Durham Magus

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Durham Magus [baron rating 3/5] - 3.8% pale gold ale,tangerine smell,light dry spicy citrus (but thin body) taste,dry earthy bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris, Stephen and the Baron have to say about it

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Thank you to Chris France (@TheBeerHawk) from Beer Hawk for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Durham beers from Beer Hawk

Durham Cloister

Bottle conditioned with lively carbonation

Durham Cloister [baron rating 4/5] - 4.5% copper ale,earthy mild sulphur smell,juicy toffee nutty bitter taste,floral dry bitter finish Baron Orm

Thank you to Chris France (@TheBeerHawk) from Beer Hawk for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Durham ales from Beer Hawk

Looking forward to baron rating Beer Hawk ales

Beer mail order company Beer Hawk started up at the end of last year with the aim of 'only stocking the good stuff' - they have over two hundred different bottled beers as well as mixed cases and a beer club.

Chris France (joint director along with Mark Roberts) got in touch recently asking if there were any beers on their website that I'd like to try... let's just say I was like a kid in a sweet shop (or a bull in a china shop - you take your pick!). This is what they very kindly sent through for review:

• Anchor Old Foghorn - 9.4% barley wine style ale, the perfect balanced of malty sweetness, estery fruitiness and equisite hop character
• BrewDog Libertine Black Ale - 7.2% dark hop bomb combining the hop awesomeness of an IPA, the decadent and indulgent malt flavours of a stout with an insatiable drinkability
• BrewDog #MashTag - 7.4% crowd-sourced brown ale from start to finish
• Durhum Cloister - 4.5% thirst quenching pale golden, premium bitter. A unique blend of English, American and Czech hops give an aroma of citrus grapefruit with mild pepper and citrus orange notes throughout
• Durham Magus - 3.8% light bitter, simple pale malts provide a base for a complex blend of hops. Colour is very pale with lemon citrus and floral flavours, progressing to a spicy mouthfeel and a clean earthy bitterness in the finsh

• Flying Dog Horn Dog - 10.2% barley wine style ale (no further description on bottle) RateBeer says: "Big malty flavors, including licorice and chocolate, are balanced with a moderate hop profile. Brewed with copious amounts of prized malts and flaked oats, the Barley Wine is so strong that it has to be aged for several months before we can bottle it"
• Ilkley Joshua Jane - 3.7% rich nut-brown Yorkshire ale,smooth with hints of caramel rising to a lingering and pleasant bitterness BUT characterised by the use of hops sourced from the USA and New Zealand
• Nogne O Imperial Brown Ale - 7.5% unique ale due to the use of rich English malts and generous use of hops, particularly American varieties. Unfiltered and unpasteurised and it will age well
• Nogne O Imperial Stout - 9% very rich, creamy and completely black ale with flavours of coffee, chocolate, leather and dried fruits
• Rochefort 10 - 11.3% ? (no description on bottle) RateBeer says: "The top product from the Rochefort Trappist brewery. Dark color, full and very impressive taste. Strong plum, raisin, and black currant palate, with ascending notes of vinousness and other complexities"
• Rogue Dead Guy Ale - ? (no description on bottle) RateBeer says: "6.6% German-style Maibock made with Rogue’s proprietary "PacMan" ale yeast. It is deep honey in color with a malty aroma, rich hearty flavor and a well balanced finish. Dead Guy is created from Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan malts, along with Perle and Saaz Hops"

• Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen - 5.1% rauchbier, selected barley is malted at the brewery and kilned over a fire of beechwood  logs. A dark, bottom fermented beer with an intense smoky aroma and flavour
• Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen - 5.2% unusual sibling of the classic Marzen. Only the barley malt is smoked over beechwood logs while the wheat malt remains unsmoked. The light smokiness is coupled with complex notes of banana and clove
• Sierra Nevada Bigfoot - barley wine style ale (no further description on bottle) RateBeer says: "boasts a dense, fruity bouquet; an extremely rich, intense, bittersweet palate; and a deep, reddish-brown color. This ale is superbly balanced between an almost overpowering maltiness and a wonderfully bittersweet hoppiness"
• Sierra Nevada Hoptimum -10.4% whole-cone imperial IPA, the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced - a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurricane of flavour. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped AND torpedoed, Hoptimum delivers ultra-intense flavours to hop fanatics everywhere
• Thornbridge Halcyon -7.4% intensely flavoured imperial IPA, heavily hopped giving tropical fruit, mango and summer berry characteristics with a touch of caramel and biscuit sweetness. Perfumed hops in the mouth balanced with a warming, bitter finish
• Thornbridge Reverend & The Makers - 4.8% summer ale, brewed in collaboration with Ed Cosens, a classic example of its style; pale golden colour, light-bodied and easy drinking. The ale's highly fragrant floral and spicy flavours are the result of the generous use of the best hops from Australia, USA and England including Cascade, Amarillo, Galaxy and Fuggles

What an awesome selection, I'm finding it hard not to just dive in and start opening them! (must wait for Chris, must wait for Chris...).

I really liked the 'welcome sheet' that arrived at the top of the box (the first thing that you see when opening the box). A nicely branded 'thank you' on one side and then pouring and tasting tips on the other, really like the different pouring tips for the different beer styles - a really nice touch.

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Chris France (@TheBeerHawk) from Beer Hawk for sending these through to me!

Buy all these beers from Beer Hawk and get 10% off if you use my discount code "BARON" at checkout!

Durham Temptation

Durham Temptation [baron rating 5/5] - 10% black stout,red wine liquorice smell,liquorice berries rich port-like taste,sweet syrupy finish Baron Orm

There was an audio review for this amazing beer where Chris, Paul (Source Deli)  and I talked at length about it's complexity and depth but also it's drinkability even though it's 10%. But when I came to edit the audio I found it so full of corruptions that there was nothing worth salvaging to publish. 

Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Elly Bell (@Durhambreweryel) from Durham Brewery for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Durham ales direct

Durham St Cuthbert

Durham St Cuthbert [baron rating 5/5] - 6.5% copper ale,spicy peachy floral smell,rich bright floral spicy taste,juicy fruity bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Elly Bell (@Durhambreweryel) from Durham Brewery for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Durham ales direct

Durham White Stout

Durham White Stout [baron rating 5/5] - 7.2% gold ale,Belgian funky smell,spicy creamy vanilla fruit salad taste,sticky sweet herbal finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Note: Bottle conditioned with lively carbonation

Thank you to Elly Bell (@Durhambreweryel) from Durham Brewery for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Durham ales direct

Looking forward to baron rating Durham ales (tonight!)

I found out yesterday morning via @Filrd that Durham Brewery were doing a White Stout Twitter Tasting event this evening at 8:30pm. Well Elly Bell at Durham Brewery pulled out all the stops yesterday to ensure that I got mine in time for tonight, she even made the ParcelForce driver wait whilst she finished packing my beer! (thank you so much!).

This is what arrived less than 24 hours later:

Durham Brewery

• St Cuthbert - 6.5% light golden IPA,modern strong & aromatic IPA with pronounced citrus & orange notes
• Temptation - 10% black Russian stout,massive body supports oily coffee, liquorice & chocolate flavours
• White Stout - 7.2% pale stout, strong & full with a spicy bitter/sweet finish

We will be joining in the twitter chatting this evening whilst Chris & I sample the beer using the #whitestout hash tag and we will also be audio reviewing it and getting it live as quickly as possible tonight as well!

Look out for 'baron ratings' for the other Durham Brewery beers soon, and a big thank you to Elly Bell (@Durhambreweryel) for sending them through to me!