A Brewery Delayed. (9/94)
I got a bit despondent when I saw that my last blog was in October and this lot of beers were delivered on October 15th. For context however in between I have been wiped out with sickness for about 10 days. Worked 40 hours(ish) overtime in one week, had two mini breaks, my little lads second birthday and then Christmas. As such it’s been hard to find the time to sit and have the beer and then actually write about it, but there we go. As we move into January and hopefully less chaos there should be some form of regularity going forward once more.
71 Brewing ( https://www.71brewing.com/ ) was founded in 2016 becoming Dundee’s first active brewery in over 50 years and have a selection of year-round beers, small batch and specials and in 2021 they started with Fruition, seasonal sours which was incredibly up my bag. There’s also a family connection to Dundee with my wife’s dad and family live or originate from Dundee.
It was also written in the stars, that this brewery landed when it did. Unfortunately, my wife’s Nan passed a week prior to ordering my next round of beers and the random generator landed on Dundee, which considering the number of breweries still to go just felt right in a strange way.
I bought a box of their Fruition seasonal sours and a selection of there beers from both core range and seasonal to get a nice selection. Due to how long it took for this write up not all may be available in the shop now.
Fruition, Seasonal Sours Gift Pack V2 (6 Sours) with Glass - £33
9 Other beers - £32.05
https://www.71brewing.com/browse/c-Shop-11
First things first you can see the lovely 71 Brewing glass from the gift set, a lovely little design on it and the great style of glass for craft drinks.
This smells quite traditional in that pubby sort of way if
that makes sense. The nose is welcoming and familiar without being overtly
challenging but as part of the 71 Brewing All year-round range you'd expect the
more experimental beers to occur down the line.
The taste is very different to what I was expecting. I don't
know if it's because the previous core/all year-round range I had was a little
subpar but this is far from it. I sometimes find standard pale ales a little
bit nothingy but this one really packs in the flavour to a standard ABV beer. Firstly,
this tastes a lot stronger than the 4.5% on show, but only in the way that the
beer carries the flavours through, with a slightly bitter aftertaste which
plays around the edges of year-round the tastebuds on the tongue.
What is pleasantly surprising as well is how long it's
holding its head a small thing; I know but seeing it remain as the drink goes
on just really emphasizes the clean fresh nature of the beer with the
carbonation. I'd say if all Pale Ales were like this, I’d certainly drink it
more. This also hopefully bodes well for the other beers moving forwards.
Sometimes you just get a vibe that a brewery is going to be good it also helps as I mentioned I’ve had great feedback already, but this feels like it could be right up there in the running already. I'm hoping I’m not building 71 Brewing up for a fall, either way the next 14 beers are going to be fun.
Another beer which falls into their all-year-round range and
one that I don't have too high expectations of just because typically I find
you're kind of limited with what you can do with a pilsner to make it pop.
It smells delightfully crisp and fresh and with it being
straight out of the fridge has that cool undersmell which often accompanies an ice-cold
beer.
It's a really good Pilsner that you can tell is above
quality of the average beer that you'd get so you absolutely have to credit that,
like with the Pale ale there is that very very slight bitter aftertaste which
really works well after the beer is so refreshing on the way down and just
makes it self at home.
Reading the back of the can I talks about Saaz hops which I
don't believe I’ve come across before (they possibly may not be used much
within the IPA side of things I’m not sure.
This is another beer which maintains its head well too which in my book is always a plus. This would be a fantastic gig beer, there’s nothing worse than watching a band and having a really bland beer this would just highlight the occasion and make it all the better.
We're getting onto my favourite types of beer now and I’m
excited to see how it goes.
This is smelling very much my jam; the strong IPA flavour
and the good ol mosaic hops are kicking through with the tropical smell. I
think I started involuntarily started salivating.
