- Craft beer advent calendar 1: Meantime London Pale Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 2: Heart of Gold
- Craft beer advent calendar 3: Andwell Ruddy Darter
- Craft beer advent calendar 4: Oakleaf Piston Porter
- Craft beer advent calendar 5: Andwell King John
- Craft beer advent calendar 6: Belhaven Scottish Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 7: Oakleaf North Pale Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 8: Crafty Dan 13 Guns
- Craft beer advent calendar 9: St Edmunds Golden Beer
- Craft beer advent calendar 10: Meantime Yakima Red
- Craft beer advent calendar 11: Yardbird Pale Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 12: Wintery Wonder Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 13: Mann’s Brown Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 14: Holden’s Black Country Mild
- Craft beer advent calendar 15: Young’s double chocolate
- Craft beer advent calendar 16: Belhaven craft pilsner
- Craft beer advent calendar 17: Holden’s Golden Pale Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 18: Well’s Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 19: Fraoch Heather Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 20: Andwell Gold Muddler
- Craft beer advent calendar 21: Williams Joker IPA
- Craft beer advent calendar 22: Well’s Banana Bread Beer
- Craft beer advent caledar 23: Another Blooming Craft Ale
- Craft beer advent calendar 24: St Nicks Blizzard Brew
So I’m a bit annoyed at how this craft beer advent calendar is getting more and more weird as time goes on. I didn’t give Meantime much of a score but looking at the recent offerings such as the Sticky Toffee Pudding ale recently I long for a simpler time.
Or do I?
Tonight’s ale is a Heather Ale. I don’t really know what that means but it’s a 5% amber ale from Scotland. Apparently it’s brewed to a 16th century recipe; it smells a bit sweet, but with a savoury edge. It actually reminds me of baked beans; not sure why – in fact, in Japan, you can get these sweetened beans, which come to mind as I raise this to my nose.
All of that disappears on the first taste. It’s something spicy, very familiar…I can’t quite put my finger on it and now it’s annoying me. I think it’s a sauce that it’s reminding me of, but I’m not sure.
I can’t drink this for very long, though, as the spiciness is just too overwhelming; so, 16th century recipe or not, this is getting just a 5.5.
…
It’s mustard! The beer tastes of mustard – and yellow mustard at that, not the wholegrain stuff. That’s very weird. It has a very distinct savoury mustard taste, which I am not too keen on.




