Part of the group
6.8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Pours a rich amber-copper color. Some haze. Big white head that expands quickly with a hard pour. Solid chunks of lace sticking to the walls of the glass. Very pretty beer. Lots of English hops in the aroma; I’m not good at this, but my guess would be Goldings. It has a sweet citrus aroma shot through with a peppery spice. I’m not enjoying the malt contribution as much. The caramel sweetness is a bit limp and doesn’t quite have that luxurious quality of that I love in other English beers. Perhaps, a touch of diacetyl, not that it’s a problem, just a little English twist. The taste adds an interesting mineral note but loses some hop brightness. The malt is still a bit underwhelming. The bitterness seems to have that lasting dry flavor that I think of coming from Burton’s hard water. Still, the beer either needs a richer malt sweetness or a drier profile. The malt bill kinda plays the middle and doesn’t do a great job of it. Good yeasty, mildly bitter finish, though. It’s an easy drinking beer. Mouthfeel is relatively gentle. The attempt to mimic cask ale doesn’t work all that well, but it’s a good thought - I recommend a relatively hard pour and patience. The drying finish helps a lot. Drinks easily. It’s always fun to try a good English beer. Too few make it across the Atlantic.
Tried
from Cask
on 12 Apr 2013
at 21:43
4.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 4
500ml bottle. Pours gold with medium carbonation and a small head. Aroma is cheap apple juice, nail varnish and tree bark. Taste has cheap apple juice to start with little finish. Medium sweet. An excellent addition to the over ice market.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Apr 2013
at 12:17
3.8/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 3
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 4
450ml Aluminium Bottle (it’s a posh can with a cap) of Caffrey’s Premium Irish Ale, 3.8%ABV; BBD 28 Feb 2013, poured at home into a ’Good Poeple’ badged US pint glass on 2 Apr 2013, so a bit out of date. Bright amber body with a head that left before it arrived. Mildly malty in the nose, but not much of anything really. Malty feel to the flavour, semi-sweet caramel and Bourbon biscuits without the middle (the creamy bit). Watery, but not unpleasant, just a little too understated and overall weak in body depth and flavour strength. Not something I’d have again: I do however remember when it first hit the bars in the UK, very popular with my mates, I even enjoyed a few pints. It has changed for the worst and it wasn’t too great to start with!
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Apr 2013
at 11:17
3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 2
Flavor 3
Texture 4
Overall 2
450ml Aluminium Bottle: slightly out of date when opened at home on 16 Mar 2013. Poured into two Veltin Pilsner stemmed tulips. Looked fine: your usual bright, clean and clear golden lager look. The thin white head didn’t hang around, again typical of the style. Almost odourless: wet cardboard with dishwater smells if you want to be nasty. The mouthfeel is dry and crisp but there is very little actual taste: grainy flavour if pushed for a defining feature of the taste, otherwise as tasteless as it is odourless. Refreshing I suppose it is: a good beer it isn’t. My scores are being kind.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Mar 2013
at 12:29
5.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Cask @ Ty Mawr, Llanbedr. Copper-gold with a creamy-frothy head. Bitter in character with a mild sweetness to what is a good old fashioned ale. Also found at the Blue Bell opposite Cardiff Castle.
Tried
from Cask
at
Ty Mawr Hotel
on 27 Feb 2013
at 14:13
6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle from Total Wine in Sacramento, CA. Pours slightly hazy gold with a 3 finger fizzy/creamy head. Aroma is sort of floral/citrus. Med body almost. Flavor is fruity, and it’s towards berry, which may be that "hints of blackcurrant". It’s very mild in its way, but it’s clean and on the bitter side - the "biscuity" really is backdrop. Certainly won’t replace White Shield in my heart. :)
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Feb 2013
at 17:47