It's A Grand Day
Iceni Brewery

Tasted by half-pint at the Chesham Arms, Hackney, 03/07/2006.

A: pale golden in colour, very mildly carbonated and it comes with a thin layer of tight foam that sustains very well, leaving evenly tight lacing along the way.
S: surprise, surprise~~ without knowing that it's a ginger beer, my nostrils are immediately overwhelmed by an intense aroma dominated by rich Galanga (Thai young ginger)~~ very assertive, and to some people, I dare say, intrusive and sharp; backed by a second layer of aroma full of honeyish hints of malts and wild flowers' floral scent of hops.
T: incredibly savoury-spicy ginger flavour hits the palate, extremely like, well, a Chinese dish: "spring onion and ginger steamed salt-water fish"...!! I just couldn't get rid of this image from my mind, particularly given the slightly clashing taste b/w the savoury edge and slightly stinky hint of steamed spring onion and ginger... A flow of floral and bitter-lemony hops gradually develops, mixing very well with the exotic spicy taste, leading towards an aftertaste of bitter-sweet toasted malts on a par with profound hoppy bitterness lingering at the root of the tongue, almost like that of crushed dried herbs plus slices of unskinned ginger. The overall flavour is not too far from a cup of Thai aromatic tea, added with lemon-grass!
M&D: light-bodied, but a certain intensity and a moderately-thick texture is there to buttress the full-some gingery flavour. Alas, the overall drinkability suffers a little from its apparent lack of healthy dose of fizziness. Yet it's still a very interesting beer with a solid balance b/w malts and hops, perhaps the most different ginger-spiced beer I've tasted so far. If it's too strong-flavoured for some to enjoy it alone, it should go very well with the above-mentioned Chinese fish dish, I imagine~~ Maybe those sea-food restaurants in China Town might think of ordering some casks!!