Quantock Brewery Stout

Okay so i'm offically on holiday after todays shift. Yayyyyyyyyy!!!
And what a better way to start it than an award winning tasty beer.

Somerset brewery Quantock have won SIBA double gold in 2010 with this stout, a 4.5% 500mls and bottle conditioned. 
When i poured it into the glass its black, so black, hardly any hints of light at the edge when held up to the light. The head was a light milky chocolate colour, aroma - light coffee, milky coffee even, smoke, blackberry.
This has a great smooth taste, and all the elements i like in a stout - it has a good medium body, creaminess balanced with a hop bitterness. The coffee again come through, and again berry fruits, dark roast malts, black chewy licorice. Again i say balanced very well, i would imagine a judge just ticking all the boxes when considering the style of a stout. But tasty too, very drinkable.

This was totally one of those 'moment' beers that you have. Sitting here after a long day, now in the happy knowledge that a holiday has begun, tomorrow meeting old friends, a week of relaxing with beer, company and food;
whilst i sit watching tv i'm sinking into the sofa and tickling my taste buds in the best possible way, smoothly easing my way into this break. Perfect.

I would like to thank Rob from Quantock for generously providing these beers for reviews, i honestly enjoyed them all, he has a good solid range with the Royal Stag, Stout and Quantock ale for me being their standout beers. My apprehensions about reviewing free beer have dissolved, if all could be as good as these then all reviewers would have an easy job.

You can buy Quantock beers from local farmers markets, or from myBrewerytap, or West Country Ales.
Again, thank you to Rob from Quantock.

Quantock Brewery Quantock Ale

As i build up towards their award wining stout, i rounded upon the Quantock Brewery Ale, the first beer they brewed in Somerset. Its an amber bitter, 3.8% abv bottled conditioned 500mls, using a blend of Maris Otter pale malt, crystal malt and wheat malt.

 A golden colour with a small white head, a small ring that lasted down the pint. Aroma of earthy hops, roasted malt is the dominant element. Well balanced and a good weight in the mouth, this is a good example of a session bitter, its weighs in with all you expect from one, the lower abv with the full flavour, hops malt and that 'another one please' quality. The bitterness sits at the front and upper part of my mouth, whilst a dryness follows on alongside, begging to relieved by another mouthful.
Alongside the Royal Stag, this bitter is my favorite so far.
 
You can buy Quantock beers from local farmers markets, or from myBrewerytap, or West Country Ales.
Again, thank you to Rob from Quantock.

Quantock Brewery Sunraker

Seemed like an appropriate beer to have on such a glorious day, must have been the hottest of year so far. So after a day starting in Cardiff Mermaid Quay, walking the length alongside the bay to the barrage at Penarth, and catching the water bus back, a cool light refreshing beer was exactly what was needed.

Sunraker is a golden ale, described as a 'delicately hopped refreshingly light beer' on the label.
Very light gold indeed in colour, it had a small bubbly head although it didn't last to long. Aroma was flowery, grassy and a little metallic. Crisp and citric also. A light to medium body, a little oily, and i tasted earthy dry tones, a little herbal almost, some pepper?
Damn refreshing. It has again a little metallic notes, and with the dryness that all makes it seem not to dissimilar to some pilsners. Its the slight fruitiness that brings it into the golden ale camp.

I can imagine that on a hot day, pub beer garden, on cask, this would be hitting that spot just right. A sweet thought for the summer ahead i hope.

You can buy Quantock beers from local farmers markets, or from myBrewerytap, or West Country Ales.
Again, thank you to Rob from Quantock.

Quantock Royal Stag

There's an interest in deer in our house, as we often take the kids for walks at the weekend to Margam park, and one of the sights if your lucky is the wildlife.

Last time my son (4 last weekend), and I managed to creep up close enough for this shot, although one thing it made me realise was i need a better lens for the camera. Then i would have been able to get a close up on the stag on the right who stayed watching us the whole time whilst the others grazed.

