Rudgate Ruby

 

As the nights are drawing in, it's definitely time to get back to the dark side.  Ruby is one of my favourite styles of ale so I was very excited to try Rudgate's Ruby mild ale.  What a beauty it is when it's poured into a glass.  It's a beautiful deep mahogany red ale with a thick, tight beige head that lasts really well and clings to the side of the glass.  It is well named as it shimmers like a ruby when it's held in front of the light of the window.

Oh the aroma is so malty it made my mouth water.  There is also some sweet caramel and dark fruits coming through like raisins, sultanas and possibly cherries.  It's a mouthwatering mix of smells and so very inviting that I dived right in.

My first sip left a huge smile on my face; this delicious ale is definitely my kind of thing.  With flavours of sweet malt, dark fruits, treacle toffee, smooth caramel and a hint of nuts this ticks all the boxes and scores top marks for flavour.  With an initial sweetness followed by a slight bitter finish, it's a delicious well balanced ruby with a medium body and decent carbonation that provides a nice bit of fizz without being too harsh.

This is a beer I'd be more than happy to buy a case of and at £28.75 delivered for a 12 pack direct from Rudgate's online shop, it's an absolute bargain.  If you want a bit more variety, you can also get Ruby in a mixed pack of 12 for the same price of £28.75 including delivery.

Ruby is an absolute gem.  Dark, malty and delicious, Rudgate show just how a ruby should be done and I'm not surprised to learn that Rudgate Ruby has been winning awards since 2002.  It gets a big gold star from me and Ale Be Seeing You again.  

Brewed by Rudgate Brewery, York

4.4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Rudgate Brewery

Rudgate York Chocolate Stout

I was really excited to try this stout as I love stout and I love chocolate so it sounds like the perfect pairing.  It's slightly lighter than a traditional black stout; it's more of a dark brown with a mahogany hue.  It has the perfect sized head which is beige, tight and long lasting.

The aroma isn't very strong but it's definitely chocolatey!  There's a lovely malty smell too and it reminded me of the smell of freshly made chocolate Horlicks with a Flake crumbled on the top.  Mouthwatering!

The flavour, like the aroma, isn't terribly strong.  It has very subtle hints of milk chocolate followed by a bitter dark chocolate aftertaste.  It's not as chocolatey as I expected but the flavour does develop over time so don't judge this one on your first sip.  Softly carbonated with a medium body, it's a decent stout with a bitter kick and is very easy to drink as it doesn't feel too heavy.

I was hoping for something extra special but it didn't quite meet my expectations.  It's a nice enough stout but nothing to rave about.

Brewed by Rudgate Brewery, York
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Rudgate Brewery

Rudgate Valkyrie

What a beautiful looking pint this is!  Valkyrie, an American pale ale, is a deep golden ale that has a slight pink tinge as it pours, as I've found with all of my Rudgate ales so far.  It has a small, loose cream coloured head that disperses to leave a thin foam layer.

The aroma is delicious; it has quite a sweet smell of hops, mouthwatering gooey caramel and soft ripe tropical fruits.  All of these smells transfer to the taste which is predominantly sweet caramel drizzled over ripe, juicy tropical fruits.  I could definitely taste passion fruit but not so much of the citrus that is mentioned on the label; as I'm not a fan of too much citrus, I certainly wasn't disappointed about that.

Valkyrie has a very soft mouthfeel, which resulted in a couple of lost points on my scorecard; it is so softly carbonated that you can hardly feel any bubbles at all.  It has a medium body but is slightly on the watery side, which isn't unexpected in an APA.

I often find American pale ales too harsh but I really liked this one; it isn't bitter at all and the sweetness level is just right.  I was surprised how much I liked the passion fruit flavour; it's very unusual and gives the ale a distinct flavour.  Well done Rudgate, Ale Be Seeing Valkyrie again when I fancy a pale ale.

Brewed by Rudgate Brewery, York
5.0% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Rudgate Brewery

Rudgate Jorvik

The next beer out of my Rudgate box is Jorvik, labeled as a light, refreshing and fruity blonde ale.  As with the Rudgate pale ale, this has a weird pink hue and looks very light as it initially pours out of the bottle, ending up a slightly hazy weird pinky golden colour.  It has a small off-white head that lasts surprisingly well, maintaining a thin layer as you drink.

The aroma is hoppy and fruity; predominantly grapefruit along with some kind of stone fruit like peach or apricot.  The blend of hops and fruit results in a slightly floral smell but is light enough that it isn't off-putting.  I was very pleasantly surprised on my first sip as flavours of hops, caramel, stone fruit, citrus and melon combine to give my tastebuds a workout, followed by a lovely dry and bitter finish.  

Well carbonated and medium bodied, Jorvik is a very refreshing and fruity blonde ale.  It is the weirdest coloured blonde ale I've ever seen but what it lacks in appearance, it makes up for in taste as it perfectly balances its sweet and bitter flavours.

Brewed by Rudgate Brewery, York
4.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Rudgate Brewery

Rudgate Pale

A mixed pack from Rudgate in York was one of the first (of many) packs of beer I bought when the UK went into lockdown.  I hadn't tried any of their beers before so I thought I'd start light with their pale ale.

When I first started to pour it, I thought it was almost colourless then it appeared to have a strange pink hue.  I started to get nervous and wondered if Rudgate had bottled pink champagne instead of pale ale.  It turned out a surprisingly nice light golden colour with a small, relatively loose off white head that holds on for a while to leave a thin foam layer.  There is some sediment in the bottle so it needs a careful pour to get a clear pint.

The aroma is deliciously hoppy with hints of honey and caramel along with zesty citrus and tropical fruits.  The flavour, however, is disappointingly weak with very little taste.  The initial taste is predominantly hops, honey and straw but it does develop slightly over time to become more fruity.  There is a slight citrus bitterness to the aftertaste and, as I'm not much of a fan of pithy citrus, the citrus flavour is subtle enough to be palatable for me.

Although it has decent carbonation, it has a very thin and watery mouthfeel but then again it's quite a light beer at 3.8%.  It's not terribly tasty but it's very light, clean and refreshing; it's what I would call a nice summery day beer - it'll quench your thirst without having you dancing on the tables.

Brewed by Rudgate Brewery, York
3.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3/5

Find out more at Rudgate Brewery