First brewed in 1958 there has been much confusion around the legendary ale’s name ever since.
Does it stand for Special Ale? Or Samuel Arthur? Or is it Skull Attack? And to be honest its true meaning is so lost in myth and mystery that we aren’t quite sure anymore.
Back in the day, SA was seen as a much stronger alternative to the other brews on offer which gave it a certain reputation, yet despite its full flavour, it’s surprisingly session-able!
Over time SA has become the toast of the Welsh nation. Our renowned premium bitter ale is copper coloured and has a nutty richness derived from Pale and Crystal malts and three hops; Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles.
Does it stand for Special Ale? Or Samuel Arthur? Or is it Skull Attack? And to be honest its true meaning is so lost in myth and mystery that we aren’t quite sure anymore.
Back in the day, SA was seen as a much stronger alternative to the other brews on offer which gave it a certain reputation, yet despite its full flavour, it’s surprisingly session-able!
Over time SA has become the toast of the Welsh nation. Our renowned premium bitter ale is copper coloured and has a nutty richness derived from Pale and Crystal malts and three hops; Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles.
Sign up to add a tick or review
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at home. Clear, light orange pour with a small, white head. Lots of that distinctive pasteurization odor on the nose, along with some cereal malts. Nice flavor, sweet and lightly doughy with some leaves, toast, light earth and resin. Mild bitters. Light bodied with average carbonation. Crisp, fairly sweet finish with touches of dry hops, slightly earthy.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Mar 2011
at 13:19
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Pours rich amber with a small head.Nose shows lovely nutty, toffee and caramel notes, very appetising.Flavours are exactly the same but with that addition of some hazelnut praline.Moderate carbonation, could be higher really.
Tried
on 01 Oct 2010
at 01:23
6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
Can, 13C. Almost clear amber with a thick honey-cream head. Butterscotch nose with some apples and grass. Smooth mouthfeel. Tastes pretty caramel sweet with a little finishing bitterness. There are hints of sophistication in the malt, but it lacks character in the usual bottled bitter way.
Tried
from Can
on 02 Mar 2010
at 02:18
5.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 6
Can (thanx to Quack-Duck!) Amber coloured, smaller, but quite stable beige head; caramelly-sweet nose with a fruity-hoppy background; mild sweetish-bitter flavour, relatively light bodied; slightly lingering fruity-malty finish with a light hoppiness. Not bad, but only a shadow of the cask version.........
Tried
from Can
on 07 Oct 2009
at 08:53
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
5 litre mini cask from a supermarket in Brynbuga/Usk. Clear amber colour, slightly red, with a head of considerable size. Fruity-hoppy nose with a hint of baking yeast. Malty with caramel, resiny hops and a touch of fruit, hints of cinnamon and marzipane. Well-balanced and quaffable.
Tried
from Cask
on 05 Sep 2009
at 08:50
5.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Draught (Clwb Ifor Bach,Cardiff) - Amber/copper in colour. Malty and grainy aroma with some fruity elements. Fruity taste with some dried fruits sticking out. Typical keg beer of this type.
Tried
on 03 Sep 2008
at 18:27
5.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5
Appearance: Orangy brown. Little bit of head. Aroma: Malty and fruity. Taste: Pretty malty. Hops. Bitter aftertaste. Info: 500ml bottle, 28/8-2006, 149/300, 78/500
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jun 2008
at 16:35
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
500ml bottle from Franglais, Calais. This was my free bottle (buy 5 get one free, so I ended up with 8 scoops for €15 which I thought was a good deal). I’m not convinced that the bottled version is filtered as there is definitely some sediment in the bottom and it poured as a hazy copper colour. Thick lasting off white head. Slight yeast aroma. Some nice citrus hop too. Bit too carbonated. Nice yeast, malt, hop aroma balance. The bubbles are just too much. Quite a decent bitter, if it was on cask. I seem to remember having this at a Wetherspoons in Canterbury and liking it. Nice malts, reasonable fullness in the mouth.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Feb 2007
at 07:47
4.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 4
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Can on the train from Cardiff to Paddington. Dark golden colour with a moderate white head. Slightly fresh hoppy smell. Rather thin mouthfeel with a flavour containing elements of nuts, fruits and caramel malts. Dry, short lived bitter ending (03.02.2007).
Tried
from Can
on 16 Feb 2007
at 02:23
6.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
(bottle) Slightly hazy, copper colour with a medium-sized, lacing foamy off-white head. Light-sweet toast-malty, nutty aroma with shy herbal hops. Moderately bitter flavour, light bodied with a well carbonated mouthfeel. Good malty body, slightly fruity and nutty with notes of caramel and liquorice; dryish, fruity and malty, moderately bitter and slightly hoppy finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Jan 2007
at 15:20