Bath Ales Wild Hare

A lovely golden yellow colour with a bit of sediment in the bottle so I stopped pouring just before it started to get cloudy.  There is a small white frothy head which disappears quickly, leaving a small frothy film.  It has a really nice hoppy aroma for a pale ale with not even a hint of the citrus aroma you often get with a pale ale.

As you know, I'm not really a pale ale fan but this has to be one of the best pale ales I have ever tasted.  It transforms from dry with a sweet edge to bitter and slightly grapefruity on the palate.  It is crisp and refreshing with the perfect amount of fizz to make it a smooth easily drinkable ale.

I didn't think I would ever give a five pint rating to a pale ale but Wild Hare gets a big thumbs up from me.

Brewed by Bath Ales, Bristol

5.0% ABV

My rating:

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Wold Top Anglers Reward

Another fabulous Yorkshire ale from the guys and gals at Wold Top.  Anglers Reward is a mouthwatering deep golden colour with a nice little frothy head, although it does disappear quite quickly (both the head and the beer).  The aroma I get from it is one of hops and golden straw; very fresh and appetising.

Tastewise it is very pleasant indeed.  It has a bit of a nutty taste with a slightly bitter aftertaste resulting in a very refreshing ale.  Despite the appearance of the bubbles sticking to the side of the glass, it isn't too fizzy and goes down very smoothly.  A very tasty ale - I loved it and it makes me want to take up fishing if I can have one of these as a reward.

Brewed by Wold Top, Yorkshire

4.0% ABV

My rating:

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Freedom Organic Lager

A light honey coloured lager that looks a bit lost in the pint glass but I couldn't miss the opportunity to match my glass with my beer.  You can see the vigorous bubbles in the photo which give rise to the impressive frothy white head.

It's a lager so it doesn't have a great deal of smell or taste but what I could discern was pleasantly malty and hoppy.  It's not as fizzy as I expected and there's a nice lingering sweet honey taste.  A pleasant refreshing lager that won't set the world on fire but would be a perfect cool down on a summer's day.

Brewed by Freedom Brewery, Staffordshire 

4.8% ABV

My rating:

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Robinsons Old Tom

Old Tom has won both The World's Best Ale and Champion Beer of Britain and I absolutely love the old fashioned, almost medicinal, shaped bottle.  I actually came across it when we bought it for my Uncle Tom's birthday - one for him and one for me, of course!

They say that good things come in small packages so let's see what's hiding within the bottle.  Old Tom is a mouthwatering dark ale ark like Guinness but with more of a ruby tinge.  It definitely gives Guinness a run for its money in the thick robust head stakes - the head holds its form and leaves tremendous lacing that needs a scrubbing brush to get it off the glass.  The medicinal theme continues into the aroma which is sweet and spicy and reminds me of Coca Cola.

The oldies are certainly the goodies, with a delicious taste of dark treacle toffee and a lip smacking sweet aftertaste this is a Taste experience with a capital 'T'.  It's a shame it only comes in a 330ml bottle but then again at a whopping 8.5% it's not to be drunk lightly.

Simply divine and Ale definitely Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by Robinsons Brewery, Stockport

8.5% ABV

My rating:

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Adnams Southwold Bitter

This is a lovely dark copper ale with a hint of delicious ruby red.  There is a light, loose frothy head that disappears quite quickly although does leave a thin layer to give a bit of lacing on the glass.

It smells very malty with a slightly sweet fruity aroma, reminiscent of a thick buttered slice of malt loaf.  The aroma is very subtle so it doesn't influence the taste experience.

Southwold is actually a really nice bitter; there is no hint at all of copper coins and it has the perfect amount of maltiness for me.  It has a very smooth appearance but is filled with citrus metallic bubbles that race over your tongue to remind you that it's a bitter.

A classic bitter without any citrus or metallic overkill, ensuring that it will be a repeat purchase on my beery shopping list so Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by Adnams, Suffolk

4.1% ABV

My rating:

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Wold Top Wold Gold

Wold Gold is, not surprisingly, a deep golden coloured ale with an unusual but enticing spicy aroma that reminded me of Christmas. Eager bubbles burst to the surface where a thick, brilliant white head awaits them.  A head that appears to be for life, not just for Christmas.

