I’ve been patiently awaiting the return of Lidl’s craft beer festival, and it is finally back in action this week. The lineup this time around sees the return of some amazing value brews such as Loch Lomond’s Zoom Time while also bringing in some new faces. One of the latest arrivals is this odd sounding beer from Wales based Boss Brewing. ‘Bubble Trouble’ is a bubble gum pale ale at 4.5% ABV. I was excited and nervous to try this as the last Boss Brewing beer I had was the less than enjoyable Nutjob peanut butter pale ale. Fingers crossed this hits the mark more than that…

Visually the beer was a surprisingly clear amber colour with almost no carbonation at all. Poured rather flat with the head disappearing very quickly. Opening the can immediately hits you with a powerful bubblegum aroma. Very remensicent of bubblegum ice cream from the Mr Whippy vans! Flavourwise, it has that classic artificial strawberry bubblegum taste that ends with a slight bitterness on the finish.

A quick note on the can art: You don’t often see artwork of people on craft beer cans which makes it a nice change of pace to be honest. The neon pink colours work well too.

What a fascinating beer. Firstly, is it better than the previous beer I had from them? Yes, without a doubt. Did I enjoy this beer? Sort of. The aroma is bang on bubblegum and so is the flavour to an extent. However, there are a couple of issues, for my taste, that let the beer down. The main problem is it pours seriously flat. There is very little carbonation and I think its presence would have helped enhance the flavour. Additionally, while they nailed the flavour, it almost feels separate to the beer itself. The actual underlying pale ale is rather insipid and there is no unity between the two aspects described. It’s a good novelty beer but I think it’s a one time purchase for me, even at the low price point.

Score: 5/10

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Additional Information:

• Hops: Not Available
• Malt: Not Available
• IBU: Not Available
• ABV: 4.5%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: No
• Purchase Location: Lidl
• Purchase Price: £1.29