Den Skjeløyde Mann Bryllupsøl

Bryllupsøl by Den Skjeløyde Mann, Session IPA, 4.7% ABV, 50-60 IBU.

Den Skjeløyde Mann Bryllupsøl.

This is the first beer from Den Skjeløyde Mann that isn’t an Ægir IPA clone!

It’s clear and quite dark amber in the glass, with a large, creamy, long-lived, beige head that sticks to the glass.

The aroma is strong and very hoppy, with delicious notes of grapefruit, well ripe tropical fruits, and an obvious caramel background.

The flavour is strong and clean, and follows the aroma, but with even more emphasis on the grapefruit and some extra resin. It’s a very bitter brew, but it has a firm and sweet malty background that handles the bitterness well.

It’s a bit thin and watery on the palate, but it’s crisp and refreshing, which I guess is the whole point of this style. The carbonation is moderate.

 

Conclusion: a tasty and easy-to-drink brew that’s not extremely exciting, in other words a perfect session IPA.

Aroma:      7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste:      7/10
Palate:     3/5
Overall:    13/20
Ratebeer score: 3.4/5.0

ClubGonzo’s Red X

Red X by ClubGonzo, Bown Ale, 7% ABV, 28.5 IBU.

ClubGonzo’s Red X, batch no. 52. Ok, it doesn’t look this red without the backlight.

A true beer geek beer, brewed to showcase the Red X base malt.

It does have a nice colour indeed, although it might have been even redder if a smaller amount of Red X had beed used? The body has a very deep red-ish copper colour. The beige head is of moderate size and shrinks quickly, but it remains a thin layer until the glass is empty. Some of the foam is left on the glass.

Red X in the glass.

The aroma is malty and pretty strong. It’s simple and undemanding, but I get very pleasant notes of sweet caramel, dark dried fruits and a touch of red berries.

The flavour is strong and again it’s the malt that runs the show. Lots and lots of caramel, nuts, dark dried fruits and a bit of (pleasant and clean) alcohol. The mouthfeel is fairly oily, although it dries up in the finish. The carbonation is soft, and that fits such a sweet and caramelly beer. The label claims that the IBU is 28.5 (don’t get me started on significant figures again!), but I find the bitterness to be quite substantial, and would have guessed approximately 48.372 IBU. There is a moderate sweetness that more than balances the bitterness, so this still feels like a sweet beer.

Conclusion: a sweet, malty and simple beer, but a good one, without any flaws.

Aroma:      6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste:      7/10
Palate:     4/5
Overall:    12/20
Ratebeer score: 3.3/5.0