Fuller's 'Bengal Lancer' IPA

Big breweries are much maligned in beer blogs and the like, but just because a brewery is big doesn't mean it can't make interesting beer, even if far too often they don't. White Shield; 'from the makers of Carling' as the advertising slogan doesn't run,  is perhaps the most extreme example of this, but Fuller's seem to me to be one of the bigger British breweries that offer something special. Having lived most of my life north of Watford Gap it's not a brewery I'm actually that familiar with, but what beers of theirs I have tried have put many operations that espouse the virtues of their small size and flexibility as as asset to shame.

It seems to be a recurring theme of mine that when I try new IPAs I'm actually looking more for how the malt supports the hops flavours and gives the beer structure and backbone. For me far too many beers use hops rather too indiscriminately, almost forgetting that beer is a complex drink, not just a sort of one-dimensional strong hop cordial. There's plenty of leafy hop aroma, all backed up with smoky spices and that all-important biscuity malt spine. If I were to be critical, I found that there was a little too much sweetness, but I realise that's just my taste rather than a fault with the beer, some people will like it more because of that.

Celebrity endorsed, and (rather curiously) made for the Swedish market, but don't let that put you off. 5.3% abv. £1.99 from Ocado.

PS: Apparently it's vegan too, no nasty fish bits required!

Brecon 'Special Reserve' Gin

This is the other sample of Penderyn's 'other spirits' that I picked up form Wales over the summer. With more distilleries springing up over the UK seemingly every week there is a huge number of new gins hitting the market. With whisky taking such a long time to reach a level where it can even be called whisky, gin and vodka allow a faster return on an investment. Of course there is the danger that they become a route to a quick buck, an afterthought rather than something to be proud of. This is definitely not the case with Penderyn, but I am getting ahead of myself.

The gin! It's bright, clear and water-white, as you would expect. It's really fresh and floral on the nose, beautifully clean-smelling. Along with the juniper there is a citrus sweetness - tangerine aromas abound. With the addition of a touch of water the sweet fruit comes through all the more.

On the palate it's just off-dry, with smoothly integrated alcohol. The botanicals give it a bit of body, it's not so light as the vodka. There are spices as well as the citrus popping up again, from reading up on it after tasting they use orange and lemon peel, cinnamon and nutmeg, which lends it a subtle sweetness to back up the fragrant spice. I think this is a cracking gin for the price if you're a fan of a lighter style. It's not a big bruiser like some of the super-premium ones can be, there is a gentle subtlety to the use of the botanicals, and I think it's all the better for it.

40% abv. £19.80 (70cl) direct from Penderyn.

If you are a gin drinker and would like to know more about the new releases as they come out I'd highly recommend a read of The Gin Blog - no prizes for guessing what that's about.

Brecon Five Vodka

I picked this one up when I was down in Wales over the summer, knowing I'd have to stock up on the weird and wonderful before my spirits exam in November. I'm a big fan of Pendreryn whisky, so it was interesting to find out what they do with a couple of different spirits (I got the gin too).

Vodka's always a difficult one to pin down for me, but this was an excellent example of a light, delicate vodka. On the nose there's a faint whiff of smoke from somewhere, along with pleasant grainy and flour notes. It's dry, with well-integrated alcohol; which for me is always crucial, any burn and they've not done their job properly. The light to medium body complements the delicate floral and grain flavours. Everything being light means everything balances out rather nicely, right up to the clean cereal-textured finish.

If it were me I'd have allowed a little more character to come through, but then I'm not particularly a vodka drinker - it's very good, but as a recreational drink I'll stick to its big brother I think.

40% abv. £29.03 direct from Penderynn, although I picked up the miniature from Celtic Vision in Narberth, which is to all outward appearances a camera shop - see here for a bit of an explanation.

Harviestoun 'Wild Hop Gold'

This wasn't quite the first of the Sainsbury's 2012 Great British Beer Hunt beers that I tried but it was the first one that was both drinkable and not simply one of last year's entries that had been put back in the competition. Normally I wouldn't usually buy beer in clear glass for obvious reasons, but I fell foul of the 3 for £4 deal and the first bottle I had from the collection was light-struck; serves me right really.

Moving on to more positive things; Harviestoun's Wild Hop IPA was one of the highlights of last year's competition for me, and so I was looking forward to this one. On the nose it's really floral, bursting with elderflower and orange blossom aromas. What it really reminded me of was an Alsace Gewürztraminer; fruity and dry, but with loads of aromatic floral character with pink grapefruit and spices on the palate. I think this is a well-made beer but it's so different I found it a bit overpowering - I really think it would have been much better with food. Having said that this competition should be about trying different things, and just because it's not necessarily to my tastes doesn't mean it's not a good beer. I would definitely encourage people to give it a try, it's that bold in favour that might just be that it's one of those love it/hate it kind of beers.

I was at a wedding over the weekend and I got talking to someone about bold fruit flavours in new world wines popping up in some beers, and making people realise that beer really can be more interesting than just a bland commercial lager. The disappointing thing was I'd had Thai curry for dinner earlier; I should have had it with that, it would have been a brilliant match.

4.4% abv. It's part of Sainsbury's Great British Beer Hunt range for 2012. I found it in the seasonal food rather than the beer section, priced at 3 for £4 or (I think) £1.89.

Nils Oscar 'Kalasöl'

Due to life being rather busy at the moment this isn't so much a blog post as a quick tasting note - I had this bottle from Nils Oscar the other day and really enjoyed it - so here it is!

It pours a dark, burnt red. On the nose there's a touch of malt, and a metallic, almost ferrous aroma, which sounds unpleasant but actually works. There's an oiliness to the texture and the whole brew feels satisfyingly weighty, as befits the name; Kalasöl apparently means 'feast beer' which makes perfect sense in the abundance of rich malts. On the palate there's caramel and chocolate, counterbalanced with dried peel, toasty notes and nuttiness. Overall it's a really complex beer; difficult to pin down but very drinkable. This is one that's go down great with fresh pretzels and a heart-attack inducing cheese dip; it's that time of year.

5.2% abv. £2.16 from Beer Ritz. (33cl)