Innis & None

Ah the weekend. What a time to be alive and to be finally at the end of one load of toil. Of course, there's more on the way because I am a glutton for punishment and mark extra every year. I get paid, mind you, so I can't complain. A mixed day weather-wise, scattered showers and occasional sunny patches. I almost risked shorts but then recoiled from the cold. Today, for it is not the evening, I am planning to have the rather nice looking Innis&None by, well, Innis & Gunn. I have had this lurking for the best part of a week - how hard is having non-alcoholic beer anyway?

Apparently quite hard. I know, right? I blame the new child. Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Fired Oak Scotch Ale

So it's time I returned to my roots, I guess. And by my roots I mean going back to an old favourite pastime, reviewing speciality ales on a Sunday. Of course, most of those ales were from the Innis & Gunn stable and so it makes sense that when I have a bottle of speciality ale from them that I review it as a Sunday ale. Also I am boring and thus always like to keep some semblance of a pattern - it's almost like I plan things in advance.

Tonight, then, it is my pleasure to review Fired Oak Scotch Ale that I picked up rather cheaply locally - and I haven't seen it anywhere else. This could be a good or a bad thing, but past reviews from the brewery suggest a better hit rate than a miss rate and so I am reasonably confident that I am in for something that will at least warrant my time spent typing up the review.

Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: American Oak Pale Ale

It's been a bit of a while since I reviewed anything in the Innis & Gunn line-up, and I feel that this is a shame. That said, they were getting a bit same-y, which is a shame when one considers how nice their original brew is and how different it is to the competitors. So, I think I shall turn to this old acquaintance again tonight to provide me with grist for my mill in the form of American Oak Pale Ale and see what we can find.

I suspect that we shall find an ale and a review. I suspect that we shall find much in the repetition of words in phrases that lends itself almost to poetry, but not necessarily in the review so much as in the introductions. We shall also once again find ourselves indoors over lunch or something because that is, you see, how I roll. Also, we shall find ourselves a comfortable chair and ruminate in our repose about how this ale tastes and fairs 'gainst the slings and arrows of its rivals.

So, to business then: would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Bourbon Stout

It's time, I suppose, to return to that lovely set of ales that I seem to have a lot and finally finish off the gift box that I bought for myself all that time ago by having the bottle of Innis & Gunn's (who still aren't paying me) Bourbon Stout. I'll confess that I had deliberately left this offering until last as I was rather looking forward to trying it and seeing what it did. After all, it stated that it was a stout and I like stouts (evidence here, here and here, if t'were needed!) and it was from a brewer that I do rather like. They don't make many varieties, they keep to their core and they brew in small batches. Also, I have very much enjoyed their Treacle Porter (here) in the past.

Not my image! I have deleted it by accident!

You know, I maybe ought to have seen this coming given that build. Perhaps you will! In any case, would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Toasted Oak IPA

The weather was fine and warm, the garden was full of the scents of growing things and the buzzing of bees, I had a mountain of work to do that I was (and am) studiously avoiding on such a day and so it was definitely time for a beer. More than that, Willow had sent me out to find some compost on the proviso that I could have an ale in the afternoon, and I am not one that needs telling twice. It's a Sunday, it's sunny, my garden is free and I have a presentation pack to be getting through so it was perhaps inevitable that I would end up with something from the Innis & Gunn stable. One day I may be able to convince them, by force of will I suppose, to pay me to drink their brews but, until such time, I shall drink them by paying for them like pretty much everyone else.

The bench was rapidly running out of sun, so I ended up supping the Toasted Oak IPA on my feet and standing near the deep bed. This may sound awkward but I am made of such stern stuff and thus was unfazed by it.

Are you still in a mood to read further? You are? Oh good, then read on!

