J.W. Lees Born to Brew

Born to Brew

 

J.W. Lees in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

  Bitter - Ordinary / Best Bitter Special
Score
6.60
ABV: 4.0% IBU: - Ticks: 9
This copper ale has a toasty malt backbone, complemented by subtle rye spice, grapefruit and pine hop notes, resulting in a smooth, rich finish.

For Wetherspoon’s beer festival October 2025.
 

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6.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Wetherspoon 2025 Autumn Beer Festival. Ale#19 of 26 untried possibilities at the fest. Clear copper-amber in colour. Traditional brew with caramels, hint of wood, floral notes, malts in aroma. Decent.

Tried from Cask at Commercial Inn (JDW) on 11 Oct 2025 at 13:57


6.8
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5

Classic bitter with a twist! Copper coloured with a frothy white head and a soft toffee aroma. Light bodied, fresh, sweet caramel malt, subtle fruity notes, mellow floral hop bitterness and a dry grapefuity bitter finish.

Tried from Cask at Shrewsbury Hotel on 09 Oct 2025 at 17:00


7
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Cask at The Bank House, Cheltenham. Clear copper with an off-white head. Aroma of fruity, biscuity malts. Taste is malty, biscuit, fruity, light citrus, light bitter. Light bodied.

Tried from Cask at The Bank House on 09 Oct 2025 at 12:30


6.9
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

8/10/2025. Cask at wetherspoon beer festival, at Cricketers, Ipswich. Decent pour, nice creamy head. Aroma is malty, caramel, leafy, rye biscuit, orange marmalade, light dried fruits. Moderate sweetness and bitterness. Good body. Smooth. Soft carbonation. Drying chalky finish. Quite enjoyable. Improved a lot on first impressions.

Tried from Cask at Cricketers (JDW) on 08 Oct 2025 at 12:43


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6

Half pint on cask at the bankers Draft.
Thin off white head. Clear golden amber pour. Light bitterness.

Tried from Cask at Banker’s Draft on 07 Oct 2025 at 16:34


6.1
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 5.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 5.5

Cask at Bull & Stirrup, Chester. Pours “bitter brown” with a small off-white head and good lacing. The aroma has malts and a hint of marmalade. In the mouth it is slightly sweet to start with but bitterness soon makes its presence felt. Flavour majors on malts and rye plus hints of grapefruit, pine and (later) spice. Finish is slightly dry. It’s reasonable.

Tried from Cask at Bull and Stirrup Hotel on 05 Oct 2025 at 11:15


6.3
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Cask handpull at Metropolitan Bar JDW London. Clear mid brown colour lasting off white head. Some malt in the mouth. Some dusty hops on the finish. Mostly a nutty bitter. That. Is. Not very bitter. Its OK.

Tried from Cask at Metropolitan Bar on 02 Oct 2025 at 13:36


Tried from Cask at The Commercial Rooms on 30 Sep 2025 at 23:00


6.1
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

[Cask at the Hope Tap (JDW), Reading.] A golden amber pour with a close white head; biscuity aroma; fruity malt taste but; and a gentle fruity bitterness to finish.

Tried from Cask at Hope Tap on 29 Sep 2025 at 12:45