Beer in the Evening

Purchase Location: My Local Supermarket
Serving: 500ml bottle
Session suggestion: Good (5 bottles)
ABV: 3.8%

You don’t get much more character in presence that a Wychwood Brewery production, just the bottle illustrations really set each brand apart, from the ghoulish and sinister to English humor (I’m thinking ‘The Dogs Bollocks’ here) each bottle looks like it has harkened from the fantasy realms of Pratchett or Tolkein.
I’m still picking up beer from my local supermarket, I noticed that the shelves had been stocked with a few WychCraft bottles and so I picked four up to try.  Mysterious looking thing, enticing even, there’s care and attention in the design, the embossed insignia on the glass neck giving yet another sense of real age.

WychCraft pours a golden colour with slight reddish highlights, a rising head of white foam crowning the pint which recedes to a halo head quite soon after pouring.  The pint has some low carbonation, I thought it would have been more as this is supposed to be a summer beer, but that’s just my opinion and shouldn’t detract from the great aesthetics this pint is showing off.

First olfaction is really hoppy, a nice familiar hoppiness, that’ll  be the Fuggles no doubt, I’ve heard an American reviewer call it a “typically British stink”, I wouldn’t label it a ’stink’, but ‘typically British’ yes, maybe it is (note to self, try more beers…)  On retro-olfaction the hoppiness increases with alcohol vapor giving you a stronger flowery presence, coupled with the dry malty taste on the tongue you can see why this is a summer drink.  Proper thirst quencher, no messing.
It’s got hints of citrus in the palette that create the foundation of the beer character but over all I wouldn’t label this one as a complex tasting beverage.

You now, I’d definitely drink this again I’ve had 3 and ended this session, but with its low ABV makes it a good contender for a real session beer, I didn’t find the ‘beer hit’ heavy at all, WychCraft actually put me in a good mood.

My Rating: 9/10 (+1 point for the brilliant product packaging.)

Hops used: Fuggles, Styrains
ABV: 3.8%
Visit the Wychwood Brewery Website for more information.