The Curious Ales of Jekyll and Hyde

On a recent trip to Edinburgh I came across the historical pub, Deacon Brodie's Tavern. Named after a man with duel personas, Brodie was a respected cabinet maker by day and a lowly thief by night. He later became the inspiration for Scottish writer Louis Stevenson's characters Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This story's theme has influenced many things and now has been portrayed in beer. A recent collaboration between Beavertown and To Øl has produced two great beers with two very different personalities, much like their creators!

Dr Jekyll 8.1%

This pale ale is a good looking beer that pours out a clear, light Amber colour. The beer has been barrel aged in Muscat barrels which gives it a 'grapey' sweetness and the carbonation creates a light fizz reminding me of a glass of sparkling wine. Perhaps portraying Dr Jekyll's first impression as a gentleman. Another flavour that comes through is farm yard straw-like notes which is typical of Belgian styles using wild yeast, such as Brett named in this ale. Brett is often used the help create fun and unusual flavours and can sometimes occur naturally when it's not wanted. This illustrates Jekyll's battles with his inner demons and how he tries to fight Mr Hyde's appearance. It's then that your palette is hit by the tartness of the gooseberry which has an astringent mouthfeel commonly found with sour beers. My interpretation of the gooseberry's tart flavour highlights Jekyll's experimental side as a scientist and his potions leaving a sour taste in his mouth ...

Mr Hyde 13.7%

And then a monster was created with this dark imperial stout giving you a glimpse into the shadowy world of Mr Hyde. The first thing that hits you with this beer is the taste of alcohol. A second barrel aged beer, but this time in scotch soaked barrels, giving the stout a whiskey flavour. Another nod to Hyde's Scottish roots. The whiskey notes give you a warming sensation when drinking the beer which is complimented by the malty hot chocolate flavours. Roasted coffee is also present within the flavour profile of this beer however I felt it was a bit lost by a harsh alcohol burn. I feel this illustrates Hyde's overbearing presence in Jekyll's life, always wanting to break out to be destructive. Although the pour of this stout is fairly thick and glossy the mouthfeel was more watery than I expected. Don't be fooled by this though, you probably want to sip at this style of beer!

Although the Hyde Imperial Stout was not to my taste I can appreciate how it would be a great after dinner drink. I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two different styles of beer and how they matched the personalities of their namesake characters. I particularly like the flavour breakdown of the Jekyll Pale however both drinks have complex flavour structures. This duo is definitely worth a try for anyone, the only question is:

                                                          are you Team Jekyll or Team Hyde ....!

Joining the dark side

Since starting to drink beer I have found that I prefer to stick to the lighter coloured ales but earlier this month I found myself trying a milk stout at the CAMRA Bristol Beer Festival. The milk stout in question was by Crane who, by their own admission, are a small company but big on flavour. My only experience with stout is a Guinness I tried in Dublin. On the first taste I noticed the mouthfeel of the beer was fairly thin and the taste was quite bitter for me. Although I managed my first pint I needed to add blackcurrant juice to my next drinks orders. I thought all stouts would be like this as Guinness is one of the market leaders - and this did put me off. Putting that experience aside I was encouraged to give the milk stout a try and I was so glad that I did. This beer was nothing like what I was expecting. It was slightly sweet as well as creamy from the lactose and left a lasting coating over my tongue as the body was much thicker. I was surprised at how drinkable this stout was and how much I enjoyed it - definitely one of my favourites from the whole festival!

I'd been tweeting my beers that evening and noticed that Crane had messaged me recommending I try their CAKE stout. As it happened on my way home from the beer festival I came across a bottle which I opened up the next evening.

The pour of the CAKE stout is like nothing I'd ever seen before in beer. The texture was thick like pouring melted chocolate. The appearance was dark and glossy with a solid foam on top. After being recommended this beer by Crane I was excited to give it a try and the first taste was like a gooey chocolate heaven. It was sweet with vanilla notes but with just the right amount of bitterness to balance the flavour. I think that this beer has been given the perfect name as I felt as if I was eating a molten chocolate lava cake!

Considering I've always been a pale ale kind of girl I have been really surprised by how good stouts have become since my first encounter. The introduction of new infused flavours gives them wider appeal to new and current beer enthusiasts. I never thought I would be a fan of the stout but I feel I have been converted. Since then I have actively tried more stout beers and have found a few favourites.

For anyone who is nervous about trying a stout - try a milk stout first. You never know, you may really like it!

Sage what?!

