7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
A clear orange beer with a huge off-white head. The aroma is very hoppy, like sticking your head into a hop plant in late August. The flavor is spicy with notes of caramel and hops, leading to a dry hoppy end.
Tried
on 07 Apr 2005
at 18:19
5.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle: Dark copper colour. Small off white head. Lots of carbonation. Malty aroma with some fruity hints and also some caramel. Has some caramel taste also some hints of fruit and malt. Has a light bitter aftertaste. Not one of the best christmas beers i have had.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Mar 2005
at 18:31
5.3/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
Bottled. Bright golden, Aroma of peach and passion fruit. Juicy peaches atop sweet dense malt, balanced by some grassy hops. This is a fruit beer that works, at least to some extent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Mar 2005
at 04:54
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Orange-amber; disparate foam. Quite hoppy nose, smells of dandelions and good British hops. Bitterish, hoppy flavour, dry, overlying ambrée/cookie malts, virtually no sweetness left. Grapey, but bitter finish, very long. Light body, despite dryness bit watery texture, dissolved sugar-like. OK bitter, but how it makes this an X-mas ale is beyond me. Another Albion perfidity?
Tried
on 19 Jan 2005
at 11:54
5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 4
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5
Pale amber beer; little, transparent-white head. Chalky, creamy initially, very little else, really. Extremely remarkable vegetable taste - absolutely knolselder (tuber-celery?); sweetish, bit medicinal, keeps in the aftertaste. Very watery, light bodied. Yeah, watery, not much else. I fear the hopharvest at Kew Gardens is very modest.
Tried
on 18 Jan 2005
at 15:37
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Orangey-gold, very carbonated to thick, puffy, off-white head, not stable. Light caramel, honey, grassy hops, jute, cat’s pee. One good thing first: it’s sourish, hoppy-ish, and NOT sweet. In fact, hopflavour dominates the whole taste & palate, again grassy and jute-ish hops. But nothing else. Very light, even watery texture; bit of hopoil in the aftertaste. Worth existing - but nothing more. Mind you, if this were cool cask, and outside 30°C summer, I might talk differently. WHY the clear glass bottle, for cats Peete’s sake?
Tried
from Cask
on 17 Jan 2005
at 12:23
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
1990 bottle: Wow. Ruby brown ale with moka head, fruity aroma with notes of cherry, cognac and xerez. Barley sugar taste with good hops and burned caramel . Oily mouthfeel, nicely blended tastes, with no alcohol burn. 9-4-8-4-16 2003 vintage: Raisiny malt aroma, lightly woddy. Malty treacle, with honey , hops, and alcohol warmth, lighter bodied than 1990 vintage, but well balanced. 7-4-7-3-15 Un gros merci a Dumdum!
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Dec 2004
at 08:48
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottled (BB 06/2005)
Copper brown, small head. Fresh, crisp nose of Goldings hops - typical Young’s aroma. Medium-bodied, good malty and soft hoppy palate with trefoil flavors. Oily, a bit fruity hoppy finish. Good but from where Christmas comes?
Copper brown, small head. Fresh, crisp nose of Goldings hops - typical Young’s aroma. Medium-bodied, good malty and soft hoppy palate with trefoil flavors. Oily, a bit fruity hoppy finish. Good but from where Christmas comes?
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Nov 2004
at 12:37
6.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
Bottle. Slightly dark amber colour. Hoppy aroma. Slight hoppy aromatic flavour.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Nov 2004
at 20:06
6.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottled (BB 03/2005)
Nut brown, small but steady and creamy tanned head. Mild floral and sweet nose, a bit smokey. Mouthfeel has dry, roasted dunkel-like character. Long dry aftertaste.
Nut brown, small but steady and creamy tanned head. Mild floral and sweet nose, a bit smokey. Mouthfeel has dry, roasted dunkel-like character. Long dry aftertaste.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Oct 2004
at 12:26