Old Ale (Bottle)
(Batch of Old Ale)
Harvey's in Lewes, East Sussex, England 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular|
Score
6.42
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Bottled: 275ml and 500ml. Also available on draught from October to March.
Old Ale is a premium cask and bottled beer originally brewed as No.1 Brown. It was renamed Exhibition Brown Ale (XXXX) due to the numerous awards it had won.
This dark, full-bodied beer combines sweetness and strength to produce an exceptionally smooth palate for a discerning public.
Old Ale is a premium cask and bottled beer originally brewed as No.1 Brown. It was renamed Exhibition Brown Ale (XXXX) due to the numerous awards it had won.
This dark, full-bodied beer combines sweetness and strength to produce an exceptionally smooth palate for a discerning public.
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7.3/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Dark ruby tan head
A - toffee caramel slight dried fruits
F - burnt sugar caramel toffee, bit of raisins
very nicely balanced, sweetness but with a fair bitterness
soft mouthfeel
tastes much stronger than 3.6%
A - toffee caramel slight dried fruits
F - burnt sugar caramel toffee, bit of raisins
very nicely balanced, sweetness but with a fair bitterness
soft mouthfeel
tastes much stronger than 3.6%
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Nov 2025
at 21:47
6.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 7
Overall 7
Old rating from 2014 - 500ml bottle from the brewery by a friend. Pours dark brown with a beige head. Aromas & tastes of raisins, caramel, toffee, liquorice & malt. Medium body. Dry light bitter finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 Feb 2025
at 19:13
7/10
bottle at Dec 2024 ...bought last Christmas (ooops)...dark brown ...thin tan lacing ..soft sweet caramel ..light plum ..Light spice nose ..soft sweet caramel toffee fruit ..soft warming mslts ...dark fruits ..big plummy edge
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Dec 2024
at 18:59
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle at the Crowne Plaza, T4 Heathrow. Dark ruby colour with an off white head. Aroma and taste are malty caramel sweet. Light sweet finish and a light body.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Mar 2024
at 17:13
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Cask at Royal Oak, Borough. Aroma has malts and xream. Darkest brown. Opaque. Frothy foamy beige head. Malty. Cacao. Underlying creaminess. Berry edge. Develops chewy molasses. Light-medium bodied. Creamy. Soft-fizzy carbonation. Long somewhat astringent finish. Slips down.
Tried
from Cask
on 05 Dec 2023
at 20:25
6/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Oct 2022
at 09:32
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
500 ml bottle, from Seven Cellars. ABV is 3.6%. Mahogany colour, moderate beige head. Pleasant aroma of malts, raisins and other dark dried, hints of caramel and brittle. Lovely flavour with the same elements as the aroma, not too sweet, moderate earthy hops. Good body for its low ABV. Very refreshing and satisfying to drink. I am astonished that this beer does not have a higher.score.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Sep 2020
at 15:03
7/10
Bottle from Harveys Brewery Shop. Pours a very dark brown colour with a slight red tinge and a small beige head. Aroma has faint notes of roasted malt, caramel, toffee, dry red fruits, nuts, bread and a little sugar. Fairly light bodied, a little fizz on the palate, slightly oily but a pretty smooth mouthfeel. Taste is more roasted malt, caramel, toffee, dry dark fruits, nuts, bread, burnt sugar, apples and a tiny bit of chocolate. Fairly sweet but it also has a nice bitterness on the finish. Very well balanced. All in all it is a pretty tasty beer for such a low abv. Nice!
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Jan 2020
at 19:23
7.3/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
Pours very dark, clear brown, very small ( nearly none ) head. Smell is intense, crunchy malts. Dark bread, mild caramelly, medium mild earthy hops. nice. Taste is surprisingly full, caramelly, dark bread, crunchy malts. Still tastes very fresh, even though the bottle has a few months on it. mild earthy hops. refined, fitting ( low, but noticable ) bitterness. Fairly clean fermentation profile. Body is medium ( for what it is ) carbonation is medium low.
Aftertaste is mildly roasty, caramelly, touch of bitter, as well as a minor sweet undertone. Very enjoyable stuff.
Tried
on 16 Dec 2019
at 01:04
7.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Imported from my RateBeer account as Harveys Old Ale (Bottle) (by Harveys Brewery):
Aroma: 7/10, Appearance: 3/5, Taste: 8/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 16/20, MyTotalScore: 3.7/5
2/VIII/19 - 50cl bottle from The Royal Oak (London), shared @ Alex & Agata's place (London), BB: VI/2021 - (2019-1137)
Clear dark red brown beer, small creamy dense off-white head, stable, bit adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: very malty, some caramel, soft roast, bit fruity, nutty, grains. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: malty, caramel, soft acidity, bit fruity, hint of banana, little oxidized, gentle bitterness, slightly hoppy. Aftertaste: dry, malty, some caramel, some oxidation, orange peel, little bitter, more ripe banana, little yeasty, sourish, lovely for a low ABV.
Aroma: 7/10, Appearance: 3/5, Taste: 8/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 16/20, MyTotalScore: 3.7/5
2/VIII/19 - 50cl bottle from The Royal Oak (London), shared @ Alex & Agata's place (London), BB: VI/2021 - (2019-1137)
Clear dark red brown beer, small creamy dense off-white head, stable, bit adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: very malty, some caramel, soft roast, bit fruity, nutty, grains. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: malty, caramel, soft acidity, bit fruity, hint of banana, little oxidized, gentle bitterness, slightly hoppy. Aftertaste: dry, malty, some caramel, some oxidation, orange peel, little bitter, more ripe banana, little yeasty, sourish, lovely for a low ABV.
Tried
from Bottle
at
Royal Oak (Harvey’s)
on 02 Aug 2019
at 22:08