sainsbury's beer festival

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Sainsbury's Beer Festival

by Willard Clarke, 08/06

Sainsbury's supermarket in the UK is running a wine and beer festival with discounts on a special range of beers. The festival runs from August 16th until September 12th. The beers featured below are some of my favourites from those included in the Festival, though there should be quite a few more on the shelves.

Beers

Innis & Gunn, Oak-aged Beer (Scotland)

A great chance to stock up on a fine beer. This Edinburgh ale is aged in brand new malt whisky barrels, made from American oak. The colour is a glowing gold, with a creamy head. On the nose it is intensely aromatic, with really fresh, grassy hop character and quite a deep, almost briney note. The oak influence is more noticeable on the palate, where a luscious vanilla and caramel note permeates the beer. This adds an unguent sweetness on the mid palate, but the freshness of the hops cuts through and the acidity is clean in the finish. I thought this beer was delicious. 6.9% ABV, 33cl, �1.60, but �1.12 in the Festival.

Fullers, 1845 Bottle-Conditioned Ale (England)

Beautifully dark ruby-tinged colour, with a deep, thick, cream-coloured head. Quite aromatic, with very fresh, almost iodine nuances and hoppy notes. Otherwise the nose is rich, with baked dough and fruit-cakey notes. On the palate it is initially sweet, with a lot of grassy hoppiness. There are malty notes, and some chocolate and caramel, but then a biting, almost aggressive endive/chicory-like bitterness takes a grip of the finish. This multi-award-winning beer is very complex and arresting, and though I find that finish a little troublesome personally, it is a world-class beer. 6.3% ABV, 50cl, �1.49, but �1.49 in the Festival.

Cobra, King Cobra (India)

This bottle is double-fermented, the first time in Poland, the second time at the legendary Rodenbach brewery in Belgium, but I have filed it under India as I guessed that is where most people would look for it, the Cobra brand being born in, and associated with, Bangalore. Brewed to 8% ABV and bottled live, King Cobra comes in a Champagne-style bottle and should be in supermarkets and independents, as well as Indian restaurants. It pours a brilliant gold with a high-rise white head. It has complex aromas of shiny red apples and a subtle, biscuity richness, with a touch of preserved lemon. On the palate it has terrific smoothness and opulence, with a definite hint of sweet/sour, lemony Lambic beer, but pristine flavours through the mid-palate where the alcoholic strength and scrumpy-like bite takes a hold. 8.0% ABV, 75cl, �3.79, but �2.84 in the Festival.

Otter Brewery, Beautiful Daze (England)

This relatively low alcohol "session beer" pours quite a deep golden colour, with a decent white head. It immediately attracts, with plenty of roasted malt aromas, a nice hoppy, herby background, and an appealing sense of citrus freshness. On the palate it is light-bodied, racy and fresh, with clean, citrussy fruit and a big blast of bitter hops surging through. The nalt doesn't really show through in the mouth, leaving this crisp and very refreshing and a lovely understated summery beer. 3.6% ABV, 50cl, �1.80, but �1.35 in the Festival.

Young's, Kew Brew (England)

A financial contribution to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew is made for each bottle of Kew Brew sold. Marris Otter and crystal malts are brewed with Fuggle and Goldings hops, then the brew is late-hopped with Target hops grown at Kew Gardens. It is an amber/gold ale with a thick, creamy head. On the nose the late-hopping gives plenty of herbal and floral notes, with a lemony lightness and touches of clove and violets. On the palate it is rich and smooth, with a mouthfilling, creamy texture and plenty of plush, malty flavour. The hops begin to bit on the mid-palate, with plenty of grassy verve, and a nice earthy complexity builds, with fruity notes and a wine-like bite and acid balance. A lovely beer. 5.0% ABV, 50cl, �1.69, but �1.33 in the Festival.

