De Molen - Amarillo

When it comes to the realms of barrel-aged beasts that are as dark as "The Nothing" from Neverending Story and as deeply complex as all of Steve Buscemi's facial expressions, I trust De Molen with the same level of loyalty and devotion that I would normally reserve for middle-distant family members and childhood pets. When it comes to their light stuff though... Well that's a different story. I may just have been unlucky but I've had 4, 2 were infected, 1 was flat and the last was just sad and mediocre. So it was that with much apprehension I purchased Amarillo, a Double IPA-ish (they like saying ish at the end. It gives the impression that they're not entirely sure what they're doing. I know that they do but it does somewhat plant the seed of doubt.)

It pours well (into my branded De Molen glass,) with a malted-milkshake type haze in the body and a colour that reminds me a bit of malteasers. The head is frothy, happy and fine, leaving thin but determined speckling that sticks like bathroom tile sealant. As expected there is a nice earthy aroma but, being De Molen, there is a little kick, an orange spiciness with a hint of cloves. Maybe this could be the beer that turns it all around!

Wow! I did not expect that from an IPA called "Amarillo"! Though now that I look closer I come to understand that it was dry hopped with Amarillo and that the main hops were sladek and saaz (De Molen LOVE saaz.) What this gives you is a rich, zingy, lightly sweet IPA with a candied orange afterglow. The malt in this is particularly well established, bringing in the sweetness that has a big hand in making that orange afterglow such a treat.

I think I can officially say that the tides have turned for my opinion on anything by De Molen that isn't black as pitch, though this is 9.2%, it's not a massive stretch. That all being said and all former impressions put to one side, this is a particularly charming double IPA that is refined, balanced and inexorably quaffable. Well played, chaps, well played.

Food Suggestion: Duck in any form will fit this well, especially duck a l'orange, though we no long live in the 70's so that may well not be an option anymore... Hoisin duck wrap from Waitrose? That'll do.

Drink this if you like: It is similar, in ways, to Citrus Ninja by Westbrook and Dennoginizer by Drakes, one with the citrus elements and the other in regards to its luxurious mouth feel and malt characteristics.

The Kernel - Table Beer

How have I not reviewed this yet?! In the last 2 months I've demolished over 40 330ml bottles of it and I still managed to completely miss the fact that I've not reviewed it. I guess I just never clicked that I like to review beer and that table beer is beer. Do you remember when I finally reviewed Affligem? It was after I'd demolished a case of the stuff. I'd definitely taken a good thing for granted and I'm pretty sure I've done the same again.

I think it pays testament to the beer that you can drink so many without having to think about anything much at all. Most people would say that's a bad thing. I disagree. It takes a lot of skill and a lot of craft to make something that you don't have to think about and can simply enjoy. Mass produced lagers fail because I always end up thinking "aw, why am I drinking this?!" whereas if I think anything at all when I drink table beer it is a low-pitch contented purr.

There is little out of the ordinary about Table Beer, it's a low ABV pale, often around 2.7-3.3% and uses a variety of hops that often depend on what batch you get and the flavours seem to depend on what mood the brewers were in on that day. What you will always get, however, is something that's a slightly sweet, often citrussy tasting pale with a fruity/floral aroma, light speckling and low to medium carbonation.

It is a masterclass in how to make simple beer with no airs and graces, no wish to be superior, simply a wish to exist and exist well.

Food Suggestion: Dinner. Lunch at a push.

Drink this if you like: Beer.

Thornbridge - Chiron

Ok, I think we get the general idea by now. I love Thornbridge, it's almost unhealthy how much I love Thornbridge, they can do everything, they can do big batch stuff that tastes like most brewer's small batch stuff and they make small batch stuff that tastes like the TEARS OF MIGHTY ODIN! Today I've got Chiron, bought from Bambuni in Nunhead (great place for a spot of lunch and a beer!) It's an American Pale, 5%, there's nothing entirely special about that... Or is there? ... No. However, the moment you pop the cap is when the magic starts and this pours like an absolute dream, giving 2 fingers of the whitest, softest, pillowy, head I've seen in a while. I imagine it'll leave some speckling but it's barely gone down at all, it's the perfect height, texture and colour and it sits on top of a warm amber/golden body that looks like it's going to be equal parts comforting and refreshing. I intend to put that to the test!

The smell is fresh, pronounced and hoppy, with a little hint of yeast coming through. It tastes biscuity and smooth, zingy to open and bitter to finish with little hints of liquorice, but it's the kind of beer you could session, and you'd make a conscious effort not to begrudge the hangover. It's got a good mouth feel, it's rounded and interesting; there's plenty going on but not enough to confuse or befuddle. It is beguiling and enchanting without being full-on witchcraft.

Whenever you see a review of Thornbridge from me in the future, let me sum it up for you in caveman speak:

"Ug, Drew are like Thorny Bridge. It are good. It are make Drew face do happy smile time. Ug Food pairing? Hot, dead, mammoth."

Food suggestion: ...Mammoth, what did I just say?

Drink this if you like: If you like the Westbrook guys or Sierra Nevada then you'll get a kick out of this. I imagine you'll like it if you're just generally a fan of Thornbridge too... Which you should be.

Odell - Myrcenary

Excuse the lack of actual picture. My old phone snuffed it.

I like Odell. End of review.

No, I obviously can't just leave it at that. I like Odell because they've got a certain American swagger to them, they've got an idiosyncratic style and, most importantly, they tend to make great beer. I can tell just from smelling this heavily hopped double IPA (the "i" standing for incredible in this case) that this beer is going to be right up my alley. Named for Myrcene, a component of essential oils in the hop flower, this looks to deliver big in all departments and before I even take a sip they're already half there. The aroma is intense, giving you grapefruit and mixed floral tones as well as letting you get a whiff of some of the rich malt that has to be going on in there. It's well behaved on the pour, giving a wafer thin head and a cloudy, pale, body. On top of that it packs in a 9.3 percentage, which is enough to put anyone under a table and out of commission.

The thing I really like about Odell is how they sell their beer, they don't do the whole Brewdog "better than thou" routine, they're the quiet kid with the big ideas, not the flashy guy who's obviously overcompensating. Odell are more Richie than they are The Fonz but the Fonz was uneducated and lived above a garage. Richie won Oscars... Maybe I'm getting things mixed up. Anyway...

It tastes smooth and sweet, rich and creamy, with caramel and subtle bitterness running throughout. There are punches of tropical fruit, so many punches of fruit in fact that I could mistake this for fruit punch... Frikkin' AWESOME fruit punch! It's obviously still beer but it's got so much and so little going on at the same time, it can be what you want it to be. Do you want to taste and feel the complexity of a high quality beer? Done! Feel the frikkin' rainbow of tropical jazz assault your face area! Do you want to just relax and slowly feel yourself becoming more and more drunk until you pass out and your cats start to eat you because they thought you were dead? Done! You could easily mistake this for a 5% beer and you'd be on the floor before you knew it... Also cats are dumb.

So should you buy this beer? I don't know... Do you like beer? You do?! Then hecks to the yes! Get this down you like your throat was engulfed in flame and this was some sort of soothing liquid... Which it is... Coincidence? I think not!

Food Suggestion: This makes me think of the movie Waitress... Don't ask, my girlfriend made me watch it. What it makes me think of is how this beer would go extremely well with ALL OF THOSE PIES!!! NOMNOMNOM! (Please insert further assorted netspeak that illustrates my point.)

Drink this if you like: Happiness.