Beer Review: Orkney Puffin Ale

Name: Puffin Ale 

Brewery: Orkney 

ABV: 4.5%

Style: Bitter 

Location: Stromness, Orkney

Aroma: Malty, tart, a mild hedgerow fruitiness, some hints of blackcurrant

Colour: A deep brown colour, with a one finger off white head.

Taste: Profundly bitter, with some malt coming through, a spicy kick does come through in the background. Some dry biscuitness present, a cloying yet substantial mouthfeel. Good lacing on the glass, some hints of fruitness though not overwhelming. A good example of a best bitter if you don't mind the lack of sweetness.

Verdict: Brimming with overhwelming bitterness with a potent spiciness that gathers in the heather, ready to assault the tonsils. It has a peppery warming like feel, yet the overall dryness leaves an uncomfortable effect that lingers long after finishing the drink. It lacks a balance of flavours, as the bitter notes take centre stage, leaving any maltiness and residual sweetness floundering in the background. Although it's a relatively sessionable beer, it is not an easy one to drink with.

Rating: 6/10

Rock 'n' Roll Beers

In the CAMRA Beer Guide 2024, Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden wrote the intro for this latest edition. Dickinson has long been a supporter of CAMRA and real ale in general, his most famous claim to fame in brewing circles was when he collaborated with Robinsons in 2013, when they produced Trooper (4.7%) which was named after Iron Maiden's 1983 hit, the bottle label design even bears the same artwork as the original single. The beer has since become hugely successful, winning a slew of awards and spawning a range of beers under the Trooper banner from the likes of Trooper IPA (4.3%) to special releases such as Trooper Fear of the Dark (4.5%), Trooper Sun & Steel (4.8%) and Trooper 666 (6.6%) to name but a few. 

Although the likes of Trooper (4.7%) is the most well-known example of a UK based brewery dabbling with the music industry, there have been over examples over the years.  For instance, the band Elbow have done a number of collaborations with breweries, including the likes of Build a Rocket Boys (4%) with Robinsons in 2011, and latterly Charge (4.2%) with Marstons in 2014 respectively. The same year, Wychwood collaborated with Status Quo, to produce Piledriver (4.3%), which was named after their classic 1972 album. Meanwhile, in 2015, New Order teamed up with Moorhouse to produce Stray Dog (4.2%), named after a track from their new album Music Complete, perhaps an unusual form of promotion. Occasionally, bands have gone out their way to produce a range of beers, such as when Madness teamed up with Portobello Brewery Co. to produce several beers under the name Madness Brewing Co., producing a range of beers inspired their songs and albums, such as Lovestruck (4.4%) a ruby ale named after their 1999 hit single, Night Boat (4.6%) a porter named after their catchy instrumental 'Night Boat to Cairo', Absolutely (4.2%) a pale ale named after their iconic 1980 album of the same name and Gladness (4.2%), a lager which is derived from a lyric from their lesser known song 'Madness'. Moreover, Signature Brew set up their brewery with unique business concept of producing high quality beers for live music events, they have also frequently collaborated with bands, closely involving them in the development process. Such as Nice Time (3.9%) with The Skints in 2017, which was successful enough that the band took the beer on tour later that year, subsequently in 2018 they produced Mogwai Beer Satan (5.2%), with Mogwai, a wry take on the band’s seminal 16-minute track ‘Mogwai Fear Satan’, and more recently in 2020, Bell’s End (5.2%) a Christmas themed brew developed with The Darkness inspired by a lyric from the band's festive hit 'Christmas Time - Don't Let the Bell's End'. Understandably, the brewery has gained plaudits for their inventive efforts, including SIBA Business of the Year 2018 for instance. 

Occasionally, there are breweries out there who have named a number of their beers after hit songs. Liverpool based brewery Rock the Boat have named some of their beers after a number of 60's songs, including the likes of Waterloo Sunset (4.2%), Yellow Submarine (3.9%) and Sittin' on the Dock (3.5%). Meanwhile, Hartlepool based brewer Crafty Monkey, have named all their releases from iconic songs and groups that have inspired them. Their very first release New Era (4.7%) in 2018, was derived from the song Dawning of a New Era by The Specials, due to the symbolism of the subject matter. Since then, they have trawled around their record collection of 1980's era songs for further inspiration, with beers like Cemetery Gates (4.8%), a smoked porter named after the Smiths hit 1986 release of (nearly) the same name; New Gold Dream (4.1%) which was named after The Simple Minds album; and in late 2022, they even released a Christmas themed beer named Fairytale of New York (5%) a plum porter inspired the Pogues iconic Christmas hit from 1987. Occasionally, brewers have even gone to the lengths of producing a pun induced titles of famous songs, for instance last year Thames Side Brewery based in Henley-on-Thames released Don't Fear the Neipa (5%), a New England style IPA named the song 'Don't Fear the Reaper' by southern rockers Blue Oyster Cult. Or, the instance when stateside brewer Fulton Brewery named their release Sweet Child of Vine (6.4%), an English style IPA after Guns & Roses iconic anthem 'Sweet Child of Mine'. 

