Review: The Londoner

Ever since this Londoner place opened up I've been wanting to check it out, but it's on the other side of town so it took a little while... fortunately, thanks to a half-off $40 gift certificate from 225 Best Eats I went out there with my friend Carlye a couple of weeks ago. 

The beer selection is pretty decent but also pretty typical... a lot of the beers you would expect at a British pub, but they did have a few interesting bottles that I'd never tried.  More on that later... as I perused the draft list there was one new one, so that's what I started with, as we ordered a chips & curry appetizer, which turned out to be pretty interesting and tasty.

The first beer was the Moylan's Kilt-Lifter Scotch Ale, not to be confused with the Pike Brewing Company Kilt-Lifter Scotch Ale!   The beer came out in a pint glass... not much head but that's to be expected from a bar pour. It's a reddish brown color, not bad.

The aroma is malty with hints of dark fruit and vanilla, very nice.  The taste is about as expected... very malty with caramel and coffee notes to it, not a lot of 'scotch' flavor but still a damn fine beer and one I'd order again.  Overall this is probably the best beer on tap at The Londoner, so I'd definitely have more of it if I went back.

My Rating: B+

BeerAdvocate: B+

Scotch Ale

Moylan's Kilt-Lifter Scotch Ale

After that I went to the bottle list and found the Black Art Gold, by Braustolz GmbH.  And if that name sound familiar to you, then A) you read my blog too much, and B) it should, as I tried the Black Art Black Premium Beer by the same brewery a couple of months ago!  That one pleasantly surprised me, this one... um... not so much.  It came in a clear bottle, and poured a lifeless golden color.  It tasted grassy and funky, a lot like a Heineken, in my opinion.  Definitely a beer I'd like to forget and one I don't think I'll ever be ordering again.

My Rating: D+

BeerAdvocate: C+

Black Art Gold

Following that I went for the other new beer on the bottle list, the Old Speckled Hen English Pale Ale from Greene King / Morland Brewery.  I've had another beer from these guys, but you'd have to go WAY back to my first ever beer post, about the Wexford Irish Style Creme Ale from October of 2009.  This one also came out in a clear-glass bottle, not exactly a good sign as clear glass lets in the MOST light and can lead to a skunky beer the fastest.  Unlike the Black Art Gold, though, I really enjoyed this one.  It's an English Pale Ale, so it was a lot more hoppy and less malty than the American counterparts.  There was a little bit of toasted biscuit flavors in there but overall it was mostly hoppy, but not overwhelming at all.  A decent beer and one I certainly wouldn't turn down if offered!

My Rating: B-

BeerAdvocate: B-

"Old Speckled Hen"

As for a little food, the fish & chips were pretty good, but nothing that blew me away. I think the "chips" were more above par than the fish. I doubt I'll be back too often for just a happy hour trip because I live on the other side of town, but it was definitely worth a visit.  I could see some return trips for special British-themed events for sure.

 

Review: Braustolz GmbH Black Art Premium Beer

As the name Braustolz GmbH indicates, what we have here is definitely a German beer!  I had never heard of this brewery or beer before, but while on a recent run to Martin Wine Cellar it caught my attention because it was something I'd never tried... and it was pretty cheap.  I don't remember the exact price and don't have the receipt on me, but I think it was under $2 for the bottle.  Can't beat that for a good one to check out and tick off the list!

By style, this one is a schwarzbier, which translates to "black beer" and is basically considered to be a dark lager.  They aren't strong in alcohol content or thick in body like an imperial stout, but malty, sessionable beers.  Popular examples include Sam Adams Black Lager, Shiner Black Lager, and Köstritzer Schwarzbier. 

I poured this one from an 11.2 ounce bottle into an imperial pint glass.  It's a deep red color with a ridiculous tan head... great retention and good lacing.  So far I'm impressed.  It has a good malt aroma with a slight metallic tinge to it. Smells like some black patent malt, and not much hops at all.

The taste is the same profile as the aroma... dark chocolate flavors come through, not bad at all. This one certainly tastes better than I expected. It's a little thin, but no bad aftertastes or funny things going on.

Easy to drink, a great price, definitely a pleasant surprise.  I'd recommend this one to anyone looking to try some good new beers without spending a lot of money on bombers that you aren't even sure you'll like.

My Rating: B+
BeerAdvocate: B

Schwarzbier