Monteiths Black (New Zealand)

www.monteiths.co.nz
Monteiths Black Beer
Monteiths Brewing Company
5.2% ABV

Monteiths have been producing beer since 1868 when it was established.  It is infact New Zealand's longest running brewery. 

The Black Beer uses 5 different malts in the brew.

Not much more information available at this time.

Review

The malts offer a little chocolate and a little hit of coffee aromas and accompany a dark almost black liquid with a frothy tan head.  The beer has some sweetness along with light bitterness.  Unexpectedly the beer is very light and creamy.

Not as much flavour as I would have liked and too light on the palate, quite surprisingly for the dark colour.  It does however allow for very easy consumption.

Scores: -

Aroma 5/10
Appearance 4/5
Taste 5/10
Palate 3.5/5
Overall 14.5/20

Total 64%

Little Creatures Single Batch - The Big Dipper (Australia)

www.littlecreatures.com.au
Little Creatures Single Batch - The Big Dipper
Little Creatures Brewing Company
7.8% ABV

A single batch of The Big Dipper was released in March 2011.  The ale features 7 different hops all combining for a huge flavour and an increased alcohol content.  The 7 hops represent the 7 stars in the constellation of the same name.  Colombus, Cascade, Chinook, Stella, Citra, Centennial and Simcoe hops are all used.

Review

On first pour a flood of fragrance sweeps up the nostrils.  Caramel aromas and the signature Little Creatures aroma is there.  I was expecting more though.  A dark golden hazy liquid is present with a small white head.  You get some of the alcohol on the tongue with some citrus almost Semillon characters there.  There is some good weight behind this beer and a strong bitter finish. 

Maybe a little too much alcohol for a midweek beer but certainly worth buying and trying.

Scores: -

Aroma 7/10
Appearance 3.5/5
Taste 6.5/10
Palate 3.5/5
Overall 15/20

Total 70%

Chang (Thailand)

www.changbeer.com
Chang Beer
Chang Brewery
5% ABV

Within 4 years Chang beer has acheived 50% market share in Thailand and is now distributed throughout the world.  Winning awards in America and more recently in Australia in 2009, gaining a bronze medal as best international beer.
I tasted this for the first time in Bangkok and throughout Thailand in 2004.  I can remember at the time a Dutch backpacker told me that Change beer was unregulated and that the ABV could range anywhere from 4% to 13%.  I am not sure how reliable that information was but now the brewery have strong control over their product.  This is seen as Thailand's budget lager containing malt, rice hops, natural water and selected yeasts.


Review

There are some cereal like malty aromas once poured.  The beer is a very light, pale, clear liquid with a minimal head.  There is no bitterness and not really much flavour at all.  The beer has a light body with some carbonation.

Not enough flavour, maybe good in the Siam heat to quench your thirst but it really doesn't stand up against the majority of serious beers.

Scores: -

Aroma 4/10
Appearance 2.5/5
Taste 3/10
Palate 2.5/5
Overall 11/20

Total 46%

Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Beer (Scotland)

www.innisandgunn.com
Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Beer
6.6% ABV

Born from an idea from William Grant in 2002, a whiskey producer from Scotland.  William had the idea to infuse the flavour of beer into whiskey.  He approached Dougal Sharpe who was brewing a strong ale to see if they could work together.  The plan was to keep the beer in the oak barrels for 30 days before discarding and then filling the oak with whiskey.  These days the beer then continues for 47 days in a marrying tun to continue the brew.  The beer that was brewed then was drank by the distillery workers and it had taken on a smokey flavour.  This kick started the idea to release it commercially.  The Innis and Gunn brewery was born.  As well as this beer the brewery has experimented with various aged beers including a triple matured beer aged 147 days before being bottled. 

