The Beer Wrangler

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Archive for category 2 Tankards

Beers of the World – By David Kenning

Feb 4

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, Books, Wrangler | No Comments

Wrangler Rating

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg (Mediocre)

Beers of the World promises to be a journey around the world via 350 classic beers. ‘Classic or popular’ I ask myself. Any book that devotes a large one page spread to Fosters Lager, and also adds Tennent’s Super to the list (The choice of the discerning homeless man in the UK) is struggling to fulfill the promise of ‘Classic’. Sadly the photographs are not great, with some strange choices for glasses and head size. This has the feel of a book that was hastily and cheaply put together. But why the second tankard I hear you ask… Well it’s not all bad, there are some interesting beers from countries that don’t often get a mention elsewhere, and also some obscure beers which will pique your interest. Despite alot of mainstream lagers that get included, there are many wonderful brews, so it’s far from a complete loss. The other factor is that this is not an expensive book. For a fully colour, large format hardback book, I paid the same as a new release paperback, so I don’t feel cheated whatsoever. This would be a fine buy for someone who has taken their first step away from drab domestic lager and wants an easy book to browse and look at some other beer labels, not a serious book for a beer geek; there are much better ‘beer list’ reads out there, like ‘The Great Beer Guide’ by Michael Jackson for example.

Published by: Parragon

ISBN: 978-1405450508

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Wells IPA

Nov 24

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, Ale, British IPA, British Isles, British Pale Ale, England, Great Britain, IPA, Pale Ale & Bitter, Wrangler | No Comments

Wells-IPAWrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Mediocre)

Wells IPA suffers from a common British problem: mislabeling. During the First World War, breweries (with the government!) decreased alcohol in beers to conserve resources (barley) as well as limit drunkenness among essential workers and the military. Hop levels were also reduced, so the traditionally strong and hoppy IPAs were the first in line to be emasculated. Breweries continued using the term though, but it described a pale ale or a bitter rather than the full-on flavour of an IPA. Wells IPA is a very pleasant and drinkable British pale ale that would have been awarded 3 tankards and recommended, but unfortunately the use of the term IPA in this day and age is erroneous, and so must be marked in the category in which it is presented. The pale amber beer is restrained, but has a nice malty flavour with a simple bitter finish, but not so dry it extinguishes the malt. The carbonation is suitably low, which makes this a cinch to drink and an enjoyable session ale. A word of warning though- don’t drink this too cold, or you’ll miss out on its subtle flavours, have it at cellar temperature, as it was designed to be drunk.

ABV: 5%

Best Served: 11°C

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Fat Cat Brewery Honey Beer

Nov 8

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, Ale, Amber Ale, British Columbia, Canada, Flavoured Beer, Honey Ale, Pale Ale & Bitter, Wrangler | No Comments

FCHoney

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Mediocre)

Fat Cat Brewery are a small producer in BC Canada (there is another with the same name in the UK) and this is their Honey Beer, an ale made with New Zealand tree sap honey. This gives this light amber brew a slightly smokey honey aroma. This is not a sweet tasting beer as they manage to get the honey flavour without the sugar, and the malt is in there too, but not integrated with the honey. There is also an overall bitterness to the brew, which reminds me of an astringent tree bark flavour,  found in campari. Any hop flavours seem overwhelmed by the strong honey and bark notes, so are a bit lost. There are some nice flavours in this beer but they somehow seem disconnected, leaving an ale that has little smoothness. I would love to see an adjusted recipe of this ale, because the special honey they use has an interesting taste to it, but just needs a bit more integration in my opinion.

ABV: 5%

Best Served: 8°C

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Kronenbourg 1664

Nov 8

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, European Premium Lager, France, Lager, Pale Lager, Wrangler | No Comments

kronenbourg-1664Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Mediocre)

Kronenbourg seem to make a few different versions of 1664 around the world, and at different strengths. I remember enjoying this on holiday in France, but tasting it for review was a bit of a disappointment. It is a classic pale gold colour with a slightly yeasty nose. There is a touch of sweetness on the palate that gives way to a sourish finish that leaves  a bit of a watery aftertaste. I couldn’t notice any of the nice hop notes you find in some well made lagers, as there is not much of any substance here. It is not unpleasant if well chilled and used as a summer quencher, but there are alot better pale lagers out there.

