Delving back in Brandy we get an offering not from the normally assumed France with cognac, or the awful American creations owned by a Mr E&J, but instead something south of our border in Mexico. With this we get Presidente brandy which is almost really good.
Hop-15: 3.0 – If you were to ask on a scale from 1-10 how hoppy this is it would a fifte– okay sorry. Honestly it’s an overhopped ale, and it suffers for that. And it’s an IPA – which explains a lot.
Price Average: $8
Website: http://portbrewing.com/
Saturday Scotch Ale: 5.0 – Kind of unremarkable, very mellow which is bad because you want more of that taste.
Price Average: $18
Website: https://hoppyboston.com/
We often get asked prior to gatherings ‘what should we bring’ and the short answer is almost always ‘something new’. This becomes a problem (despite a website to check said things) so we’re often given a list, of which Arran was chosen this time. Arran is not bad as a whisky, but it’s not a great scotch, not great value, and it lies to you.
“Stingo” English Style Ale: 7.0 – It’s a nice english style ale with that lower carbonation, and a small amount of tart with a lot of malt. Certainly one of the better beers we’ve had with pretty things, but it’s between being something you’d want often, and something special, sort of failing at being both things, or the middle ground.
Price Average: $10
Website: https://www.boulevard.com/beer/our-beers/ & http://www.prettythingsbeertoday.com/
Petrus Aged Red Ale: 7.0 – There’s a special place in our hearts for things that are exactly what they say on the tin. Here we get something called an aged red, has cherries, and rates a ⅖ on the sour scale. Damn it to hell, but that’s exactly what you get, it does taste like a more mellowed red ale with cherry, and it’s a good combo of being sour without overpowering. It does suffer a bit by being akin to some old-timey medicine, but overall is quite tasty.
Price Average: $11
Website: http://petrussourbeer.com/en
Wow, time really does fly by. Three years ago we reviewed the Reposado of this and mused about trying the Anejo in bourbon barrels. While we didn’t build up any expectations, sadly we were still let down kind of. The main issue seems to be that by ageing it in bourbon it’s oddly picked up harshness and isn’t the smooth sipping tequila it should be.
