The Rebel Brewing Company - Triple Review!

A set of 7 beers from The Rebel Brewing Company of Penryn, Cornwall came into the shop recently and I snagged 3 to test. I picked the golden ale, the scotch ale and the black lager, because I too am a rebel, and rebels drink beer that doesn't look like how people imagine it should. I feel like a badass today.


Cornish Sunset 4%

A lively beast that better resembles the foam of the seas crashing against Cornish sand than it does a Cornish sunset. The colour is a darker gold, bordering on murky brown and the pour produces a whole load of head, this is one you've got to be a bit patient with, there is a light banana aroma, which (mixed with the VERY lively head) makes me suspect that this may be infected. Not to say I don't like the smell of bananas, but these sure are tell tale signs.

The light banana aroma translates into an equally light banana taste that hits right from the off and slowly peters away. It does have a nice round body and I do get the impression that I've stumbled upon the beerquivalent (beer equivalent) of banana milk. The wheat is very prominent and gives the whole thing a lovely softness. It doesn't taste infected but the tasting notes say this should taste of mandarin and other types of citrus... It very much doesn't.

Not entirely unpleasant but I don't know what they were tasting when they made that label. Whatever it is, I want to try some of that! As it is I have a KINDA decent golden ale, nothing I'd go out of my way to have again but it sure is KINDA decent.

Food Suggestion: Lovely cake or lovely bread, maybe even both... Greedy guts!

Drink this if you like: Well banana bread beer is somewhat close. This could also work as an entry level for wheat beers.


Bullhorn Black Lager 4.9%

Well this seems more like it, maybe we can just chalk the last one up as a spot of bad luck so that we can all get on with our lives. The pour is restrained and gives a pencil thin cola head from its relatively low carbonation. It seems to do what it says on the bottle, completely ignoring the picture of a snail, because it's black and it looks light and refreshing at the same time. A check for presentation, not a check plus, but a check nonetheless.

The smell is interesting, giving off hints of smoked malt and evidence of roasty toastiness. The body is as refreshing and as drinkable as you would expect a black lager to be and it tastes sweet and smooth, with light berry notes at the end and a little bit of roasted malt coming through in the middle and a lingering sweet aftertaste that makes you want to go in for more.

This has definitely made up for the shortcomings of Cornish Sunset. Now I'm a little excited about my last one!

Food suggestion: I love black lagers with Chinese food and this is no exception!

Drink this if you like: Asahi Black.


Eighty Shilling 5%

A dark scotch ale, maybe that'll be the beer that brings it back for Rebel Brewing Co. maybe this 5% dark scotch ale will be a real winner and it'll mean that all of their beers average out to a C or C+. The pour is encouraging, a dark, shadowy character with a strong 2 finger head that isn't afraid to stick around, regardless of how awkward the word HEAD may make you feel.

The smell, however, is a bit lack lustre. I normally expect scotch ales to smash me in the face with a strong whisky aroma, whereas the aroma here is just the lingering thoughts of whisky, the ghost of whiskies past. Maybe it'll taste awesome though, right?

Well, it sure is dark... And that's where their labels stop telling the truth. This is, at best, a watery porter with a slight whisky aroma. At worst, it is the disappointing end to a disappointing run of simply sub-par beers which ranged from mediocre to INFECTED.

A colleague of mine had a different 3 to try and he told me that one of his was quite violently infected. Why would a brewery send infected beer to prospective buyers? Their name seems to be rather appropriate now that I come to think of it, they're rebels against a great deal of things, flavour and proper sterilisation being at the top of the list.

Food suggestion: Don't eat anything with this. Don't drink this. Drink something else.

Drink this if you like: Sadness and when cute puppies die.


(As a side note, of the 3 bottles I had, just over half went down the drain. These guys need to step up and spend a bit more time on their brewing and a little less time making cool labels.)