Friday Beer O'clock Selections

 

Belhaven Scottish Ale - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection 3-4-2011

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Grab your quilt and bagpipes, this week's Friday Beer O'clock Selection comes all the way from Scotland. Belhaven Scottish Ale is brewed by The Belhaven Brewery, one of Scotland's oldest regional breweries, dating back to 1719.  This is concidered to be a fully rounded ale with a complex mix of malt producing malty and nutty flavors. So far I have become a fan of the Scottish Ales and this definitely does not disappoint.

ABV: 5.2%

Appearance: Poured with a ruby amber / copper color forming a thick 3 finger head. Retention is good but eventyal dissapears leaving behind a nice consistent collar and good lacing. Some slow bubbling can bee seen and turbidity is low.

Aroma: Good hearty boquet of fresh malts and wheat. I also get some nutty cinnamon and vanilla with slight yeast and hop in there as well.

Taste: GREAT balance of malt and hop flavors. Sweet malts upfront giving way to a roasted nuttyness in the middle and all blending with slight hop bitter in the back. All very well balanced. I love the bold roasted malts in this.

Feel: A medium mouth. Smooth, creamy and leaves a clean semi-dry feel behind. Just enough carbonation to tickle the tongue.

Drinkability: Very drinkable brew here. Appearance, Aroma, Taste and Feel all come together as you would expect producing an enjoyable brew. Try this one if you get a chance.

That's my opinion, what do you think about this week's selection?

Filed under  //   Ale   Recommended   imported   scottish ale  
Posted March 4, 2011 by Ed Stafford 
 

La Fin Du Monde - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection 4-30-2010

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First a note. I had this on Friday evening and it was so good, I took my time and relaxed with it a bit. Before I realized it, it was getting late and I was too comfortable to turn on the computer to write up a review. I guess that's a testament to the quality of this brew (or the 9% ABV).

Appearance
This one poured with a light clear golden color from the bottle, but once in the glass carbonation kicks into high until it settled into a hazy opaque yellow ochre and developed a beautiful thick full head 2-3 fingers. The head had long retention and the lacing blanketed the sides of the glass. (Note: be careful with the pour on this one or you'll easily end up breaching the rim)

Aroma:
Picking up a nice bouquet of  bready aromas with sweet malts, light spices (clove) and some fruity / floral hits (apricot?) Aroma is big and inviting.

Taste:
We have a winner! Just as expected from the aromas, this is a delicious brew. Flavors are balanced across the tongue from front to back picking up the fruity and malt sweetness on the front, bready yeasts and spices in the middle and subtle hops on the back all blended and balanced nicely together.

Feel:
Body is full and has some weight to it, but is not filling. The high alcohol is evident, but overall feels velvety. It leaves a nice warmth much like a wine.

Drinkability:
Contrary to expectations of the high alcohol content, this is an easy drinking brew tempting you to indulge with great flavors and aroma.

Overall:
I really like this and put it at the top of my list up there with the Heather Froach. It reminds me of the Sam Adams Tripel, but better!  BUT.. be careful with it. It is delicious and easy on the tongue, but at 9% ABV, it will put you to sleep. Take this one slow and enjoy it.

La Fin Du Monde - Tripel Fermentation
Brewed by Unibroue
Chambly (QUE) Canada
9% ABV
1 Pint. 9.4 FL. OZ.

Filed under  //   Malt   Recommended   canadian   imported   top-pick  
Posted April 30, 2010 by Ed Stafford 
 

Bluebird Bitter English Ale - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection: 4/23/2010

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This week's Beer O'Clock Selection was Coniston Brewing Co's Bluebird Bitter Bottle Conditioned English Ale.

Label:
Bluebird is a fine session ale with a light golden colour. The intense resinous and spicy hop character which is the beer's Hallmark is derived from the use of unusual quantities of English Challenger hops, each bale being individually and personally selected by to brewer. The malt is, of course, Maris Otter fermented slightly warm to give a soft fruitiness with a faint hint of scented geranium.

Impression:

Appearance:
This Ale poured with a nice thick head 2-3 fingers having long retention and lacing. Turbidity was hazey but much cleaner than I expected for an imported bottle conditioned ale.

Aroma: 
First scent I picked up on ws a crusty bread/yeasty aroma with a hint citrus and sweet malts.

Feel:
Medium body with medium carbonation.

Taste:
Flavors are ballanced between bready malt flavors on the front and hops on the back mixed with floral and citrus. The finish is crisp, almost dry and slightly bitter developing a nice citrus as it lingers.

Conclusion:
This is a nice clean brew that would go great in front of a fire on a cool evening with good company.

Single Bottle Serving: 1 PT.
ABV 4.2%
Purchased: $4.95 (single bottle)

Filed under  //   Ale   english ale   imported   session ale  
Posted April 23, 2010 by Ed Stafford 
 

Friday Beer O'Clock Selection for 1-15-10 - Monchshof World Classic Schwarz

 

Today's Friday Beer O'clock Selection for 1-15-10 is:

Monchshof
World Classic Schwarz: The Original Black
Kulmbach Germany.

Quick Review:
First thoughts - thinner than expected, malty, coffee, roasted, tasty

The pour rolled out without much action, but after a short delay, the head exploded over the glass rim and settled into a nice consistent bed of foam with good lacing
The aromas were a little on the subdued side and didnt' do much to excite the senses there. At least for me.
Color is dark and carbonation is mild.
The finish was dry and left a tasty roasted bitterness lingering at the back of the tongue.

Overall I liked this brew. It has good drinkability and might be compared with Guinness with a lighter body.

 

Filed under  //   Beer   beer o'clock   imported  
Posted January 15, 2010 by Ed Stafford 
 

Wychwood Hobgoblin Dark English Ale - Friday Beer O'clock Selection 12-11-09

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Wychwood Hobgoblin Dark English Ale..

I'll follow up with a full Review/Opinion later..

Filed under  //   Ale   english ale   imported  
Posted December 11, 2009 by Ed Stafford 
 

Friday's Beer O'Clock Selection for 12-04-09: Fraoch - Heather Ale

Heather_ale

Friday's Beer O'Clock Selection for 12-04-09: Fraoch - Heather Ale

From the label:

Fraoch is Scotland's native Ale

Heather ale has been brewed in Scotland since 2000 b.c. Brewed using heather flowers and Scottish malt, it has a distinctive floral aroma, full malt character and a dry wine-like finish. As one of the oldest styles of ale in the world ther are many legends and folklore surrounding it.


Opinion/Review

Appearance: The color is a medium clear light golden amber and poured with a creamy stable head that has good retention. Carbonation is steady but not over-active.

Aroma: First impression - Sweet, Floral, Caramel and a hint of Spice. Over all, the aroma was very pleasant. I could almost taste the flavors just by smell...and it was GOOD!!

Taste: First impression - Smokey sweetness, hint of spice or floral tones, woody? Reminded me of a campfire. The flavors all come together nicely with a smooth light malty dry finish.

Mouthfeel: SMOOTH! This was a very smooth brew. There is a little carbonation bite but it fits well with the rest of the characteristics of this brew. Not over done and not under-done, just a nice balance. It's got a light and smooth body.

Drinkability and Final Impression: WOW.. This is a delicious brew. Full flavored brew with fantastic characteristics. Easy to drink. Not something to "pound", but definately worth taking some time with and enjoying every last drop.

Did I mention it was Delicious?

Price: $5.49 1 pt bottle - Kappy's Liquors, Medford MA

Filed under  //   Ale   Beer O'Clock   Recommended   Scottland   imported   top-pick  
Posted December 4, 2009 by Ed Stafford