Ashes Ale (Bottle)
(Batch of Ashes Ale)

Bottle, from historic notes. Source not recorded. Poured pale amber with an off-white head. Aroma of caramel, sweet malt, fruit and light hop. Medium sweetness, moderate bitterness. Moderate body, oily/watery texture, average carbonation. Wasn't bowled over by this one.

Bottle from Morrisons. Bought during the 2013 series in England, but had to wait its turn to be drunk until now. The Ashes themselves have been both won and lost by my nation since it was purchased. Copper-gold with a thin head. Has a light hoppy nose and taste but manages to remain unspectacular even so.

Bottle 500ml.Clear medium yellow colour with a small to average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted - caramel, cardboard, light to moderate hoppy, flowers, elderflowers notes. Flavour is moderate sweet and light bitter with a average to long duration, cardboard, thin. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20130813]

500ml bottle from Morrisons - Red body, white lacing head. Bit of malt and caramel on the nose and taste. Other than that, bland and boring.

50 cl bottle. Pours clear and golden orange with a smallwhite head. Atoma is grassy and toasted malty, light cornish. Bitter, herbal and light spiced. Bitter and dry. Grassy and lingering bitter into the far finish.

Pours a golden yellow with good white head. High carbonation. Faint touch of lemon on an otherwise malt toffee nose. Classic biscuity bitter. Some hop bitterness towards the end. Easy drinking.

500ml bottle from Morrisons. Amber with a billowing head at first that soon subsided; imeediate aroma of tired grassy hops when opened, dispersing to reveal stale malts; lacklustre malty taste; but with some reasonable English hoppy bitterness to liven up the finish. So I foresee a poor start to the AShes, but a final victory against all odds!

Clear 500ml bottle, best before June 2007, drank March 2007. The label claims it is a Pale Ale, although from its colour, aroma and taste, I can see where my friend Yau thought it an English Bitter when he added this beer to beerfly. Poured into a Palm tulip glass (twice), it looks a pale bitter, terracotta orange, clear and sparkling, a small slightly off white head soon dispersed to a thin wisp of nothingness, a little collar round the glass and a blob in the centre. The label said serve it lightly chilled,so I did, this effected the aroma, although a heavy hops and yeast smell came out the bottle before I poured the first half, that soon went and nothing replaced it until the beer began to warm in the glass, toffee esters arrived, but no great aroma to this beer. A little fizzy and dry, bitter too, with a metallic feel, strange combination, which I struggled to enjoy. As the beer warmed, the metallic taste got more prominent, not good! Dry and metallic aftertaste, not what I want to feel after each mouthful. This beer was on special, 5 pints for £5.00. I am glad I didn’t pay a lot for them, 4 to go!

500ml bottle. Pours orange with no head. Aroma is sweet, slinky caramel malt. Some fruity malt to start. Skunk in the aftertaste.

[500ml bottle shared with Dave - cheers!] Pale amber, moderate white head, moderate yet soft-feeling fizz. The distinctive Marstons bitter, sulphurous minerality (which I personally dislike) jumps out at first, but is soon softened by a little spice and grassy, lager-like hops. A growing sweet fruitiness leads to a dry finish with a nice soft chalky mouthfeel. Better than I expected.