Around the world, a number of bands and artists have teamed up with breweries including the likes of Queen, Kiss, Frank Turner, The Rifles, Elbow, Super Furry Animals and Elbow, there's enough examples to fill up a decent roster for a typical episode of 'Later with Jools Holland'. Yet, aside from the likes of Trooper (4.7%) which is widely sold in supermarkets and shops around the UK, you will seldom find these types of beers on the shelves, and they are typically hard to come by, as the instances of breweries colloborating with bands is comparatively small, and they tend to be a limited release basis. However if you happen to find one of these beers in a pub, beer festival or bottle shop, why not take a copy and add it to your growing record collection of rock 'n' roll beers. 

Beer Review: Gadd's No.5

Name: No.5 

Brewery: Gadd's

ABV: 4.4%

Style: Best Bitter

Location: Broadstairs, Kent

Aroma: Rather fruity, with a mild hint of caramel coming through in the background.

Colour: Dark amber with a thin off-white head that quickly recedes when poured.

Taste: A balanced bitterness with a background of berry fruitness. There are some roasted notes from the malt, which are aided by the gentle hoppiness from the use of Kentish Hops which helps gives its distinct flavour profile. The beer has a creamy mouthfeel and has some depth to it, making a tad on the heavy side, despite its low ABV.

Verdict: A pleasant Kentish style Bitter that delivers on its promise. The flavours are well balanced, the malty, bitter and roasted malt notes are offset by the background of fruity sweetness which helps add to the general drinking experience. The mouthfeel helps make it easy to drink, although its not one to drink in too much of a hurry. The flavours are typical of a traditional best bitter, yet due to the choice of hops used, they are not distinct enough to give it a distinct sense of character, to make it stand out from its contemporaries. 

Rating: 7/10

Pub Guides: Tapping the Admiral, Kentish Town

Address: 77 Castle Road, Kentish Town, London, NW1 8SU

 

Opening Hours: Noon – 11pm (Sun-Tue), Noon – Midnight (Wed-Sat).

 

Tel: 0207 267 6118

Kentish Town is well known for its extensive array of pubs to choose from, and a good number of them offer real ale and feature historical architecture dating back to the 19th century. Most of these pubs however tend to be around the high street, yet sometimes if you go around the back-streets you may find some neighbourhood gems. Over by the railway arches by Castle Road is a pub that has stood there for many years and has served generations of customers through its doors, its by definition alone a quintessential local. Tapping the Admiral has resided in the area for nearly 175 years, built on the site the former Castle Tavern, the current building was constructed after the original was pulled down in the 1850’s to make way for the development of Castle Road and nearby Lewis Street. A new pub was soon constructed in its place and was named the Trafalgar, in honour of its famous customer Horatio Nelson who used to visit the location when it was known as the Castle Tavern with his uncle William Suckling. The pub has gone through a number of names over time from the likes of Tavern Inn the Town, Fuzzock & Firkin and the Trafalgar Tavern, its current name (Tapping the Admiral) is in tribute to the historical incident in 1805 following Nelson’s death at the Battle of Trafalgar when his body was stored in a barrel of brandy during the journey back to England, rumour has it that the crew of the HMS Victory tapped the barrel and drew brandy from it, to toast to their fallen Admiral, hence the moniker ‘Tapping the Admiral’ which grew out of this supposed legend. 

