Blog & White

“aromatic, dry, fruity flavour.”

The smell is fruity, but I can't put a name on it. It tastes very fruity, maybe of peach, with a very slightly bitter aftertaste. Made of malted barley, bottle conditioned.

Young & Co's Brewery P.L.C. The Ram Brewery, Wandsworth, London, England. 6.4% alcohol.

“For centuries, the soldiers of the Highlands and the Lowlands of Scotland have been familiarly referred to as Jocks – powerful fighting men who have enjoyed strong beers in their off-duty hours.

Old Jock is a classic Scottish Strong Ale. Dark and strongly flavoured it should be drunk at room temperature and savoured like a fine wine.

Highly recommended as accompaniment to cheese and meat dishes.”

Smells slightly like beef stock, but the taste is sweet and the after taste reminds me slightly of chocolate. Made of malted barley.

Broughton Ales limited, Broughton Biggar, Scotland. 6.7% alcohol.

“Brewed using a cool, slowly fermentation process together with the finest quality Maris Otter barley and Fuggles & Goldings hops”

It smells a bit like vegetable stock. The taste is quite sweet, fruity with a hint of melon. Made of malted barley.

Marston's Brewery, Burton upon Trent, England. 6.2% alcohol.

“dark in colour, full of body with a smooth velvet finish”

Smells like beef stock an metal, tastes bitter like a Guinness, and reminds me very vaguely of coffee. Made of malted barley and wheat.

Daleside Brewery Ltd., Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 4.4% alcohol.

“floral ale brewed with a blend of three English hops…”

Just another ale, not very bitter. Made of malted barly and wheat.

Daleside Brewery Ltd., Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“… a unique blend of pale, crystal, brown and chocolate malts. These malts give the beer a wonderful chocolatey flavour, while the Fuggle hops ensure that the beer has a smooth finish, making London Porter a perfect accompaniment to a chocolate pudding or on its own as an after-dinner drink.”

The smell reminds me a bit of coffee, as well as some kind of ham which is coated with spices or something like that before cooking. The taste is a bit sweet and slightly bitter. With imagination, it can taste like chocolate, too. Made of malted barley.

Fuller, Smith & Turner, London, England. 5.4% alcohol.

“…first brewed in 1995 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Fuller, Smith and Turner.

Bottle conditioning, where a small amount of yeast is allowed to ferment gently in the bottle, gives 1845 the fresh, natural flavour of real ale. A blend of amber malt and Golding hops result in a fruit cake aroma, full bodied malt and dry hoppy finish.”

Sweet, with a strong taste of I'm-not-sure-what-exactly, and only slightly bitter. Made of malted barley.

Fuller, Smith & Turner, London, England. 6.3% alcohol.

“Ruddles County is famed for its dry, bitter flavour, which comes from using the rare Bramling Cross hops. Many liken the flavour to burnt toffee and caramel… Ruddles County has a light aroma of soft fruits and hops, and is a deep brown colour with warm, reddish tones.”

It actually smells a bit like burnt toffee, but I don't recognise fruits in the taste. The aftertaste, however, is very bitter. Made of malted barley.

Ruddles Brewing, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. 4.7% alcohol.

The first sip tastes like fresh bread. It has a sweet taste and the flavour reminds me a little bit of beef broth. Made of malted barley, wheat and maize.

Newcastle Federation Breweries Ltd, Dunston, England.

“The blend of Cascade and Challenger hops combine to produce a fresh hop aroma that preludes a bitter-dry taste. Crafted from nearly three centuries of brewing heritage at one of Scotland's oldest breweries.”

Just another ale, with a fresh taste, maybe slightly acid. Made of malted barley.

Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd, Dunbar, Scotland. 5.5% alcohol.

“Authentic IPA would have been a live beer… made with pale malts … and unprocessed whole leaf hops with moderate bittering power but pungent aromas of spice and resin.

Bottle conditioned beer is bottled with live yeast sediment and undergoes further fermentation in the bottle.”

The taste is quite bitter, but also fruity. Made of malted barley.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxon, England. 5.5% alcohol.

“A unique blend of two classic ales BPA and Old 5X. Old 5X is aged in oak for 2 years. Brewed in llimited quantities. This Vintage Ale is dark and intense, almost ruby in colour with an appetising spicy, fruitcake aroma. This full-bodied ale combines flavours of oak, caramel and burnt toffee… can also be the ideal accompaniement to mature English cheese.”

