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HOW TO WRITE A BEER REVIEW

Hoppy! Grapefruity! Malty! Beery! Want to write a beer review? Here's our handy beer review generator, plus a few suggested words

Writing beer reviews is not an easy thing (generally) and it’s usually not enough to say ‘hoppy’ or ‘very hoppy’. We try to convey a sense of flavour, a context, a narrative, usually in very few words. But it’s also a chance to show a bit of lyrical gymnastics too. But recognising that it can go a little too far sometimes, here’s our own handy template. Cheek. Tongue. In.

The latest beer from __________ is a __________ example of a __________. On the nose the__________ flavours pop out like a __________ with a __________.

Gulping down the __________ coloured brew, I’m reminded of __________, with a touch of __________ that may have seen the inside of a __________ barrel. The flavour rises up __________ like a __________ with a

On a warm evening in May we were lucky enough to be invited to the launch of Serpent, a stunning ‘alliance' between Brooklyn Brewery and Thornbridge. Daniel Neilson recounts the story

A few days ago our friends at Rooster's Brewing Co. opened up their doors to the masses so we could go take a peek at how they do things. Always ready to party, I cleared my diary and made a day out of the 2016 Rooster's Open Day filled with games, food and, of course, beer.

It was during the Open Day where I had a thought: I really like these guys and their beer. And I should probably tell people why I think they're so great.

Ten Reasons Why I Love Rooster's Brewing Co.

1.) Their beer is great. Very clean, very drinkable and very good. Cask, keg, bottle or can: a definite go-to.

2.) Consistent as hell. Rooster's is one of those breweries that is easy to pick out of a crowd and you always know that you'll get the same thing.

3.) They're down-to-earth.

Born to Die Has Just Found New Life.

We all know that the Brewdog Born to Die was made just to, well, die. Released just today, the clock on this terminally fresh Imperial IPA has already started. But this is not a time for mourning--it's a time for some serious imbibing. So get to it!

What makes this beer so special is not that it's just another fabulously hoppy creation from Brewdog, rather it's been specially brewed to extract every. single. ounce. of precious hop oils. It's these oils that are responsible for the hop blast in your mouth and the intensely bitter finish. Unfortunately these same oils are a sensitive little bunch and are prone to breaking down long before we're ready to say goodbye.

Drink Born to Die Now. No Really. Now.

Every March, in the midst of winter's (theoretical) last stand, a much-longed-for event occurs: the annual release of Founders Brewing Co.'s Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Or, Founders KBS for short.

We try a lot of beers here at Beer Hawk, and we know you do too, so to help you remember which you like best we've made a FREE printable available of our in-house beer tasting note card. It has space for important beery criteria like aroma, mouthfeel, flavour etc, so you can review each beer you try and decide whether to buy it again!

After many afternoons tasting new beers all in the name of range analysis and overhaul we’ve decided it’s time to say goodbye to some of our stock in order to make room for the exciting new listings to the Beer Hawk range. We’ve included more selections from breweries we already stock and have listed some incredible new-to-us breweries.

Well sock it to me! Brewfist Italian Ales is our brewery of the month for March. It was almost three years ago that I discovered this great Italian brewery while on a trip to Rome and let me tell you: it completely changed my perspective on Italian beer.

Obviously the Italians are famous for their wines--and rightfully so. However, there has historically been a strong brewing tradition in the northern part of the country, where Brewfist hails from. Since brewing their first beer in late 2010, Brewfist, alongside other great Italian breweries like Toccalmatto and Birra del Borgo, have put new wave Italian beers on the, well, map.

In recent years, the Italian beer scene has become one of the better-established beer scenes in Europe. Sure there are the stalwarts like the UK, Copenhagen and the Czech Republic, yet when considering that beer has to struggle against a strong cultural tide in countries like Italy

After the better part of a year working on my bosses trying to convince them of the virtues of canned beer, it appears as though they've finally accepted the truth: canned beer is great!

Cans for beer have come a long way since the 70's and the 80's--those terrible decades when fashion was flammable, food was plastic, and canned beer tasted like, well, canned beer. As with most things besides music (that's right, I said it) technology and products improve with the passage of time. Looking to today, it's fair to say that beer can technology has improved to the point where we can confidently benefit from cans without compromising on taste or quality.

