Beer Review: Badger Blanford Fly

Name: Blandford Fly

Brewery: Badger

ABV: 5.2%

Style: Speciality

Location: Blanford St. Mary, Dorset

Aroma: Grassy hops, honey, a whisp of herbs and a generous lacing of ginger.

Colour: Dark gold with a one finger ivory coloured head.

Taste: A honey like sweetness leads off to a grassy bitterness from the hops, couterpointed by its maltiness, and a rush of ginger that dominates the senses leading to a spicy warming effect on the palate that lingers after every sip. The mouthfeel is smooth yet not cloying, its helps bring the flavours together.

Verdict: Very much a ginger beer in character, it is very essence a speciality beer or a gimmick, that won't set the world alight but would arouse curiousity from onlookers. The use of ginger is very much present without it being too aromatic and spicy which would overide the tastebuds. The sweetness is very much in keeping with this style, though for a beer its seems a bit forced and pushy. This is not something I would pick up again in a hurry.

Rating: 6/10 

Beer Review: Badger Golden Glory

Name: Golden Glory

Brewery: Badger (Hall & Woodhouse)

ABV: 4.5%

Style: Specialist 

Location: Blandford St. Mary

Aroma: Quite understandably being a Peach Ale, it has heaps of peaches, with notes of marzipan, malt and a lacing of hops that is discernable, but not overwhelming on the nostrils. 

Colour: A cross between dark gold and amber, with a one finger off-white head.

Flavour: The taste of Peaches are immedietely apparent on first sip, and linger in the foreground for a while, there is a slight residual sweetness coming though the malty notes. The background bitterness gradually becomes more noticeable until it takes over, and the peach element is gradually pushed away. The mouthfeel is smooth, yet biscuity, it is medium bodied, though verging on dry.

Verdict: An unremarkable gimmick of a beer. The promise of abundant flavours and aromas of Peaches are quietly put aside, and gradually it becomes a thin tasting, session level bitter with some roasted malt notes and a lingering bitterness. Its as if the brewers were too embarressed to label this as a fruit beer, so they did their best to disguise this by restricting the amount of Peaches in the brewing process. Ironically this is the only thing they've managed to achieve with this waste of an ale. 

Rating: 4/10