Whether you’re looking for a gift to impress, something to share with loved ones, or you just have a little more time to yourself over the festive season in which to enjoy some extra beer, hopefully you’ll find something suitable in the five bigger bottles below.
Chorlton Märzen Weiße 2017
£6.70/5.6%/660ml
The first of two Berliner style beers this week, this is from Mancunian marvels Chorlton who brew this yearly and then allow the beer to age on wild yeast for a further year. Sharp and zesty on the nose, medium bodied and refreshing on the palate with a zingy sherbet fizz - that I would have to admit had me in party spirits almost immediately - before a long dry finish. I reckon this would be an excellent stand in for that Christmas morning glass of fizz with the beer lover in your life.
Bruery Terreux Frederick H
£13.10//750ml
The second Berliner is a slightly different prospect, with more obvious barrel aged notes adding depth and complexity here. An initial burst of crisp Granny Smith and tropical tang gives way to oaky, savoury and leather notes and a good dose of earthy spice alongside the sharp puckering finish.
Little Pomona The Unicorn 2016
£11.00/7.5%/750ml
Last month I mentioned that we had a visit from Little Pomona, reviewed their ‘Old Man & The Bee’ and noted that we also tasted a delicious naturally sparkling cider from them. On the day I didn’t really have my pro-tasting hat to hand and my notes amounted to the words ‘amazing’ and ‘need this to go with a cheese board’ so I’ve borrowed my colleague Roddy’s notes for a more thorough review: Soft, sweet, baked apples and on the nose with an undertone of oilcloth, the palate is off dry, medium to full bodied with good acidity and beautiful soft velvety tannins. Flavours of ripe yellow apple juice and baked apple syrup with a green – almost grassy –note in the finish. We both agree that it’s a superb cider that shows a great deal of class and we both wish that there were more to go around.
Wild Beer Beyond Modus IV
£14.20/7.7%/750ml
Every year Wild Beer take their flagship beer Modus Operandi – a Flanders Red style sour – and age it in Burgundy and Bourbon barrels, before blending it with a selection of other beers from their library and then further aging those. The end result packs a huge punch in terms of intensity and depth of flavour. Malty, earthy, vinous, with sharp berry and balsamic notes balanced by tannins from the barrel aging and a peppery spice on the finish. Usually I’m happy to drink this one all on its own, but it would also be excellent paired with beef or game.
Orkney Dark Island Reserve
£17.50/10%/750ml
My final recommendation of the week is this ever-reliable annual release from Orkney. I’m sure if you check back to roughly this time last year in the scrap book that you have fashioned of all my past columns you’ll see that I mentioned this one round about then too, but I feel it’s my duty to let you know any time that we have this dark delight on the shelves. This year I’m getting stewed fruits, Christmas Pudding, dark roast coffee, cigar box, vanilla and a little smoke alongside a whole lot more. It’s perfect companion on cold winter nights.
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