Cask at the Whippet Inn, Lichfield, 27/02/2025.
Golden blonde topped with an off white head.
Nose is pale malts, melon, straw, tangerine.
Taste comprises citric tinged straw, grass, light citric fruit, soft breads.
Medium bodied, soft carbonation, semi drying close.
Okay.

Hand-pulled pint in the Pheasant Inn and Brewhouse on Wednesday 29th January 2025. Slight haze in the golden/blonde body, white head. Citrus notes with a stone fruit undertone, some mild sourness creeping in too.

Strong wild ale – in fact dubbed ‘barleywine’ – from a Welsh craft brewery specialising in farmhouse style ales, whatever that means nowadays… Gusher, so be careful when opening the 37.5 cl bottle. Medium thick, off-white, regularly edged, dissipating head leaving a flat ‘island’ of foam in the middle; hazy peach blonde robe with ‘dirty’ beige hue and lots of even darker, brownish protein and dead yeast bits depositing at the bottom of the glass – in all, this beer does not start off well visually speaking… Aroma of strong Brettanomyces effects, funky and estery, with notes of pickled apricots and pickled lemons, stale orange juice, urine, orange wine, overripe yellow plum, damp hay, spoiled carrot soup, wet wood, a whiff of whisky for sure, oak-induced vanillin, wine must, wet gravel, petrichor but also band aid and other ‘clinical’ phenols, even a – luckily very faint and volatile – whiff of gasoline. ‘Wildly’ estery onset with impressions of overripe plum, cooked gooseberry, old storage apple and pickled apricot, sweet with a softly tart edge – yet no outspoken acidity; medium carb, a bit prickly, with smooth mouthfeel, feeling less vinous and ‘full’ than expected at this strength. Fluffy, cakey and very bready malts, the breadiness obviously reinforced by yeast, with this heavy load of fruity esters continuing unabated, including that tartly edged pickled apricot or plum effect; woody tannins grow slowly, with clear vanilla effect from the oak wood and with the whisky in its trail, adding a background glow of Speyside whisky, warming yet nowhere too wry or boozy. Retronasally, the clinic- and band aid-like phenols are still there, but far less intrusively so than I was fearing; leathery and funky Brett effects linger with drying effect. A complicated case of a strong wild ale – a beer of mixed fermentation at indeed barleywine-esque strength, or at least much stronger than is averagely the case in this kind of beers, though much of that alcohol comes from the whisky barreling. The gushing, overall ‘dirtiness’ and overly phenolic profile are signs of the Brett being not well under control and downgrade the experience, but there is the bright orange (even orange wine) side to keep things entertaining and the wood and whisky are elements well integrated without dominating too much, something I can always appreciate. Interesting but not nearly flawless – a ‘benefit of the doubt’ kind of case for me.

440ml can from Good Spirit Co, Glasgow. Pours a clear pale golden with a white head. Aromas & tastes of white grapes, lemon peel & hops. Crisp light acidic finish.

Tap at The Hope, Carshalton 29/11/2024 Tart and herbal and floral hoppy and malty, light balasamic? some dark fruit, medium body, malty and spicy finish.

Keg at The Hope, Carshalton ... where's your fucking beer festival ? 29/11/24. Mahogany brown topped with a lasting beige head. Nose is herb, grains, spruce tips, dried fruit esters, vinous. Taste comprises stewed fruits, light yeast load, barnyard nip, vinous, hedgerow. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close. Interesting enough offering.

Keg at The Hope, Carshalton. Aroma is fruity, spicy, slightly vinous edge. Opaque chestnut. Thin foamy beige head. Spicy. Sour. Also earthy, herbal. Surprisingly light. Thin to slick. Soft-fizzy carbonation. Long dry slightly astringent finish. Starts of interesting but a tad lightweight.

Hazy yellow gold with a frothy white head and a yeasty nose. Soft and smooth with light citrus notes, a little funk and a slightly dry finish