Wychwood, Osprey Strong & Rich Ale (England)

Brewed especially for UK supermarket Sainsbury's, this is made with English Northdown and Goldings hops and comes in a clear glass bottle. It pours a ruby.copper colour, with quite a persistent, lacey off-white head. The nose is fresh and malty, with lots of treacley notes, biscuit and a toffee apple character. On the palate this has a creamy texture and expansive mouthfeel, with date and malty, dark fruits along with a brighter suggestion of citrus. There really is good freshness here, with those citrus notes, a clean, fresh acidity, and a good oily hop bitterness just gripping the finish. This is a very nice strong beer, with a high sippability factor. 6.5% ABV, 50cl, �1.75, but �1.31 in the Festival.

St Austell, Tribute (England)

Brewed with Cornish spring water and Cornish Gold Malt, Tribute was first brewed in 1999 using Wilamett hops, which are perhaps responsible for its distinctive citrus and elderflower nose. Pouring a pale bronze colour with a moderate white head, the aromatics really do lift from the glass, with floral and summery hop notes, and an undertow of caramel. On the palate this is medium- to full-bodied, with a lovely juicy fruit quality, and masses of tangy hop, orange and grapefruit flavours. It is long and well balanced, staying fresh and crisp thanks to fine acidity and hoppy bite. A subtle, delicate, but lovely beer. 4.2% ABV, 50cl, �1.69, but �1.26 in the Festival.

Sierra Nevada, Summerfest (USA)

Sierra Nevada's summer beer is a bottom-fermented lager style brewed with Perle and Saaz hops, that pours a pale yellow gold with a modest white head. The nose is clean, creamy, and fresh, with some lemon zest and pale, clean, pear fruitiness, and a subtle elegance. On the palate it is extremely pure, with those crisp citrus flavours rounded out with a touch of malt, and a seamless, bittersweet finish. This is light and not as complex as other Sierra Nevada ales, but that's the nature of the beast I think, and it is a beautifully pure expression of a summer beer. 5.0% ABV, 35cl, �1.69, but �1.26 in the Festival.

Bosteels, Pauwel Kwak (Belgium)

Bottled in 75cl with a Champagne cork, Kwak also comes in 33cl bottles. This strong Belgian beer pours a ruby / dark amber colour, with a tight, persistent white head. The nose has wheaty aromas with clove and spices, but also a toffeed note and hints of estery banana. In the mouth it is medium-bodied but smooth, with a nice lightness of touch and a racy lemon fruit quality giving and initial impression of crispness, then the subtle toffee and malty notes come through, with a biscuity richness and some cherry fruit. Despite the high alcohol, this does retain a sense of freshness and the dry, quite bitter finish also keeps it clean and dangerously drinkable. 8.0% ABV, 75cl, �4.49, but �3.36 in the Festival.

Kirin, Ichiban (UK brewed) (Japan)

This is the UK-brewed Ichiban, made under licence by Charles Wells in Bedford. According to the Kirin brewery website, "Kirin's resident brewmaster, who was dispatched from Kirin Japan, supervises all the production stages to ensure complete quality control." The beer pours a pale gold colour with a lacy white head. The aromas are malty and clean, with a touch of creamed sweetcorn, but some grassy notes and hint of citrus makes for an appealing character. On the palate the beer is balanced and refreshing, with enough tartness and a bit of bite, though it is somewhat watery on the mid-palate. That clean, subtle appeal would make more sense with food, and the Ichiban suggestion of it being an food match for sushi and Japanese cuisine is believable. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, �1.49, but �1.11 in the Festival..

Strongbow, Jacques Fruit Cider (England)

This forest fruits-flavoured sparkling cider is labeled as "Strongbow" but is brewed by Sister company Stassen in Belgium and imported to the UK. It has a vivid crimson colour and quickly disippating white head, and offers immediate aromas of very sweet cherry and raspberry fruit, with a slightly bubblegummy character, but lots of ice-cream sundae appeal. On the palate it is quite sweet, with a fruit-beer character, and mouthfilling berry flavours. Alcoholic soda-pop for sure, with no apple or cider character that I can detect, but it is delicious fun stuff in a screwcapped bottle that would be great for sunny days in the garden or park. 5.5% ABV, 75cl, �2.99, but �2.24 in the Festival.

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