A Rebel Yell

As I said yesterday, my brother is a top bloke (just in case my other brothers or parents are reading this, they are all top people). Not only did he hunt out beer from the Lovibond Brewery near where he works, but he also found some other beers I had never heard of, and as well as that he remembered how much I enjoyed Young's Bitter when we were in the King's Arms in Oxford and got me a bottle of that too. You really can't ask for much more can you? Apart from forcibly converting his son from supporting Arsenal that is.

Thus it was that I found myself with a couple of beers from the Rebellion Beer Company in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. First up was the Rebellion Blonde. I have read a lot lately about how blonde ales are the ideal drink to give your lager drinking mates in an effort to open their eyes to the joys of good beer. Rebellion Blonde takes that concept and runs with it. Made with both lager malt and malt used for making bitter, the result is a drink which is great cold, and also not bad when it warms up. The beer itself is golden and with a nice amount of carbonation, although the head did disappear somewhat quickly. The nose was an orchestra of fruit, with apples and bananas very much to the fore, as the drinking went on I thought I could notice touches of tea as well. And what a nice beer it is to drink as well, there is a nice spiciness to it as well as it being rather light and summery, the only downer being that the longer it sits it kind of loses something and becomes lifeless. Still, a very nice beer to have on hand, well chilled in barbecue season.

Moving on to Rebellion Red, a dark red ale which has a creamy head and is brewed with amber, crystal and roasted malts, as well as three types of hop. My nose is definitely getting better, with it picking up distinct citrus notes, a full on spiciness and a foral freshness from the Cascade, Fuggles and East Kent Goldings respectively. I admit I allowed myself a smug moment when I read the back label and was right. As for the taste, there was plenty of toffee and rich maltiness, balanced out by a slight tartness and a dry finish. On a cold winter afternoon in the Haute-Vienne, this was a lovely pick-me-up.

Another couple of beers which have made me want to try the rest of their range, in bottle they also do a Belgian style witbier and a Bohemian pilsner. The brewery also has a range of draught ales with some hilarious names, especially the monthly ales for 2009 with a financial theme, although they only deliver within a 30 mile radius from Marlow - I wonder if a quick trip to my brother could be organised before moving to the States?