When a beer hits the spot… Roosters Outlaw – Mad Hatter (6.2%)

It’s ages since I’ve written about a particular beer, mainly because I’ve been busy but also because I’ve kind of got stuck in a rut with beer, having had too many beers that just didn’t get me excited enough to put the effort into writing a blog post about it, until I popped into the Free Trade Inn and they had Mad Hatter on.

The clock had just hit 12 and I’d gone against my usual rule of only drinking 1/2’s on a day out in Toon and ordered a pint. One very quickly turned into two and two into 3, I then. Wavered and tried the Wylam Haxan Black Wit beer, I plumped for th cask version as thought it had more flavour than the kegged version and It brought out the spices more.  Once that was done I was back to the Mad Hatter for a few more pints, this was despite the amazing array of beers that,  as always were on offer in one of my favourite pubs. I honestly can’t remember the last time I went in a pub and drank that much of the same beer.

The beer it’s self…well it’s 6.2% ABV and brewed on the Outlaw plant, nestled in the corner of Roosters brewery, it’s the same plant I brewed my wedding beer on It was brewed by Ol from Roosters and Melissa Cole using Jasmine and Green Tea (you can read more about that here) It’s slightly hazy but has a really lovely golden glow to it, almost like someone dropped a glow stick in it. It’s really floral on the nose, almost like freshly washed bed sheets….no really. The jasmine was definitley there in the taste along with a good dose of lemon and fresh grassy hop flavour. It was slighly sweet but this was balanced by the bitterness from the green tea which with the slightly oily body helped hide the ABV and made Mad Hatter far too easy to drink.

It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I loved it! It really made me fall in love with beer again, It was different and geniuently beautiful…Hat’s off to Roosters (and Melissa) for prouducing the best beer I’ve had in ages.