Wychwood Brewing Company - Scarecrow

Purchased From: Beltway Fine Wine
Serving Type: 500 mL bottle, poured into a Nonic pint glass

This certified-organic beer from Wychwood pours a glowing orange body with a substantially-sized off-white head of thick, frothy foam. The retention is great, but the lacing is minimal. The nose is fresh and malty with light biscuity tones. There's a light English-style bitter aroma from the hops, which have a crisp and citrusy edge.

The beer's mouthfeel is satiny with an effervescent carbonation. Very clean tasting, the beer has a distinctive herbal bent with a light bittering that is both fresh and somewhat tart. Light apricots come in mid-palate providing some light sweetness and a slightly sugary feel that combat the well-balanced hop profile. On the finish, the beer is drying and slightly bitter. The finish is tight and almost cheek-pinching.

Final Verdict: B+

Fuller's - London Pride

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 11.2 oz bottle, poured into a mug

Quite possibly my first legally purchased beer (I can't remember if my first beer in the UK was at a pub the first night, in which case this was it, or if it was a can of some sort of English swill at a lunch spot the next day), either way, this beer gets to hold a landmark place in my mind. To top it off, I haven't had Fuller's since my visit to the UK three years ago. London Pride, a traditional English Pale Ale, pours a slightly hazy orange-tinted amber body with a small white head and most retention. I think, in this case, the thin bubbly layer of foam was the result of a botched pour.

The nose carries hints of light, whiskey-like malts with a somewhat sour edge to them. The hopping is clear, but well balanced with the sweet barley. The beer is malty and spicy with a moderate hop character. The beer is a total classic and very drinkable. Toward the end I noticed interesting hints of dried tobacco on the finish. Building on the tobacco leaf, the aftertaste has a very well grounded and earthy character.

Final Verdict: A-

BrewDog - 5 A.M. Saint

BrewDog - 5 A.M. Saint

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits

Serving Type: 11.2 oz. bottle, poured into a mug

My first beer from BrewDog, the makers of Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Sink the Bismarck, among the highest ABV beers in the world. 5 A.M. Saint pours a light, glowing, hazy amber body with moderate visible carbonation. The head is a stiff tanned light foam head with a mild orangey sheen. The very hoppy nose has hints of sticky pine sap and fresh grapefruits.

A crisp graininess pushes its way through the extra hoppy foretaste. There’s a tight tartness like early-season McIntosh apples with a light caramel sweetness. The hops definitely dominate this beer, but they aren’t biting. Finish is clean and carries a slight lingering tart aftertaste. 

Final Verdict: B