Innis & Gunn Blonde Lightly Oaked Beer

Innis & Gunn
Brewed at Belhaven (Greene King)
Style: English Strong Ale
Edinburgh, Scotland

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

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UPDATED: OCT 23, 2009 An orange/blonde headless beer. The aroma has some toffee, caramel, vanilla and oak, but it is nowhere near as in your face as other I and G beers. The same can be said of the taste. There is some stickiness, and more oaky vanilla than in the aroma, but it is a wee bit understated. Score 3.1
Subsequent rating scored 3.4. Average becomes 3.2

[330ml bottle from Sainsbury’s, Reading - at half price!] I’ve loved the three previous I&G beers I’ve had, and was looking forward to this - although with some reservations given the other reviews on here. It pours a deep gold with a moderate fizzy white head. Smell is disappointing for an Innis & Gunn beer - the sourness of a cheap lager. This carries on through the initial taste - it’s horribly fizzy, thin and watery, and there’s more hints of sourness. However, a few more gulps revealed that glorious Innis & Gunn taste of oak, vanilla, whisky and just a hint of cough mixture, and I was reminded of why the previous Innis & Gunn beers that I’ve tasted have made it one of my favourite beer brands. Considering it’s oak aged, it’s quite light and refreshing, and clearly aims to be the "summer" beer of the range. Once you realise this, the thin-ness stops worrying you, and you realise it is actually quite thirst quenching and easy drinking - it certainly doesn’t feel as strong as the 6% would suggest, which probably makes it quite dangerous! However, the sourness and fizziness continue to haunt you to the end. Overall it’s not too bad, but it’s definitely the worst from the I&G stable - don’t make this your first I&G beer! c4

Gold with a white head. Slightly toasted malt aroma with a spicy overtone that might have been ginger but was not. Then, as it warmed, sweet caramel reared its rather predictable head. Taste had sourness, together with this continued spiciness, that I assume is the oak, and some vanilla. A slight bitterness. Quite interesting beer, but the problem is that I just dont like it very much.

Cask in the Hillsborough Hotel in Sheffield.</i>
Amber brown with a thin white head. Good earthy malt with a decent hoppy topping. Slight hint of tea. Delicate bitter finish. Straight down the line and inoffensive.

UPDATED: APR 10, 2012 Vs Eiken Artois. Needless to say this pisses all over the competition; pale, sickly, cloyingly buttery...I’m trying to hate it but I cant. Opens weirdly with jazz cigarette, becoming sugary Irish coffee; malt whiskey, butter, lemon and vanilla once decanted. Standard orange amber lagery looks with added lace. Slick, buttery palate pumped with vanilla and brazen, oaky malt...smoothness. Dollops of ice cream. Shandy with wee dram. Can’t help myself.

oily smell of alcohol. Honey colour with a large but rapidly disappearing head. Strong oily alcohol taste not very nice. Dont like these beers very much.

330ml bottle (Sainsbury’s)
Rich orange. Hot crumpets with butter in the aroma - very nice indeed. Utter disappointment in the mouth in comparison. Rather thin body, not much apart from a light mellow woodiness. A poor substitute for their full-fat version. Pretty drinkable, but the aroma was the peak of the experience.

Bottle, courtesy of norwegian importer. Pours pale golden with off-white head. A lighter version of the original in every sence, but still a fantastic beer. One for those bright norwegian summernights...

Bottle from Sainsbury’s. Clean golden colour, the white head vanished quite quickly. An intruiging nose....malty and spicy, and yes, a bit of vanilla too. Lighter in style than the superb original, more of a thirst quencher, and even at 6% its very easy to drink. Not the classy number I was expecting but still an interesting brew.

Trois cent et trente millilitres bottle (just under 3/5th of a Pint) from Sainsburys. Aroma is malty but not as interesting as the I & G Original. Flavour is malty and slightly fruity, with a definite hint of the high alcohol content. The lingering taste is one of maltiness but again, not as interesting as the Original. Still, overall, I am impressed although, given the choice, I would stick to the Orignal.