Looking forward to baron rating Sharp's Connisseurs ales

Twitter is a wonderful place for like-minded folk to hang out and talk. A couple of weeks ago Sophie Atherton (first female beer sommelier & freelance journalist) pinged me asking if I'd tried Sharp's Spiced Red ale. I said that I hadn't (you don't really see Sharp's beers up north) and she suggested that maybe Sharp's should send me one to try. Sharp's Brewery promptly got in touch that afternoon and before 9am the next day a box of beer arrived!

Sharp's Brewery

2011 Series

• No. 1 Quadrupel Ale - 10% dark ruby ale, aroma of perfumed alcoholic fruit. A full bittersweet fruitiness leads to a warming alcoholic finish
• No. 2 Single Brew [baron rating 4/5] - 4.5% mid-golden ale,fresh herbal lemon aroma,light barley sugars give way to perfumed bitterness. The finish is dry, clean and exquisitely appetising.
• No. 3 Honey Spice Tripel - 10% ale with an aroma of juicy citrus fruit and candyfloss,the flavour is a journey from rich fruity bitterness through to an appetisingly dry finish

Note: I got to try the 2011 series at last year's Beer Bloggers Conference and even managed to bring a bottle of each home. The Single Brew I rated (see above link), the Honey Spice popped it's top and the Quad is still in my 'strong beers that need rating' box!) Really pleased to be able to sample them again, will make sure it's not a year before I post the reviews this time...

2012 Series

• No. 4 Single Brew - 4.5% with attention-grabbing aroma of fresh Citra hops. The promise of a clean and fruity beer in the mouth, leading to a crisp moreish finish
• No. 5 Spiced Red - 9% deep-red spiced ale brewed with coriander and a really fruity yeast from Ireland. Dry hopped with Hallertauer Perle hops and spiced with coriander just before bottling.
• No. 6 Dubbel Coffee Stout - 7% strong dark ale brewed with coffee beans and the world's fruitiest yeast to create the perfect marriage of an imperial stout and a Belgian dubbel

Look out for a 'baron rating' for these Sharp's Brewery beers soon, and a big thank you to @SharpsBrewery for sending them through to me!

Buy Sharp's ales from direct