Anyway tonight i had a stag in my house, and not any stag but a Royal Stag. Courtesy of Quantock Brewery   this was their 3rd beer i opened, a 6% abv traditional IPA, 500mls and bottle conditioned.

A lovely earthy and malt aroma, with fruit coming through also, orange and a touch of caramel.

The colour as you see is a red brown with white frothy head.

It is a lovely smooth beer, strong malts and fruity also, hint of orange, big fat rich oranges that you cut into quarters and suck on in a cartoon style mouth.

It has a slight dryness also, towards the end mostly, bready undertones,  but it carries a nice bitterness too. This is very enjoyable, good solid medium body, i'm sure if you gave it to an american and told them it was an IPA they would disagree, 'where are the hops' would be the reply, but they are there slowly curling round your mouth just not punching you on the nose in a baseball cap.
 I've enjoyed some good beers recently, from lots of different styles, but you can't beat this, your pint glass feels huge as you grip it and swig down another satisfying gulp.

You can buy Quantock beers from local farmers markets, or from myBrewerytap, or West Country Ales.
Again, thank you to Rob from Quantock.

Quantock Wills Neck

My second bottle courtesy of Somersets Quantock Brewery  was Wills Neck, a late hopped golden ale, bottle conditioned and 4.3% abv.

Its appearance was golden once poured, with little to no head really. With that comes a sharp malty taste, and little bits of orange, came over crisp and dry also. Finishes initially with a citrus bitterness, the late hopping i presume,  but as it went down the glass and warmed the sweet malt element was more noticeable. All of this was quite understated though, very light and gentle. This might be as once in the glass it had little carbonation which left the overall experience a little flat.
Never mind, a review of the Royal Stag to come soon, looking forward to that!

You can buy Quantock beers from local farmers markets, or from myBrewerytap, or West Country Ales.
Again, thank you to Rob from Quantock.

Quantock Brewery 'White Hind'

After enjoying the Coniston and Everards bitters recently I thought I would start with a bitter, from the bottles kindly sent to me by Rob at the Quantock Brewery , based in Somerset.
White Hind is a 4.5% abv 500ml bottle conditioned beer, its name taken from a local white hind that was eventually killed, apparently with its head being found in a stream but now adorns a village hall wall.
Lovely. Coincidentally, so is the bitter.

(Bigger picture here)
A lovely auburn brown colour, it had a small white head that left a little lacing. Aroma was a biscuity malt, with also a sharpish hop character. These both followed through in its taste, quite a punchy sharp bitterness, bracing but fresh, and the fruity sweet malt flavour stopping the dry bitterness from running away in your mouth.Everything you expect from a good bitter.

I must admit i was concerned with reviewing my first 'free' beer, what if i didn't like it?, what if it was poorly conditioned?
I'm always aiming to be honest with all beers i review, bought or gifts/free, but still there's still an element of apprehension, human nature i suppose, or is it British culture saying nice things when you don't want to hurt someone or appear ungrateful.
Thankfully neither of those eventualities occurred, i liked this beer, and i now can relax a bit more, looking forward to the others from their range.
You can buy Quantock beers from local farmers markets, or from myBrewerytap, or West Country Ales.

Quantock Brewery Beers

After a long week and a half of nights, a study day on management, and then back onto long days, one thing on Thursday had me smiling and giggling like a kid at Christmas. From Quantock Brewery in Wellington, Somerset, Rob very kindly has sent me a box of their beers to review, including their SIBA double award winning 'Quantock Stout'.
As i now have almost a weeks holiday coming up i am hoping to end each day relaxing and enjoying a new beer.
Reviews will following on:
Quantock Ale, a 3.8% amber ale
Sunraker, 4.2% golden ale
White Hind, a 4.5% bitter
Wills Neck, 4.3% late hopped golden ale
Quantock Stout 4.5% SIBA winner
Royal Stag 6.0% IPA.

Again many thanks to Rob at Quantock.

Flickr photo