Old Speckled Hen Review

Country: England 

Brand: Old Speckled Hen

Bottler: Morland Brewing, Westgate Street, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
Package: Tin Can 

Type: Pale Ale

Age: NAS

ABV: 5 %

Antioxidant: Not Indicated
Stabiliser: Not Indicated

Colour: Beautiful Dark Amber. 

Foam: Off-White but Creamy Foam. After about five minutes it still leaves about a finger of Foam in the Glass. A perfect Lacing remains in place while you are enjoying your glass of Old Speckled Hen. 

Nose: Whole Grain Bread, Bread Dough, Molasses, slightly Sour Berries, Grass, light Hop, slightly Burnt Caramel and light Mineral - and Metallic notes.

Palate: Medium Bitter, Creamy and Smooth with a low Carbonation. The Whole Grain Bread, Molasses and Caramel from the Nose are still around. I also find Malt, light Hops, Toffee, Bitter Almonds, Dried Herbs, Straw and Lemon.  It's a little more Watery than I had expected.   

Finish: Medium-Long, Straight Forward and Bitter-Sweet with Whole Grains, Malt, Yeast, light Hops, Brown Sugar, Molasses and Dried Herbs.

Rating: ******1/2  (Six and a half out of Ten)

General Remarks: Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in 1979 in Abingdon in Oxfordshire to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the local MG car factory. Old Speckled Hen was an MG car used as a runaround for the MG Factory workers. In 2000 the Morland Brewery was sold to the Green King Brewery that shot down the Abingdon facility. Since, the ale is produced in the Bury St. Edmunds complex. Old Speckled Hen has been exported to over 40 countries. The core range includes a/o Old Crafty Hen, a 6,5% Ale and Golden Hen, a 4,1% Beer.

Drinking Experience: Good 

Conclusion: This is certainly a different experience after having tasted a quartet of Lager Beers. Old Speckled Hen looks beautiful when you poor it in the glass. Just by looking at it I was expecting it to be Full, Fruity and Creamy. But that's not quite the case. In fact it's slightly Watery and Herbal on the Palate. The Bitterness is not sufficiently balanced by other Flavours. The Finish is slightly Medicinal. Therefore I can't give the Old Speckled Hen a higher score even when I usually like this type of Ale. It's just a tad too Bitter and Herbal as far as I'm concerned. I won't buy this again.   

Jan van den Ende                                                                      April 29, 2015

Xingu Premium Gold Review

“Good Balance Between Sweet, Sour and Bitter”

Country: Brazil 

Brand: Xingu Premium Gold

Bottler:Heineken Brasil SA, Jacarei (SP)

Type: Adjunct Lager

Age: NAS

ABV: 5.4 %

Antioxidant: INS 316 + INS 224
Stabiliser: INS 405

Colour: Golden 

Foam: Thin White Foam that practically disappears after 5 minutes or so. Very little Foam remains in the Glass once you finished it.

Nose: Light and Medium-Sweet with Malt, Grain, light Grassy Hops, Sour Green Apples and a touch of Lemon. Simple but without any troublesome off-notes. 

Palate: Light and Clean with Average Carbonation. Medium Sweet and slightly Sour with Malt, Grain, Grass, Green Apples and light Metallic notes. A little Bitter as well.

Finish: Short but Refreshing. Sweet Malt and Grain are accompanied by Green Apples and a light Herbal Bitterness. Reasonably Well-Balanced.

Rating: *******  (Seven out of Ten)

General Remarks: The Lager Beer I'm reviewing today is named after the river Xingu, a tributary of the Amazon River. Xingu Beer is a pioneer in the Brazilian Craft Beer segment. In 1988, the now famous Black Beer was launched, made after an ancient recipe dating back to 1557. Later, Black was followed by Gold. In 2014 the Xingu range was relaunched by Heineken Brasil who brews Xingu nowadays. The new core range includes Premium Gold, Unique Red and Original Black. Today, Xingu Beer is exported to the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the UK and China.

Drinking Experience: Good

Conclusion: Quite Simple but Well-Balanced Lager Beer without that annoying Corn Sweetness and without any significant off-notes. Nice balance between Sweet, Sour and Bitter. It's not interesting enough to drink on a regular basis but I won't say no if somebody offers me a Xingu Premium Gold!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      April 26, 2015

Faxe Premium Review

“Danish Disappointment”

Country: Denmark

Brand: Faxe Premium (113th Anniversary Limited Edition)

Bottler: Royal Unibrew A/S, Faxe

Type: European Lager

Age: NAS

ABV: 5 %

Antioxidant: Not Indicated
Stabiliser: Not Indicated

Colour: Pale Gold/Straw

Foam: Thin White Foam that dissolves rather quickly. Only very little Foam remains in the glass once you finished it.

This Must Be a Beer for Real Men!

Nose: Light and Quite Sweet. I find White Supermarket Bread, Grain, a light Grassy Hop note and Butter. I can't help but smelling a distant Corn Aroma. This should not be possible of course as Faxe Premium is made only of Water, Malted Barley and Hops. At least that's what the package tells us. Therefore it must be "Just My Imagination" as the Temptations and Rolling Stones sung quite some time ago.  

Palate: Light, Sweet, Watery and slightly Edgy. Medium Carbonation. I find Grain, Butter Biscuits, the same Bread as on the Nose, light Metal and some Caramel. I get images of Candied Cotton and Dried-Out Grass. 

Finish: Short and Sweet with some light Metal notes. I also find some Bitter Grain/Hops, Vegetables and Artificial Sweetener. It tastes a bit Musty.

