Beers Of The Year: 2010 So Far
By the end of February (yes, it was almost two weeks ago; I've been on holiday) I'd had just over a hundred beers this year. So this is a quick round-up of the best ones.
Best British Beer (Light): Dark Star Hophead Amarillo.
I absolutely loved this beer. Dark Star have been one of my favourite breweries for years and this twist on their excellent regular ale Hophead was stunning. As their January special they made a version only using Amarillo hops giving a full-on grapefruit/citrus kick to the beer. Light and extra hoppy it'd make a great quaffing ale on a summer's day but even in the depths of winter I wanted to drink it all night, and at only 3.8% I could have. Except everyone else seemed to be of the same opinion and the barrel was quickly drained.
They really, really need to brew this again. The sooner the better.
Incidentally, a couple of days after having this I had Crouch Vale's Amarillo. In the past I've been pretty keen on that, but in comparison it really didn't stand up.
Best British Beer (Dark): Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 Year Old
Definitely not a session beer this one, more a beer for sipping ensconced in a leather armchair in front of an open fire. Not that I did that, since I was drinking in The Rake, where the addition of such fripperies would probably mean they could only get two customers in at a time.
The range of Ola Dubh beers, dark and aged in Highland Park whisky casks (there's a range depending on the age of the whisky) have been around in bottles for a few years now but I've not got around to trying them. This year The Rake's had two of them on draught, which is the sort of rarity that turns up there. Both of them were claimed to be in the double digits when it comes to strength, as opposed to the mere 8% of the bottled version.
Dark, smoky, roasted flavours with a hint of whisky. Really very good. If you've had BrewDog's Paradox (and if not, why not?) you'll have an idea, though the underlying beer is less "stout" than the 'Dog's.
Best Foreign Beer: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
I've been hearing about this US brewery for a while but only recently has their stuff been becoming available over here. This is another "leather armchair" beer; a 12% brown ale aged in wood from a special Paraguayan tree. That seems to be the sort of thing this brewery does.
But if it means they end up with beers like this then that's fine by me. Rich and malty with vanilla and packed with flavours. I shall be getting more of this one, even if it's pretty pricey.
Best Brewery (British): Dark Star
Always a strong contender and I reckon my top three for the last couple of years have been them, BrewDog and Thornbridge. So far I've not had any Thornbridge this year (which needs rectifying), and nothing new and exciting from BrewDog (though still some bloody fine beer obviously). So given that, the joy that is Hophead Amarillo, the very fine February special, Six Hop, and the many other beers I've had from them so far this year then they've got the lead. For now.
Best Brewery (Foreign): Mikkeller
I've had half a dozen beers from this roving Danish brewer this year and they've all been belters. Four single hop IPAs, the same recipe but each showcasing a different hop's individual flavours, and a couple of Belgian style brews. I should really go and buy some more.
So, there you go. Interestingly (well it is to me) all the three favourite beers are new to me. Not sure if that means anything or not.
Best British Beer (Light): Dark Star Hophead Amarillo.
I absolutely loved this beer. Dark Star have been one of my favourite breweries for years and this twist on their excellent regular ale Hophead was stunning. As their January special they made a version only using Amarillo hops giving a full-on grapefruit/citrus kick to the beer. Light and extra hoppy it'd make a great quaffing ale on a summer's day but even in the depths of winter I wanted to drink it all night, and at only 3.8% I could have. Except everyone else seemed to be of the same opinion and the barrel was quickly drained.
They really, really need to brew this again. The sooner the better.
Incidentally, a couple of days after having this I had Crouch Vale's Amarillo. In the past I've been pretty keen on that, but in comparison it really didn't stand up.
Best British Beer (Dark): Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 Year Old
Definitely not a session beer this one, more a beer for sipping ensconced in a leather armchair in front of an open fire. Not that I did that, since I was drinking in The Rake, where the addition of such fripperies would probably mean they could only get two customers in at a time.
The range of Ola Dubh beers, dark and aged in Highland Park whisky casks (there's a range depending on the age of the whisky) have been around in bottles for a few years now but I've not got around to trying them. This year The Rake's had two of them on draught, which is the sort of rarity that turns up there. Both of them were claimed to be in the double digits when it comes to strength, as opposed to the mere 8% of the bottled version.
Dark, smoky, roasted flavours with a hint of whisky. Really very good. If you've had BrewDog's Paradox (and if not, why not?) you'll have an idea, though the underlying beer is less "stout" than the 'Dog's.
Best Foreign Beer: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
I've been hearing about this US brewery for a while but only recently has their stuff been becoming available over here. This is another "leather armchair" beer; a 12% brown ale aged in wood from a special Paraguayan tree. That seems to be the sort of thing this brewery does.
But if it means they end up with beers like this then that's fine by me. Rich and malty with vanilla and packed with flavours. I shall be getting more of this one, even if it's pretty pricey.
Best Brewery (British): Dark Star
Always a strong contender and I reckon my top three for the last couple of years have been them, BrewDog and Thornbridge. So far I've not had any Thornbridge this year (which needs rectifying), and nothing new and exciting from BrewDog (though still some bloody fine beer obviously). So given that, the joy that is Hophead Amarillo, the very fine February special, Six Hop, and the many other beers I've had from them so far this year then they've got the lead. For now.
Best Brewery (Foreign): Mikkeller
I've had half a dozen beers from this roving Danish brewer this year and they've all been belters. Four single hop IPAs, the same recipe but each showcasing a different hop's individual flavours, and a couple of Belgian style brews. I should really go and buy some more.
So, there you go. Interestingly (well it is to me) all the three favourite beers are new to me. Not sure if that means anything or not.