6.6

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 5.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

500ml bottle conditioned from Anthony's of Wellington, poured into a vase shaped UK pint glass at home on 10th January 2026. Clean golden body (no sediment left the bottle) and a white crust on top. Slight citrus nose and initial taste, malts kick in mid sip. Fruity and pleasant.

5.9

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

500ml bottle, thanks Mike for squirrelling this away for me! Pours a generally clear pale amber, good white head. Nice cereal malt whiff, comforting gentle malt character, but bears a sugary sweetness that doesn't feel at home, and builds throughout suggesting a fermentation issue at play. Something not quite right here.

7.1

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

500ml bottle conditioned, shared with Margie on 8th January 2026. I allowed the sediment to leave the bottle into my glass, so Margie's beer was clean and clear golden, while mine was darker and slightly hazed, white crust on both pours. As mentioned by others this is a fairly sweet beer, I liked it, as did Margie, malty and simple, no complexity, just a pleasant, sweet Pale Ale.

6.3

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

500ml bottle from Anthony's of Wellington. Poured into an old 'Abbot Ale' glass tankard at home on 16th December 2025. Very pale blond body, almost clear, just a slight haze, on top a solid crown of snow white bubbles. I then allowed the sediment to leave the bottle and I got a cloudy blond with a few floating 'friends' within the tankard. Highly carbonated (or just lively from the second fermentation), loads of rising bubbles in the body, lifting the sediment particles up and then dropping them at the top. Citrus fruit leanings and a decent bitterness, might have cooled it too much because there is no aroma at the moment. Ah, it's now beginning to produce a mild piney and wheat like nose, mild farmyard and dray horse blanket esters too!

7.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8

500ml bottle conditioned, obtained from Anthony's of Wellington. Poured into a straight sided pint glass with a Gwanun Valley Brewery badge on it, just to make the beer feel at home. Second beer of a random tasting session with myself and no one else. Bertie is watching, while Margie and Auntie Sue are sipping (OK gulping) wine. Lovely bright copper body, off white crown on top. Malt forward and fairly sweet tasting, nice winter beer with herbal traces within it's make up. Liked it.

6.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Bottle. Nose has a hint of Brett if I didn't know better. Taste is corn, caramel, floral and a very dry finish. The yeast is fruity and again the faint hint of Brett. Very interesting

7

Enjoyable rich & roasty

6.8

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Purchased at said fortress when we were out for another stamp in the boy's National Trust passport. Opaque dark amber gold. Thick frothy foamy white head. Aroma is sweet and malty. Honey. Slightly syrupy. Flavourwise it had a medium bitterness - herbal, nettles, woody - with a slightly tart edge. Underlying sweet malts are overpowered. Light. Thin. Beneficial soft-fizzy carbonation. Long dry somewhat astringent finish. Enjoyable gold. Benefits from the punchier ABV.

5.1

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4.5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

0,5 flaske fra datohylla hos Vaaland, delt med Willy på brygga: lett uklar rødlig kobber med et usedvanlig flott skum. Jeg får assosiasjoner til rognebær, nyper og urter. Tynn maltsmak og noe besk avslutning.

4.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

0,5 flaske fra datohylla til Vaaland 1889, hjemme: klar gylden med fint skum som varer lenge. Beskjeden i uttrykket, bortsett fra at den var riktig entusiastisk i åpningsøyeblikket. Men 20 kroner for en reiting er uansett helt greit.