So the girlfriend is off doing something with work colleagues for the evening leaving me with full responsibility for myself, which is worrying in itself, so what do I need? A curry, beer and Netflix. Now naturally people would be thinking ordering a curry for delivery is the best solution here, BUT I thought into this more, I go order my curry in the restaurant, go next door to the pub for a beer, go back and collect said curry and walk home (less than 30 seconds), all part of the experience.
So curry ordered and off to the pub I wander, mouth salivating after just uttering the words of my order, the pub is a Weatherspoons and I normally shy away from tap/pump beers due to their either tasteless lagers or ‘old man ales’ and head straight for the fridges for a Snake Dog, 13 Guns or Resin. This time however my attention was drawn by a pump beer - ‘Mad Goose’ by Purity, an English brewery, and always one for supporting the UK craft revolution I opted for what was described on the tap as a ‘citrus pale ale’ which is fine with me. So I swan on over, get it swan? Goose?, to the young lady behind the bar ‘Can I have a pint of Mad Goose, please’ now her reply I was not ready for and it took me a moment to comprehend the situation, her reply to asking for a ‘Mad Goose’ was
‘Okay, no worries I’ll just head to petting zoo now’
… followed by a loud laugh to herself as she tapped away on the till. Panicked by the whole situation and taken aback by what is actually a pretty humorous joke I take a moment and laugh awkwardly like a socially inept teenager in the beginning stages of puberty. So this is already a right experience.
After the awkward encounter, I wander away with my beer, we’re back on track. And here it is: First thing I noticed was the complete lack of head, I thought to myself ‘oh no, I’ve only gone and got an old man ale’ there’s no gas which usually means 1 of 2 things, it’s either an old man ale, or it’s a still cider, both of which I really do not want. Secondly go in for a big ol’ whiff, of which there is none, brilliant, now I really am up shit creek without a paddle, a headless, aroma-less beer… So only one thing to do, embrace it and take a big gulp. To my surprise - It’s pretty good, oaky is the stand out flavour, it’s definitely a grower! At first taste I thought it was pretty good but by the end I was loving it! It’s a beer that knows what it’s about, a 4.2% ‘zesty blonde ale’ with a solid 3 hops in there, 2 aroma based and 1 bitter hop. So not the most hoptastic of beer but from the taste of oak rather than earth you could guess that.
Naturally the taste changes as you get down the pint, but the oaky taste stays the same, it is in no way refreshing, so drinking this on a warm evening was kind of a double edged sword. In one way it was great drinking a nice oaky beer but in many other ways it made you quite warm the same way in which you drink red wine in the winter and white in the summer.
In conclusion Purity from Mad Goose is a nice beer for a winter evening, a tasty beer which will leave you knowing you’ve had a beer without leaving a bitter taste. In all honesty it’s not, in my opinion, a session drink; I couldn’t see myself drinking much more than 2 perhaps 3 no matter how nice it is it doesn’t have that refreshing feeling that I’m into with my beer. I could perhaps try this again during a colder spell and see if I feel a bit different. Of all of the beers I’ve tasted this is basically slap bang in the middle of Old man ale and craft which is strangely satisfying to drink.
Would recommend for:
- An Ale fan who wants something a little different
- Something a little soothing and homely - like a big fat roast dinner.
No comments:
Post a Comment