Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
Cask at the Hope Tap (JDW), Reading. Gold with a ring of white head; nutty aroma; caramel sweetness with some roasted nuts, very full bodied with the consistency of runny honey. Lack finish, and way to sweet for me.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5
[gravity cask at Back of Beyond, Reading] Deep amber; slight white head; no carbonation. Don’t know what wattle tastes like, but this beer was a pretty average bitter. Some bitterness, a little malty earthiness, some nuts and a rather gloopy mouthfeel; fairly forgettable. c6
berkshirejohn (10300) reviewed Yona Yona Real Ale from J D Wetherspoon 17 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Cask at the Green Man (JDW), London EC1. Golden amber with a dense off-white head; aroma has citrus and caramel; flavour has citrus and honey; a nicely bitter finish with a rounded end. Very drinkable.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
Cask at the Gig House (JDW), Wokingham. Amber with a thick creamy cream head; aroma of orange peel and grassy hops; big grapefruit flavour, rich and buttery; delicously prolonged deep bitter finish. Wow. Well done JDW, well done SN.
Downender (11273) reviewed California Double IPA from J D Wetherspoon 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Cask-conditioned at the Crosse Keys (JDW), City of London 3/4/08. Deep golden colour with a tight white head. Huge hop aroma, with thick pine, grapefruit and orange blossom, balanced by a touch of caramel. Full mouth feel, the beer coated the mouth with a layer of slighlty creamy malt and prickly citrus and pine hops. Finished long and dry. The alcohol was very well hidden. Excellent all round.
Harrisoni (26309) reviewed California Double IPA from J D Wetherspoon 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9.5
Cask handpull at Folkestone Spoons. OK, so I was looking forward to this beer almost more than any other. Even the thought of it brought me out in a big smile. A 7% DIPA brewed in Kent at Sheps, a brewery I sometimes much deride. Stone Ruination is one of my favourite beers too so anything like that would be great. Then I got 2 pints of it and took it upstairs to the gallery of this converted former church (fitting really). The aroma is simply a 10. The dry hopped hop, the simcoes screaming through and then this toffee malt. (2 hours later). The beauty of cask conditioned beer. Earlier it was great on nose, sweetish toffee caramel in mouth, a touch thin even and fantastic hoppy finish. But just something missing. Now the condition is perfect. Still a 10/10 for a leafy dry hopped aroma. Like rubbing a fresh hop flower between your fingers. Some hop resin. But the mouthfeel has got better, creamier, fuller. Still distinct caramel, but wider, fuller mouthfeel to when I first had it. Finish has lasting, oh man, lasting green, simcoe, dry hop flavour. Didn’t know it was going to be on, no idea, just the discovery, the worry about distribution, how much was made, would only specific Spoons get it. I went home after the first 4 pints and then did an 80 minute round trip to come back and have it again just in case I didn’t have it again or in this good a condition. I’ve never had a beer brewed in the UK like it. At no time did the alcohol come through until the next morning when I felt like death. Not as cold or as hard as some US IPAs I’ve had. Funny, I tried it 2 days later in London and couldn’t finish the1/3 pint when I had it through a sparkler (Radox), but I had it later and it was still stunning, but not as good as that first time, but still one of the best UK brewed beers I’ve had.
Fin (18516) reviewed California Double IPA from J D Wetherspoon 18 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
[i][b] Cask at The Penny Black, JDW, Bicester, Oxon 27-03-08 and 29-03-08 [/i][/b] If I’d have rated this solely on my tasting on the 27th it would be struggling to get over 2.5 but I’ve had this again and on the advice of Ian (Harrsoni) asked for the sparkler to be removed (it had already been removed n this occasion) I hadn’t thought to ask for this first time around but what a difference, ok so you lose a little on the nose but the taste improves immeasurably. On Thursday I was massively impressed with the aroma it was a superb in fact stunning a full on hoppy assault on the nostrils, piney and very fresh, today it is still great but not quite so forceful. Like Craig say’s it is packed with flavour but unlike on Thursday when I felt like I was drinking Radox after a while, today with the sparkler off it was so much better, ok it as still a bit too much for me at times but a much better beer today than on Thursday the Simcoe being one of those that I can identify and really appreciate. A lovely beer, and so much better second time around, looks great warm gold very clear and really fresh.
cagarvie (40235) reviewed California Double IPA from J D Wetherspoon 18 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Cask (direct from by Manager) JDW... Bright orange ... fruity american hop nose ... WOW what a punch ... hop hop and more hop ... packed full of flavour but hop dominated...