The P & B Beer, Lager, Ale, Stout and Cider Guide

[Derek Patterson]

Do they sell any Samuel Adams beers in Scotland yet? Sam Adams is a craft brewery that's been around since the late 80s - one of the first to really make it big. Their staple is Boston Lager, which is a bit like a Vienna lager, but they do lots of others and some seasonals as well. I have a glass of their Octoberfest on the go right now and while it's more carbonated and slightly darker than I'm used to from that style (which I don't drink often) it's not half bad.

Quel Vin (get it?) at Kelvinbridge has both the Boston Lager and the Chocolate Stout from them.

The Cave about a minute along the street from there also has them.

Both of those shops have a cracking range of beers for decent prices.

[Swampy]

Also does anyone here review on BeerAdvocate?

[Swampy]

Quel Vin (get it?) at Kelvinbridge has both the Boston Lager and the Chocolate Stout from them.

The Cave about a minute along the street from there also has them.

Both of those shops have a cracking range of beers for decent prices.

Nice one. I went to Peckham's for my craft beers when I lived in Glasgow but it was a very lager and Scottish ale-heavy selection. Will give those two places a look next time I'm in Scotland.

If they have it, the Sam Adams 'Rustic Saison' is decent. It's not like Belgian saisons I've had but it's very fruity and refreshing nonetheless.

Also, I'm not going to dignify the name 'quel vin' with a response. (Does this count as a response?)

[Derek Patterson]

Nice one. I went to Peckham's for my craft beers when I lived in Glasgow but it was a very lager and Scottish ale-heavy selection. Will give those two places a look next time I'm in Scotland.

Would recommend getting some Williams Bros beers. Cracking brewery in Alloa. They do traditional type stuff but also some weirder stuff. Pretty much everything I've tried from them has been very good.

Enjoyed a Caesar Augustus with a curry earlier tonight. Top beer.

[Swampy]

Would recommend getting some Williams Bros beers. Cracking brewery in Alloa. They do traditional type stuff but also some weirder stuff. Pretty much everything I've tried from them has been very good.

Enjoyed a Caesar Augustus with a curry earlier tonight. Top beer.

I've only had their heather ale. Will give that Caesar Augustus a go.

[Derek Patterson]

edit: While I'm on the subject of Scotland - let it be known that I bet in a year or two it becomes cool to hate on Brewdog. I'll destroy any man who does this. Brewdog make superb products and are at the vanguard of the long-overdue brewing revolution currently at its crest in Scotland, similar to the one that took place in the US around 6-7 years ago. They as much as anyone else need to be credited with broadening the beer horizon of Scots and they make excellent beers to boot.

A lot of the more "traditionalist" beer snobs seem to have this attitude in regards to Brewdog. Fair enough if you're not a particular fan or their beers but the fact of the matter is they've got a lot of people interested in "proper beer" and folk are beginning to realise that there's a whole world of quality brews outside of the usual Tennents, Stella, Carling etc type pish. I think the fact that they're a bit provocative and noise folk up is a good thing. The only annoying thing is that the price of the bottles (not the usual ones like Punk IPA, 5AM Saint but the fancier ones like Paradox) are bloody expensive from the actual Brewdog bars. A few months back I got the Paradox Jura stout from the Glasgow Brewdog and it was almost £12. Annoyingly (although it was pleasing at the same time) a few weeks later in a small wine shop in Perth I found the same bottle for half of that price! Bloody good beer though.

[Monster]

As lagers go, Mahou is a good 'un, but that might be because I associate it uniquely with good times, sitting in the sun with four of the little green cans or watching the football as the free tapas piles up in front of me. Perhaps it wouldn't be the same otherwise. (edit: to clarify, the green one is the less popular Clasica. The red, Cinco Estrellas, is 5.5%, while the Clasica's a good bit lower, around 4.6% if memory serves. When drinking lager I prefer a mid-range ABV because I drink it quickly. For more complex, sipping beers, obviously that's not such a big deal. And yes, I am a lightweight.)

Do they sell any Samuel Adams beers in Scotland yet? Sam Adams is a craft brewery that's been around since the late 80s - one of the first to really make it big. Their staple is Boston Lager, which is a bit like a Vienna lager, but they do lots of others and some seasonals as well. I have a glass of their Octoberfest on the go right now and while it's more carbonated and slightly darker than I'm used to from that style (which I don't drink often) it's not half bad.

