RuneBlix (26316) reviewed VPA (Vale Pale Ale) from Vale Brewery 17 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Half pint, cask at Far From the Madding Crowd, Oxford. Dark orange coloured body without a head, but some lacing on the glass. Light hoppy aroma. Grapefruit in aroma followed by bitter malts. Crispy palate (Sunday afternoon, 16.03.2008).
Fin (18365) reviewed Mix 96 from Vale Brewery 17 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
[i] [b] Cask at The Hop Pole pubs Easter Beer Festival, Aylesbury in the company of Loz, Chris O, Ruth, Barry, Lynn 21-03-08 [/i] [/b] This was a difficult beer to catergorise but it’s colour, appearance and characteristics were leaning more toward the porter from which it was partly derived. Pours mid to dark brown bit murky (not the best looker) with small head. Tastes hoppy and fruity and with hops and an almost air of perfumyness on the nose. Some subtle marzipan also comes through and I will say that this is interesting, a bit rough around the edges at times but likeable.
berkshirejohn (10223) reviewed Grumpling Ale from Vale Brewery 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
500ml bottle of Marks & Spencer Buckinghamshire Ale. Reddish copper with a thin white head; rich sweet malty aroma; fruity malt flavours with underlying earthy hops; quite dry finish. [5/3/6/3/12]Rerate: Cask at the Kingston Arms, Cambridge. Gold with a thin white head leaving light lacing; sweet malt aroma; sweet fruity flavour with apples and blackberries; the finish is sharply bitter and slightly spiced. [6/4/6/4/16]
Finn (18112) reviewed VPA (Vale Pale Ale) from Vale Brewery 18 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 4.5
Cask at Willow Walk (JDW) London SW1 5 Feb 08. Golden colored. A small layer-head. Inviting chewing-gum aroma. Fruity flavor. Modest bitter finish. OK.
Downender (11275) reviewed Grumpling Ale from Vale Brewery 18 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Bottle from M&S. Chestnut coloured with a slight, off-white head. Aroma of nuts, some fruity malt and earthy hops. Full mouth feel with more fruit, some caramel and a decent dry finish. Good.
pivnizub (12821) reviewed Grumpling Ale from Vale Brewery 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
Bottle (as Buckinghamshire Ale by M&S): Clean, lively carbonation, huge fluffy to rocky off-white head, fruity and malty nose with a distinctive dash of hops in the background; solid sweet (-malty) bitter flavour, soft MF; lingering soft hoppy and malty finish. Decent, pleasant stuff..........
Harrisoni (26233) reviewed VPA (Vale Pale Ale) from Vale Brewery 18 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Cask handpull at Thomas Ingoldsby, JDW, Canterbury. Gold/copper colour with thin off white head. Slight yeast/earthy aroma. OK English earthy bitter.
Fin (18365) reviewed Black Beauty from Vale Brewery 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
[i] Cask at Merton Summer Festival, September 2004 [/i] Going back through my travel log and Merton Beer Festival information tonight and picking up those that had escaped. Never one of my favourite Vale beers but nonetheless it’s fine enough. Pours pretty much black with little head to speak of. Dry roasted malty taste but a bit too thin and watery for me to really get much from. [i] [b] Had this again at the Nut Tree, Murcott, Oxon, 09-03-08 [/i] [/b] This tasted a much better and more rounded beer than I’d had before, it’s still quite subtle and at times a bit thin but there were some really nice well done roasted flavours going on here and nice coffee and cocoa flavours to balance things out score on this occasion is [i] [b] 3.3 [/i] [/b] --- Beer merged from original tick of Black Beauty Vanilla Porter on 01 Dec 2011 at 00:46 - Score: Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7. Original review text: Cask,handpump at The Hop Pole, Aylesbury, Bucks Pours black with light beige creamy head, ruby glints. Touch roasty but with big vanilla flavours, bit creamy, dry at end, main thoughts are roasty and creamy. An interesting take on and also slight improvement on what was already a decent beer. A6 A4 T7 P3 Ov14 3.4
jhaase (14816) reviewed Grumpling Ale from Vale Brewery 18 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle, M&S. Light grassy aromatic and lightly roasted nose. Dark amber, off-white creamy layer. Roasted and fairly smoky malt base, aromatic english hops, wood, a little bit metal, orangepeel. Medium to light body, slick mouthfeel. Smoke and clay retronasal, overaid by citric hops. I quite liked this one actually, would love to try it on cask.
Fin (18365) reviewed Black Swan from Vale Brewery 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
[i]Cask/Gravity at The Swan Beer Festival, Islip 05-10-07[/i] Dark brown in appearance with no discernible head, bit thin but some roasted malts and coffee fruity flurry, ok.