Monster Beer Posts

Double Enghien Brune

Double Enghein is produced by the awesomely named Brasserie de Silly. The brewery is actually in a small village called Silly (hence the name) and has been producing beers for over 150 years. Double Enghein Brune (8% ABV) was added to Silly's range in 1975 when it purchased the Tennstedt Decroes Brewery in the nearby ...

Kraaike Metteko

Kraaike beers come from a small brewery called Craywinckelhof, located in Lubbeek, east of Brussels. This is Kraaike Metteko, a 7.5% ABV seasonal beer from the darker end of their range. It's a black beer, with a deep, tan foamy head – helped by the fact that the beer positively exploded out of the bottle. ...

Weird Beard Holy Hoppin' Hell (batch 6)

Weird Beard are part of the growing hoard of London brewers. It was founded by a couple of homebrewers who are pretty much living the dream that a lot of us have, of making our hobby into the day job. Their marketing spiel is a bit heavy in superlatives, Brewdog-style – and the promise ...

De Molen Heen & Weer

Brouwerij de Molen is a small Dutch brewery that produces a spectacular array of beers – their website lists nearly 60 different brews, although it concedes that "some are retired and some aren't mentioned yet". That list is actually quite interesting, because I've only ever come across bottles with the very distinctive, plain black and ...

Hitachino Nest XH

Hitachino Nest are one of the handful of Japanese brands that are regularly seen in the UK, although they tend to be on the pricey side of craft beer given the huge distances involved! This is their XH, named for an 'extra high' 8% ABV. It's an attractive Golden Syrup colour, with a well ...

Summer Wine Maelstrom

I've known of Summer Wine Brewery (closed since 2020) for a long time, but I've never actually got around to trying their beer. They've clearly taken the same course in hyperbole as That Scottish Brewery, describing themselves as producing "evolutionary craft beer". No, I don't know what that means either. This is Maelstrom, their wonderfully ...

Bristol Beer Factory Creme Brulee Stout

As I may have mentioned before, I'm quite a fan of the Bristol Beer Factory – I even included their magnificent Southville Hop in last year's Golden Pint Awards. So when I came across today's beer in Utobeer there really wasn't any way to resist. This is their Creme Brulee Stout, a definite monster at ...

Tiny Rebel Baby's Got A Temper

Tiny Rebel are a Newport microbrewery set up in Although based in Wales, their beers seem to be quite widely available in the 'craftier' beer shops in London. In addition to their core range, they also produce one-off beers in their "Tiny Batch Editions" and I'm pleased to see that a significant chunk of ...

Shepherd Neame Generation Ale 2011

I have a soft spot for Shepherd Neame; being a Kentish Man I'm fairly sure that the first beer I ever ordered by name (rather than asking for "bitter", or to be honest back in those days "cider") was Spitfire. They may not have a reputation for bleeding edge craft beers dripping with American hops ...

Batemans 2012 Vintage Ale

The term 'Vintage Ale' always makes me think of Fuller's, who have been producing their annual Vintage Ales for many years now. Batemans have recently joined the party with their 2012 Vintage Ale, a limited release that I believe only appeared in Aldi stores. It's a slightly murky, deep copper colour in the glass, ...