Quite sweet and very slightly bitter. It tastes of candied fruits, maybe raisins. The after taste of the first sip reminded me of well-done butter biscuit, the next ones of caramel. The smell of the glass is however not very pleasant, very metallic. I tried it with bits of Pilgrim's Choice Matured Cheddar and the result is quite nice (although not extraordinary).

Greene King Westgate Brewery, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. 6.0% alcohol.

“Brewed with choice Styrian Golding hops…”

Quite sweet, it surprisingly tastes of flowers, maybe like violet. Made of malted barley. The 660 mL bottle is quite big, its content doesn't fit into a pint…

Wychwood Brewery Co., Whitney, Oxfordshire, England. 4.2% alcohol.

Just another ale, but with a slightly flowery smell, a smooth texture, as if the gas bubbles were smaller, and a hint of sweetness. Made of malted barley.

Inbev UK Ltd, Luton, England. 4.4% alcohol.

“sweet, golden and refreshing. Brewed using only organically produced ingredients: English malts, and the finest honey gives a mellow, rounded character which is deliciously balanced with zesty hops.”

Smells slighly of honey and the taste is very slightly bitter. Otherwise, it's just another pale ale. Contains malted barley.

Fuller Smith & Turner, London, England. 5.0% alcohol.

“A rich deep flavour that derives from the greater proportion of malted barley to hops which characterised Scottish ales of the 19th century.”

The smell reminded me of grape juice and beef broth, the taste is quite sweet and the aftertaste has again notes of beef broth. Made of malted barley.

Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd., Dunbar, Scotland. 6.5% alcohol.

“Black malt enriches the colour and teases the palate with an unmiskable ‘toast’

flavour. Brown malt gives it the dryness. An excellent accompaniment to red meat.”

Smells of a fruit I cannot put a name onto. The taste is bitter, a bit like coffee, with a sweet finish that reminds me of chocolate. I didn't find the ‘toast’ flavour, though. Made of malted barley.

Hook Norton Brewery, Hook Norton, Oxon, England. 4.8% alcohol.

Just another ale, quite bitter. Made of barley malt.

Marston's Brewery, Burton upon Trent, England. 5.7% alcohol.

“… golden colour, clean full malt flavour and crisp hop flower afterstate, created by a skillful blend of pure Scottish water and the finest organically grown ingredients.”

A malty taste, flowery, with a note of rose, only sightly bitter. The emtpy glass smells of honey. Made of malted barley.

Brougthon Ales Limited, Broughton Biggar, Scotland. 6.0% alcohol.

“… essentially a Yorkshire beer with malt tastes slightly more prominent than the hop flavours… note the nutty overtones and the teasing late bitter-sweet sensations. Brewed using quality grains malts from a traditional Yorkshire maltster, a unique yeast strain, full-leafed hops and Yorkshire Dales water. The name Old Legover is the nickname of the Brewery's popular cask ale, originally called Daleside Country Stile.”

Just another ale, but a nice one. Slightly sweet, and only slightly bitter in the aftertaste.

Daleside Brewery, Starbeck, Harrogate, England. 4.1% alcohol.

“English malt and English hops combine to make a very English beer. Dry and crisp, with a hint of citrus. 303 A.D. – the year of St George – is the beer of St George.”

Pale and quite bitter, with vaguely flowery taste.

Hook Norton Brewery, Hook Norton, Oxon, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“fruity by nature with a well rounded body and the suggestive echo of Crystal malt… Our traditional Victorian tower brewery … is still powered by a steam engine.”

Vaguely fruity and moderately bitter. Just another ale. Made of malted barley and wheat.

Hook Norton Brewery, Hook Norton, Oxon, England. 4.6% alcohol.

“a malty base, with hop flavours of the Target, Challenger and Northdown varieties.”

A slightly honeyish smell, a fruity taste, and only slightly bitter. Contains malted barley.

Fuller Smith & Turner, London, England. 4.7% alcohol.

“dark in colour with a mocha coloured head and a slightly fruity aroma with a hint of chocolate… enjoyed as the ideal accompaniment to eating Oysters and other shellfish…”

Slightly sweet with a bitter aftertaste which reminds of chocolate (with enough imagination). Made of malted barley and wheat.

Marston's Brewery, Burton upon Trent, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“…brewed to a recipe believed to be over 500 years old… using malted barley, whole leaf English Aroma hops and well water. Owd Roger offers an explosion of rich fruit flavours with a dry bitter-sweet finish.”

