Lidl supermarkets have added a new brewery to their craft beer repertoire in the form of Oldham based Donkeystone Brewing Co. A new brewery for me I picked up a couple of their offerings to give them a whirl. First up is ‘Cotton Clouds’ a craft lager at 4% ABV. Perhaps one of the hardest styles to blow someone away with it is also serves as a good benchmark for a brewery I think.

‘Cotton Clouds’ looks and pours like a lager with a clear amber hue to it. The aroma is rather interesting with a slightly smokey quality to it along with the a little citrus. The flavour is fairly similar actually. There is very much a smokey taste to the body along with your classic lager flavours.

A quick note on the can art: A little cherub holding a pint is a cracking image. Pastel blue is nice but does make some of the writing difficult to read.

On the whole it’s a fairly decent brew. More interesting than you standard lagers for sure with that smokiness bringing in an extra dimension. The citrus flavours come through nicely too. Very drinkable on the whole and wouldn’t mind having a pint or two of it.

Score: 6/10

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Additional Information:

• Hops: Jester, Chinook, Cascade, Amarillo
• Malt: Pale Ale, Light Cara
• IBU: Not Available
• ABV: 4%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: No