6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Another one of the 12 different beers I bought while checking out the brewery in 2010. Bottle conditioned ale, brown 500ml bottle, best before June 2011, sank on Sunday 13th Feb 2011. The beer is brewed for the local Bowdon Church which was re-built back in 1860. The beer is a very pale golden yellow with a huge foaming head of white bubbles. Lager like in looks and just as lively, with bubbles rising through the crystal clear body. Heaving lacing held onto the side of the glass as the level of beer fell. The light body gives off a light aroma, some hop esters, but nothing very strong or vivid. The taste is a good mix of hops and malts, crisp and young tasting. Fairly dry, but not cheek suckingly so. Hops take over as the mouthfeel fades, the malts never really ruled the roost, but were more in evidence earlier in the flavours than later. Fine and dandy, a refreshing brew, ideal for quenching your thirst after a long drive, which is what I used it for!
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Apr 2012
at 05:48
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6
Bottle conditioned, in a brown 500ml bottle, best before May 2011, reviewed on 14th Feb 2011. Poured into an ’Abbot Ale’ glass tankard: Dark brown, dirty ruby red coloured body, a full, deep tan coloured bubbley head sat on top. The smells given off were of semi-sweet malty molasses and hazel nuts. The taste was all maltiness, very little hop evidence, although there is a hint of hop bitterness at the end of the mouthfeel. The malts are not as sweet as the aroma would indicate, more subtle and discreet in fact. The alcohol, which is high for this style, is just below the surface, becoming more noticable as the mouth drys and the malt flavours decline. Full bodied describes this beer nicely. Easy to drink and one of the better Browns I’ve had for some time. This is a style rarely seen these days (Mann’s and Newcastle apart), glad to see this brewery isn’t afraid to fill the gap.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Apr 2012
at 05:42
5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 6
The first beer in a ’Dunham Massey 4’ tasting evening held by me, for me in mid-April 2011. Brown 500ml bottle, best before Aug 2011: this is a bottle conditioned beer. Deep ruby red in colour, looks darker until you hold it up to a strong light source. An off-white head of tight bubbles sat on top. The aroma was semi-smokey, burnt malts and roasted barley notes. The taste wasn’t smokey at all, some burnt malt molasses maybe, but nothing to compare with the smell. I thought it a little thin and light bodied, even for a 3.85ABV Mild and if I’d drank it blindfolded it’d have said it was a light Mild, even with the smoked smells. The website say’s it is "based on the tradional North Western milds of old." Not too sure about that, but it lacked that little bit of something for me.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Apr 2012
at 02:37
5.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
Second beer of my ’Dunham Massey 4’ tasting evening. Brown 500ml bottle, best before August 2011, some three and half months away when tasted. the beer is bottle conditioned. Pours a clear light amber, golden colour. The thick white head that was initially there fell away slowly to a thin wispy covering, but did leave some good lacing on the glass. Very little aroma, as is often the case with UK bitters, some slight hop and malt esters as the beer warmed in the glass, otherwise nothing for my nose to find. The taste was predominately of hops, but only mildly, this isn’t a hoppy bitter, it just doesn’t have a lot of malt flavours. Mid-range in the body stakes for a UK bitter, neither weak or strong in anything, just a middle of the road session beer, like so many others being brewed up and down the country.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Apr 2012
at 02:36
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
The third beer in my ’Dunham Massey 4’ tasting evening (Apr 2011). Brown 500ml bottle, best before Aug 2011, three and a half moths after it was tasted. The beer was bottle conditioned. The beer poured with a slight haze, might have been too cold (chill haze), or some sediment may have been disturbed during the pouring: anyway the amber body of the beer was a tad cloudy. An off-white head of tight, small bubbles sat on top. The smell and taste fell on the hop side of the fence, the malt contents being happy to play second fiddle in the blend. I normally prefer the maltier bitters, but this one seemed to suit being hoppier. I found the mix a pleasant one, with the 4.2%ABV sitting just about right within the mouthfeel and flavours: in other words, a well balanced UK bitter.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Apr 2012
at 02:33
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
The fourth and last beer in my ’Dunham Massey 4’ tasting evening (Apr 2011). 500ml Brown bottle, best before Aug 2011, some three and a half months away from the tasting evening. The beer is bottle conditioned. The clear amber body looked good, as did the white bubbley head that left some good lacing as the beer level fell. The smell was of hops, plenty of them and fairly bitter (in both the aroma and later in the taste). A true British IPA, hoppy, but not over the top, like some of our East Coast (US) brewing friends appear to prefer. Easy on the eye, nose and throat, this is a good example of what the original style most likely appeared and tasted like.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Apr 2012
at 02:31
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Sunny, late afternoon in my back garden, decided to review a beer rather than tidy up: this beer is the choosen one! Brown 500ml bottle (bottle conditioned), best before Aug 2011, poured into my Abbot Ale Tankard on 2nd June 2011. Came out in a hurry, didn’t get the glass to it before the lovely tan coloured head began to gush out. Been in the cooloing fridge for about two weeks, not sure why the beer wasn’t stable. Once settled the beer looked great in the sunshine, a reddy brown colour, dark and interesting, the head strong, firm and made up of large bubbles. Roasted malts and burnt brown bread were the two main smells I found, woody nutty notes were there too. The taste followed the nose, malty, slightly burnt feel and those nutty trees again. Well carbonated, as the gushing head proved and very drinkable. Sediment came up with the beer, but it didn’t ruin the flavours or mouthfeel, most likely enhanced it to be honest. Full flavoured and the sort of English Porter you could drink a few of in one session.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Apr 2012
at 05:04
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Brown 500ml bottle conditioned beer, best before Aug 2011, reviewed late Apr 2011. Poured into an Abbot Ale tankard: really dark brown, almost black, a tan blanket of foam sat on top. The aroma was of chocolate, coffee and malty molasses. Although the smell intimated the beer would be fairly sweet it was in fact dry. Although the taste was of dark chocolate it didn’t feel sweet, in fact a mild bitterness seemed to be the over-riding flavour. Well carbonated, most of the sediment stayed in the bottle, but some got into the glass, however because of the dark colour you’d never really notice. Pleasant and easy to drink, recommended.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Apr 2012
at 04:30
5.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
June 2011: Brown 500ml bottle, best before Aug 2011, poured into a UK straight sleeve pint glass. This is bottle conditioned, so the pour is controlled. Even with a slow pour the beer produced a huge light tan coloured foaming head, below sat a dark, clear reddy brown body, no sediment, it remained in the bottle. Belgian Kriek like aroma, but not as pronounced as some, hints of chocolate? Only because the label claimed it was a chocolate cherry mild, which made me search for it with my nose. The taste was a semi-sour cherry mix with a very slight chocolatey feel. Well carbonated, the beer was almost too fizzy and lively, made me burp a couple of times: as I sipped trying to find the flavours within. Herbs and Spices (a mixed bunch) seemed to appear, then be beaten off by the carbonisation and cherry twang the beer had. Certainly different to any Dark Mild I’ve had before: did I like it? Not really, reminded me of Vimto too much! The beer lacked balance and body depth, could have been so, so much better if it had a richer, creamier feel (not that I’m a brewer).
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Apr 2012
at 04:13
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle 500ml - Bright copper colour. Sweet malty aroma with slight smokiness. Well balanced flavour of malt and hop. Quite dry and refreshing.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Feb 2012
at 11:34