I'm in the middle of a cheeky pre-Christmas trip to the wonderful Scottish island of Islay, but I am so committed to obeying the demands of my adoring public that I am making sure you get your daily hit of Jack's insight and wisdom - more fool you. If I can be get my act together and do it, I will publish a review of some of the distilleries I visit on Islay, they are bloody good ones, so stay tuned for that. Until then, let's have a look at day 15 of the Beer52 advent calendar.
Final Squeeze
Style - Pale
Brewer - Mobberley Brewhouse
Hops - not stated
Adjuncts - Grapefruit
ABV - 4%
The beer
Fruit beers are a bit divisive, or maybe they aren't, it could be that I have had mixed experiences with them while everyone else is absolutely loving them. But, somehow I doubt that. Very often it seems like brewers make use of the addition of fruit juice to cover up failings in what would otherwise be a thoroughly disappointing beer. But I'm sure this isn't the case with today's beer.
Final squeeze pours ok, but even to the eye it is a bit thin. The colour is very pale, very light amber, verging on the insipid - like the piss of an overly hydrated yoga enthusiast (one assumes). Thankfully there is just enough haze in Final Squeeze to get away with it.
In terms of scents, there's a very strong hit of grapefruit on the nose - as you would hope. I say that, but I have definitely had some fruit beers that smell nothing like the fruit they purport to incorporate. Along with the grapefruit there's a slightly funny acetone smell that gives it a sweet chemical smell that somewhat takes the shine off the grapefruit.
To drink, Final Squeeze is very sweet and very tart like a real grapefruit, which is great if you want grapefruit juice, less great if you want a beer first and foremost. Thankfully the sweetness and tartness dissipate very quickly and you're left with a nice touch of bitterness at the edge of the tongue. Also, despite the smell, there is none of that acetone taste - thank fuck.
By the third sip my tongue is growing accustomed to the grapefruit. With those upfront notes less dominant, it's actually hard to pick up many other flavours and the beer is actually quite bland on its own. I would say this is a pretty one-dimensional beer, so my initial suspicions about the heavy use of fruit in beers might be correct.
Final Squeeze had lots of promise up front - those aromas are very pleasing indeed (ignoring the acetone), but there wasn't really anything on the back end to keep it interesting beyond a few sips. Final Squeeze was brewed exclusively for Beer52, which is probably for the best as it feels like this one has been phoned in. For me, Final Squeeze is too gassy and too one-dimensional. Too bad for me.
Score - 2.5/5
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