Here we are, my first real review. How exciting is this!? Well it is for me anyway because I get to try out completely new beer and brewery for me, whilst you are currently just sitting there staring at the screen. I am truly winning life right now.
So which brewery will I be trying I hear you ask! Well I mean you have probably already read the title so it may not come to much of a surprise that I will be testing out the Chelmsford Brewing Company, or Blueshack Beers depending on the day of the week. This is a fairly local brewery to me so the fact I have never tried of their beers before is an absolute tragedy, but one that I am more than happy to put right.
They started out in 2012 as a home project brewing beers in a little blue shack; ah I get it now. Fast forward a few years and a family project became a fully fledged brewery in Brewery Fields. Now that would be my kind of field, forget Strawberry, Brewery Fields forever.
Moving on to the actual beers now, here is my line up:
A dream trio here, covering different ends of the ale spectrum with a Bitter, American Pale Ale and finally a Dark Ale, which I am hoping will be like a supercharged Guinness.
Now, without further ado, onto the first beer: The Blueshack Bitter (3.8%)
Now before I go on I would like to point out that I am not a trained beer taster, and I am not great when it comes to identifying specific flavours, so I am hoping this blog will help me refine my pallet and get better at truly tasting the beers and identifying all the flavours within. For now though, I am just going to try my best.
Here we go then, after taking the first sip I can indeed tell you this is a bitter, my taste buds confirm that. This is very heavy on the malt, smelling and tasting a little bit like a bitter version of malted milk biscuits, which makes one wonder what it would be like to dunk one in, but alas there are none in my house, saving myself from myself on that one.
It's a lovely light bitter on all accounts, one that goes down very smoothly and certainly one that is wonderfully session-able. Certainly a great start to this beer tasting journey. Now let me just finish this up, then we can move on to the next one.
*20 minutes later*
Well I'm sure what you guys got up to in that break but I just saw two cats completely ignoring social distancing rules, but don't you worry, they have been dealt with appropriately.
Now onto the next one: Radio Wave (4.2%)
This is one that I was most looking forward to trying, everything about it screams me. It's pale, it's sessionable, and most importantly, it's got Citra hops, one of these greatest hops around. I mean they're not as good as mosaic but you know, they're up their for sure.
Now even with my seemingly limited smell detection skills, even I am getting the tropical smells of pineapple and a hint of mango. I mean whether I am meant to be getting those smells or not is a completely different story.
Once again, a very easy drinking beer, one of which I will most definitely be ordering and enjoying again. These Blueshack people really do know how to make a beer that you will just keep on drinking until you're laying on floor wondering how you got there and why on earth does the cold floor feel so good.
Now for the Darek Ale, which is the one I am apprehensive about as this is not my normal style of beer, but anyway, you know the saying, when in lockdown: Port Jackson (4%)
So which brewery will I be trying I hear you ask! Well I mean you have probably already read the title so it may not come to much of a surprise that I will be testing out the Chelmsford Brewing Company, or Blueshack Beers depending on the day of the week. This is a fairly local brewery to me so the fact I have never tried of their beers before is an absolute tragedy, but one that I am more than happy to put right.
They started out in 2012 as a home project brewing beers in a little blue shack; ah I get it now. Fast forward a few years and a family project became a fully fledged brewery in Brewery Fields. Now that would be my kind of field, forget Strawberry, Brewery Fields forever.
Moving on to the actual beers now, here is my line up:
A dream trio here, covering different ends of the ale spectrum with a Bitter, American Pale Ale and finally a Dark Ale, which I am hoping will be like a supercharged Guinness.
Now, without further ado, onto the first beer: The Blueshack Bitter (3.8%)
Now before I go on I would like to point out that I am not a trained beer taster, and I am not great when it comes to identifying specific flavours, so I am hoping this blog will help me refine my pallet and get better at truly tasting the beers and identifying all the flavours within. For now though, I am just going to try my best.
Here we go then, after taking the first sip I can indeed tell you this is a bitter, my taste buds confirm that. This is very heavy on the malt, smelling and tasting a little bit like a bitter version of malted milk biscuits, which makes one wonder what it would be like to dunk one in, but alas there are none in my house, saving myself from myself on that one.
It's a lovely light bitter on all accounts, one that goes down very smoothly and certainly one that is wonderfully session-able. Certainly a great start to this beer tasting journey. Now let me just finish this up, then we can move on to the next one.
*20 minutes later*
Well I'm sure what you guys got up to in that break but I just saw two cats completely ignoring social distancing rules, but don't you worry, they have been dealt with appropriately.
Now onto the next one: Radio Wave (4.2%)
This is one that I was most looking forward to trying, everything about it screams me. It's pale, it's sessionable, and most importantly, it's got Citra hops, one of these greatest hops around. I mean they're not as good as mosaic but you know, they're up their for sure.
Now even with my seemingly limited smell detection skills, even I am getting the tropical smells of pineapple and a hint of mango. I mean whether I am meant to be getting those smells or not is a completely different story.
Once again, a very easy drinking beer, one of which I will most definitely be ordering and enjoying again. These Blueshack people really do know how to make a beer that you will just keep on drinking until you're laying on floor wondering how you got there and why on earth does the cold floor feel so good.
Now for the Darek Ale, which is the one I am apprehensive about as this is not my normal style of beer, but anyway, you know the saying, when in lockdown: Port Jackson (4%)
First and foremost I am not traditionally a dark ale drinking. They are what I describe as a half pint drink. By which I mean you will have a half to give it a little try but would never order a full pint straight off the bat. Just a little disclaimer there if I don't seem the biggest fan of this, or indeed any other dark beer I happen to come across.
I am however, now I am getting older, learning to appreciate a Dark Ale a little bit more than I did previously. I think what normally grinds my gears are all these Porters and Stouts out there that say they are bursting with coffee and chocolate, which sounds very inviting. You then take a sip and all you taste is bitter disappointment. I mean I'm not expecting an alcoholic mocha but come on guys.
Anyway, back to the beer in question. I am pleased to announce however that this is not one of those beers. Much like Amazon, this beer delivers, however unlike the Amazon, this one delivers in a satisfying manner. I can actually taste the coffee and a hint of chocolate, which is a taste I have become very acquainted with given Easter was a little over a week ago. Top stuff Chelmsford!
So there we have it, my first rambling review of three amazing beers. I do hope this has kept you entertained for at least a little while, and if not, do let me know what I can do to improve these. I am simply writing these to have a little bit of fun whilst being locked away so please be kind.
Just want to see a quick thank you to the amazing Hoppily, a local beer-shop and delivery service for the safe delivery of these amazing beers. I will do a separate post all about them at some point, but until then, stay safe, stay indoors, love to all.
Cheers!
Chelmsford Brewing Company
Hoppily
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