Review

A slight vanilla fragrance is present with woody and toffee characteristics.  The beer is a clear golden effervescent liquid with a very white head.  On tasting you can really get the oaky, slightly smokey flavour coming through.  Sweetness comes through once the beer gets on the tongue and there is a level of alcohol present that is quite high that can certainly be tasted.
On the palate the beer has a light body with light carbonation.
Overall, there is a quite a lot to like about this beer, I would prefer to not get as much alcohol flavour and a little more hop and malt flavours but with quite a light palate so it is easy to knock a few back which at 6.6% ABV could be a good thing or a bad thing?!!!

Scores: -

Aroma 5.5/10
Appearance 4/5
Taste 4/5
Palate 3/5
Overall 14/20

Total 63%

Sierra Nevada - Pale Ale (USA)

www.sierranevada.com
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
5.6% ABV

First brewed in 1980 by Ken Grossinem of Sierra Nevada.  This could have been the first beer to have kick started the whole new school of craft brewing of Pale Ales.  The intention was clear - to create a pale ale that did not lookl to the English style of pale ales but to a newer, cleaner tasting, hop-driven beer.  After extensive research and experimentation using various hops it was decided that the aromatic Cascade hops would be used in the finishing process - giving the beer a distinct flavour and aroma.  Magnum and Perle hops are used in the bittering process and two row pale and caramel are the two malts used.

Review

A golden, clear liquid is poured with a white foam head.  On the nose an immediate smell of Cascade hops are present giving the beer a floral aroma, hints of citrus and passionfruit are there.  There is significant bitterness present during the taste but not much else.  The palate is quite light but quite gassy but has a bitter finish. 

Overall the beer has good aromas with a nice finish but not too much in between.  I was a little dissapointed by this one as I had been looking forward to tasting as had read and heard a lot of good things about it.  I would say this beer would be perfect to have alongside a few pizzas.

Scores: -

Aroma 6/10
Appearance 3.5/5
Taste 5/10
Palate 3/5
Overall 14.5/20

Total 64%

Theakston Old Peculier - The Legend (England)

www.theakstons.co.uk
Theakston Old Peculier - The Legend
Theakston Brewery
5.6% ABV (reduced from 5.7% in 2010

The Theakston family have brewed Old Peculier since 1890.  Hailing from the Yorkshire town of Masham, Theakston's brewery has been and is still producing great flavoured quality beers perfect for mid week drinking.  The brewery features a visitors centre and offers daily brewery tours.

In the brew of Old Peculier both Pale and Crystal Malts are used along with cane sugar and caramel, all contributing to the colour and flavour of this Northern English favourite.  Fuggle hops are used in both the boil and the dry hopping process adding depth and character to the mix.

Review

An initial burnt caramel fragrance is present on the nose along with some licorice and a little resin.  The dark red/brown liquid is hazy with a creamy tan head.  On tasting; a good amount of bitterness is there initially and on the finish.  There are also some dark malt toffee flavours accompanying the bitterness.  On the palate it is surprisingly quite light for the dark colour with a good amount of weight, making for excellent drinking.

To sum up - some great bitter flavours in the mix, the colour is quite deceiving as the body is quite light allowing for quite a few of them to be consumed with ease.  A good drop.

Scores: -

Aroma 5.5/10
Appearance 4/5
Taste 6/10
Palate 4.5/5
Overall 15/20

Total 70%

Peroni Gran Riserva (Italy)

www.peroni.it
Peroni Gran Riserva Doppio Malt
Perroni
6.6% ABV

Not much information available on this beer.   In Australia it is priced for an imported 3 pack at the same price as a 6 pack of premium beers.

Review

On the nose this beer has hay (almost) barn yard characters with the malt also present.  A clear light golden beer that has a white head.  There is an immediate high alcohol level present that is accompanied with the malt flavour that has been empasised by the "double malt" brew.  The beer itself has a light to medium body with a bitter or almost sour finish. 

Overall this beer is not worth the money, there are not enough good flavours present to leave you wanting to try more.

Scores: -

Aroma 5/10
Appearance 3/5
Taste 5/10
Palate 3.5/5
Overall 13/30

Total 59%