While conceding that canned beer is not as aesthetically pleasing as a nicely packaged bottle and that maybe you shouldn't bring it as a hostess gift to a dinner party with the in-laws (unless your in-laws are really into their beer) there isn't really a downside to a properly canned beer. Note that I said properly

I'm glad that we've chosen the newly-minted And Union for our brewery of the month for February. For starters, since they've recently undergone a brand overhaul, it gives us the opportunity to bid adieu to "Brewers and Union" and welcome the tremendously simplified And Union. Secondly I must admit that I've been a bit remiss in learning what these guys are all about so I'm going to take that chance now.

And Union came to be way back in 2007--and entered the UK market in 2010--as the brainchild of Rui Esteves, Manuel Esteves, and Brad Armitage. Fiercely protective of their vision of only producing small batches using the traditional ingredients of water, hops, barley, wheat and yeast, And Union bases their business model on partnerships with small regional Bavarian breweries. That's right--they contract brew.

I'm still a little foggy as to where these guys are based--a message, that with their re-brand, could become clearer--but I'm gathering that the label is part

It's that time again--those who gazed wistfully out to sea from our western shores finally have their patience rewarded: the great Stone ship has steamed into port carrying delicious gifts from the new world! Sadly, the ship was a little smaller this time carrying with it just a few beauties from their extensive range. Yet, we've happened to get our beery talons on Stone IPA and Stone Ruination IPA. Deeeelicious.

Routinely rated as one of the best IPAs in the world, Stone IPA is also rated as one of my favorites. I love how refreshing and crisp it is thanks to all of the gorgeous hops and two weeks of dry-hopping. If there's anything that Stone knows how to do better than others, it's playing with hops. American hops are the star of this IPA's show with its notes of citrus, grapefruit, and pine. Just beautiful.

When I'm looking for a good kick to the face (or

Bad Seed, good guys. That's right, some of the nicest guys with some of Yorkshire's nicest beer have finally found their way into our warehouse. And it's about time, considering that Bad Seed Brewery is one of our North Yorkshire neighbors!

I first discovered Bad Seed probably not too long after their launch at the great Friends of Ham in Leeds. My first impression was "why is the price tag still hanging off of it?" because of the bottle's little tag-doohickey thing. Yet, opinions of the of-course-it-dunked-straight-into-my-beer device is not what I walked away with. Indeed, it was their deliciously light and spritzy Saison that made me want to know more about these Bad Seed guys. Fortunately, thanks to the best gig in the world, I now get to.

The gregarious Chris and passionate James have taken their brand from strength to strength in the past year. They've collaborated with other great breweries (striking

I'm stoked that Left Hand Brewing Company has come back to us here in the UK from the mile-high land of Colorado. I discovered Left Hand years ago because, as a proud Southpaw, I couldn't not try a brewery so aptly named.

At the time I was only interested in very malt-forward beers as I hadn't yet grown to like the bitter aspect of beer. Imagine my pseudo-cool-girl-trying-to-impress-the-guys delight when a glistening Left Hand Milk Stout tap handle appeared and time stood still.

I remember my first impression like it was yesterday. Creamy. Chocolate. Coffee. The smoothest stout that I had ever had. I didn't know what a "milk stout" was. Figured it had something to do with the creaminess or was a gimmick or they had a special affinity for the cows on the label. Nevertheless, for a long time I declared that my favorite style of beer was a stout simply because of my memory of Left Hand's Milk Stout.

To this day I know Left Hand as one of those breweries

Ok, I'll admit it: up until now the only beer mix I've ever had came in Irish Car Bomb form (you know, Guinness and Bailey's à la Jagerbomb.) So, suffice it to say that this month's Beer Blogging Friday topic of Traditional Beer Mixes--hosted by Boak and Bailey--is a long time coming for me.

I've personally never been a fan of drinking beer concoctions, nevermind those days in my early 20's when I thought I was so cool when drinking a Flaming Dr. Pepper (a glass of beer with a flaming shot of amaretto and vodka dropped in it.) I've always thought that mixing beers was only something that bar-hands should do with the dregs in the glasses when clearing the tables. Nevertheless, I'm slowly warming up to the idea of some of these traditional beer mixes. There must be a reason why they have stood the test of time, after all.

For those of you that don't know, I'm a Yank and I've only