S43 Brewery
Microbrewery
in Durham,
Durham,
England 🏴
Associated Venue: Toronto Lodge (Sonnet 43)
Established in 2012
Closed in 2022
We started life back in 2012, focusing on developing our own British Style Cask Ales out of Country Durham based Brew House.
Back then we were known as Sonnet 43 back then (inspired by the Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who was born and raised in Coxhoe, County Durham, the village our brewery calls home).
Three years into our brewing, in 2015 we had doubled production year on year and expanded our team and range of ales, including the award winning Raven and Aurora.
Another three busy years of brewing our beloved Cask Ales and, we noticed a change in our palettes. Whilst, we were still chugging cask specials at a rate of knots, we were getting excited by some of the more hop-forward flavours from over the pond.
This is when we got in touch with the Texan, to come and develop the craft arm of the brewery.
Brewing ceased at the end of 2022.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 2.5
15th February 2014
Scopey 5K Tasting in deepest Croydonia. Thanks to Paul. Clear dark brown beer, residual pale tan bubbles for a head. Light dry palate. Very mild carbonation. Sourish milk with a whisper of bourbon biscuit. Touch of citric hop. Dry finish. A dogs breakfast.
Oakes (33097) reviewed India Pale Ale from S43 Brewery 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Amber with a little reddish accent. Fruity, some anglotartness, not sure it’s coming together...the malt is understated and maybe more overt hop fruitiness would sort this out a bit.
Scopey (25061) reviewed Insular Art Mead Ale from S43 Brewery 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Bottle shared at Yespr’s. It pours clear amber with a small white head. The nose is honey, butterscotch, floral, hot-corss bun, spice and glazed doughnut. The taste is honey, floral, prickly bitterness, stone fruits, citrus peel and touch of herb with a dry finish. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Pretty interesting stuff.
Harrisoni (26137) reviewed The Raven Bourbon Milk Stout from S43 Brewery 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Cask gravity at Berry Walmer. Black beer thin collar of tan bubbles. Aroma of dark chocolate. Flavour is some dark fruits some chocolate. No real bourbon and some milk coming through on the finish. Ok. Not my style of beer.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Bottle split at Scopey’s 5K Extravaganza of Oompah Band meets doorbell music, thanks to the Dude from the Don - 15/02/14. Extremely dark mahogony brown with a moderate light tan covering. Nose is earthy, toffee, dark fruits, light cocoa, lactic ring. Taste comprises cocoa, light milk chocolate, dark toffee, bourbon ? Did the name of this beer really allude to bourbon ??? Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, semi drying close. Mediocre stuff, little depth to the flavour and where the bollocks is the bourbon ? Miss !
Scopey (25061) reviewed The Raven Bourbon Milk Stout from S43 Brewery 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle shared at my 5k tasting. It pours darkest brown with a small light tan head. The nose is earthy, toast, cocoa, coffee grinds, ash and some meatiness. The taste is sweet, some acidity, coffee, cocoa, toast, vanilla, toffee and fudge. Medium body and fine carbonation. We’ll rounded and pretty drinkable. Solid.
Anders37 (30391) reviewed Insular Art Mead Ale from S43 Brewery 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
Bottle @ yespr. Pours a clear pale amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty weak sweetish honey aroma. Sweetish malty spicy caramel flavor with weak hints of honey. Has a sweetish malty spicy caramel finish.
Reubs (35338) reviewed Insular Art Mead Ale from S43 Brewery 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5
Bottle@yespr’s - golden amber pour with a small white head. Aroma and taste of sweet malts, caramel, brown sugar, honey, syrupy - some herbal nuance, but weird overall.
brnandersen (7105) reviewed Insular Art Mead Ale from S43 Brewery 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Sample from 50 cl. bottle. Clear, amber colour with a thin, white head. Sweet aroma with fruits, honey and caramel malts, some mints (???) Taste is sweet. Medium body with a creamy texture. Finishes dry and herbal with honey.
Ungstrup (52101) reviewed Insular Art Mead Ale from S43 Brewery 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Bottled. An amber beer with a beige head. The aroma has notes of caramel, honey, and alcohol. The flavor is sweet with notes of honey, caramel, and straw, leading to a bitter finish.
Brewery Stats
| Score | 6.87 |
| Beers | 224 |
| Ticks | 1173 |
Top Reviewers (Not including batches)
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danlo | 140 |
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Grumbo | 74 |
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Stuu | 49 |
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Mr_Pink_152 | 49 |
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allmyvinyl | 43 |
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Olut | 36 |
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fonefan | 31 |
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jamestulloch | 31 |
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Rasmus40 | 29 |
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cagarvie | 27 |