Spanish lagers are excellent for drinking with food, quickly and to be refreshed. Estrella Levante is by far my favourite, beats the Damm anyday.

Sam Adams Boston lager is available in Tesco and Morrison's here these days. I like it, but not as much as I was expecting too. Maybe it was just the hype of being the most famous American 'craft' beer. It is decent, but for me the Goose Island beers are the best I've had from the States.

Also does anyone here review on BeerAdvocate?

I read it quite often but haven't reviewed on it. Should really give it a try.

As for Brewdog, co-incidentally someone on my facebook had a wee dig at them recently. I can see them getting the typically Scottish reaction soon - from the support and enjoyment of a genuine self-made success to the jealousy of that success and eventually it'll be cool to knock them. never from me though, 5 a.m. Saint is the gift that keeps on giving - one of the finest beers I've ever had.

[Derek Patterson]

Currently in a brand new pub called InnDeep at Kelvinbridge. Rakes of Williams Bros beers in. On a pint of Blackball Stout. Quite mellow but good session stout. Braw place.

[)typically]

As lagers go, Mahou is a good 'un, but that might be because I associate it uniquely with good times, sitting in the sun with four of the little green cans or watching the football as the free tapas piles up in front of me. Perhaps it wouldn't be the same otherwise. (edit: to clarify, the green one is the less popular Clasica. The red, Cinco Estrellas, is 5.5%, while the Clasica's a good bit lower, around 4.6% if memory serves. When drinking lager I prefer a mid-range ABV because I drink it quickly. For more complex, sipping beers, obviously that's not such a big deal. And yes, I am a lightweight.)

Do they sell any Samuel Adams beers in Scotland yet? Sam Adams is a craft brewery that's been around since the late 80s - one of the first to really make it big. Their staple is Boston Lager, which is a bit like a Vienna lager, but they do lots of others and some seasonals as well. I have a glass of their Octoberfest on the go right now and while it's more carbonated and slightly darker than I'm used to from that style (which I don't drink often) it's not half bad.

You can get Samuel Adams Boston Lager in Morrisons now, I like it. I have yet to try any of their other brews.

On the subject of Brew Dog. I like their beer but I am not a big fan of the way they market it. All this "punk this", "iconoclastic that", "faceless corporate the other" does put me off a bit. That said it seems to be working. I also find the price of their bottles a bit steep for 33cl. However I have a bottle of their red beer (Alpha Dog) chilling in the fridge at the moment. Will post up a review later.

[Derek Patterson]

#10

Beer: Tryst - Brockville Dark

Abv: 3.8%

Style: Mild/Heavy

Aromas: Wholemeal bread, wheetabix, faint spice, blackcurrant, lemon, nuts

Taste: light hops, roasted malts, hint of peaty smoke, liquorice, woody bitterness

Overall: Not overly experienced with this type of beer but this is very drinkable. Good amount of flavours for a low Abv beer but not overpowering. Good session beer I reckon. Only just found out about this brewery (in Larbert) and I'm intrigued to try more of their stuff. Also worth remembering that this stuff is bottle conditioned (i.e. it still has the sediment in) so you need to take care when pouring.

7/10

Edited September 15, 2012 by Derek Patterson

[Derek Patterson]

#11

Beer: Flying Dog - Doggie Style

Abv: 5.5%

Style: American Pale Ale

Aromas: Biscuit, caramel, cascade hops, citrus fruits. Smells very light.

Taste: Quite floral, grapefruit, almost a sort of pine taste coming through, light caramel

Overall: Seems a bit bland at first but more of the flavour comes through after a bit. Pretty light but a nice refreshing pale ale. Hoppy but not too bitter. Possibly a good starter for a lager drinker wanting to get into "proper beer".

*Edit. Updated the score as I think I'd overchilled it at first. The flavours came through a bit more as the chill came off it and I kinda enjoyed it a bit more.

6.5/10 7.5/10

Edited September 15, 2012 by Derek Patterson

[)typically]

Beer: Flying Dog - Doggie Style

Abv: 5.5%

Style: American Pale Ale

Aromas: Biscuit, caramel, cascade hops, citrus fruits. Smells very light.