There is perhaps a slight bitter aftertaste but it has a delicious spicy hint followed by a hint of oranges.  It is surprisingly smooth despite the voracious bubbles.

I've been really impressed with all of the Wold Top ales I have tried so far and Ale definitely Be Seeing Wold Gold Again.

Brewed by Wold Top, Yorkshire

4.8% ABV

My rating:

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Felinfoel Double Dragon

A gorgeous dark amber ale spills out of this bottle smelling of toffee, malt and something a bit fruity like apples.  It has quite a little head which disappears very quickly and the ale looks quite flat, but appearances can be deceptive.

Double Dragon has a delightful smooth toffee nutty taste with a bitter aftertaste of copper coins.  The metallic taste becomes unnoticeable after a few sips and the apple fragrance intensifies.  It really does smell like appletise! 

It is surprisingly full-bodied with bubbles bursting on the tongue despite there being no head.  It really is surprisingly carbonated with such a flat appearance.

It has a very addictive taste, and is certainly very moreish.  With an aroma of freshly cut green grass, I can almost smell and taste the Welsh valleys bursting out of my glass.  Ale Be Seeing You Again, Boyo!

Brewed by Felinfoel Brewery, Llanelli

4.2% ABV

My rating:

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Wylam Jakehead IPA

I was looking forward to this one as I had heard so much about it and it surprised me on every level.  Firstly the colour, I would have expected an IPA to be golden yellow but this is a ginger orange.  I got the impression that this wasn't going to be a regular IPA.

It smells very medicinal and orangey with an absolutely massive beige head. The head is so thick that I thought I might have needed a spoon to get through it.  So I love the colour, I love the head, the smell is intriguing now on to the taste...

The taste is far too strong for me, I felt like I needed to brush my tongue afterwards.  I often find that by increasing the alcohol volume the taste is overpowered and this was the case for me with Jakehead.  It just tasted of 'strong' ale, I couldn't differentiate between tastes and was disappointed that some of the orangey smell wasn't replicated in the flavour.  I'm not a big fan of citrus ales, so this just wasn't for me.

Brewed by Wylam Brewery, Northumberland

6.3% ABV

My rating:

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Wells Bombardier

In homage to the incredibly funny Rik Mayall, I dedicated this pint to the eternal Young One himself and it was indeed Bang On!  The first thing I noticed was the amazing thick head,that stands up like a Mr Whippy and shows no sign of disappearing.  It is a beautiful ruby red colour and I couldn't wait to tuck in.

There is a delicious taste of sweet treacle and rich dark fruit followed by some nice bitter bubbles on the tongue.  Bombardier should be a staple in your ale cellar and definitely one Ale Be Seeing Again.

Brewed by Charles Wells, Bedford

4.1% ABV

My rating:

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Ilkley Brewery Joshua Jane

A delicious dark brown/deep copper ale as if all of your 1p and 2p coins had been melted down to create the perfect colour of ale.  Although it looks like copper coins, it smells fruity and malty.

I expected a metallic copper coin taste but it is a surprisingly nice spicy bitter with a hint of grapefruit lingering on the tongue.  The frothy beige head does disappear but it leaves some lacing on the glass.  It's from Yorkshire, so you're always guaranteed a good pint!

Brewed by Ilkley Brewery, Yorkshire

3.7% ABV

My rating:

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Badger First Gold

Now named First Call, this Badger ale is named after the dwarf hops used in its brewing. It is a delicious dark amber ale with a hint of ruby and an amazing head.  It smells predominantly malty with a nice hint of orange fruit.  The thick creamy head shows no sign of disappearing and leaves tremendous lacing as it is supped.

It's a really pleasant taste which is nice and creamy on the palate with a slight hint of orange and a subtle spicy aftertaste followed by a mellow nutty taste.  There is just the right amount of carbonation giving it a lovely refreshing zing.

An excellent light choice for a cold winter's day and, come snow or sun, Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by Hall and Woodhouse, Dorset

4.0% ABV

My rating:

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