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This bottle has come from MyBreweryTap yet again – and as the Winter box has turned up, I need to get my drink on.  As I’ve posted before, I have a bit of a mixed relationship with Meantime.  The latest one I tasted was incredible though, so I am going to go into it eyes open.

Meantime London Pale Ale (4.3%) explains that it uses Goldings and Cascades to “brew a Pale Ale that embraces London’s past as the brewing capital of the World.  Not sure they had Cascades in London back then but I’m easy.

The label is really well done, it looks like a Sunday afternoon in London, people on deckchairs in the park, with the London Eye in the background.

The 330mL bottle opens with a very quiet hiss and a whoosh of aroma that I picked up while using the bottle opener.  It pours gold, with brisk carbonation and a foamy white head that leaves a thick lacing as it recedes.  The aroma is very nice – toasty malt coupled with peppery fruit.  I don’t pick up the traditional cascades aroma that I was expecting.

The body is very thin and incredibly crisp.  There’s nowhere near as much malt flavour that is hinted at by the aroma.  As a matter of fact, theres not much of anything.  Perhaps it’s too cold (out of the fridge) – it reminds me more of a Helles or a light Pilsener than a pale ale at this stage.  A gentle, non-offensive light bitterness is somewhere around as the aftertaste, but nothing sticks out.

Letting the beer warm up, we get a little bit more.  There is an initial bitter hit on tasting, but it doesn’t really carry over into an aftertaste.  The malt very faintly comes into the background.  Other than that there is little of note.
Rating: 2/5 (This may be ok at cleaning the palate with a spicy meal at a push, but I’m not enamoured)

Another bounty from the MBT 52W Beer Club, this beer piqued my interest.  I’m a fan of Saltaire brews, and I’ve had quite a few pints of their regular blonde, so I’m intrigued to see what an infusion of raspberry flavour will do to an old favourite (assuming of course they start from the same base).  The label helpfully betrays the recipe: 85% low-colour Pearl malt, 10% torrefied wheat, and 5% caramalt.  Saaz hops are used for both bitterness and aroma.  A simple and tasty recipe, I’m sure if the wheat is noticeable it will play well with the fruit.  I’m pretty sure the flavoured Saltaire brews use fruit extract, which is a shame but I guess they’re just aiming for a twist on the regular recipe.  It claims to be a creamy blonde ale with biscuit and spicy hop flavours along with the fruit.  An infusion of raspberry flavours gives a subtle experience of raspberries on the nose and palate…

Raspberry Blonde (4%) opens with a very gentle hiss, but I can smell the raspberries before I’ve got the lid off.  It pours a medium gold colour, a couple of shades darker than the Fyne Ales Hurricane Jack that preceded it.  The head is white and fluffy, though it quickly dies down.

I can smell the raspberry as I’m pouring it, let alone before I get it near my nose.  I can detect a little biscuity malt somewhere in the background, waving at me, but it’s sat behind a behemoth made of raspberry jam.  It’s certainly not a subtle experience of raspberries at this point, more like being run over by a raspberry coloured truck!  I’m a bit cautious at this point, as its reminiscent of  chewy raspberry sweets rather than say, a lambic kriek.  The body is medium thin, but is dominated by that kick of raspberry.  Fortunately its not as pronounced as the aroma, but I’m having trouble picking through the individual flavours.  There’s definitely raspberry ripple ice cream coming at me!  It’s definitely creamy in mouthfeel and flavour.  The raspberry taste dominates, I’m getting very little in the way of spicy hops, which is a shame, because Saaz is fantastic and I think would marry well.  Maybe I’m just not picking it up.  I find myself topping up the glass, but it’s more like sweeties than a grown-up beer.  The only aftertaste is a sacchariney raspberry flavour, clinging to the tongue.  Where’s my Saaz?!

Letting it warm up a bit, the raspberry aroma fades slightly on the nose.  It still dominates though.  Flavour wise, the raspberries calm down a little bit and some of the biscuity flavours from the malt claw their way forward.  I’d still say the raspberry dominates though as the underlying blonde is mild tasting.  It’s trying to come through though, it really is!  The aftertaste now is definitely raspberry ripple ice cream, which I happen to like, but I’m not sure I could drink many pints of it!

The last few sips of this beer happen to be the best.  It really needs to warm up.  When its warmer, the raspberry calms down, and its more balanced with the blonde.  It spoils the aftertaste though.  I’m trying to find redeeming features!  It’s okay.

Truth be told, I’m a little disappointed in this beer, but I think I had its card marked as soon as I opened the bottle.  The raspberry tastes a little saccharine-like and false, but I’m not sure that real raspberries wouldn’t either.  The combination is a good idea, but it’s a little too fruity for me to drink more than one pint I think, maybe on cask at cellar temperatures it would be more drinkable.  I did have very high expectations for it though, the Saltaire Blackberry Cascade is exceptional.  Meh.  I’m not sure.  I’d drink it only if there wasn’t anything more interesting on offer, but I think after a pint the fruit would build up too much and I’d be off to another pub!

Rating: 2/5 (give me cascades and give me blackberries!)

Today I’m drinking Oakham Ales Inferno (4.4%), another ale from the fantastic MyBreweryTap 52 Week Beer Club.  I love the label on this beer, it’s a kind of hop infero design.  The label promises an ignition of complex fruits and a fruity bitter finish with a floral aroma.