Taste: Quite floral, grapefruit, almost a sort of pine taste coming through, light caramel

Overall: Seems a bit bland at first but more of the flavour comes through after a bit. Pretty light but a nice refreshing pale ale. Hoppy but not too bitter. Possibly a good starter for a lager drinker wanting to get into "proper beer".

6.5/10

I liked that beer more than that. I would probably have given it an 8.

Anyway to celebrate Andy Murray's win in the US Open I have had:

Maui Brewing Co. 'Coconut Porter'. 7.5/10 Decent but the Coconut does nothing for it.

Samuel Smith's 'Taddy Porter' 8/10 a better Porter all round.

[Derek Patterson]

I liked that beer more than that. I would probably have given it an 8.

Anyway to celebrate Andy Murray's win in the US Open I have had:

Maui Brewing Co. 'Coconut Porter'. 7.5/10 Decent but the Coconut does nothing for it.

Actually I think I didn't let it sit out of the fridge long enough at first as when the chill came off the flavours came out more so putting it up to 7.5.

Tried that Coconut stuff the other week. Nice enough but the coconut is more in the aromas than in the taste.

[Adam]

Beer: Lomond Gold

Abv: 5%

Style: Premium Blonde Beer

Taste: Quite citrus-ry aftertaste

Overall: Pretty decent blonde beer, goes down very well and has a nice kick at the back of your throat. 7/10.

Picked a few different ales up at Lidl earlier, they seemed to have a lot more to offer than they usually do. Perhaps their Marketing man has been reading P&B...

[broon-loon]

Innis and Gunn is superb. The blonde on draft pisses on most lagers.

Keep an eye out for a few Christmas specials coming from them.

I love a barmaid who really makes an effort..........

[Adam]

For my birthday this year my wife has bought me a case of Cock of the Walk, Seven Giraffes and the Birds and the Bees. 36 bottles! I've tried Cock of the Walk before and thought it was superb, so really looking forward to trying the other two.

[)typically]

Traquair Jacobite Ale - 7.75/10 Brewed in Scotland's oldest inhabited house (Traquair House, nr. Peebles) this beer is fermented in 200 year old Oak vessels, making it unique among Scottish Beer. No other brewery in this country ferments in wooden vessels (most use stainless steel). Its a heavy and weighs in at 8% ABV, with subtle spicing added to enhance the flavour. Pretty good but not as good as I was expecting it to be.

BrewDog Alpha Dog - 7.5/10 A nice red ale but not quite as good as 'Cock O the Walk' to my taste. In fact I'd say I prefer BrewDog's '5AM saint' to this.

Kirin Ichiban - 7.0/10 One of my favourite lagers.

[Derek Patterson]

#12

Beer: Goose Island IPA

Abv: 5.9&

Style: India Pale Ale

Aromas: Grapefruit, pine, light caramel, citrus, yeast, hops

Taste: Almost a light smokiness, slight bitterness in the grapefruit flavour comes through,peach, light spices, citrus

Overall: Good tasty, refreshing IPA which isn't overly bitter. Quite similair to Punk IPA though maybe just a touch sweeter. Prefer this to the Flying Dog one I had the other night.

8/10

Edited September 15, 2012 by Derek Patterson

[nelsjfc]

Oh yes, Erdinger is lovely.

Franziskaner Weissbier is £1.25 in Tesco - an astonishing price. They only had 8 bottles left in my local which I promptly snapped up.

That's an excellent price for Franziskaner's Weissbier. Weihenstephaner is another good standby that's quite easy to find in Scotland. Albeit in Kristall form more often than the unfiltered version.

Loved Erdinger at Uni and, if I am feeling flush, will still have a pint of in The Foundry or The Trades if I am through visiting Dundee. Will have to look out for the others mentioned, espicially at those prices. Tesco's seemed to have quite a few cheap bottles in the contenital beers section last time I was in.

Used to enjoy a bottle of Bitburger (sp?) from Tesco now and again too, but sadly they seemed to have stopped stocking it.

[Enigma]

Used to enjoy a bottle of Bitburger (sp?) from Tesco now and again too, but sadly they seemed to have stopped stocking it.

So did I, shame. My trips to Dresden have given me a taste for Radeburger Pils. I havn't seen it in this country. Somebody mentioned Kirin, decent but out in Japan i did far prefer Asahi, Sapporo and Yebisu. I had something local larger, Kiso-ji, I think it was called. It was rank.