To change
things up a bit and try some new things, a little group of us (including Rob of
Team Empty) devised a beer tasting that would give us a nice range of flavours
and styles. Well, we got what we asked for; a lovely variety, including a few
real gems. Up for tasting we had Trouble Brewing Ór Golden Ale, Erdinger
Weissbier Kristallklar, Erdinger
Weissbier Dunkel, Honey
Dew, and Belfast Blonde. So folks, here is my review of the good, the bad and
the ugly of it all.
Trouble Brewing Ór Golden Ale
The Trouble Brewing was
among my favourites from the tasting. Very crisp and refreshing, as well as
beautifully smooth and full-bodied. This classy beer has a pleasing appley
taste and a general subtle fruitiness. You can plainly taste the quality of the
brewing. Very tasty drink that would probably tempt me into having more than
just the one!
Alc. 4.3%
€2.99
Score: 83
Erdinger Weissbier Kristallklar
The
Erdinger Kristallkar pours a pale golden straw colour and smells of fresh herbs
and oddly enough, a little like lettuce. The herbs come through in the flavour
and there is noticeable grapefruit and some soft peach, making it pleasantly
fruity. On first impressions, I found this beer a bit strange but overall it
was enjoyable, and I recall thinking it reminded me just slightly of a fruity Riesling,
so it could suit Riesling fans rather well.
Alc. 5.3% Vol.
€2.50
Score: 68
Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel
This Erdinger was my
overall favourite at the tasting and fairly won my heart! It has a luscious,
rich, dark colour; like cola or a dark chocolate. Its smell is lightly sweet; a
nice soft caramel. A little of this caramel sweetness translates from the nose
to the palate, where it is mixed with apple, raisins and chocolate. Medium
bodied and on the whole, delicious!
Alc. 5.6%
Vol.
€2.80
Score: 90
Fuller’s Organic Honey Dew
The Honey
Dew is a golden ale. Unsurprisingly, honey dominates the aroma and the taste,
giving it a strange sweetness. Basically, Honey Dew does what it says on the
tin. This sweetness is countered by a bitter kick. It is an interesting beer worth
experiencing for a change but personally, I wouldn’t be able to drink too much
of it or have it too often.
Alc. 5%
Vol.
€2.99
Score: 52
Belfast Blonde
I’m a
little apprehensive about reviewing this beer as I simply didn’t like it, and I
know the boys at Empty Glass disagree! I’m going to go ahead with my opinion
anyway, but I would recommend taking it with a pinch of salt for personal
preference. Belfast Blonde is a citrusy light ale. The tang of oranges in
specific stood out. There is far more than a hint of bitterness (which is
probably what put me off). Something about the consistency seemed oily and in
general it was just a bit dull and bland. Unimpressive.
Alc.
4.3& Vol.
€2.99
Score: 40
Great article, must have been enjoyable researching it! Good to see the Kildare beer scoring high, it's one of my favourites too - and you've reminded me I've a couple in the cellar for this evening!
ReplyDeleteHow do you arrive at the marks for the beers?
Bonjourno, the marking system is really subjective. But rough rules are... 40 is something you'd never drink again, 50 is passable, 60 is average, 70 is good, 80 is a must try and 90 is up there is your all time favorites. Best way to understand the rating system is to understand the person reviewing :) Hopefully we'll get Zara back in for more reviews! Glad you liked it!
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