I visited the Bad Shepherd Brewing Co. in Cheltenham. They have a great venue that was very well patronised on the Friday afternoon that I called in. They had their own beers on tap as well as hosting Mornington Peninsula Brewery who also produce some wonderful beers.
The Bad Shepherd beers that I sampled were:
1. California Lager, 4.7% abv, this straw coloured beer has a lovely floral aroma and a mild hoppy taste followed by a good crisp, dry finish. It really has lots of flavour for a Lager.
2. American Pale Ale, 5.2% abv, this is a golden coloured ale with sweet fruity aromas and a lovely well balanced palate that has a generous hoppy taste and a great long bitter finish.
3. Tiny IPA, 3.5% abv, this ale has a dark golden colour and subtle fruit aromas. It has a lovely strong, hop bitterness on the palate and a long dry finish. It has a low enough alcohol content to be sessionable.
4. New World IPA, 6.8% abv, this is a dark straw coloured ale that gives off light tropical fruit aromas. It provides a full palate hop bitter taste that lingers for a long time. A good example of a West Coast US IPA.
5. Hazelnut Brown Ale, 5.9% abv, this ale has a great rich chocolate brown colour and strong nutty aroma. The taste is of roasted nuts and malt flavours on the mid palate followed by a lovely clean crisp finish. It is a truly wonderful beer!
Some great beers at a wonderful venue, well worth the visit.