Better World Koala Red Ale

 

I do love a red ale and Koala from Better World Brewing looks stunning.  It is a beautiful deep red/copper coloured ale with a small, loose beige head that retains a thin layer.  It smells very fresh and fruity with loads of malt and hints of toffee, citrus and pine.

The taste reminds me of an APA with a huge malty base and layers of caramel and pine followed by a citrus bitter finish that's not pithy at all.  It has a medium body and low but firm carbonation that gives a nice tingle on the tongue.

I really enjoyed this beer, it's so tasty and refreshing with zingy fruit and lashings of malt.  It's a lovely blend with a delightful bitter finish and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Better World Brewing and partners, London
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Better World Brewing

Fyne Ales Maverick

Fyne Ales Maverick is quite an impressive sight - it's a nutty brown, dark amber ale with a tight, cream coloured head that barely budges.  Definitely full marks for appearance.

It has a lovely traditional bitter smell: tangy hops, sweet toffee, malt and a slight citrus/metallic hint.  It tastes like a traditional bitter too, although it's quite a light flavour of malt, toffee, tangy hops and a dry, metallic bitter finish.  The toffee flavour intensifies as you drink and it's a nice contrast to the lingering bitter finish.  Body is thin but not watery and it's quite fizzy so it gave my tongue a good tingling.

It's nothing extraordinary, just a good old traditional bitter, so it didn't score exceptionally high but I do enjoy a nice bitter so I'd have this again.  Ale Be Seeing You!

Brewed by Fyne Ales Farm Brewery, Argyll, Scotland
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Fyne Ales Farm Brewery

Great Newsome Frothingham Best

Now this is just the kind of colour I like my ale: a deep amber reminiscent of molten toffee.  It's a shame it has so little head to complete the perfect picture; the head that is there is very small. consisting of a few beige bubbles that disappear rapidly, leaving just a whisper of foam.

The aroma of malt and sweet caramel gets a big thumbs up for me and there is a slight whiff of sour hops to follow.  The malt aroma transfers on into the taste but the maltiness is very subtle and not as strong as I expected.  The strength of bitterness caught me by surprise with a huge kick of citrus and a metallic tang that lingers far longer than anything I have tasted before.  With such a watery appearance, it's unsurprising a rather thin bodied ale and with little carbonation, feels quite smooth on the palate.

Overall it's a pretty decent English bitter, but it's such a shame that it appears flat and headless.  The lingering bitterness both surprised and delighted me, especially as I'm not a fan of citrus flavours but in this bitter it just seems to work.  Although it's not a beer I'd keep in stock, I'd certainly have another pint if I saw it on draught.

Brewed by Great Newsome, Yorkshire
4.3% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Great Newsome Brewery

Shepherd Neame Bishop's Finger

This is my kind of colour: chestnut brown with a frothy, reasonably tight beige head.  As you'd expect from the appearance, it smells so fruity and malty with just a hint of the trademark Shepherd Neame sour hops smell that can sometimes be a bit unappealing.  I was definitely not put off by the aroma in this case as the experience so far invited me to dive right in.

This tastes deliciously malty with a fruity tanginess, sour hops and a hint of liquorice toffee, followed by a bitter chocolate aftertaste.  It is quite fizzy but not too harsh and each bubble leaves a fruity burst of flavour in your mouth.

Bishops Finger is one of the better Shepherd Neame ales and you can often pick it up quite cheap.  It's one I have drank many times so I can definitely say that Ale Be Seeing it Again.

Brewed by Shepherd Neame, Kent
5.4% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Shepherd Neame

Wychwood Imperial Red

I do love my ruby ales and on today's menu we have Imperial Red from Wychwood.  With red in the name, it was no surprise to see a glorious ruby hued beer flow out of the bottle with a small, but thick, beige head.

It has a sweet malty smell with a hint of a metallic aroma, almost as if you were smelling a bloody battlefield inhabited by the warrior on the label.  The taste is something that my tastebuds enjoy: a mixture of toffee, malt and something I can only describe as a red liquorice laces aftertaste.

Fizzy and tasty, it's a really enjoyably ruby and Ale Be Seeing You Again.

Brewed by Wychwood, Oxfordshire

4.7% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Wychwood Brewery

Woodforde's Norfolk Bitter

Now this is what I like to see!  A lovely toffee amber colour and a thick white head.  It has a slightly hoppy fruity sweet smell and absolutely no sign of sediment, despite the bottle referring to it. 

This Norfolk bitter is a top class bitter without even a hint of a metallic aftertaste. It has just the right amount of carbonation as a rush of bubbles fizz across the tongue, bubbles that burst with an explosion of delicious malty fruitiness.  All that's missing is a smoking jacket and a roaring fire.

Brewed by Woodforde's, Norfolk

4.5% ABV

My rating:

Norfolk Bitter is specially brewed for Marks & Spencer but you can find out more at Woodforde's Brewery.

Morland Old Speckled Hen

I often overlook Old Speckled Hen as it is so readily available, but as soon as the malty aromas poured out of the bottle I realised that it really should be one of my staple ales. The colour is a beautiful deep amber and although there is only a small head it has just enough fizz to keep a little head as the ale is quaffed.

It smells of malt, toffee and fruit and leaves a smooth toffee aftertaste on the tongue.  With a small amount of lacing on the glass, it doesn't really lose any body as the head disappears.  As the bubbles burst on my tongue I was reminded of home-made cinder toffee that Nanna used to make.  Simply delicious!

A lovely deep amber colour reminiscent of molten toffee, and a deliciously malty taste make this a smooth ale that Ale be Seeing Again.

Brewed by Morland Brewery, Bury St Edmunds

5% ABV

Find out more about Old Speckled Hen