• ABV: 7%, Style: Double American IPA
• Brewed in Ilkley, UK
• Best before December 2013
• Served: 500ml bottle poured into an Abstrakt snifter
• http://www.ilkleybrewery.co.uk/
• £5.25 from Beer Moth, Manchester

I wanted to try this beer a lot so I overlooked the frankly astonishing price. At that rate, I want it hand delivered to me in a golden chalice - a tulip shaped chalice obviously. For American readers to understand my horror, this would be a $34.80 six-pack.

The reason I wanted to try it was because I’d had it cask a few months back and it was horrible. Nice and hoppy, but when it’s that strong and that flat, it just tasted like a nice American IPA that I’d left out on the table for 2 days. I therefore hope that this bottle will taste like a good, zingy, cold American IPA in the bottle.

The label explains that this beer is brewed with Californian Yeast and lists the hops as Cascade, Chinook, Columbus and Magnum. It is also a hand bottled in a batch of 300. That must have been a long day in the brewery.

Look: Attractive, golden coloured beer with a slight haze. Minimal white head, although it did start to froth slightly in the bottle, so I guess it could probably do with another month to even out the carbonation. Oh well, too late for that.

Aroma: More Belgian than American. A few sweet and sour notes. Caramel sweetness, tart fruit, maybe a bit of pine, hint of lemongrass.

Taste: Considering the style, there’s an unexpected sourness at the start - far more farmyard than I’d expect in a DIPA. The hops and the caramel malt gradually iron this out and then some fruity yeast comes through. There’s a bitter lemon residue at the end of the finish but generally it reminds me more of burned caramel.

Mouthfeel: Fizzy carbonation. Quite light as you’re drinking it but a little sticky at the end. Even though I cautiously poured two glasses, the first, clearer beer still has a lot of yeasty chalk feel to it.

Overall: Sadly, the bottled beer doesn’t seem to be as good as the cask beer. I don’t remember any of sourness or chalkiness I’m getting from the bottled version, regardless of fizz or temperature. Not a beer I’ll be trying again or recommending unfortunately.  2/5

- 10th June 2013, Sustainable Alcoholic

• ABV: 6.5%, Style: ???
• Brewed in Canterbury, UK
• Best before 20 January 2014
• Served: 330ml bottle poured into an Abstrakt snifter
• http://www.thefoundrycanterbury.co.uk/canterbury-brewers/
• £3.35 from Beer Moth, Manchester

Cheers to BeeryBastard for the kind message. I suppose I should post some of these reviews I’ve got sat in my draft folder. Sadly, this one isn’t a classic. But on we go regardless.

I have absolutely idea about this brewery, but I went to Uni in Canterbury so I’ve got a soft spot for the place. I’m scared of the concept of Belgian yeast plus dry hopping. Surely that means bananas, cloves and lemon. That’s not a combination that appeals. Oh well, here we go.

Look: Hazy beer that’s a murky orange colour. Very little head, just a few bubbles around the edge.

Aroma: Whiff of the sour, but there’s quite a sweet fruit aroma too. Worried about the sourness, sort of smells infected and the total lack of carbonation worries me that’s the case even more.

Taste: Starts watery and then gets bitter. The sour milk taste hits around the middle. At least the bitterness takes over at the end.

Mouthfeel: Really watery, a little dry, the lack of carbonation doesn’t help.

Overall: I’m pretty sure that this beer isn’t meant to taste like this. If you make a sour beer, you’re usually proud of the fact. The lack of carbonation also suggests it’s not really what the brewer intended. Bad form. 0/5

- 10th June 2013, Sustainable Alcoholic

• ABV: 16.5%, Style: Tonic Wine
• Manufactured in Newport West, Jamaica
• Best before April 2013
• Served: 200ml bottle poured into a BrewDog teku glass
• http://www.magnumtonicwine.com/
• £2.49 from a cornershop in Stretford

Bottle description: “Magnum Tonic Wine with iron & vitamins. Made with Vigorton 2. Shake Well. The name "tonic wine” does not imply heath giving or medicinal properties. Enjoy in moderation.“

I was trying my best not to include tonic wine in my Tramp Juice Reviews, but then I saw this. Tiny bottle, stylised people rutting on the label, cheap. What’s not to like?

