Newcastle Nocturnal
Heineken Nederland B.V.

 

A 355ml bottle with a BB of Sept 2013, so it's a little out of date. Purchased from a supermarket a while back. The label mentions that this is brewed with rye malt.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A clear coppery-brown colour with good carbonation. Forms a large head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or two before collapsing to a patchy surface layer. Aroma of grainy malt with hints of caramel, faint rye, mild roasted malt, fruity ale yeast and stewed leaves. A sensory non-event.

Tastes of caramel malt with a mild finish. Notes of grain, caramel, faint roasted malt, a twinge of rye, fruity ale yeast and stewed leaves. Slightly sweet, with a subtle bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with effervescent carbonation and a lacklustre body that tends towards wateriness. Mildly astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of caramel malt, harsh stewed leaves and a touch of cardboard.

Meh - another still-birth from Newcastle (Heineken). Looks OK, but the aroma and flavour are dull and unexciting. Despite a claim of aromatic hops on the label, this is pretty much all malt-driven. Insubstantial body. Boring - don't bother!

Beer number 5 in my 'random beer tasting evening' (by myself) on 17 Aug 2013.

355ml Bottle: BBD 30 Sep 2013, poured into a lovely 'Hoegaarden Grand Cru' badged stemmed tulip glass in my little home bar.

Nice amber colour with an off-white foaming head.

Slight peat/dirty earth aroma, in with the mainly malt smell, even though the rear label claims there is a distinctive hop aroma.

Malt front to the taste: some mild toffee and caramel notes but the thin body leads your taste buds to a strange metallic feel that isn't wholesome or wanted. The beer promised so much but it lacks; well everything really.

Overall poor: expected more to be honest, weak, thin and boring could easily be used to describe this beer, not that I would do such a thing.

 

Bottle from Morrisons (£1.50 for 355ml):
Brown with a thin, bubbly white lacing for a head that leaves a little lacing on the edges of the glass.

Malty with a strong, nutty aroma and some darker malts. There is a definite earthy smell along with some moderate bitter notes.

Sweet and dark malts along with some bitterness and quite a few earthy flavours. There is a little sugar and a touch of caramel too.

Light medium bodied with a smooth, sweet and slightly creamy beer that is quite bitter too.

Not bad although not quite a good one either. It was a nice bitter that went down quite well, better than I was expecting really. A pretty standard, run-of-the-mill offering that I would have again if pushed but it's not one to seek out.