Kingsdown (Bottle)
Arkell's Brewery in Swindon, Wiltshire, England 🏴
Brown Ale Regular|
Score
6.29
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Kingsdown Ale is the strongest of our regular beers but is a brother to 3B as it comes from the same mash. It retains a strong character of its own, however, with its rich colour, ripe fruit 'nose' and that traditional Arkell's hoppiness. You can taste the malt too, along with a bitter-sweet finish and fruit notes.
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6.5/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Jun 2025
at 22:25
6.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle, from historic notes. Source not recorded. Poured dark amber with an off-white head. Aroma of moderate roasted malt, caramel, hops and fruit. Medium plus sweetness, moderate bitterness. Medium body. Wasn't bad.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Sep 2019
at 09:33
6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle from Ocado. Feel it's fitting to have an oldschool British beer on my 40th. Aroma of fruit and big malts. Chestnut. Thick fluffy off-white head. Light bitter with a sugary malty sweet streak. Light-medium bodied. Slick. Fizzy-soft carbonation. Slightly astringent finish. Not going to complain. Could happily sink a few.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 May 2019
at 18:31
5.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
(From notes made in May 2016). Copper coloured pour with a beige head. Sultana and tangerine aroma. Heavy malt presence in the flavour with a splash of sweet fruit. Not bad.
Tried
on 29 Aug 2018
at 20:11
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
500ml bottle (4.8% ABV): BB 12th Oct 2018. Poured into an Abbot Ale glass tankard at home on 20th Mar 2018. beige head on a clean and clear mahogany body. Matly brew with a toffee and caramel front in both the nose and taste. Some red fruitiness and a hop bitterness balance out the initial sweetness from the malty molasses to give a decent beer. My sweet tooth liked it a lot.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Mar 2018
at 18:51
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle shared at GBBF 2015, day 2 - London. Cheers to Scopey. Vintage 1977. Pours mostly clear amber with minimal head. Rich bready malts in the nose, some rich caramel, figs, apple. Medium sweet flavor with nice oily ripe fruits, toffee, some musty qualities, hints of metal. Medium bodied, soft. Lightly sticky-sweet to finish, a little woody, with more toffee, golden raisins. Given its age, this is very nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Aug 2015
at 09:06
6/10
Tried
on 20 Aug 2015
at 14:33
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at cropredy ... Copper.. Thin white lacing.. Soft toffee fruit... Soft sweet fruits.. Soft sweet toffee fruit light oxidised fruits.. Juicy toffee
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Aug 2015
at 03:37
5.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 4.5
12th August 2015
GBBF Day 2. A 1977 bottle thanks to Scopey. Clear amber beer, tidy pale cream colour head. Nose of oxidised caramel malts. Palate amazingly has some carbonation. Tangy caramel malts, light dry cream. Little dried fruits. Some savoury character in the light smooth finish. I’ve had worse fresh beers at this festival!
GBBF Day 2. A 1977 bottle thanks to Scopey. Clear amber beer, tidy pale cream colour head. Nose of oxidised caramel malts. Palate amazingly has some carbonation. Tangy caramel malts, light dry cream. Little dried fruits. Some savoury character in the light smooth finish. I’ve had worse fresh beers at this festival!
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Aug 2015
at 07:18
5.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle from GBBF, 1977 vintage. It pours clear brown with a small beige. The nose is rich, oily, umami, musty, walnut, varnish, damp leather sofa, oxidized malts, fruit cake and meat. The taste is bitter - sweet, oily, nutty, earthy, mild acidity, fruit cake, mild acidity, spice, oxidized malt and dirt with a dry, earthy finish. Medium body and fine, oily action. Surprisingly not bad!
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Aug 2015
at 10:57