Dead Pony Club

This is a helluva beer. Got it out in the first sentence! I loved it, all of it, every last drop. Dead Pony Club is a California Pale Ale from the BrewDog Brewery company. This Scottish based brewing company has won me over completely with their no nonsense approach to beer. On their website brewdog.com they say “We have a terminal addiction to make beers we want to drink. Beer with teeth and balls. Beer we lust for. Crafted beer.” How can you not appreciate that??

Dead Pony Club is light, fruity, but still with enough substance to make it feel like you’re actually drinking something, not just sucking down fizzy water.  Combined with a great company name, awesome bottle design, and an amazing outlook on beer (which is perfectly worded on the side of their bottles) I think it’s safe to say I’m falling in love with this beer, and this company. Personally I hope it’s a love that lasts for a very very long time. 

So down to the rating!! I feel like the perfect 10 has to be saved for the shining light at the end of the voyage, the lighthouse calling us home. Therefore… cue drum roll… I’m giving Dead Pony Club a 9/10!!

 “But wait!” I hear you cry, “This is the third review you’ve done, surely it’s a tad early to be throwing around the 9!?” to those of you who say that, I say try Dead Pony Club for yourself, I’m sure you’ll agree. As for me I cant wait to try the rest of the BrewDog collection.

Henry

Spring Sprinter

Onto the second beer already!! What can I say, I like to keep our audience on their toes... and I was walking right by a pub so y'know, what was I supposed to do??
Right! So this beer, as per the title, is called Spring Sprinter and is in fact an ale. Brewed by Fullers Spring Sprinter is one of their seasonal brews and as the name points out, it's intended for the spring season.
Going by what the website says again (fullers.co.uk) this ale is "A light zesty ale with a real spring in its step" as well as having "subtle gooseberry flavours... balanced perfectly with the biscuity sweetness". 
Now I openly admit to not being the biggest fan of ales, it's something I believe potentially comes with age, but I certainly enjoyed the Spring Sprinter. The first sip was actually pretty bitter which came as a slight surprise, but as I reached for it again... and again.... and again it opened up and was full on, down right enjoyable.
I found it nicely easy to drink and just as a side note, it pairs amazingly with cheese and onion crisps.
If I had to pick one criticism, which I suppose for the sake of balance I must, I'd say that athough the zesty flavour was at the very least mutely present, there was a distinctly heavy, bitter aftertaste.
Therefore, all in all, I give it an 7/10 (I know Pistonhead got a 7 too but it's coincidence honest)
P.S. For anyone local to Winchester reading this, I would also highly recommend the pub I was wandering past, The Wykeham Arms. I'd walked past it several times previously but this was the first time I'd gone in and was oh so happily surprised. Any pub that allows dogs is a good pub in my book.
Henry

Me enjoying a Spring Sprinter

Pistonhead Kustom Lager

Okay, so here we are with the first beer! Pistonhead Kustom Lager is brewed by the Brutal Brewing company in Sweden, so like all awesome things we're starting with a Viking. 
The website brutalbrewing.com describes this beer as having "A very rich malty flavor with balanced and marked bitterness." which is certainly true. I personally definitely enjoyed this beer, not to mention its sweet label design. When wandering through the beer section in the supermarket I found myself transfixed by all the pretty labels, but this one was just cool enough to tip the balance. 
The malty flavour was very clear, not to mention delicious, however the only possible drawback was the bitterness. For me the perfect pinnacle of  beer needs to be something which you could happily drink a gallon of just due to its easy flavour. While tasty, I'd definitely leave a beat between bottles of Kustom. That being said it most certainly won't be my last Pistonhead!
All things concidered, I give it a solid 7/10
Henry