When I bought it the man at the shop said, "does it work?” I said that I had no idea, but I like strange booze. Watching the adverts for it, it appears that it’s being marketed as liquid Viagra so that makes a bit more sense of his question. I’ve already tried some at this stage and I assure you that it has not got me hard.

Look: Viscous, syrup with a dark red tinge. Leaves legs on the side of the glass. Looks like cherry coloured cough syrup.

Aroma: Smells like cherry flavoured cough syrup. Synthetic sweetness and alcohol.

Taste: Unsurprisingly, cherry flavoured cough syrup. Loads of sugar and just a hint of red fruit with a focus on cherry at the end. It’s so thick and sweet it masks the alcohol as you’re drinking it, but you feel the alcohol after you swallow.

Mouthfeel: Like drinking a simple syrup. Gaggy.

Overall: Well, this is the end of the bottle, I don’t think I’ll be re-buying. Is it worse than Buckfast? I’m not sure, Buckfast is not as thick. It’s the thickness of the liquid that really makes drinking this wine unpleasant. In terms of flavour, it’s lighter than Buckfast, so I suppose that’s a positive too. I don’t think I’d volunteer to drink either again unless it was for something stupid like a blog. Not recommended. 1/5

- 23rd April 2013, Sustainable Alcoholic

• ABV: 4.4%, Style: Spiced Beer
• Brewed in Millom, UK
• Best before October 2014
• Served: 330ml bottle poured into a stemmed tulip glass
• http://www.hardknott.com/
• £2.28 from Micro Bar

Never one to shy away from a ginger flavoured beer, I picked up Cool Fusion from Hardknott at Micro Bar. I’ve sort of killed myself for ginger beers now that I’ve made a stupidly ginger one. Nothing is ever going to be gingery enough. I’ll give it a go anyway.

Look: Really pale, copper coloured beer with a lot of floating sediment. Minimal head and no lacing.

Aroma: Sweet like slowly fermenting grass, light biscuity malt, spice and ginger, the ginger is only a hint.

Taste: Starts quite thin and watery, before the toffee malt comes out, ginger and spice then take over. There’s a slight bitter finish and then the warmth of the ginger comes through at the end of the finish.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation, feels watery.

Overall: It’s a lighter drink than the Marble Ginger and definitely lighter than my attempt, but it’s pleasant enough. I’d recommend it on a sunny day to anyone that liked a beer a little out of the ordinary. It could do with more ginger, but then I always say that! 4/5

- 22nd April 2013, Sustainable Alcoholic

• ABV: 15%, Style: Imperial Russian Stout
• Brewed in Chicago, IL, USA
• Best before 8 November 2013 (or 2018)
• Served: 330ml bottle poured into a BrewDog teku glass
• http://www.gooseisland.com/
• £8.11 from Micro Bar

Happy Valentines day. That’s the day I’m writing this. I expect I’ll post it around May then! Valentine’s Day means something different in Chicago, so this beer seemed the right one to go for today.

I’ve been aware of, but ignoring this beer for a while because of the price. I figured that it wasn’t going to get any cheaper so I might as well take the plunge.

Look: Thick, pitch black beer, right up to the edges. Very sparse yellow head.

Aroma: Bourbon, obviously. There’s lots of that without even putting your nose in the glass. There’s heavy malty molasses and some coconut.

Taste: Sweeter than I expected. The big stout flavours mask the bourbon in the taste. Finish starts out as chocolate before turning entirely liquorice with some back of the throat bourbon smokiness.

Expecting that it was going to be overpoweringly bourbon tasting, I poured a shot to drink alongside to see if it meant I could remove the bourbon notes. It’s Jim Beam cooking bourbon, but it should do the job.

The effect is strange. It makes the beer taste a lot more grainy. As the beer warms up, a lot more of the bourbon burn comes through.

Mouthfeel: Slight carbonation, enough to notice, but not really enough to change the taste. I’ve resealled the bottle so I’ll try it again tomorrow when it’s a whole lot flatter.