Ohh what another lovely beer we've got here. What's crazy
here is that even though it's been in teh fridge for quite a while it's almost
fought off the cold and decided to stay the temperature it's decided to
be. First of all, you can tell that this
a strong beer in the way that in coats your taste buds and with it being sat at
7.4% that's not surprising. The
percentage isn't oppressive though and is very welcoming.
There is such a strong fruity flavour which is carried
through the nose and across the palate. What I’m noticing as well is that
slight bitterness afterwards again which I’m noticing on these beers as almost
a signature of 71 Brewing.
As the beer gets further along you do notice that the
heavier nature of the DIPA starts to kick in a little and feels a bit more
challenging but arguably this is a good thing.
For a good DIPA in my opinion, you need to have that moment where you
take a step back and realise oh actually this actually is quite a strong beer
and you take that little step back to appreciate what is truly happening.
And yet this doesn't have that special thing to push it to a 9 or 10/10. I can't put my finger on it. It's a fantastic beer and I would drink it over and over again, but the more beers I have on the journey the more I think I have to be more discernible in rating all beers as the best thing ever.
This smells fantastic, but also very strong and looking at
the ABV for a standard IPA this is certainly up there.
Ok this is very good, but incredibly challenging. The first
thing you get is the fruity notes but they quickly dissipate and then you get
the hops kicking right in fully attacking the palate. I think this beer would
be better at a cooler temperature than out the fridge as the subtlety is lost.
The signature bitterness that has become a key feature is once again prominent
and lingers and then with subsequent drinks the fruit like nature begins to
kick in once more completing the complex layering of the beer.
I don't understand how some beers are able to take you on this journey where you can pick apart everything that's happening with the beer, I find it even more confounding when the process is cyclical taking your mouth round and round the different sensations.
This is certainly a more you have the better it is beer, but that can often be the case for good and strong IPA's you need to give your palate time to adjust to really get to grips with the beer. The flavour profile the Simcoe and Amarillo hops deliver really is top end.
This smells incredibly fruity and rich, there is a slight hint of "beer" about it but this seems very much that strawberries are front and centre and it does smell like a strawberry milkshake. This could be wonderful, or it could be upsetting that it doesn't hit the peaks I was hoping.
Oh, ok here we go. The initial flavour is almost more like a
smoothie rather than a milkshake but it is 100% strawberries and it's
absolutely sensational. There is very much a slight hoppiness that lingers on
the palate which reminds you that this is still fundamentally a beer, but the
fruit is front and centre. It also makes me excited for the sours which are to
come. It's hard not to draw comparison to your fruit beers like Kriek or Fruli,
but it also is a lot more welcoming than those.
An incredibly smooth drink which totally hides the fact that it's packing a 7.2% under the hood.
I'm now just going to sit and enjoy this.
So, I’m expecting an orangy taste to this one based on the
name alone, but I’ve been wrong before however to the nose it's certainly
seemingly like it's going down this route. It poured beautifully and maintained
its head fantastically even as I write my initial thoughts it remains there.
This is one of those beers I think would benefit from being served slightly warmer than straight out of the fridge. Of all the 71 Brewery beers I’ve had so far this is one that feels the least hoppy so far, it's certainly there but it's not as punchy or aggressive and is more along for the ride. Whilst it's not as pronounced as it smells there is a wonderful undercurrent of orange which maintains mouth feel all through the drink. There is a subtlety to this beer that I really appreciate, which rewards you as you try to unpick the flavours it presents.
This is certainly up there for me; I might be swayed as I’m in holiday mode now but this is one of my favourites so far and I think it's just with that slightly dialled back nature where you can sit back relax and truly enjoy it. (Not that as you can tell from the notes, I’ve not enjoyed the others).
Here we go Sours time. (Well, Gose anyway, but all Gose's
are Sours but not all sours are gose) Anyway I’m not going to break down all
the differences and nuances here we're a simple blog all in all.
This smells like a watered-down strawberry Ribena, there is
no hint of strength at all in the nose or any true indication of strength
hidden away.