ABV: 5%

Best Served: 4°C

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Saku Originaal Lager

Oct 18

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, European Premium Lager, Lager, Other Europe, Pale Lager, Wrangler | No Comments

saku

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Mediocre)

Saku Originaal is a beer from the Carlsberg stable of brands, but unusually this one hails from Estonia. It is a pale golden lager with a quickly disappearing head and a grainy aroma. The flavour is fairly light with a touch of pale malt. The finish is a bit sour with some minerally metallic notes, and maybe a suggestion of hops. One problem is that the aftertaste is not that pleasant, so the initial malty grain flavours are wiped out. All in all, this a decidedly average lager with not much to shout about.

ABV: 4.6%

Best Served: 4°C

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Moylan’s Celts Golden Ale

Oct 3

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, Ale, California, Golden / Summer Ale, United States, Wrangler | No Comments

celts_image

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Mediocre)

Moylan’s Celts Golden Ale is a slightly cloudy attractively coloured ale that pours with a nice light head that leaves almost no lacing down the sides of the glass. The aroma has a nice yeasty note with a hint of hop underneath. The flavour doesn’t seem to follow the aroma as it is so lightweight that it doesn’t offer much. There are very subtle yeast notes, and maybe a touch of malt, but nothing to really get hold of. I know Golden/Summer Ales are supposed to be light, but really this is obviously aimed at the macro lager crowd, which is fair enough, but it doesn’t do it for me.

ABV: 5%

Best Served: 6°C

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Fischer Tradition Blonde Beer

Sep 8

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, European Premium Lager, France, Lager, Pale Lager, Wrangler | No Comments

fischer blond

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Mediocre)

Fischer Tradition Bière Blonde is an attractive looking pale golden lager from Alsace in France on the border with Germany. This is a mildly flavoured beer with nothing strongly obvious on the palate. There are light sweet grainy notes which continue on to the finish, but no real hop presence. The carbonation is good for a session beer, as it is not too fizzy, like so many mass produced lagers. All in all, it is a drinkable lager but does nothing to stand out from the crowd.

ABV: 6%

Best Served: 5°C

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Granville Island Brewing Raspberry Wheat Ale

Aug 19

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, Ale, British Columbia, Canada, Flavoured Beer, Fruit Beer, Wheat Beer, Wrangler | No Comments

gib-raspberry-wheat-ale

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Mediocre)

Granville Island Raspberry Wheat Ale is a hugely fruitful beer, and for me a bit out of balance. The genuinely fruity flavours of fresh raspberry are not too sweet, but a bit overpowering for the subtle wheat ale notes. This beer will definitely have its fans, and rightly so. It is made by a good brewery whose line up of seasonal releases are always worth trying. The power of the wheat and malt are far too subtle and need a touch of strength to counter the fruit. However, if you like extremely fruity beers try this with a summer pudding or as a foil to a dark chocolate pudding – it’ll be at its best.

ABV: 5%

Best Served: 6°C

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Tin Whistle Peach Cream Ale

Jul 29

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, Ale, British Columbia, Canada, Cream Ale, Flavoured Beer, Fruit Beer, Wrangler | No Comments

tin-whistlepeach-cream-aleWrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Mediocre)

This tastes more like a lager than an ale, and so misses out on some naturally fruity flavours. The peach flavour never really hits you and remains subtle. This might have been fine if it was a bit more full-bodied, but it tastes a bit on the thin side.  Having said that, on a boiling hot day, this beer,well chilled may just hit the spot for some who want a lightly flavoured beer with a hint of fruit.

ABV: 5%

Best Served: 8°C

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