Driftwood Spars

Blue Hills (4% ABV, bottle)
A terrific traditional session bitter, with an aroma of earthy, spicy hops, and some berry fruit. On the palate, bready malt forms a backdrop to berry and citrus notes, with some spiciness and nuttiness. Good mouthfeel and a fine bitter finish.
(8th April, 2021)

Bolster’s Blood (5% ABV, bottle)
Gosh. Hugely overconditioned — it took several minutes for the thick beige head to subside, but it did leave excellent lacing! The beer’s very dark, with red edges. Bready, caramel malt on the aroma, with a hint of smoke. On the palate, that sweet, but not overly sweet, backbone remains. There are black cherry and Christmas cake flavours, currants, sultanas, and a hint of coffee, with a gentle bitterness on the finish. Complex and satisfying. Perhaps one for a winter fireside rather than a warm day in June!

Pete’s Mild (4.5% ABV, bottle)
Ruby red and quite fruity for a mild, but then Pete was always one for challenging expectations. Caramel malt offers good balance. The hops are Challenger and Mystic. The intention is that Pete’s Mild will be brewed every March, around the time of his birthday. A great easy-drinking beer in which to raise a glass to our departed and much-missed friend. The label, incdientally, features Pete’s wood carving of Neptune, which stands at Charlestown. He was a prolific sculptor as well as brewer.

Beacon (4.2% ABV, can)
The first of the Cove series of craft beers, Beacon is hazy golden, with good carbonation and a white head that stays well. Quite a hedgerow hop aroma, with some grassiness and light citrus. On the palate, it’s well balanced with lemon and orange coming through against a backdrop of quite assertive biscuit malt. A hint of dryness, too. Refreshing and clean, this is a good showcase for British hops, in this case Jester and Harlequin.
(2nd July, 2020)

Midnight Skinny Dipper (4.2% ABV, can)
Very dark, with a thick, foaming, tan head. On the nose there’s rich, dark malt, treacle, and a suggestion of berry fruit. Big roasted notes on the palate, too, with a bit more bitterness than I expected. I thought there might be a greater lactose character, but it’s more about bitter chocolate, that treacle, and a decent bitter finish. There’s a slightly lactose note right at the end, along with some coffee. More of a stout for me than a milk stout, but a decent brew, nonetheless, and a treat on a cold autumnal evening.
Buy it: I got mine in the Red Elephant Beer Cellar, Truro. It’s also available on the brewery’s website.
(21st October, 2020)

Stippy Stappy (5.5% ABV, can)
Hazy gold with a white head that stays well, this offers an inviting herbal, spicy, hedgerow aroma. On the palate, there’s a good punch of spicy, herbal hops, with blackcurrant fruit notes. There’s an awful lot of bitterness, bordering on tartness. If you like hops a lot — especially bold English hops — this one’s for you!
Buy it: I got mine direct from the brewery. It’s available on the brewery website.
(14th March, 2021)