Hello there my fellow beer lovers,
This weekend we joined the party at Quirky Craft Ales as they celebrated their 10th birthday in style.
The afternoon had everything you’d want from a brewery bash, a line-up of tasty beers, fresh pizza to keep us fuelled, and live music that set the tone perfectly.
Stuart and Lee joined us on this excursion as I felt it might be a wild one I wanted a few more hands on deck for review writing!
Nestled just east of Leeds, Quirky is often dubbed Garforth’s best-kept secret. It is a small, independent microbrewery with a cosy taproom, It’s the kind of place that feels like a local home away from home, warmed by community. We were made to feel very welcome, and the whole event felt had a warm and relaxed vibe.
As for the beers they sported a few of their own brews including some choice guest ales, unfortunately no Ruby mild.. but there is always next time.
As for what they had on offer though, check these out.
Name: Hip Hop (5.5% ABV)
- Brewery: Quirky Ales , Garforth
- Aroma : Sweet wet Straw, and fresh reminded me of a large field or an orchard.
- Appearance : Cloudy golden hue with a tight thin white head when poured.
- Body : Medium bodied, good amount of carbonation with really good head retention.
- Taste : Quite distinctive in taste, very crisp hop with some mellow malts and then an almost apple-like finish.
This was the first one of the Birthday beers that I had at the event and I found it to be quite deceptive because it slips down easily for a relatively strong beer. It was refreshing and very enjoyable, but I feel this one might divide the crowd a little.
Sam’s overall rating: 3.7/ 5.0
Name: Raspberry Beeret (5.8% ABV)
- Brewery: Quirky Ales
- Aroma : Very fruity, red berries with a slightly sour tang.
- Appearance : Opaque vivid raspberry pink with no head when poured.
- Body : Thin but very smooth in the mouth, with minimal carbonation.
- Taste : A strong Raspberry hit up front, with a nice sourness but not overly astringent, with a bitter hop like finish.
This was fruity, refreshing and If you like raspberries then I think this one if for you, as it feel like drinking raspberries direct from the punnet!
Our overall rating: 3.8/ 5.0
Name: Haze over Amritsar ( 5.6% ABV)
- Brewery: Quirky Ales
- Aroma : Light malt with a whisp of hop.
- Appearance : Hazed Orange/Lemon in colour with no head when poured, looked similar to a still orange.
- Body : light to medium bodied, okay carbonation but no head.
- Taste : Grapefruit and Malts take centre stage with a good hit of biscuit, but quite dry towards the end
A good mix of fruit and malt, It wouldn’t have been my first choice, but i was very happy i made the choice.
Our overall rating: 3.7/ 5.0
We saw a few people walking around with suspiciously purple looking beers. straight away Stuart volunteered as tribute to try this one for us. turns out is was a good shout, as Kayla got a couple of these afterwards!
Name: Farmers Blueberry Ale (4.4% ABV)
- Brewery: Bradfield Brewery
- Aroma : Very little sent, a mild acidic smell might be detected if you really try.
- Appearance : A dark deep red beer with a thin white head. It can be off-putting to see an almost purple pint, this definitely stands out at the bar.
- Body : A strong thin white head and a dark body that doesn’t let any light though.
- Taste : Very gentle, mild Flavour. The beer equivalent to eating a marshmallow. Definitely a summer drinker and a wonderful dark alternative to Farmers Blond.
Our overall rating: 3.7/ 5.0
Name: Blonde ( 3.8% ABV)
- Brewery: Quirky Ales
- Aroma : A little hop, with little burnt toast
- Appearance : Clear pale golden straw with a tight white head when poured
- Body : Thin, but very smooth good level of carbonation with a moderate astringency from a citrus zing.
- Taste : Toasted bread with a citrus hit with a hoppy twang, leaving a bitter bread toast aftertaste
Very toasty flavour, I don’t mind bready flavour in beer but this is a little too much for me and its more of a burnt toast taste than a malty one. Sam also tried this one and was surprised at how bready it was for a Blonde, but said it wasn’t too bad so I think this one was just a personal taste issue.
Our overall rating: 2.6/ 5.0
Sam is finally off the Three Blind mice and decided to pick up DIPA from another brewery I don’t believe we have covered on the blog before ( well before Luke’s and Kayla’s earlier picks)
Name: And thats why i hate Spinners (3.3% ABV)
- Brewery: Quirky Ales
- Aroma : Biscuity with a good hit of hop and citrus
- Appearance : Clear golden pale with a tight white head
- Body : Medium bodied with good carbonation but no head retention
- Taste : Mellow hop with a cheeky bit of biscuity malt at the back.
Good little session and particularly flavourful given the 3.3% ABV. It seems to have been a weekend for very flavourful low ABV beers.
Our overall rating: 3.9/ 5.0
Stuart is stepping again up to try a another of the guest ales on offer at the birthday bash.
Name: Master Blaster, Session IP (4% ABV)
- Brewery: Beer Hut Brewing
- Aroma : A mild sweet smell and not overly “hoppy”
- Appearance :A pail, clear beer, light Yellow with a thin White head.
- Body : I wasn’t expecting such a light colour out of the can, but was very happy with just how drinkable this one is.
- Taste : Mild, slightly Fruity for an IPA, One that you can keep coming back to. Definitely pick up a can whenever you see one, just to have in.
This was a cracking beer, really enjoyed this one. Not heard of the brewery before so I will keep an eye out of it in the future.
Stuarts overall rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Our next review is by Lee, this is Lee’s first review, and its about a beer and a brewery that is very close to his heart. Although it is a guest ale here, its not something you see everywhere.
Name: Organic Chocolate Stout (5% ABV)
- Brewery: Samuel Smiths
- Aroma : A strong chocolate scent upfront with a coconut/vanilla cream backing
- Appearance : Dark as dark can be, no light goes through it, minimal off white head when poured.
- Body : Smooth, goes down very well, low head retention with a medium to full body.
- Taste : Chocolate hits first with a overlapping of coffee, sweet caramel and vanilla.
Absolutely class beer, Sam Smiths know how to brew a good stout, and in my opinion this is how a stout should taste!
Lee’s overall rating: 4.3/ 5.0
With the tasting notes wrapped up, the night was far from over. The pints kept flowing, the pizza was calling our names, and there was still plenty of time left to soak up the birthday buzz.
What more could you want from a brewery birthday?
Cracking beers, top-notch pizza, and a live set from Versus that had the whole place buzzing. There was even an attempted conga line… which didn’t quite take off, but hey at least we gave it a go!
Here’s to Quirky: ten years down, many more to come!
The|Eternal|Hoptimitsts 