Shakespeare's County (Cask)
(has 1 batch)

Bottle from Warwick Real Ale. This one is actually 5.0% so a bit of a divergence. Appearance - amber with a generous white head. Nose - biscuit, lemon and orange. Taste - dried orange and brown bread. Almost cakey. Palate - light to medium bodied. Decent richness in texture. Dryish finish. Overall - quite enjoyed this one.

Bottle direct from brewer @ 5%. Pours clear dark gold/orange, thin head, ok retention. Aroma of biscuit malts, boiled veg and flora. Taste is quite smooth with a caramel malt, fruity resin more on the orange side, a small amount of spice, reasonable bitterness in the finish. Moderate body but the carbonation starts low and two thirds through is effectively flat. Its a well balanced brew with a decent ABV, good body, reasonable flavour but lack of carbonation. Overall, decent.

5.0% abv by the way, found in Stratford-Upon-Avon jurst up the road from theese d00ds and just about next dooor from Shakespeare’s birthplace, which surprisingly while a fancy dig is not yet a big touron attraction but just a cordoned off building. This’un has an okay antique white head, lots of carbs, dark copper clear body. Wet fart rotting cabbage heavy stank ass hops aroma. Flavour is actually a crisp clear caramell-y kinda vibe with just soft hop hints, clear water. Interesting. Quite nice in fact when chilled, better than lotsa boring English ales. Drink a few of these when you go to Stratford and watch A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it’s always better tweaked, the peasantos from 1648 will attest to that.

Cask at the Spoons, Brum airport. Pours dark orange gold with a small head. Aroma is boiled sweets and straw. Taste has light fruity straw to start, with some mango touches. Ok for the strength.

Cask at The Old Joint Stock, Birmingham. Poured a hazy medium amber with a thin broken white head. The aroma is uber malty leading to a medium to weak bitter flavour with a smooth, dry, malty palate. It’s rather malty for an English session bitter but I’m fine with that!

Golden bitter with a small head, fairly smooth texture. Has a malty aroma.

Cask@The Criterion, Leicester. Amber beer with a watery bitter aroma, and an average toffee and bitter flavour. Overall a standard bitter.

Cask at the Briar Rose (JDW), Birmingham. Amber with a dense white head; fruity aroma; soft sweet fruity malt flavours with a touch of orange; dry bitter finish. A marginal improvement on the Darling Buds I’d just finished.