Tasting Notes: Rebellion: Red

Rebellion: Red (England: Irish Ale: 4.5% ABV)

Visual: Burnished red with a decent toffee brown bubbled head. The head doesn’t last though.

Nose: Huge toffee and caramel. Milk chocolate. In fact in many ways a liquid Cadburys caramel bar. Black cherries and treacle.

Body: Raspberries and bitterness. Mainly smooth but with a slight chalkiness. Treacle or possibly cinder toffee.

Finish: Bitter chocolate and pebbles. Bitter and greenery. Cinnamon and slight charcoal. Cherries.

Conclusion: Now as a huge punk music fan I am quite the sucker for beers with rebellion in the name, objections to the commercialisation of dissent aside.

Of course it is a touch of a double edged sword. It some bugger passes you a passable ale with a fancy name like that you can’t help but feel a bit let down. Kinda like anyone who listened to Blink 182 really, well if you remove the word passable anyway.

Unlike Blink 182 however this is not complete shite, thank goodness for small mercies. It’s got a powerful sickly sweet nose, a tad too much chalkiness on the body (too chalky seems to be the new over carbonated for annoying beer traits) and slightly syrupy on the finish.

A pretty standard pint, not bad at all but if it’s rebelling against anything then its rebelling against innovations on brewing.

Background: Initially I thought the brewery was called the “Marlow Brewery”, research indicated that the breweries actual name is Rebellion, with “Marlow Brewery” as a reference to its location.  Given as a present from Martin, this beer was intended as one I did not have to tasting note, so I of course immediately tasting noted it.  Mainly because I’m slightly contrary (on a slightly more serious note, thanks Martin)