This weekend saw the Winter Ales Festival held at Liverpools St George’s Hall, a rather grand venue and worthy of a post in itself at some point in the future.
Two hundred beers and ciders to sample from in the Great Hall
Cascade. Liverpool Organic Brewery. Pale Ale. 3.8%. Amber in colour, clear. A lightish beer with grapefruit citrus flavours. A nice way to start the festival.
Shipwreck. Liverpool Organic Brewery. IPA. 6.5%. Amber/gold in colour with a slight haze. Very pleasant tropical notes with an underlying sweetness. A low bitterness IPA. A dry finish with lingering citrus.
Sunshine. Brass Castle Brewery, North Yorkshire. IPA. 5.7%. Dark amber in colour with slight haze. Grapefruit and orange marmalade flavours with a touch of sweetness. Citrus finish.
Pop. First Chop Brewing Arm, Salford. IPA. 5.4%. Amber in colour with a slight haze. Flavours of orange and a smokey/earthy element. A characterful beer.
Chevalier. Gibberish Brewing, Liverpool. ESB. 4.8%. Dark amber and clear. Bags of flavour here, nutty, malty, toast and a big hit of coffee. A long lingering finish with a slightly bitter end.
Citra. Saltaire Brewery, West Yorkshire. Pale Ale. 4.2%. Golden in appearance. A complex beer with citrus and tropical flavours with lovely balancing bitterness. Very refreshing, very drinkable.
Au. Three Brothers Brewing Co, Stockton on Tees. Pale Ale. 4.2%. Golden in colour with a slight haze. Light in body with a mild citrus flavour.
California Steam. Tollgate Brewery, Derbyshire. Pale Ale 4.2%. Very pale in colour, little or no head, slight haze. Light with an ever so slight spritz, lemon citrus. Almost lager in style.