Ah wow. This is fantastic. So first of all, it tastes of
strawberries bold punchy and upfront, which of course I was expecting based on
smell and name, but what this has over some sours I’ve tasted in the past is
that it doesn't have that aggressive acidity which can often be all to present
and make prolonged drinking something of a chore. Unlike the previous drink I
think this truly benefits from the cold out of the fridge flavour to it which
seems to just sharpen everything up.
I'm probably going to offend some sour lovers here but it's
like a grown-up alcopop in flavour and takes me back to younger days. There is
a slight after taste that lingers around the tongue which is a by-product of
the fermenting process, but it's unoppressive and again is pretty respectful of
the palate.
Although not part of the Seasonal Sours which will be coming up shortly this gives a highlight as to how they could go down, which has my happy with what's to come.
What I’ve found as these have gone on is that I’m finding a
lot of NEIPA's to be quite harsh so it will be interesting to see where this
one falls. Straight away to the nose you
get that punch in the face, there is a strong tropical presence to it but the
hops are very much front and foremost and you know this is going to be a really
punchy drink.
This is confusing me a little as it doesn't actually have
that harsh taste to it that NEIPA's have let alone a NEDIPA. It's not entirely
smooth and you very much know that's you're drinking a strong beer, but then it
sort of fades away into an extremely palatable drink. What's striking me most is just how the fruit
flavour is actually kick through in this and is the overwhelming taste that
remains with you which is absolutely fantastic.
From lower expectations this beer has absolutely shot up to
a contender for my favourite beer, even the strength begins to just fade into
the background rather dangerously as this beer could go very quickly before you
realise what has happened.
As we come to the end of the beers (1 stout 6 sours to go) I have to say I am incredibly impressed, for beers these are right up there with the best I’ve had, however no single beer has stuck with me as "the best", but as a collective you'd be hard pushed to find a better variety.
It's become a sort of
a tradition now that it's become Stout Sundays so here, we are.
To the nose it’s very much like a molasses treacly heavy
stout which as you come to expect from a standard imperial stout, I get the
feeling it could one of those heavy set warming one.
Ok so this is very very strong even to the taste. The
bitterness really kicks in straight away and coats the mouth with a real heavy
coffee taste so it which once I accustomed myself to changes the landscape of
the drink as I start to think of it as a very strong cold brew of sorts. This
is an incredibly thick drink and pours like treacle.
Whilst I can tell that this is a good stout, I think this
one is a bit too much for me really. It's incredibly luxurious and not afraid to
be what it is what I’m all for that. It also has an air of stickiness to it.
It's leaving a coating on my lips as I drink as a reminder of exactly what's
happening.
I should say as the drink continues it becomes less harsh and it's when you can really appreciate the flavour which is incredibly rich. Not my favourite stout I’ve had, I’m still getting used to them all so when there is some sort of quirk, they're calling to me more often at the moment.
This looks incredibly rich and dark as you pour it, but to the nose it is not giving much away and just smells like a sour, rather than Blueberries kicking through.
To taste is a different story entirely though, this is pure blueberry flavour with that tart twang to it. So much so it takes me back to when my kid ate blueberries when he first started eating, it has that same pop of flavour in your mouth.
This is also incredibly refreshing to drink. With some sours you get that immediate sour after taste, but this is all about the blueberries and is incredibly enjoyable.
I don't know if it quite hits Smoothie territory but it's certainly not too far off.
So instantly as I poured it the overwhelming smell of strawberries attacked my senses, it has that sour tang to the nose but also just reminds me of the smell of strawberry Ribena.
The taste of this is deliciously light, tangy and fruity and
is everything that I want from a sour. The flavours of this are incredibly
fresh as well, nothing within this tastes artificial which sometimes when you
hit the heavy fruits it can do, or the sour notes of the drink effect it, but
this is balanced to near enough perfection. This doesn’t have any hint as to its
strength either like the Blueberry Smoothie before it and is just a joyful
experience.
