Country Life Brewery

Microbrewery in Bideford, Devon, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Established in 1998

Contact
The Big Sheep, Abbotsham, Bideford, EX39 5AP, England
Description
Established in 1998, using the brew plant from Lundy Island, the brewery was originally located at the families’ pub near Westward Ho! During the summer of 2002 it moved to its current location at The Big Sheep, Abbotsham, where you can visit the working brewery and retail outlet. In 2005 a new state of the art brewery and a bottling plant was installed enabling the brewery to keep up with increasing demand.

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7.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Cask at the the GBBF 2008. Amber colour. Very nice aroma of dark fruits, butterscotch and oak. The flavour is fairly well balanced between the malts (with some caramel) and decent hops.

Tried from Cask on 21 Aug 2008 at 03:37


5.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Cask@GBBF2008. Hazy amber colour, small beige head. Aroma is fruits, hops, wood and some mild notes of herbs. Flavour is spices, fruity hops, a bunch of wood and also a slight alcoholic kick.

Tried from Cask on 16 Aug 2008 at 05:55


5.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Cloudy dark amber with medium off white head. Sweet aroma with malty and spycy notes. Sweet flavor with caramel, spices and toasted malt. Ends sweet with warming alcohol.

Tried on 07 Aug 2008 at 17:47


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

Cask gravity at Kent BF 08. Slight hazy gold, thin white head. Some decent almond/peach/apricot jam fruit flavour. It’s a little peachy. Good condition. Just a little plain/odd.

Tried from Cask on 26 Jul 2008 at 03:56


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

50cl bottle from Westholme Stores, Goring-on-Thames, Oxon. Hazy chestnut brown with a cream head; chocolate and roasted malt aroma; chocolate and treacle in the mouth, rich and smooth with a nutty dryness. Very pleasant.

Tried from Bottle on 31 May 2008 at 18:38


5.2
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

50cl bottle from Westholme Stores, Goring-on-Thames, Oxon. Hazy brown with a trace of cream head; fruity malt aroma; buttery, nutty flavours with good bitterness and some fruit. Okay, but nothing special.

Tried from Bottle on 30 May 2008 at 09:07


5.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Cask at the Dolphin, Derby. A rather uninspiring bitter; gold with a creamy white head; grassy hop aroma; smooth with a a slight citrus flavour; instantly forgettable.

Tried from Cask on 06 May 2008 at 16:20


6.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Thick beige head over hazy amber-brown beer with mossy shine. Fresh malty & greenery nose, parsley and a decent touch of chocolate. Chocolaty, and tobacco-ashy flavours mixed with some discreet but good hops. Notes of caramalt and chocolate malts; dry-ish, leafy finish. Light to medium bodied; very slight dry-out effect. Nice beer, definitely; discreetly British, even when they persist calling a 6% ale strong... Pity about Lundy Island brewery, however. Thanks very much, SteveH, very nice!

Tried on 23 Mar 2008 at 09:48


5.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6

Cask at Volunteers Arms, GBBF 2007. A golden beer with a thick white head. The aroma is sweet malty with strong flowery notes. The flavor is sweet flowery on a light malty note, leading to a light bitter fininsh with notes of elderberries lingering. The body is thin.

Tried from Cask on 27 Jan 2008 at 08:07


5.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Golden with a small white head. Grassy and malty aroma. Sweet and grainy malt flavour.

Tried on 21 Dec 2007 at 15:36