I'm begining to become wary of any beer with the word "horse" in the name. The letters ESB appear up on the neck label of this brew and this beer misses the mark widely. Good color but a very thin head and little else going on here. Thin body, slight sweetness, but no real malty or hoppy notes come through. Even a little dryness would be an attribute, but there's just nothing there. This is just a non offensive thirst quencher for those who don't want to be bothered with tasting their beer. The "Hop Hazard" is a better brew by far.

Slightly pale golden colour with a thin white head. Aroma of skunk, caster sugar, pale malt and slight fruits. Light-bodied; Somewhat sweet vegetal taste with some malt flavour. Aftertaste clean-a bit harsh, but not horrible. Overall, a fairly bad offering from a fairly bad brewery. I bought this twelve ounce bottle from Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits in Washington, D.C. and sampled it on 29-December-2003.

Nice bronze, copper colour with a thin tan head. Aroma of caramel, roasted malt, maple syrup and a slight amount of nuts. Medium to Full-bodied; Nutty flavour with some extra caramel sweetness. Aftertaste shows a lot of nuttiness with some residual sweetness. Aftertaste lasts long as it is basically nuttiness and some odd flavours. Overall, a decent 'stronger' brown ale, not much complexities in the taste...but a decent offering from the otherwise mediocre brewery. I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Chevy Chase Wine & Liquor in Washington, D.C. and sampled it on 22-December-2003.

Nice brown in colour, with a nice head, fruity and chocolaty aroma. Raisin, moka taste. Very little alcohol warmth though,

Light golden in colour with a thin white head of less than 1 centimetre. Light aroma of wheat, orange peel, lemon and a slight sweetness. Medium to Light-bodied; Strong initial taste of malt & citrus for the style. Lingering sweetness rests on the palate for a few seconds after the sip. A bit of hops in the next sip, but the second is also a bit more watery than the first. Aftertaste is a bit subdued; a bit of the wheatie taste, a small amount of the sweetness, and an even smaller amount of the hops. While not a great beer in the grand sceme of things; this beer is decent for the usually bad representation of the style. Worth trying if you actually like blondes: the beer style, not the hair colour :) I bought this twelve ounce bottle from Beers of the World in Rochester, New York.

This is one hell of a clean, crisp, refreshing, well-hopped APA. Nice cascade hops in the aroma. Nice little malty sweetness on the tongue. Slighty hoppy finish. Each sip makes you thirst for more. I think I've found a new staple summer pale ale to go along with Blue Point Pale Ale.

Dark brown color, but still light enough to see through with even a little bit of light behind it. Slight, off-white head that leaves a decent lacing. The aroma is sweet and roasty, with a slight hint of chocolate. The mouthfeel is "milky," but a tad bit thin. Moderately sweet flavor, with some hints of the chocolate from the aroma, with a tiny bit of espresso on the back of the tongue. Smooth but characterless finish. Tastes kind of like Guinness w/o the bitterness. A good beer, but not great.

I really don't know what to say about this. It is a pretty stardard English Strong Ale. It lacks a certain depth of characer that the good ones have, and it is a bit thin bodied, with a somewhat watery finish. The aroma and flavor are roasty and nutty, but not extremely impressive. A pretty middle-of-the-road beer.

2nd Rating:
Amber colour with a very nice light tan colour head of about 2 centimetres. Smells of hops (grapefruity) a bit of malt and a bit of sugar. Medium-bodied; Assertive hoppiness followed by malt characteristics. Very well-rounded, a strong but mellow APA. About average for the style and perhaps a bit better. Worth trying if you've already had Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale, and only then :). I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York. Rating for this bottle: 8,4,7,4,13

Bottle at the Brickskeller:
Golden brown in colour, little smell...mild start. Hoppy finish, but not overwhelming! I miss the hops...with a name like 'Hop Hazard' it should compete with Tuppers Hop Pocket Ale, but not even close!