Newmans Last Lion of Britain

Another from the Caerphilly based brewery Newmans, which I've reviewed here before and mused upon here also.

Its a 330ml bottle, and I suppose comes into the ESB category as its 5%, nice label too.

You can see the carbonation in the photo, and the red brown colouring.
It had an aroma of sweetness, sugar sweetness but also a malty caramel sweetness. Is that right? perhaps not, but sweet full stop.
Sweet but dry, medium body, the alcohol comes through, caramel again in buckets, and a spicy bitterness resides.

Fairly standard ESB, nothing exciting though.

Celt Experience 'Dark-Age'

The Celt Experience are a brewery based in Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan, also the home of Newmans. I'm not sure of the relationship between the two, it seems that Celt are an off shoot focusing on organic ales inspired by Celtic history. 

Each bottle I've bought has a little historical statement, this one says
"This beers name comes from the Dark age. Folklore has highlighted many stories of Celtic warriors and kings that waged successful battles against the intruding Anglo-Saxons. None more than King Arthur, who legend has it, fought in 12 battles in the late 5th and early 6th century."
Each bottle is also very well presented, several awards for them have been won and rightly so.



Dark Age, 500mls, 4%,  not bottle conditioned.


Labelled as a full bodied Welsh dark beer, it looks like a mild, smells and tastes like a mild, and a very good mild at that.
 
Aroma was muted but thats because I have a cold, but certainly roasted coffee and chocolate.
Nice ruby colouring through the darkness. Lovely and smooth, light burnt coffee and chocolate, but not to dark or strong. A little fruit sweetness and light brown sugar. Understated hop bitterness comes through, light carbonation, with a small creamy head all the way down the glass.

I would love to know who the brewers are at the two previously mentioned breweries, is there a difference or is it the same people? I ask because the Celt bottles I have had in the past are generally quite good, this Dark-Age a case in point, where as the Newman beers, (granted I've only had four), but they have not been as impressive.

Newmans Red Stag Bitter

A couple of sundays ago we had been out for most of the day, got back and I had to crack on with a chicken roast post haste. I was absolutely parched though and grabbed something quickly to sate my thirst while i got a-peeling.

I have had a couple of Newman's beers on draft before, okay but nothing special, and one bottled beer which was the Cave Bear stout which followed that trend also.

Red Stag bitter is 3.6% abv, 330mls.
The colour was a nice red amber, aroma of fruit and malt, little bits of toffee sweetness.
 Solid malt backbone, reasonable body, a little over sweet with caramel but countered by a good bitterness.


Perhaps it was the thirst I had, it probably was one of those 'right time right beer' moments but this went down a treat that afternoon.

I suspect that if tried it again I would be a bit 'meh' and really overall its a good standard bitter.

a year on......

and i'm still going. Happy 1st Birthday to me, Cheers!!!

Yes its been a year since I started this blog, mainly as a personal record of the beers i'm trying, but its also great to get feedback and opinion from others reading and drinking the same beers.

I was hoping to get a special bottle for tonight but in the end was unable to get it together to get any  Cantillon in, which is what i was hoping for. So in the end I thought I'd better stick to the title of the blog and go for some stouts.

I started with Hook Nortons Double Stout. 500mls, 4.8% and bottle conditioned.
The information on the label states it is brewed to a 100 year old recipe, and expect a smooth and full bodied beer.

It has a dark earthy and coffee aroma, very enticing indeed. Colour is black with dark ruby red edges., lovely creamy light brown head.

It has a nice medium body, with coffee, bitter hops that are quite noticeable, burnt undertones, and roasted malts. Lovely chocolate sweetness throughout.

Very enjoyable and a good start to the evening.

 



 Next was the Cream Stout from the St. Peter's Brewery, a recent addition to supermarket shelves here.

Lovely light green bottle, presentation is nailed by this company, 6.5% abv, 500mls.

It poured in the glass a very nice very dark red/brown with creamy head. Its aroma was light but sweet with chocolate and coffee.

A nice medium body that's very drinkable, smooth chocolate, some vanilla,alcohol warmth, some spices that linger nicely.
The evening progresses nicely!





Third beer of the night is from the Welsh brewery Newmans, and its their Cave Bear stout , which is 330mls, 4.0%abv and packaged with a nice wrap around label.

Pours excitedly into the glass, well carbonated at first but calms down,  but little in the way of a head.
Aroma is roasted malts and fruit, a little coffee too.

It has a light body, see-through darkish red/brown in colour. Its quite dry, light on the coffee and chocolate, moderate bitterness too.
Overall an easy drink, too thin in the body for me, it has nice dry and earthy tones, but sits well behind in third place on tonight's drinks.