Tastes of red fruits (cherry?) and the empty glass smells like honey and ginger bread. Made of barley.

Marston's Brewery, Burton upon Trent, England. 7.6% alcohol.

“… a hearty amber-brown color and a warm, rounded nutty taste.”

Mild and tasting a bit like nuts, maybe. Made of barley, wheat, rye and oats.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 6% alcohol.

“This golden amber ale has a generous aroma of tropical fruit. The fruity flavour has hints of mangoes, oranges, lemons and sultanas.”

I haven't really noticed the tropical fruits, but this ale is better than the usual production of Shepherd Neame. Its' rather flowery than fruity. Contains malted barley.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 5.5% alcohol.

“… derived from a traditional Celtic recipe. Wickedly smooth chocolate dominates the flavour…”

I wouldn't call that taste “chocolate”, but rather flowery with something of berries? Anyway, it is slightly bitter and quite good.

Harviestoun Brewery, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. 6.0% alcohol.

“… brewed to an original 1795 Thames Valley recipe, with a very special pale amber malt that is rarely used nowadays, and balanced by a modest addition of English Fuggle aroma hops.”

Very flavourful, quite mild. Very good.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 7.5% alcohol.

“The Crystal malts int the brew give a sweet, nutty character to the beer, whilst the Target, Challenger and Northdown hop varieties, help balance the strong, satisfying dark ale.”

Just another ale, but a good one, not bitter. Contains malted barley.

Fuller Smith & Turner, London, England. 5.3% alcohol.

“For 30 days this honey-hued beer sleeps in hand selected oak barrels, locked inside a bonded warehouse, gradually assimilating the subtle flavours that reside in the wood. Barrels are then emptied and maturation continues for a further 47 days in a marrying tun… Aromas of vanilla and toffee, hints of citrus with a malty, lightly oaked palate.”

Very soft taste, that reminds of whisky and of chocolate mint. Delicious. Made of barley malt.

Innis & Gunn, Edinburgh, Scotland. 6.6% alcohol.

“aromas of dark fruit and a palate boomig with ripe malt and hops followed by a deep port wine finish.”

Very sweet and quite bitter, very strong too.

Frederic Robinson Ltd, Stockport, England. 8.5% alcohol.

“Yet another bummed-out holiday? Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout is liquid consolation. It's a deep, rich, sweetly rewarding stout to take the edge off of that grim family gathering, that cheerless annual festival of alienation. This brew is as dark as it gets, as black as the lump of coal you'll be getting for Christmas. Because, let's face it, you've been pretty bad this year.”

Very sweet and very strong.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 8% alcohol.

“Classic Kentish ale… using the best English Golding hops and only the spring water from a 300 years old well.”

The text on the back of the bottle was in Swedish…

Just another ale, quite bitter.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 3.5% alcohol.

“… fruity English Golding hops and Maris Otter malted barley.”

Just another ale, not bitter. Made of barley and wheat.

Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire, England. 4.2% alcohol.

“Light and golden in colour with wonderful bursts of citrus fruits and an unforgettable hoppyness at the finish.”

Wentworth Pale Ale, a.k.a. WOPPA. Not bad for a pale ale, quite fruity.

Wentworth Brewery, Wentworth, Rotherham, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“Tempered over burning witches”

A funny, attractive label, but it's an ale like many others. Not my favourite. Made of malted barley and wheat.

Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire, England. 4.7% alcohol.

« Brewed using 100% Golden Promise malt, one of the olders varieties of brewing barley. … full-flavoured malt, popular with Scotch Whisky distillers … all the distinctiveness of a fine single malt whisky. »

Neither bitter nor sweet, with a little something that reminded me of whisky (or was my sense of taste influenced by the name?)

Marston's Brewery, Burton upon Trent, England. 4.2% alcohol.

« a unique light golden colour, … a refreshing burst of sweetness on the tongue and … a complex dry finish »

A very sweet smell that reminded me of peach. The taste is quite bitter, and not fruity as the smell would have let it being expected. Made of malted barley and malted wheat.

Okell's Ltd, Kewaigue, Douglas, Isle of Man. 4.4% alcohol.

“Whitstable Bay is brewed using organically grown English barley malt together with the finest New Zealand Gem and Hallertau organically grown hops.”

No bitterness and a taste of ale. Made of malted barley.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 4.5% alcohol.