Many of the original Victorian era fixtures remain, such as the oak panelled l-shaped bar, Regency style fireplace, mirrored pillars and an ornate oak gantry above the bar that displays a large collection of pump clips from various beers the pub has served over the years. Like most pubs dating from this era, it has since been renovated, the three original entrances have been reduced to one, and the former public, saloon bar areas have been removed and opened up for a larger open-plan area; there is also a rather narrow pub garden at the back with covered seating areas, the garden shares with the tradesman entrance so it can feel a bit crowded, although most of the spent barrels are kept outside near the entrance. Inside, there is plenty of seating around, and there is also bar-stools by the bar, and another high-top counter near the bar that offers more seating, which is beneficial given that the bar can get busy at times, especially during early-evenings and weekends. There is a lack of gaming areas, although the pub hosts weekly quizzes every Wednesday, live music events and shows live sports on occasion. Meanwhile for the Brewerania specialist, this place is a cornucopia of memorabilia, there’s everything from embossed mirrors, a poster for Fuller’s beers, an original Greene-King sign, a Whitbread ornament adorned in gold, vintage posters, an advert for Truman’s Beers and Ales and a collection of bottles behind the bar all linked with a Nelson theme including the appropriately named Tapping the Admiral (4%), a commemorative ale produced by Shepherd Neame to mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005. 

Since the pub is a free house, there’s also a changing selection of real ales on offer, including 7 changing beers and 1 regular. For a good number of years, their regular beer used to be Nelson’s Whiskers (4%) named in honour of the pub’s cat, who still makes appearances now and then. But that has since been retired and has been replaced with Redemption Trinity (3%), although due to the pub’s long affiliation with CAMRA, they do offer a 30p discount for members of all EBCU organisations including CAMRA. Furthermore, the pub offers real cider which is usually limited to one or two barrels depending on the time of year, and every couple of months there is a tap takeover by a small independent brewery. There is also an extensive range of spirits available for those discerning cocktail drinkers, a small array of bottled beers and the ubiquitous selection of keg beers and lagers featuring examples from Camden Town and Redemption Brewery. A full restaurant menu is also available that includes Lunch, Small and Large Mains dishes, Burgers and a Pie selection, along with roasts served only on Sundays, although like most pubs in the local area, the food tends to be on the pricier side; on a disappointing note, there only ever seems to be one dessert regularly available, in this case Sticky Toffee Pudding with toffee sauce and ice cream. 

On the whole, this pub is shining example of what a great pub should be, as it offers a great range of real ales and ciders, which always change weekly so you never know what to expect. This pub is often busy with customers, and is easy to see why it has been voted four times winner of the CAMRA North London Branch Pub of the Year (2013, 2015, 2018 and 2023 respectively). Moreover, it has featured in the CAMRA Beer guide for a good number of years and is a member of their LOCale scheme which helps champion and promote beers from affiliated London based breweries. Furthermore, due to its status as a revered local landmark, in 2016 it was listed as an Asset of Community Value, which was renewed again in 2021, hopefully at one point soon this pub will become a listed building. Overall, this pub is quintessential local boozer, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the nearby Kentish Town Road. This place is perfect to a sample a quiet pint or two, read a paper or watch the world go by, so if you happen to be area and can’t work out which pub to choose from, then this place is the perfect choice.

Beer Review: Magpie Cherry Raven

Name: Cherry Raven

Brewery: Magpie

ABV 4.4%

Style: Fruit Beer (Stout)

Location: Nottingham, Notts

Aroma: Overwhelming scent of cherries immedietely noticeable, hints of almond, chocolate and roasted malt are also present.

Colour: Jet black with a orangey tan coloured one finger head.

Taste: Distinct cherry flavours with a touch of almond, highly reminiscent of a Cherry Bakewell. There is some residual sweetness from the fruit, but is not overwhelming. The tartness from the cherries goes well with the roasted and toasted notes from the malt, which is quite typical for a stout.  It has a potent bitterness, with hints of chocolate and coffee coming through in the background. The creamy and smooth mouthfeel adds to the general drinking experience. 

Verdict: The use of cherries marries well with the bitter and roasted notes from the malt, without being too overwhelmingly sweet and fruity, which helps add to its distinct character. The flavours are deftly balanced, to the degree a multitude of flavourings can be detetced, there is no element here trying to outdo one another. Although it is a fruit beer by nature, much of the conventions that charecterise a stout remain.

Rating: 8/10

Beer Review: Samuel Smith's Apricot Ale

Name: Apricot Ale

Brewery: Samuel Smith

ABV: 5.1%

Style: Fruit Beer

Location: Tadcaster, North Yorkshire

Aroma: Distinct apricot aromas, golden syrup and vanilla.

Colour: Dark golden brown, on the cloudy side. One finger white head.

Taste: Sweet, fruity, distict taste of apricots that cuts through the bitterness of the beer which can be detected in the background. A creamy and cloying mouthfeel adds to the overall experience. Traces of vanilla like sweetness runs through the background, with some tartness present, but not a lot of depth and character to the flavours overall.

Rating: 7/10