Hen's Tooth

This was a weaker bottle conditioned ale. Bronzy brown color with nearly non existent white head from the bottle. The aroma is very light, slightly hoppy with maybe a hint of the light malt to come. The flavor is subtle and too simplistic to be great. The pale malt really shines through, but that’s almost it for flavor. No real malt to speak of, no floral/hoppy taste. I like bottle conditioned ales, but this one flew under the radar.

Bottle picked up at Sainsbury’s Kidlington 03-08-06. Poured a bronze colour with exceptional clarity with white medium frothy head. Sweet aroma, leads into a lovely sweet taste with good finishing bitterness. The taste reminded me of when I was a kid walking around Banbury market and getting a bag of cinder toffee, once I got that taste in my mouth I could really think of no other, it really did taste like this very,very nice beer.

Imaging my excitment when I, much to my surprise, found a fairly good range of british bottle ales at a bar in Platanias, Crete. The bar was Chalaraa and the beers were not in the menu. I found them when I asked for a look in the refrigerator. I picked the bottle conditioned Hen’s Tooth (BB. 28.02.07) and came back for another one the next day. Light mahogany in colour, beige foam with lots of bubbles. Hoppy aroma. Sweet taste of dark caramel. Lasting malty and bitter finish (31.05.2006).

Bottle. Nice amber colour with a fast disappearing tan head. Sweet malty aroma with some spicy fruitiness. Sweet malty flavor with some caramel. Hoppy bitterness in the end.

Bottle: Slightly hazy, copper coloured, medium-sized rocky off-white head, stable; fruity (estery) nose, "english" hops in the aroma; sweet malty and a bit nutty flavour with a moderate bitterness; dry, hoppy, bittersweet finish, a bit tart-yeasty. A quite complex, warming, soft Ale, full of character............

Bottle. Sweet malt aroma. Amber color with small head. Tangy sweet berry and malt flavor with moderate hops. Nicely drinkable - light for a strong ale.

500 ml bottle. A bitter end to a beer’s long journey. I found this in June of 2004 at a corner store in St. Petersburg, Russia of all places. God knows how long it sat there in a florescent-lit glass case, but it has a "Best Before" of 16 Nov. ’04. Also has the original bottleneck tag and some Russian labeling stickers. Guess I should’ve had it last year, but at least it’s been in my beer fridge since I got it home. Now that I’m seeing the same clear bottle in stores around here, it’s hardly in "hen’s tooth" territory. So here we go, realizing that the rating is going to be completely out of the brewer’s control:
A big-bubbled froth of foam wells up when I pop the cap, and keeps on coming, still trying to climb out of bottle until I pour about half of it in the glass. As expected, there’s a skunked smell, but not too bad. A big English hop nose in a shaker glass, with a bit of Maypo cereal involved. Looks nice enough once I get it to settle into the glass. Taste has lots of bready crystal malt with a caramel overtone. Mild, fruity English ale finish. Warming alcohol presence. I was prepared to find a disaster, but this is actually "a bit of all right." Leaves not only some yeast at the bottom of the bottle, but a ring of crust in the neck.

(Bottle 50 cl) Beautiful amber with a handsome and rather stable head. Very malty nose. Flavours are dominated by caramel malt and some toasted - almost coffeeish - notes. Quite bitter in the finish. Good brew. 110300

Bottled. Amber/dark copper coloured, mediumsized beigish head. Weak fruity hoppy aroma with a weak sting of alcohol. Hoppy fruity flavour. Leaves sticky palate and the aftertaste is halfdry and hoppy. A bit boring.