Three small ones

Strolling around my local Morrisons I came across three small (330ml) bottles that I thought would be worth trying.  One of these, the Brewdog, I have tried before (and reviewed) but the taste of this batch is so different to the earlier one I tried that I felt it needed reviewing again.

Adnams Spindrift (5.0% ABV)

This beer stands out from the crowd by coming in an appealing blue glass bottle.  It is described as a blonde beer so I was thinking it would be similar in appearance to their Explorer beer.  It is not quite as blonde as that one but it has a nice pale golden appearance.  It had a pleasant fruity aroma and the initial taste was a little citrussy with some slight sweet orange notes.  There was a little spiciness coming into it the more I drank and it all gave way to a nice refreshing bitter finish.  Very pleasing and I awarded it a score of 8/10.        

Brewdog Punk IPA (5.6% ABV)

When I tried this beer a few months ago I found it to be quite a fruity American-style pale ale.  It had a pale golden colour and the hoppiness was quite restrained.  My review was included with a number of IPA reviews and at the time it was not coming out on top for me.  This time I found the appearance to be paler and the aroma was very citrussy with strong grapefruit notes.  This was looking promising.  The citrussy hops hit me immediately.  The grapefruit / lemony flavours were powerful.  Grapefruit initially but giving way to a more gentler lemony aftertaste.  This was simply a stunning beer and I would have to award it top marks.  I have heard that consistency is an issue for Brewdog from various blogs I read and fellow beer enthusiasts I listen to.  If they could just keep it as it is now I would drink a great deal more of it.           

Barry Island IPA (6.0% ABV)

This beer is described as being produced at the Brains craft brewery.  This new 10 barrel plant is being used to brew small batches of experimental beers I assume and this is their second creation.  It is described as being an American style IPA with a 'unique smooth malt taste upfront' which is 'finished off by a vigorous bitterness and a ‘tidy’ clout of citrus and berry hop flavours'.  Well they must have missed something out here.  Initially I thought it had quite a rich fruity taste but my taste buds probably hadn't adjusted from the Punk IPA.  The more I drank the maltier it became and the hops were giving me some sour orange flavours. My wife liked it alot but for me it was a little too weird.  Something wasn't quite right with the mix of flavours giving a little harshness to the aftertaste.  I awarded it a score of 6/10.