Overall: Massive beer. It’s good, but it’s really one for purists. I don’t think I could recommend this to either a conventional stout drinker or a bourbon fancier fully confident that they’d enjoy it. However, it is an interesting one. An experience I’d like to try again but maybe I’ll wait until the 2013 vintage.

This beer might have been the original barrel aged stout, but I think I’ve enjoyed the BrewDog Paradox whiskey barrel aged series of Imperial Russian Stouts more than Bourbon County. The sweetness to this beer is just a bit staggering, even in the smallest sip. Knock up the IBUs and I think this beer would work a lot better for me. 4/5

- 21st April 2013, Sustainable Alcoholic

• ABV: 4.4%, Style: Extra Special Bitter
• Brewed in Blackburn, UK
• Best before 22 November 2013
• Served: 500ml bottle poured into a Shorts imperial nonic
• http://www.thwaites.co.uk/

This is a beer that I’d written off previously as average but my friend insisted is a great beer. So I picked one up to see what it was like.

Apparently it is “A classic English ale, chestnut in colour with a lovely full-bodied flavour, enriched with a wonderful late hop character.” The name Lancaster Bomber refers to the large bombing planes used in WWII. No jingoism here.

Not sure that ESBs are really allowed to be under 5% but well, give Thwaites the benefit of the doubt.

Look: It looks like brown ale with clear, amber coloured beer. There is a slightly off white head of large bubbles that disappeared pretty quickly.

Aroma: Caramel with a hint of dark fruit. A little wet cardboard too.

Taste: Acidic and creamy initially followed by watery toffee malt. Shallow finish of bitter tea.

Mouthfeel: Fairly fizzy in a coke sort of way. Rather thin boddied.

Overall: Really rotten beer. Sorry WWII veterans, you deserve better than this. Thwaites definitely have some good beers in them but this simply isn’t one. Awful. 1/5

- 20th April 2013, Sustainable Alcoholic

• ABV: 3.9%, Style: Pale Ale
• Brewed in Huddersfield, UK
• Best before August 2013
• Served: 500ml bottle poured into an imperial pint
• http://www.drinkmallinsons.co.uk
• £2.25 from Carringtons, Didsbury

I saw this one and thought I’d not had it, I was right, so far I’ve had:

• Amarillo
• Brewers Gold
• Centennial
• Sorachi Ace

This one should be a bit more bitter than the others as Columbus has the highest alpha acids of all the ones I’ve tried so far.

Look: Pale yellow beer, with a good light head. There’s a bit of lacing on the glass, but not much.

Aroma: Very fresh, but slightly sharp, reminds me of the smell of tomato plants. Verdant, with pine and grass.

Taste: Piney with a hugely bitter grapefruit finish. Malts are very light.

Mouthfeel: Moderate coarbonation. The beer itself is alittle watery.

Overall: I like this but in honesty, it’s too bitter considering the lack of any sort of malt backbone. Unbalanced, but fun. 3/5

- 19th April 2013, Sustainable Alcoholic

• ABV: 7.4%, Style: IPA
• Brewed in Macclesfield
• Best before December 2013
• Served: 330ml bottle poured into a BrewDog Tulip
• http://redwillowbrewery.com/
• £3.59 from Carrington’s Didsbury.

Not totally sure how this is different from Ageless IPA. But I grabbed it anyway. The ingredients list wheat so I’d expect it to be a bit cloudier than the earlier number and possible smoother. We’ll see.

Look: Cloudy orange beer, plenty of life in the pour leading to about a three finger deep head of pillowy white foam.

Aroma: Fruity with a soft, powdery lemon aroma that’s really appealing. Smells like bonbons and beer.

Taste: Explodes in the mouth with loads of tropical fruity hops but then the taste suddenly stops. The finish has good general bitterness, but it is a sort of general flat bitterness, this means that despite being 7.4% it manages to feel a bit thin. There’s also something a little medicinal in there too.

Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, a little too dry.

Overall: Lots of nice things about the flavour, but all in all I don’t think it adds up. I like the hopiness in the initial taste, but the body and the finish just weren’t there for me. 3/5

- 18th April 2013, Sustainable Alcoholic