Anchor Humming Ale, Camden Pale and Matuska Black Rocket IPA at The Euston Tap

My girlfriend is originally from London (we now live in Leeds, a win for the North!) so we are regularly down in The Big Smoke to visit with friends and family. This weekend being Mothers Day we were visiting her relatives and taking her Mum and Grandmum out for posh Afternoon Tea at Bea's of Bloomsbury, highly reccomended I might add.

Most importantly a lateish train back on Sunday gave us plenty of time for visiting
The Euston Tap for the first time, mainly to see what all the fuss is about.

Now I've heard people say this place was small but seriously, this place is really small. That said, it is well spaced out, with a wide drinks ledge running along all three walls (one being taken up by the bar and fridges) an ample amount of stools for perching and plenty of space for thirsty Beer Geeks to stand about and chat. I liked it a lot.

I fancied something fresh and hoppy to start with and after surveying the chalk boards I was still undecided, so asked the barman what he reccomended, with
Anchor Humming Ale (5.9%) being his tip.

I've had Anchor beers before and they are always very nice if a little unadventurous, so this bold, hoppy beer was decidely out of character. The aroma is of clean, slightly citrus, super fresh hops with a very slight herbal/piney edge. Mainly though it's just citrussy hop freshness and really inviting and vibrant. Nice smooth white head and a pale copper/golden colour.

The taste is slightly bitter but clean with a really nice upfront hoppy crispness and a slight tropical fruit edge, becoming a little dry with grapefruit flavour in the finish. Ulitmately though it leaves your mouth refreshed and there's just a touch of lingering grapefruity/piney hops which makes it very moreish. A lovely refreshing yet flavoursome pale ale that I could happily have drank a few more of.

However, I wanted to try a Camden Pale Ale (4.5%) while the chance was there so that was next to be ordered. A pint this time as it's slightly lower ABV allowed - I was expecting a balanced quaffer from this much heralded new brewery.

The smell is umbelievably floral, almost too much, with a decidely perfumey edge. The colour is much lighter than my picture shows as it was pretty dark and turning the flash on in a pub is far too 'look at me I've got a blog' for my liking.

The flavour matches the aroma and is extremely perfumed, very full on and quite unusual. It has a very thin mouthfeel and if I'm honest was served a little too cold, do different taps serve at a different temp in The Euston Tap? It certainly seemed that way.

It wasn't bad, but I can't say I totally enjoyed it. I couldn't get past that combination of decidely watery mouthfeel and strongly perfumed flavour, which ultimately made it altogether not that enjoyable. Maybe a bad batch from this fledgling brewery, one to try again in the future.

I decided to go for full-on flavour next so opted for a Matuska Black Rocket Black IPA (7%).

What a Beauty! The smell is roasted coffee and a slight light maltiness combined with a waft of herbal hops. The taste matches this but delivers even bigger with lovely toasted coffee and dark but not bitter chocolate in the start, then becoming dry and hoppy in the finish.
Then in the aftertaste you're left with a mix of nutty coffee, drying herbal hops, dark chocolate and a warm roasted flavour. It really does hit you in waves of flavour this one. A friendly chap also drinking it at the bar described it as 'stunning' and I'd be inclined to agree.

It hides it 7% amazingly well and is a fantastic beer. As is becoming my trademark I wrote the least notes on the beer I enjoyed the most. This was a belter, and for me the winner on the night.

A perusal of the umbelievably well stocked beer fridge meant I left with a bag full of bottles including some Kernel Brewery beers, a few big bottles of Stone Brewery Imperial Russian Stout and Detour Double India Pale Ale (Crooked Line Series), and a few bottles of Flying Dog's In-heat Wheat. All of which I'll get around to drinking and reviewing eventually.

A good trip by anyones standards!

4 comments:

  1. I'm not convince by Euston Tap. They stock amazing beer but that's about all that I like about it. It too small, scruffy and unfinished. They stock excess bottles on top on the fridges in cardboard boxes, rather unsatisfactory considering how much they are going to sting you for them! If I'm laying down £15 for a bottle of Wipeout IPA I want it to have been looked after and in tip-top condition not sweating away on the top of a fridge in a boiling hot bar.
    When quiet it lack atmosphere and from my visit the bar staff appeared completely disinterested and a bit rude. And when busy you can't move.

    You must have spend a load on those bottles? Shop around you'll get them all much cheaper.
    Flying Dog In Heat Wheat - £2.15
    Stone Brewery Imperial Russian - £9.29
    Detour Double India Pale Ale - £10.69
    All Kernel beers are well cheap at BeerMerchants.

    Saying that I've splurged a packet on bottles from the fridges at Cask. I'd advise to get stuff from bars you can't get online or in shops.

    Next time if you have the time head down to CASK is 12 times better.

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  2. I agree, Anchor Humming is great, simply perfect. Camden Pale is fine but nothing all that special, but I'm glad to see another progressive brewery based in the captial. Black Rocket is a winner! Loved it's big and roasty flavours like a hopped-doppelbock rather than a black IPA I thought it was bloody good tho

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  3. I know what you mean Rob, but I think they deserve credit for the sheer quality of beer being served, how many places have as a good a selection?

    With regards to the bottled beers I thought they were decent value. The IPA was £12 and the Stone Imperial Stout was £10 something. So at only a few quid more than the internet it was worth the convenience and lack of postage costs!

    Do wish the palce was a bit bigger though! Havent a clue what it'll be like in summer as the beer garden is miniscule aswell.

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  4. p.s. the Wheat Beer was £3.60. So ratio wise, it was the most inflated price but hardly broke the bank.

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