When you think of typical flavours in beers first thoughts are hoppy, malty or bitter with a wide spectrum of different aftertastes such as spicy, coffee, fruity etc. I have tried quite a few different flavour infused beers however had yet to try one infused with sage leaves. So when we saw the Wild Sage Saison 7.2% by Colorado on keg at Colonna & Hunter, Bath, I was really interested in giving it a go.

First impressions of this saison are that it has a nice pale golden colour with a hint of craft haze. On smelling the beer I was hit with the savoury scents of a roast pork dinner which left me salivating for a taste. Sage is the dominant flavour when you try this saison which I expected as it's quite a strong herb. Lemon cuts through the savoury flavour which lifts the beer overall and the sour aftertaste reminded me of a cloudy lemonade. The freshness of this beer highlights the farmhouse style flavours, making it an easy drink.

Although the flavour is strong this is a very drinkable beer and I couldn't help going back for another sip. The balance of flavours within this beer has been well brewed to ensure that the sage does not overpower the fresher notes. This sage saison is going to taste great with pork dishes - well this is a tried and tested classic! However whilst sitting at the bar I know I'm ordering this beer with a side of pork scratchings.

Neapolitan Ales

Vanilla, Chocolate and erm .... Cloudberry?! These are the ice cream flavours that have inspired three creations by a Buxton Brewery and Omnipollo collaboration. After the success of the Yellow Belly Imperial Stout there is much excitement around this trio of ice cream ales. We were disappointed to have missed tasting these at Beavertown's recent 4th birthday event due to early sell out, but we did overhear good things. Luckily we had a second chance and where better to taste these beers then to go to one half of the source - the Buxton Tap House! 

First of all we tried the Ice Cream Pale 5.6%. The colour is true to its name as it was pale in appearance with a craft haze. The taste is just like a soft serve vanilla ice cream. If, like me, you have a sweet tooth then you will not be disappointed in the flavour of this beer. There are some hoppy notes that you'd expect from a pale ale however they did not over power the vanilla flavour or the sweetness. The texture was slightly creamy from the addition of lactose during brewing, leaving a lasting thin coating over your tongue. I'd have happily drank this all afternoon but there were more beers to try! 

Next up was the Cloudberry Ice Cream IPA 7.2%. This was the Swedish Omnipolo twist to the traditional Neapolitan by changing strawberry to cloudberry. I wasn't sure what to expect after ordering this considering I'd not heard of a cloudberry before but was interested to give it a go. Again there was a creamy, sweet smell to this beer, much like the Pale Ale. On tasting the IPA there was a soft sour flavour of the Cloudberry fruit which made me keep going back for more. The hops are much more detectable in this beer so the bitterness takes a step up. Usually IPA's leave me with a soapy after taste however the balance of the sweet, sour and bitterness flavours work really well together giving this beer a rounded finish. The Cloudberry IPA has some similarities to the Pale Ale which made it a nice beer to follow on to and the sourness helped clean the palate, ready for the next beer. 

Lastly was the Chocolate Ice Cream Brown Ale 6.2%. As you would expect this beer was much darker in colour than the previous two. On the nose there is no mistaking that this was definitely chocolate. Having tried other chocolate styled beers that hadn't quite lived up to expectation I was excited to find out exactly what this tasted like. I wasn't disappointed as a luxurious chocolatey taste coated my tongue. There's a lingering after taste, which at first I thought was coffee, however as the flavour developed the bitterness takes on that of a rich dark chocolate. Overall the experience of this beer reminded me of that last sip of the rich, bitter, chocolatey liquid in the bottom of a hot chocolate.

So the final verdict on these three ales: I was really surprised how much like ice cream these beers were so they really delivered on expectations. We decided to have these beers in order of colour but because they are linked by similar creamy flavours I think you could choose to drink them in any combination. There's also a flavour for everyone! I'd never tried beers like this before and after drinking all three I don't think I could single out a favourite. These ales would be lovely to drink in the summer but even with it raining heavily outside I still felt transported to a warm summer's day. 

Whilst in the Buxton Tap House we noticed a member of staff bringing in a slush ice machine. I'd already heard about bars serving these beers topped with iced vanilla pale ale so we waited in for the slush to be ready. After waiting all afternoon and into the early evening it was finally ready. I'd never been more excited as I watched the bar staff pour chilled slush onto my second pale ale. This was super thick, creamy and the vanilla flavour did not disappear under the frozen top. The novelty also added to the drinking experience, like drinking an alcoholic ice cream float. If you ever get the chance I highly recommend having one!