Beer Review: Rum Finish

Another week behind me now and I only messed up once. I do enjoy a good debate but am still feeling guilty for not noticing that I had offended someone in one. Whoops. Also, much in the way of marking (all my own making of course) means a long weekend. I can't complain, there's a new Star Wars trailer out and the Boy has joined me in getting all excited. I just hope it's not like Episode 1. Anyway, it's Sunday and I fancied breaking into my gift box set of Innis & Gunn that I treated myself to. I've started, at random (I just plucked the first bottle out without looking), with the Rum Finish and I have to say I'm looking forward to it.

Would ye like to come with me on a sail through the seas of insanity for to learn of an ale that be tickling yar tastebuds? Yar? Would ye be likin' t'know more?

Beer Review: Rare Oak Pale Ale

Tonight I fancy me something a bit different, something a bit rarer than your standard ale. Naturally, with my newfound fetish for all things Scots ale, I turn to Innis & Gunn to provide the backdrop and, naturally, I turn to their seasonal edition of Rare Oak Pale Ale. This could be an interesting one as the bottle tells me that, instead of using hops, this brew is flavoured using Sweet Gale! Whatever that is.

Join me, won't you, for another trip into the realms of madness surrounding a beer review by a beardy man who is too boring to just drink the ale! Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Canadian Cherrywood

Oh look, it's an update on a Sunday and I'm drinking another Innis & Gunn offering. This is becoming a real thing. Maybe I should just make a tag that combines the brewery with Sunday and have done with it... On second thought, I'm not getting paid and they're not offering me any inducements and I'm not a blog with a big enough readership that they would anyway and... who am I kidding, I'll just leave it the way it is!

Yes, tonight I shall be reviewing the Canadian Cherrywood stablemate of the Treacle Porter (here) because I have got round to it on my list and because why not. Busy weeks and lots of work can't stop me having an ale of an evening, right?

Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Treacle Porter

Something a bit different. I have reviewed an album with ale and I have talked about beers to cry into on Valentine's Day. Now I thought I would start reviewing some speciality ale on a Sunday, because it is alliteration and I rather like alliteration. On that thought, thank me later, for thou shall think highly of this! Yes, it's another Innis & Gunn effort (because I was alerted by someone I follow on Google+ to the existence of this ale and had to get some) and it's Treacle Porter. Apparently people in Scotland spread treacle on their morning toast. I'm not so certain about that, having lived close to Scotland and never having heard of the practice, but limited edition ale and it being a porter? Count me in.

Okay, a stout would have got me in rather more quickly. But hey, what can you do? Easy, actually, you can taste and review the ale anyway and enjoy it on a cold and windy Sunday in the back of beyond. Not quite in the garden, that will have to wait until later in the year (I have a garden) but, in the meantime, a nice enough place to start.

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Hoppy New Beer for 2015!

Yes, yes, I already used this title back last year. And, I think, last year there was no beer review in it but a promise to brew more ale in 2014. I have singularly failed in that regard, brewing only a raspberry effort that was either passably nice or evil consigned to the sink depending on who you spoke to.

However, there is a beer review this time around as we had company up and I shared a few ales. Only three (ha, only) but they were good and I am glad that I had them with company. Before I get to them and the inevitable line-break though, may I offer all you readers a happy New Year? I hope that the blank pages of the year ahead are well and truly taken to use by your good selves, that you mar, mark, stain and scribble all over them with some abandon and happiness. We are never entitled to be happy or even ever have it guaranteed, but we can seek it out and enjoy it. Sucking the marrow from the bones of life. Whatever your religious flavour (mine is Church of England) or lack thereof may you have a year that is worthy of you. The kind of year that you will look back on with some satisfaction even if living it can sometimes be difficult and hard.

Now, onto the reviews. It was an odd mix of ales that were tried as Willow's cousin and husband were up. He's tasted ales with me before, here, and it seemed to make an impression. Much discussion of ales has followed and they were good enough to bring some of the ales that they knew I liked, that they had enjoyed and that I had raved about. So it was that we tried two of those and something that I've spotted about the communities I frequent.

Would you like to know more?