Beer Review: Waggle Dance

Waggle Dance is another of those beers that I had way back, when I started having a beer a week but before I hit on the idea of reviewing them. It was a summer beer choice and I only seem to find it in the shops during the summer time and so I suppose my initial thoughts were right. As I have finished work officially now (and the disaggregated days are long passed) I shall be enjoying this ale despite the weather for, tonight, it is the turn of Waggle Dance by Wells.

Opening the bottle caused a great deal of fizz and carbonation, a head formed almost at once on the beer in the bottle and so I eschewed pouring it into a glass in favour of just starting straight on it. It claims to be a honey beer and the colour is certainly very bronzed and walnutty and golden. A clear bottle does wonderful things for this kind of ale. There's a lot of fizz, clearly. Aroma is citrus-y, it is sharp and tangy, and it is clear-headed and pretty effective but... I don't know, there's a certain something that makes it smell a bit artificial, it tries too hard. First sip is strong, it is 5% ABV, and it is also very fizzy despite a clever flavour of honey over the top of some hoppy fuzz. There's no malt follow-up but there is a definite strengthening of that honey flavour and relief from the carbonation.

I actually really like this ale. It doesn't come across terribly well from the above description but I do. As honey ales go I do think that this is one of the best, I mean, it's no mead but it is very tasty and moreish. After that first sip you will have another and you will find yourself disappointed when the bottle ends. I think it could do better being poured out and having time to settle and go a bit flatter to really get the best from it but that's not to say it's not a generally good all-rounder ale.

Enjoy after heatwave weather on an evening when you've done something that requires physical labour, but not too much, you've gained a sheen of manly sweat and you know that you need to just sit and let the body unwind. Preferably as the sun goes down in a garden but also it could be done in a beer garden with plenty of good and raucous summer company. Talk loudly about the day or the lunch break, make ribald jokes for the bants and each a Ploughman's lunch just because you can and having to put your own ham and pickle on some bread will cost more than buying it at ASDA. In short, this is a cheeky ale and worth a punt, even if it would probably benefit from being on tap rather than in a bottle.