Hello and welcome back to the Eternal Hoptimists,
Love him or loath him you cannot deny the popularity of Jeremy Clarkson and following his recent TV show Clarkson’s Farm it highlighted Hawkstone Brewery and people were clambering over themselves to obtain their beers.
The most popular in the range was Hawkstone Lager and upon its release on the Phillips Perfect Draft this one was flying off the shelves and hardly ever seemed to be in stock. Upon buying my machine a new batch had been released so I simply had to pick up a keg to see what the fuss is about.
1. Name : Hawkstone Lager
2. Brewery: Hawkstone (Cheltenham, England)
3. Hops : Not Stated
4. Grain : Barley & Wheat (contains gluten)
5. Aroma : Aroma is clean, crisp with a very zesty citrus aroma
6. Appearance : Pours a light golden colour with a two finger fluffy white head and steady levels of carbonation
7. Body : Has a very smooth and slightly creamy body with a pleasant mouthfeel. As this hit the palate it could slip down without ever feeling too gassy.
8. Taste : Has a strong, zesty citrus presence running through the beer with a crisp bitterness and a slight malty edge to the finish. At first the flavours were quite pleasant but personally the citrus flavours and sweetness of the beer proved too much so one pint was enough.
Well, after jumping on the bandwagon to see what the fuss was all about with Hawkstone Lager I can honestly say that I was a little disappointed. Whilst the beer certainly offers a lot of difference to the mainstream lagers, I felt that although refreshing, the strong citrus flavour profile was just too much and did not leave me craving more.
As my wife and I drank our second pints we both looked at each other and said that it’s ok but we found ourselves not really enjoying what was in our glass. Whilst I appreciate the bold flavours will appeal to many, I will honestly say that this will be the only keg of this that pick up as there are far better beers available for the Phillips Perfect Draft.
Mark’s overall rating: 2.9/ 5.0
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