BMW hybrid i8.

Verdict – Drink Moor Beer! in fact drink Moor Beer Company Nor’hop (4.1%). Please forget about the real ale/craft thing, it’s just a cracking drink in a can. Thank you Mr Justin Hawke & Co., this is just so good, and I hope you find the thieving so and so’s that nicked your Lambics.

Day 15 and I’m stuck in Belgium ???

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Day 15 of the Beer Hawk advent calendar sees another offering from a Cistercian Order of Strict Observance, this time it’s a Westmalle Tripel  from the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle, Belgium. It’s quite a strong brew (9.5%) which I‘ve drank previously, and has a BBE Sept 2018 date on it. So, it’s going in the pantry with the other strong ones, to be sampled on a day in the future. That might not be that far ahead, but it certainly won’t be before Christmas because I’m setting off to Belgium tonight to go and ask the monks whether they think their beer is ‘craft’ beer or not? They’ll probably look at me daft and think what in God’s name is he going on about, it’s beer, Abbey beer, but we’re Trappists so it can therefore rightly be called Trappist beer, of the Belgian variety, as opposed to the couple of Dutch Trappist monasteries, and the odd one or two elsewhere that also brew beer.

Everyone is now thinking, ‘He can’t be serious, can he, going to Belgium to ask whether it’s ‘craft’ or not’? The answer is no, I’m not! But I’m 100% certain that if I did, just like you, the monks would truly think I was barmy. Thing is though, I really think they would just say it’s beer, their beer. And I would tell them I thought it was very very good beer. Seriously, I would recommend anyone who is interested to have a look at their website, it really is a nice introduction to their life and work, including a section on the brewery.

This is the third strong Belgian ale to emanate from my Advent Calendar, which sort of got me wondering about the prices? I started to compile (not scientifically viable) how much each bottle would cost. If it was available on the Beer Hawk site then I used their price, if not, the first online shop that came up on a Google search for that beer. Surprisingly, four were not available on the Beer Hawk site and two more were shown as out of stock? Anyway, after 15 days, the mean price per bottle equates to £2.69, which extrapolates to roughly £65 quids worth of beer in the full case. It is possible that a late run of more expensive bottles would increase this average, I doubt whether I’m going to see a flurry of bottles at £8 or £9 though. I’m also doubting whether I will see a dark beer neither? Value for money? Well the case was advertised at £75 (inc P&P), although Mrs C reckoned that with discount, at the death, she got two at £65 each (my son has the other one).

I know you get discounts on cases and the like, but overall, I don’t think that’s too bad, we pay over the odds for everything at Christmas, and I don’t begrudge anyone earning an honest crust. There is of course the theory raised in the comments on Boak & Baileys post about my thoughts on Früh Kölsch to be addressed – Ordering mystery boxes is a mug’s game, full stop — 30 per cent OK beers, 50 per cent weird stuff they couldn’t shift, 20 per cent stuff you can get in the local corner shop. (To generalise rudely.) You might have started to formulate an opinion from what you’ve seen already? Me? I’m going to leave answering this until the end, I’ve noticed the door to Day 24 is twice as large as the rest?