How Shall We Extol Thee? (Spire Land of Hop & Glory)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Spire Land of Hop & Glory
Date:	29/11/06 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A tasty and fresh beer from a great new brewery .

Disadvantages: None . . . unless you don't like citrus

I love it when I find a really good beer. This is doubly good when that beer comes from a local brewery! So when we were introduced to a lovely hoppy beer from Spire Brewery I was more than happy to give it a try.

~~~THE BREWERY.

Spire Brewery was set up by former schoolteacher and Scot’s Guard Bandsman David McLaren in spring 2006. The brewery is based on the Ireland Business Park in Staveley and is housed in two industrial bays. Inside the brewery buildings is a 10 barrel brewing plant and 6 handpumps, where brewery tours can be arranged. At the moment Spire are brewing a range of beers including Chesterfield Best Bitter (a brown premium bitter at 4.8% ABV), Encore (a pale amber session beer at 3.8% ABV) and Sgt. Pepper Stout (a tasty dark beer with a hint of pepper at 5.5% ABV). Their beers can be found at selected pubs and are beginning to feature at Beer Festivals around the country ~ latest news is that Sgt. Pepper Stout has got joint second place in the Beer of the Festival at Nottingham Beer Festival.

~~~THE BEER.

***A Bit of Background***

As I mentioned in my review for Sgt. Pepper Stout, Spire Brewery like to name their beers on a musical theme, wherever possible. The thinking behind Land of Hop and Glory is probably therefore patently obvious! Since being first brewed only a few months ago, Land of Hop has already proved to be a popular choice amongst Real Ale drinkers (and not just ones in Derbyshire either) ~ in fact Land of Hop and Glory has recently won Silver Medals at Peterborough Beer Festival in the Best Bitter and Beers from New Breweries categories!

***Vital Stats***

Land of Hop & Glory weighs in at 4.5% ABV, putting in the category of a light coloured Best Bitter, or a Golden Ale.

***Look, Aroma & Texture***

As you would expect from a Golden Ale, Land of Hop is a light golden coloured beer with a small light coloured head. Aroma is predominantly that of the citrusy hops, giving it a lovely lemony scent. This is balanced by a floral element and a small amount of biscuity malt. Texture is slightly grainy with a decent amount of carbonation, presenting itself as a slight tingle on the tongue.

***Tange’s Taste Test***

Land of Hop is a crisp and clean tasting beer with a good combination of flavours. As in the aroma, the dominant element in the taste comes from the hops. The lemon/citrus comes through quite strongly, but is combined with a slight earthiness, grapefruit, biscuit (malt) and a very small tinge of caramel. This leads to a finish that is quite dry and bitter and a long aftertaste that is pretty citrusy.

~~~WHAT I THOUGHT.

I have been fortunate enough to have sampled Land of Hop on quite a few occasions in quite a few different places. In fact, I was drinking it last night! My most recent pint cost £2.30 in the Industry Inn, Newbold ~ the pub just around the corner from me on the outskirts of Chesterfield. It had not long since been put on at the bar and, once it had cleared, it was an excellent example of a beer of this style. It was refreshing, bitter and full of flavour!

The combination of the lemon, biscuit and the slight sweetness of caramel, work really well together and give a good balanced and tasty beer. The flavours are strong enough to be pleasant, but none overpower or are too strong or dominating. It is a good beer to drink at any time of year ~ it is pleasant on a summer evening, but is also strong enough to be enjoyable on a winter’s night (as I demonstrated last night!). The light colour and conditioning (carbonation) also give it an appeal for those who would normally go for a lighter lager style drink.

I have no hesitation in recommending this beer to Real Ale fans and to other drinkers too. We bought one for my mum last time we were there and she said she would happily drink it again ~ and she is a hardened lager drinker! That is a pretty good advert for Land of Hop & Glory don’t you think?

…go on, give it a try! Support the small brewer and have a great drink too!

~~~BREWERY DETAILS.

Spire Brewery
Unit 2-3, Gisborne Close
Ireland Business Park
Staveley
Chesterfield
S43 3JT

Tel: 01246 476005


http://www.spirebrewery.co.uk

Summary: A light citrusy golden ale.