20 September 2012

Handbags

My bottle of Adnams Spindrift says the beer "evokes images of sea spray blown off a cresting wave". Shut up, bottle of Spindrift! That's my call. I get to decide what you sort-of-but-not-really taste like. If breweries are going to start writing wanky bloggish tasting notes on their labels, we're all done for.

Spindrift looks pretty simple: a pale orange ale of 5% ABV, though served from an odd 33cl blue glass longneck. The aroma conjures up old Adnams favourite Innovation, with its powerful spiced marmalade character. The first sip brings that marvellous dry mineral note that is the Adnams hallmark and what keeps me coming back to their beer. Under that there's a complex of heavy, sticky, sweet Jaffa orange and much lighter zesty spritz, both working in parallel and neither dominating.

I can see why they went with the smaller bottle here: the texture is dense enough and the flavours strong enough that it would be harder to take in larger measures. But it's not difficult or overly heavy. It pains me to say it, but this bottle of Spindrift put me more in mind of a nice glass of Chenin Blanc or Riesling. No sea spray, but lovely fruit, dahling. Mwah!

4 comments:

  1. If Jilly Goolden did beer labels....

    I have to admit that Brewdog labels get on my nads, total nonsense from those scots chancers.

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    Replies
    1. Have you considered not reading them? That's what I'd do.

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  2. Oh yeah, but it's toss none the less, the image they wish to portray :)

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  3. I think I have a bottle of that at home to try.

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