It doesn’t really have too much in common with your Strawberry biers like
Kriek’s, which can often sit heavy on the palate and the stomach and can become
an unpleasant experience over time, other than the high alcohol content I
believe this could be drunk for a considerable time without feeling that heavy
feeling.
Dark Berry Beret - Seasonal Sour - 7.2%
This looks fantastically thick and rich and full, to say it
almost seems like liquified jam is an understatement.
To the nose this does smell like a typical sour in that it’s
quite acidic and could be incredibly tart. It's so tart the fruitiness is lost to
the nose a little bit so we'll see what happens with the taste.
Ok so this might be too sour for my liking (as a guy that
likes sours) It's a full-on attack on the palate. There is certainly fruit
there but it's so hard to pick apart. As the drink progresses you become acclimatised
to the sourness and the fruit does start to kick through a little bit, but the
sour is very much the prominent. There
seems to be a big disconnect from the smell to the taste, which really effects
the drink of the sour as well.
Of the sours so far, this is my least favourite it just doesn't seem to pair up and reach the heights of the others and becomes a bombardment on the palate rather than a cohesive enjoyable drink.
So, a little bit cheeky extra 0.3% there I hadn't previously
noticed.
There isn't an awful lot being given away with this one,
the natural sour notes kick through as you would expect but the smell of
Rhubarb isn't really hugely prominent, that said Rhubarb isn't your usual
everyday flavour so maybe it's just the lack of the nose memory effecting.
However, to taste, this once again elicited one of the oh
wows which I reserve for special occasions. This is almost the total opposite
of dark berry beret from last night, the rhubarb is front and centre without
absolutely overpowering everything else.
It tastes a little bit like a fruit smoothie and is making me remember rhubarb yogurts from when I was a child. This is thoroughly enjoyable and in a message to a friend upon drinking it I described it as phenomenal, yet this is what I had the most trepidation about rhubarb can be such an overpowering flavour, but the balance that is at play here is absolutely near on perfect as the key thing to remember is rhubarb punch, we have orange and lime in play here as well which brings things into check.
I only can't say perfect because I don't feel qualified enough to describe anything as perfect.
Unfortunately
an IT error (Ross deleting his post-it note from his desktop) means these notes have been deleted, I do remember I really enjoyed
it though sorry 71 Brewing.
I have a bit of an affinity with Poncha as a drink and it became the firm drink of choice on holiday in Madeira and also in Portugal the following year, so I’m interested as to how this will be represented in sour form, as in its own right Poncha is incredibly sweet and acidic so in theory this should be a cracker and the reason I’ve left it for last.
There is the typical sour twang to the nose but not necessarily as much passionfruit as I was expecting so the balance could be interesting once we reach the tasting.
Wow this is incredibly tart and almost oppressively so, there is almost a burning in the back of the throat on the first mouthful which the palate doesn’t really recover from. I’m not getting the taste of passionfruit through and unfortunately it just leaves a bit too much of an attack on the tastebuds to be overly enjoyable. In taking really delicate sips you can make out other citrus flavours hidden away, but the whole thing is just one giant bombardment of sour it really gets lost quite easily.
Final Thoughts:
I loved 71 Brewing on the whole, as noted their beers are really top end and whilst there wasn’t a single beer which hit as my new favourite beer there wasn’t any amongst them that was even average quality, ranging from good to amazing which is a fantastic accolade to have among your core beers and specials.
It shows fantastic understanding of flavours and the hops that they use in order to bang out quality beer after quality beer. The same for the seasonal sours as well, whilst some were a little too tart for me when you’re working with such a range of fruits, you’re not going to please everyone all the time. Even those that weren’t my favourite you could still tell was quality and just not down to my personal preferences.
71 Brewing will rank highly when we reach the end of this journey I’m sure.
Next County: Clackmannanshire