Rating: *****  (Five out of Ten)

General Remarks: The Faxe Brewery was founded in 1901 by Nikoline and Conrad Nielsen. It stayed in the Nielsen family until 1989 when it merged with Jyske Bryggerier to form what is now known as Royal Unibrew A/S. Today, it's Denmark's second largest Brewery group. The Faxe Brand Name was only known locally until the 1970's when it became an important name in the Danish market. Exports to other markets followed quickly. Today, Royal Unibrew has a strong presence in the Baltic countries and Poland. It also brews and markets Heineken in Denmark. The 113th Anniversary Limited Edition of Faxe Premium comes in a 1 liter can with a fine drawing showing Viking Warriors celebrating a victory. Nice for collectors!

Drinking Experience: I found it drinkable but not extremely pleasant. Too many notes I don't want to find in a good beer such as Metals, Artificial Sweetener and Vegetables. And a storm warning: Don't let the Beer get warm! Because all the negative aspects are enhanced that way. Drink it ice cold so your Taste Buds are Comfortably Numbed.

Conclusion: Faxe Premium is certainly not an expensive Lager and as such it might attract consumers. The size of the can and the nice presentation give it an extra edge as well. Taste wise however I have some problems with this Lager. I can't find any significant Aromas and Flavours but that's okay at this price level. It should at least be Fresh and Refreshing however and it fails on both counts. It smells and tastes Musty and a bit Sour and Rancid. And it has an artificial Sweetness I could easily live without. In short, it's not a Beer I would buy again.

Jan van den Ende                                                                      April 22, 2015

Brahma Chopp Review

“Chopp Till You Drop”

Country: Brazil 

Brand: Brahma Chopp

Bottler: Companhia Cervejaria Brahma

Type: Adjunct Lager

Age: NAS

ABV: 4.8 %

Antioxidant: INS 316 + INS 221
Stabiliser: INS 405

Colour: Pale Gold. 

Foam: Nice Thick White Foam. It dissipates after a couple of minutes. Make sure your Glass is crispy clean and eventual fats have been removed thoroughly. A bit of Foam remains in your glass after you finished it.

Nose: Light but Clean. No Off-Notes. Clear Grain notes, mainly Corn and most likely some Rice as well. I hardly detect any Hops and/or Barley although they are part of the composition. After a while I get a light Grassy note. 

Palate: Sufficient Carbonation. Quite Watery and Thin delivery. It's almost like you're drinking slightly Creamy Golden Yellow Water. Refreshing when you're thirsty but without any significant Flavours. I find Corn, a bit of Yeast, very light Hops, Grass, Paper and a bit of Iron. But again, no real off-notes. 

Finish: Short, Watery and slightly Dry and Sour towards the end. The Hops are more noticeable now alongside the Grain, Grass and a Metallic note.

Rating: ******1/2  (Six and a half out of Ten)

General Remarks: Bottled Brahma Chopp was first launched in 1934, brewed by Companhia Cervejaria Brahma that was founded in 1888 in Rio de Janeiro by a Swiss immigrant by the name of Joseph Villiger. Today it's part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. In terms of turnover, Brahma is the 5th biggest Brewery in the world today. Brahma Beer is exported to over 30 countries. Belgium, Canada, the USA, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands are important markets.

Drinking Experience: It's Light and Refreshing without any disagreeable off-notes. 

Conclusion: A typical Light Summer Beer to enjoy in the sun when you're thirsty. You wont find any off-notes and it's almost as easy as drinking Water. But don't expect any significant Aromas and Flavours because they are simply not there. So relax with your friends and "Chopp Till You Drop".

Jan van den Ende                                                                      April 18, 2015

Quilmes Review

“Don’t Think, Just Drink"

Country: Argentina 

Brand: Quilmes

Bottler: Cerveceria y Malteria Quilmes SAICA Y G

Type: Adjunct Lager

Age: NAS

ABV: 4.9 %

Antioxidant: E 224

Colour: Light Gold. 

Foam: Nice White Foam that collapses rather quickly.

Nose: Very Light. The first impressions are Sweet Corn and Rice. I also find Slightly Sour Bread Dough, Floral/Grassy notes, Mineral tones and a sprinkle of Lemon Juice. No personality whatsoever in this department. No real off-notes as well. 

Palate: Light and Watery with average Carbonation. I find Sweet Corn Syrup, Yeast, Bread Dough, Grass, Rice Crackers, slightly Sour Apples and again this light Lemon note. 

Finish: Short and Watery with a light Bitterness that is very welcome. Without it, the Finish would be excessively Sweet. I find Corn, Rice, Grass, Lemon, a touch of Pineapple Juice and a hint of Wet News Paper. After a while I get a light Metallic off-note as well.

Rating: ******  (Six out of Ten)

General Remarks: The Quilmes Brewery was founded in 1888 in the city of Quilmes by German immigrant Otto Bemberg. In 1920 it was already the most popular Brand in Buenos Aires and today it controls the Argentinean market with a share of around 75% (April 2015). Lots of soccer fans around the world will recognise the Brand as Quilmes sponsors the Argentine National Team and some well-known clubs as Boca Juniors from Buenos Aires. Today, Quilmes is a part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Quilmes is exported to the USA, South - and Latin America, Australia and Europe. Quilmes uses local Barley, local Hops and Pure Patagonian Water in the production process.

Drinking Experience: Okay. Drink it cold and it's quite refreshing. But once it gets warmer, it becomes painfully Sweet and the Grassy/Vegetable notes become stronger and stronger.

Conclusion: Despite its decent ABV, Quilmes is a very light Adjunct Lager with overwhelming Corn and Rice characteristics. It's quite difficult to detect any significant Malt and Hops content. It's a Mass-Product without any specific signature Aromas and/or Flavours. It's quite refreshing on a hot day however as long as it's cold enough. Don't think, just drink! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                     April 16, 2015