Much like last year, Tiny Rebel did a selection box (not an advent calendar) for Christmas 2024.
Cheeky V - Cocktail Sour (4%)
First impressions: it’s an off-putting colour, kind of a sickly puce.
Manages to fail to look like a conventional fruit beer, while also missing the alternate goal of looking synthetic and exciting.
Taste wise, it’s not unpleasant, solid fruity taste, I’d say plummy (which is weird, because there are no plums in Vimto).
Unfortunately the same comment I made about the appearance applies to the taste, it’s difficult to tell if this wants to be a fruit sour, or if it wants to be a punchy Vimto tribute.
It’s also quite a mild flavour, neither especially sweet, or especially sour, or especially flavorful: If this were Vimto squash, I’d say it had too much water, and not enough squash.
And despite the fact that it’s not strongly fruity, I’m not getting any “beer” notes either.
Not awful, but not a strong opener.
It’s Tricky - IPA (6%)
Hazy; lot of flavour, mostly crisp hoppyness, but with a solid juicy body.
Unapologetically an IPA, full bodied, lot of complex notes from the hops.
Does anyone else get that thing where some IPAs remind you of Earl Grey tea?
After yesterday’s mixed bag, I can honestly say I’m really enjoying this.
It’s Happening - IPA (7%)
Initial impressions: Damn Hazy, smells fruity, almost tropical.
Flavour wise, it’s heavy and slightly bitter; it feels like a 7% beer.
The tropical flavours are there, but as an after-note.
It’s like being hit by a big wave of dense bitter beeryness, and then tossed around in a tropical, pineapple scented, surf.
Butty - Double IPA (8%)
Another Hazy IPA.
At 8%, this is another heavy beer, although despite tasting crisp, and damn bitter, a little resinous, there’s not a huge amount of nuance to the flavour.
It’s almost like the booze and the bitterness come together to drown out any more complex notes.
Don’t let that note give you the impression it isn’t nice: I’m enjoying it, but it’s a blunt instrument.
It’s Showtime - IPA (6.5%)
Another Hazy IPA.
This one’s great though; lot of flavour.
It’s doing a great job of balancing between a bunch of crisp floral notes, and an underlying juicy body.
Reminiscent of the “It’s Happening”, but much more subtle.
Master Blaster - Session IPA (4.8%)
First off, I’m not sure it’s reasonable to call something a “Session Beer” when it comes in at 4.8%.
Secondly, I’m delighted to discover that Tiny Rebel actually know how to make an IPA with some clarity.
Taste wise, it’s damn drinkable; crisp and refreshing, little bit of maltiness.
It’s a fairly mild taste, this is an “easy” drink, but it’s an easy drink that I’m enjoying.
As an aside, I’d been missing out on the Stevie Wonder song until now. It’s also good.
El Dorado - Mexican Lager (4.6%)
Surprisingly full of flavour.
It’s a light refreshing lager, plenty of sparkle, and there’re also a lot of interesting malty flavours in it.
I want to say I’m picking up notes of lime, but I think that’s just suggestion.
Peach Snickerdoodle - Peach Cookie Smoothie Sour (5%)
Finally, we’re onto the weird bullshit! And this is a good one!
Amazing smooth peachy flavour, balanced against a rich (but not over-rich) background.
Decidedly fruity, but it’s not overdoing it. Pleasingly effervescent, with a fantastic creamy mouth-feel.
On the negative side, it’s off-puttingly murky, and it has no right being called a sour.
Golly Gosh - Gummies & Dumdrops Smoothie Sour Beer (5%)
Brightly coloured, and an intensely synthetic nose; reminiscent of vimto.
Flavour’s disappointingly mild; given how cracking the can open hit really hard on the nose, it’s relatively subtle on the tongue.
There is a clear “gumdrop” flavour, fruity, kinda jellylike, kinda creamy. It takes a while to hit, after my first sip I thought the flavour was too mild, but half a can in, the flavour’s built up, and I genuinely do have the sensation of eating jelly-tots.
Unsurprisingly it’s another “sour” beer with no real sourness, but at this stage I’ve come to expect that from Tiny Rebel.
Mocha Martini - Espresso & Chocolate Martini Imperial Stout (10%)
Dark, rich, dense, bitter and chocolatey; practically gooey; like a cake.
It’s a lot, but I think it’s damn nice.
Buttery Biscuit Bass - Baked Cheesecake Stout (5.4%)
Reminds me of those “Lotus Biscoff” biscuits.
Unsurprisingly creamy; quite lactose heavy.
Rich, but not compared to the Mocha Martini.
If you inhale before you drink it, you notice a bit of a malty nose, but it’s drowned out by the biscuit flavours by the time it hits the tongue.
It’s a solid novelty stout: no complaints here.
Grind and Haze - Hazy IPA (4%)
First thoughts were that this is unapologetically an IPA, dry, damn hoppy, heavily floral, almost resinous.
As you drink it, you get used to that, and a little fruitiness breaks through. Pineapple, mixed with a pine tree.
It’s bold of Tiny Rebel to call out one beer in the box as being “Hazy”, given that most of them have been pretty murky.
This is nice though, crisp and refreshing.