Clown Shoes – Space Cake Double IPA

Clown Shoes – Space Cake Double IPA

Space Cake pours a clear darkish amber colour, the head is off white with a 10mm head that slowly dissipates to leave a thin foamy head with heavy lacing around the glass.

Has a barley wine style aroma with a heavy nose of fruity sweetness – lemon, mango, pine – from the hops and caramel.

Big hop bitterness to this brew, not overly sweet, with malty caramel flavoured backbone again with that barley wine style coming through in the flavour.

With all of the Clown Shoes brews their art work on their labels are always standouts and on this bottle it’s no different. What’s written on the bottle describes it well – “Why are Miracle Mike and his dog, Bionic, being chased by many evil laser beam shooting cupcakes and two giant layer cake mother ships? Because we’re straight lunatic fools? Well, maybe, but with a few brains cells remaining we managed to craft Space Cake double IPA, utilizing citrusy Mosaic hops and an immaculate West Coast style malt backbone. Dude… Chill out. Enjoy some Space Cake.”

Space Cake

A warming full bodied brew that you can definitely feel the 9.0% ABV when getting to the end of this 650ml Double IPA bottle. No more reviews tonight as some people have to work tomorrow! Me included! Another cracker brew from Clown Shoes.

ABV – 9.0%
Style – Double IPA
Sourced from – The Vine Liquor Mart Cleveland
Brewery – Clown Shoes Beer
Nationality – Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA

BrewDog – Dead Pony Club

BrewDog – Dead Pony Club

Slightly hazy amber colour with nice carbonation and head retention in the glass. The aroma hits you straight from the bottle when pouring, the fruity citrus smell of pine, passion fruit, lemon and grapefruit sweetness radiates from this low alcohol hop driven beer.

Come across as a full strength pale ale with nice flavours, starting with sweet malts then followed by the fruitiness of the hops and modest bitterness.

Overall a great low alcohol beer, very sessional with good flavours.

ABV – 3.8%
Style – American Pale Ale
Sourced from – The Wine Emporium
Brewery – BrewDog

4 Pines Keller Door – Imperial India Brown Ale

4 Pines Keller Door Imperial India Brown Ale

What do you know this brown ale pours a dark brown with a tan head that drops away to a fine ring around the glass edge. This Ale has a sweet citrus (lemon/grapefruit) aroma which is quite moreish to the nose. To taste it has a bold bitterness to it, with a good use of hops and malt. The roasted malts produce a nice caramel nutty flavour to go with the hoppy tastes of pine and citrus.

Great brown ale, smooth with a good hit of alcohol. A quality release from 4 Pines limited release dept – Keller Door.

ABV – 8.0%
Style – Brown Ale
Sourced from – The Vine Liquor Mart Cleveland
Brewery – 4 Pines Brewing Co.

Bridge Road Brewers – The Harvest Fresh Hop Ale 2014

Bridge Road Brewers – The Harvest Fresh Hop Ale 2014

In the glass (using a Spiegelau IPA glass from Bridge Road) this beer is a clear golden colour with a light white head. Has a beautiful sweet strong hoppy aroma, a nice choice of 2 new hops gives this blend a fruity nose. This ale has a real bitter finish and not overly flavorsome although some fruitiness is evident. Still a smooth drinking beer that I’d have again, maybe from on tap!

ABV – 4.4%
Style – American Pale Ale
Sourced from – The Vine Liquor Mart Cleveland
Brewery – Bridge Road Brewers

Temple Brewing Co – Anytime IPA

Temple Brewing Co – Anytime IPA

This IPA pours a golden amber colour with a large tan head that settles down. Has a real sweet flowery citrus aroma from the use of ½ dozen or so hops. The hops make this beer well bittered, could probably do with a heavier hit of flavouring hops. Although there are sweet flavours to this beer, malty and hints of citrus.

Medium to light bodied beer. Not a heavily hopped IPA, but then again it’s been made to be a sessional drinker or as the name says – Anytime IPA!

ABV – 4.7%
Style – IPA
Sourced from – The Wine Emporium

Brewery – Temple Brewing Co

Feral Brewpub Series Hopfen Fahrt

Hopfen Fahrt

Feral Brewing’s latest limited release in their “Brewpub Series” pours a slightly hazy golden colour with a fluffy white head that hangs about. A dose of German hops gives a fruity, floral aroma. Got a good nose to this beer. Taste is unique; it has a bitter finish with citrus flavours and a sweet aftertaste.

Great beer!

ABV – 6.5%
Style – German IPA
Sourced from – The Wine Emporium
Brewery – Feral Brewing Co.

White Rabbit – Belgian style Pale Ale

White Rabbit Pale Ale

Pours a darkish golden colour with a white head and a well carbonated beer. This beer is Belgian all over both in the aromas and flavour with the yeast standing out. The malts and hops are a balanced combination and a different style to go with their Dark & White Ales (and I’d buy their Dark & White Ale’s again over this one) by the little brother brewery of Little Creatures.

Only released on this week!

ABV – 4.9%
Style – Belgian style Pale Ale
Sourced – The Vine Liquor Mart Cleveland
Brewery – White Rabbit

Update 12/9/2014 – I tried this recently on tap from the Little Creatures Dining Hall and it certainly improved my opinion of this beer.

BrewCult Magic Rock Brewing – Salt Dick IPA

Salt Dick IPA

A collaboration beer between the two breweries, this beer pours a cloudy golden colour with a white bubbly head that sticks around. It has a tropical citrus aroma due to the use of the UK Pilgrim hops and the new Aussie Enigma hops. It has a nice flavour balance of malt and hops, not overly bitter (not heavily hopped). Quite a sessional ale with a sweet lingering aftertaste.

A unique name for a beer – nothing phallic – it’s actually an Afrikaners term (in this case) for someone (or something)  that has one foot (brewer) in the UK and the other foot (brewer) in South Africa (Australia) and their dick dangling in the ocean.  Fortunately the bottles artwork doesn’t show the third leg!

ABV – 6.0%
Style – India Pale Ale (IPA)
Sourced from – The Wine Emporium
Brewery – BrewCult

Thomas Cooper’s Selection Celebration Ale

Cooper’s Celebration Ale

Twist Top! Pours a cloudy copper colour with a short lasting head, although well carbonated as you’d expect from this established brewery. The malt aromas come through more than the fruity hops scent. Has a mild malty sweetness, and a slight fruity hop bitterness.

Not a bad beer, but I prefer a beer with more flavour and heavier hopped.

ABV 5.2%
Sourced from – The Vine Liquor Mart Cleveland
Brewery – Coopers Brewery

Dogfish Head Brewery Indian Brown Ale

Dogfish Head Brewery Indian Brown Ale

This beer comes from a unique US brewery in Delaware as one of their year round brews. One of my favourite US breweries even though this is only the second beer I’ve tried of theirs (with two more in the kegerator). It was their TV series Brew Masters for me that did it, which showed the extent that brewer Sam Calagione went to brew unique quality beers.

This Indian Brown Ale pours a very dark brown reddish almost black colour with a creamy head that reduces down to leave a foam ring around the glass edge. The roasted malts give a sweet chocolate caramel aroma and that continues on into the taste with hints of sweetness of brown sugar with fruity hops. A full bodied beer with a smooth mouthfeel.

A quality dark beer full of flavour.

ABV 7.2%
Sourced from – Queensplaza Wine & Beer
Brewery – Dogfish Head Brewery