Maxim Brewery Ward's Best Bitter

Ward's Best Bitter

 

Maxim Brewery in Houghton-le-Spring, Durham, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

  Bitter - Ordinary / Best Bitter Regular
Score
5.64
ABV: 4.0% IBU: - Ticks: 18
Pasteurised bottled beer formerly brewed at Robinson’s for the Double Maxim Brewing Company (Jim Murray, the ex Vaux head brewer) which holds the rights to Ward’s beers because they were taken over by Vaux. The original cask ale was 4.0% and was called Sheffield Best Bitter. Produced on Maxim’s own plant since 2007.

The beer uses English Goldings aroma hops and the colour and flavours are derived from a specialised crystal malt.

Brewing involves a unique secondary fermentation process. This is instigated by adding a hopped priming sugar at a late stage in fermentation. This gives Wards Best Bitter a distinctive malty aftertaste that lingers on the palate.
 

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5.4
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5

Bottle. Backlog rating from bottle collection and historic scoring. Source not recorded. No tasting notes kept, just rating.

Tried from Bottle on 07 Oct 2017 at 12:44


5.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

From file last updated 2010. Bottle. Pours light amber with a white head. Slightly floral aroma. Flavor is light malt and a little hop.

Tried from Bottle on 12 Jan 2015 at 16:04


5.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Bottle from Home Bargains. Clear bottle and already skunky after removing the top. Golden with a thin head and a high dry bitterness.

Tried from Bottle on 11 Jul 2014 at 14:35


7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Clear 500ml bottle obtained from a local B&M store: BBD 28 Jan 15, drank in my back garden on 1 June 14. I remember drinking Ward’s beers in Doncaster and Louth many, many moons ago and was really pleased to see their name again after such a long absence. This beer however isn’t like the old beers that I can recall. Anyway it comes a pleasing amber colour with a head that stayed around. The nose and taste are toffee flavoured, the whole beer being fairly sweet and malt led. My sweet tooth took to it straight away and I would have happily had another bottle or two if there were more about. I shall certainly be buying some more on my next visit to B&M’s.

Tried from Bottle on 02 Jun 2014 at 07:03


4.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5

500ml bottle - reddish brown body, with thin white layer of froth on top. Aromas of caramel, a bit of hops sneak in. Taste is metallic, and a little unpleasant, nothing like the Wards of Sheffield I used to know, A poor pale imitation of something that was once a local legend round here. Very sad.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Sep 2012 at 15:31


5.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Feom cask at Charlies. Pours clear and golden orange with a small white head. Aroma is toasted malty and light spiced hoppy. Toasted malty, light bitter and mild herbal note. Dry finish.

Tried from Cask on 27 Feb 2012 at 08:56


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

cask at Charlie’s Bar, Copenhagen. a dark golden beer with a beige head. The aroma has notes of fruits and a bit of toffee. the flavor is sweet with notes of fruits, tobacco, malt, and toffee, leading to a dry finish.

Tried from Cask on 26 Feb 2012 at 07:46


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

Cask handpull at Devonshire Cat Sheffield. light brown colour lasting beige head. Its a bitter. Decent bitter. Some biscuit. Its an ok bitter. Ok condition ok malt ok hop. Hop is quite soft on finish. Fine drinkable. Downed in no time as so inoffensive

Tried from Cask on 25 Nov 2011 at 11:14


4.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5

Cask på Milestone, Sheffield 1 Okt 10. Mørk brun med et lite kremskum. Svakt karamellisk aroma. Smaken litt søt med antydning til malt. 0 bitterhet.

Tried from Cask on 01 Nov 2010 at 07:06


5.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Cloudy amber coloured body to a tiny, white head. Bittering malts to the nose. Caramel malts in flavour with hop resin beneath. Bitter end. More or less average interpretation of the style.Cask, half pint paired with food at Milestone, Sheffield 1 Oct 10.

Tried from Cask on 01 Nov 2010 at 07:02