06/10/2012. ROYAL OAK, Lower Bristol Road, BATH, Bath & North East Somerset, England (FOUR COUNTY INNS)

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Cask @ Cloisters, Edinburgh 031012
Light amber, bit of haze, dense white head, some lacing
Aroma - light, faint dryish hop, dull aroma
Taste - light pale malt, lemony hop, bit aromatic, hint of peppery hop, quite strange but nice
Palate - soft carb, medium body, smooth texture. Finish - lemon and floral linger, quite interesting
Overall - The aroma was nothing special but the taste was surprising, nice lemon hop with a floral aromatic note

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

cask at cloisters ... golden amber ... thin white ... bright zezty orange hop ... bitter orange ... grassy hop ...

6.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

A beautiful sunny afternoon on Friday 7th September 2012 saw my father and I join in R.A.T.2012 (Rail Ale Trail part 2). Split between three bars along the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury railway line: they had over 50 different cask beers to try: this was one of them. Half-pint, gravity fed in the fest tent behind ‘The Odfellows’ in Shifnal. This seasonal brew from Salopian is one I’d not seen before so felt duty bound to investigate. Pale golden body with a thin white head: hoppy nose, citrus in part but fruiter at times and with a pine undertone, no malt presence detected in the aromas. Malts do appear in the taste but they are suppressed somewhat by the hops, who take over completely at the start of each sip; only allowing hints of bread and biscuit malts to show mid-sip, before being engulfed again by the hops.