Brighton Bier
Brighton Bier

Style is incorrectly listed as English pale ale when it is an American pale ale. Honestly, you can hope, but don't expect all that much when you dig into a 4% beer like this. Brighton Bier doesn't disappoint. Nose is not that big, but gives you decent citrus and jackfruit. Taste is a good mix of light sessionable cracker malt and some well balanced fruity hops with a bitterness that is about right for this ABV level. Mouthfeel is a touch watery, but better than expected for a 4% beer. Overall, a good beer that I'd be happy to crush any time.

CAN
Tower of stiff white over cloudy lemon-tan. 4
Dough starter with grapefruit zest, herb oil, and hop sack. 4
Crackery malts, big hit of tart citrus, melon, lemongrass and pepper. 3.75
Loooong chalky nettle linger.
Light, oily, dry. 4

Really confusing to give your brewery + your flagship beer the same name. So there's that. And seaside town, 4%, London hipster influence... expected style over substance. So colour me surprised to find real hop presence in both the nose + flavour. What I can't figure out is why you'd give such tongue-scrapping bitterness to a Session IPA. Not unpleasant, especially if you like some throwback IBUs. But for a beer positioned as an everyday go-to, not so easy to get through. 3.75

 

 

Hazy yellow. Thick frothy head.
Rich aroma of tropical and citrus hops. Lychee, mango and grapefruit.
Mellow bitterness. Taste is a subdued version of the bouquet. Present but distant malt.
Moderate feel.
Refreshing.

Pours hazy tangerine into a tulip glass from a 330ml can. The white head starts off three fingers high, and is comprised of large, silky bubbles that slowly diminish into a single finger foam; threre's good lacing.

The nose is full of sweet ripe citrus, mango, peaches, and biscuit malts; those really juicy tropical stone fruits particularly which ooze sweetness. There isn't much of a light floral character with this beer, or any bitterness that I'm able to detect at present; it's fruity, lightly malted, and juicy.

The flavour is a blossoming one which rolls languidly through several big characters before settling. The sweetness prevalent in the nose doesn't manifest in this ale, rather you get the bitter and pithy zest on the sip, and that tart unripened mango. The fruit subsides and you're then presented with a middle of biscuit malts with some great rich tea/digestive flavours, before turning bitter once more and leaving on a finish of hops. The aftertaste is a tug of war between tart grain and a bitter hop that lingers. The fruit doesn't completely leave, but you do still get those unripened notes.

In the mouth it feels zingy on the tongue, but the beer has a slight gravity to it, somewhere between oily and dry. The carbonation is there but after the initial sip it leaves quite quickly.

It's a more bitter-centric version of a biscuity pale ale with some good flavours. It's definately a thirst quenching product, good for sessioning as well as nursing, and quite unoffensive. Great beer.