Ceremonial Ale
Courage Brewery in Bermondsey, Greater London, England 🏴
Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular Out of Production|
Score
5.60
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A rich coloured full bodied fruity blend with bitter caramel and roast character.
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6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6.5
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
The Royal Wedding Prince Charles & Lady Diana Spencer 29 July 1981 Ergo seriously aged. Small, but indeed a whitish head, slowly reduced to rim over clear orangey-amber beer. Oxyde, old bread, old nuts, fruitcake, biscuit, walnuts. Nutty, bready, hint of yeast and of course oxydation. Condensed milk, double cream with walnuts/walnutpeel. Tannines, liquorice. Medium bodied. Aftertaste is sweeter. Lost much of its carbonation. Amusing, and no, this is not a joke. We dug up this marvel from the cellar of Stef. No doubt it was better in its days (I tried it long ago, aged 6 years), but it still kept remarkably well.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Apr 2026
at 08:39
4.3/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 4
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4
Bottle 275ml. @ chriso Post-GBBF Tasting 2014. [ As Courage Ceremonial Ale ].[ Vintage 1981 ]. Clear medium amber orange color with virtually no head. Aroma is light moderate malty, pale malt, oxidide, fruity malt, damp stain - fusty, raisin and plum notes. Flavor is moderate sweet with a average to long duration, sweet malt, old malt, oxidide, fruity. Body is light medium, texture is watery, carbonation is flat. [20140816]
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Jul 2015
at 03:18
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle shared at chriso’s Post-GBBF Shindig 2014 - London. Vintage 1981. Pours mostly clear, amber-gold with a creamy white head. Heavy oxidation on the aroma, with accents of ripe citrus, caramel and bread. Medium sweet flavor, lightly metallic, with some jammy fruits, orange, more bread. Medium bodied with fine carbonation and creamy texture; great condition for the age. Sweet finish with hints of earth and more sugary toffee. OK.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Jan 2015
at 19:38
4/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 5
Flavor 3
Texture 4
Overall 4
Bottle shared at Chriso’s post GBBF minidig, 16/08/14. Aroma is sweet raisin and dried fruit, carboard and nutty malts with some hot alcohol. Clear golden coloured pour with no head. flavour is pappery, oxidised, some ash, dull sweet malts, sugary. Probably was a little dull to begin with. Palate is medium sweet, very dull. .
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Dec 2014
at 15:46
5.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 4.5
Bottle shared at Chriso’s post GBBF minidig, 16/08/14. Clear rich golden with moderate off white spotting. Nose is oxidised, must, dark fruit, dates, raisens. Taste comprises light spice, oxidised notes, fruit cake, dates. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, tangy dark fruits and oxidised pangs in the close. Ok considering the age, 33 years!
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Sep 2014
at 13:17
5.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
Bottle - Vintage 1981 - Long live the Queen....Light Apple vinegar and vinous. Cloudy orange and copper with a thin white head. Paper, cardboard and even some sweet notes. Not good, but not undrinkable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Aug 2014
at 12:06
4/10
Tried
on 16 Aug 2014
at 11:57
6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle at the Shoulder of Mutton 21.06.12 shared by Peter Fowler, cheers Peter. Amber in colour, decent clarity with just maybe a touch of haze from the sediment. Suprisingly sweet, there is a touch of oxidisation. This seems a stronger beer than it is which with no abv listed on the bottle I assumed it would be 6-7% but a quick search I realised it was 4.8%. ithere was no A6 A3 T7 P3 Ov12 3.0
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Jun 2012
at 10:29