A collab between the front soldiers Siren, who has teamed up with Stillwater and Prairie Artisanal, is what we have here. An exiting, intriguing artwork on the label is good and all that, but the real exitement starts when reading about the contents here. A bunch of different ingredients in this blend, where grapes, blackberries, cherries collides front-to-front with lactose and coffee, creates this fine favourite beer type of mine, Flanders ale. 

Needless to say, it looks striking. Nose is becoming more and more right down towards room temperature. Insanely dark fruit infusion, stingy acidity, lightly spiced and deep subtle sweetness… Right, I’m dying to drink this. 

At first, the berries welcomed midway/far back in my mouth, great balanced tart taste. The berries’ taste span from sweet cherry taste and deep dark raisins, to tart, to oak mateurity, before rounding off with sweet, delicate outro. Amazing stuff! Will definately have again.

Photo: M.K. Burheim

Intriguing label & name from these (seemingly) punks are paired with positive assocciations from earlier tastings.

A brown ale is what we’re in for from these Brits, and visually striking brown transparency colour. Perfect head is poured and exitement boosted as fruity aromas of dried dates, mature plum and caramel-notes comes forth. There’s also clearly nutty aroma to this one. Yes, I do inhale!

As for the taste: It is very mild and a bit light… Not exactly watery, but little edge to it. Really nice sweet middle which lingers for a bit. Taste of (I was about to say wet autumn leaves!) sap, with that sweetnote on top. A mild and far from controversial ale, but hey- whoever said brown ales would promise anything else than that), but overall well-tasty.

Will try their beers again, when the opportunity sees the light of day.

(Photo: M. Brochs)

A black IPA is what we’re confronted with here, quite mild as British IPAs tend to be. The carbonation is way too intense, producing a large head, not only when pouring but even in mouth, by each sip. The aroma gives little, but some traces of the liqurice and coffee. Besides that, I find it hard to get much. That also goes for the taste, even though there’s clearer references to roasted malts and fruity hops… For a split second, that is. Somehow thin bodied, I find little generosity even hops-wise here. Gives little way to aftertaste- despite well-tastyness, it is too shortlasting & a tad bland for my taste.

Nose: Mildly hopped aroma with sweet’ish hints. Golden light brown in colour. The taste is relatively sweet and surprisingly distant from a lager- more like a very light amber ale. Lightbodied with maltfeatures which really shows it’s significance midway through. A little shortlasting/light for my general taste, but I’d be happy to give it another shot sometime.

Pours quite dark with nice hat. The low key aroma is a turn-off, but… It starts off with nut-taste, going into some strange, spicy pattern. First, just… Nutty, then to nutmeg- like taste, which which also grows by the 2nd sip. One can barely get some hints of the malts before it’s gone, so shortlasting it’s almost hard to detect. Kind of good taste in there, sorrounded by an attempt on good taste, with an ugly bitterness to it.

Nose: Mildly hopped aroma with sweet’ish hints. Golden light brown in colour. The taste is relatively sweet and surprisingly distant from a lager- more like a very light amber ale. Lightbodied with maltfeatures which really shows it’s significance midway through. A little shortlasting/light for my general taste, but I’d be happy to give it another shot sometime.

Very light in colour, with a fresh pilsenerlike round-off. All of a sudden, sweetness (!) kicks in, on the verge to a syntethical impression.

This doesn’t taste of typhical beer in any way at first, but this is still good. Easyflowing with a sense of bitterness, with an outro of (guess what) banana sweetness. A little thin for my taste, but well tasty.