Oh dear. Porter only in name and color. Decent color, but no head, lace, retention or presence in the glass. Weak, weak body with a dreadfully acidic taste and nose. Possibly even infected to my thinking. Lacks any kind of creamy nature and the roasted malts seem bitter. The combination of unbridled bitterness and thin body come together to give a really nasty, heartburn inducing, watery beer - nasty. Southend is getting a reputation for producing some below-par brews and this is a good...
Notes on beers brewed by
Southend Brewery & Smokehouse
Southend Blonde
The funny thing about this beer is the fact that the brewery offers a Light version of this! Good Lord, anything lighter and we'll have water! Anyway, typically macro in so many ways, all the way from the piss weak color, the lack of aroma and the utterly pointless taste. Non-offensive with no skunk is about the only good thing to say, although there is a pseudo hop bitterness that appears in the finish but is gone almost immediately. Don't bother with this. Rather too predictable me thinks.
Blonde Light
If you have to drink a light beer then this will be more palatable than most. Light, golden hue with decent carbonation. Surprisingly some lace present too. Taste has a little character, more than most for the style, but not much beyond what you would expect. It always puzzles me as to why brewers of any distinction bother to produce beers like this - obviously purely a commercial decision to satisfy the ignorant masses. I doubt that they dervive much pleasure from making this type of...
Ironman Wheat
Very thick and cloudy appearnce with the look of unfiltered apple juice with orange juice added. Looked significantly less appetizing than a regular Hefe, with a real orange color and served with the lemon wedge - no options given! Very strong lemon aroma is all that hits me. The strength of the smell puts me off. Tastes are better, with the fruit flavor coming through strong, but there is a distinct lack of clove overtone. Mouthfeel is a little too viscous for the stlyle, and overall I...
Scarlet Ale
Marketed to me as a Red Ale, this had session written all over it. Dry malt tastes with a short bitter finish that did not linger. Tasty and surprisingly refreshing I thought. Aroma was subdued malt with not much else present. Nice head, but his faded to nothing pretty quickly. No head and lace after a few minutes. I didn't get the ABV but found it easy to sink a few with not much effect or effort, so I suspect it was not especially high. Enjoyable if simple beer, nothing to write home about,...
O’ Ryans Oatmeal Stout
Well I suppose it depends on what you are looking for, or indeed expecting. This is a decent beer in terms of appearance, aroma and taste, but it falls hopelessly short on mouthfeel for the style, and to be honest if you take style into account for its other attributes, it is also a little below par there too. Black pour, very still looking with a thin film of head. Disappointingly very little lacing too. Typical stout characteristics in the nose and tastes, with a mild chocolate roasted malt...
East Bay Brown
In my opinion by far the best beer that Southend puts out. Excellent brown body with a small head that although it fades quickly, it still gives some nice lacing and some spotty cream on the surface. Some nutty alcohol in the aroma. Nicely in line with the style with some decent malts and a little hop bitterness in the short finish. Clean taste and a hint of alcohol.
Bombay Pale Ale
Above average offering from this brewpub. Drank more like an IPA than an APA to me, with more bitter hop flavor than I was expecting. Pretty good amber color with a decent head. Not much lacing. Aroma was simple with some balance but not pronounced. The taste followed in the same vein but avoided being too dry and was astringent in just the right amount. Some nut character and the malt came through more than I was expecting to put it into a sort of weird Brown Ale/IPA hybrid category!...
Charley Town IPA
Very mild American IPA by many standards. Hop profile is fairly simple and muted, and does not assert itself. Aroma follows the same pattern too. Good mid-brown color but rather lifeless in the glass. Very little head or any kind of retention, but to be honest it was not poured with much care. Decent, if somewhat simple ale. Acceptable but not much more.