-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
English Owd Ale
Moorhouse's Brewery (Burnley) Ltd
- From:
- Moorhouse's Brewery (Burnley) Ltd
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Old Ale
- ABV:
- 5.9%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.72 | pDev: 6.18%
- Reviews:
- 12
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 30, 2015
- Added:
- Mar 16, 2009
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bros:
None found.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by mikeg67 from New Jersey
3.83/5 rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.83/5 rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
500 ml bottle. Pours copper with tall, long-lasting, fluffy white head and nice lacing. Aroma is of caramel malt, cherries, plums and hint of hops. Body is medium and crisp. Earthy hops, caramel malt and a lot of ripe fruit fill the mouth. Finish is long and earthy. Overall it is great brew.
Aug 31, 2015Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota
4/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aroma: malty, yeasty fruit, grainy, caramel and toffee. Appearance: Hazy amber with very little head due to low carbonation, very little fine delicate lacing. Flavor: British malts with caramel toffee malt sweetness in the beginning, slight diacetyl. Strong malt backbone, touch of earthy English hops at the end for balance. Mouthfeel: medium body, low carbonation, almost flat. Overall: this doesn’t have the alcohol typical of an Old Ale and it does not have the dark fruit sherry-port alcoholic flavors and thick chewy body one comes to cherish in the classic interpretations of this style. This strikes me as more like a heavy mild ale, is quite drinkable and would be very nice hand pumped from a cask.
Jun 22, 2015Reviewed by GratefulBeerGuy from New Hampshire
3.73/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
English style ale's are a very specific experience, you can always expect certain things from the styles and this one is just classic.
A relaxed, flat look as the foam head starts out strong but fades fast, which is expected. Reddish amber color is very nice, with it's golden hues.
The nose is classic British, Bready, sweet malt, oats and more sour dough bread. Lightly hopped.
The feel is actually much more crisp and clean than you would image, but quickly fades to smooth in the finish. Rather flat in the long run with malty leftovers. Sour dough bready malt flavor is king, slightly hopped once again. The balance is all malt flavors.
This one is right on the money in it's style, but something just doesn't impress me as much as some other styles...
Nov 20, 2013A relaxed, flat look as the foam head starts out strong but fades fast, which is expected. Reddish amber color is very nice, with it's golden hues.
The nose is classic British, Bready, sweet malt, oats and more sour dough bread. Lightly hopped.
The feel is actually much more crisp and clean than you would image, but quickly fades to smooth in the finish. Rather flat in the long run with malty leftovers. Sour dough bready malt flavor is king, slightly hopped once again. The balance is all malt flavors.
This one is right on the money in it's style, but something just doesn't impress me as much as some other styles...
Reviewed by metter98 from New York
3.73/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A: The beer is slightly hazy, light amber in color and has a bit of small particles floating in suspension along with a faint amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin off white head that quickly dissipated, leaving only delicate lacing covering the surface and a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of fruity yeast are present in the nose along with some hints of toffee and dark fruits.
T: The taste is a similar to the smell but a little more complex with some hints of caramel and toasted malts. Toffee-like flavors persist through the finish. Hops are not really noticeable but the beer only has bits of sweetness.
M: It feels nearly medium-bodied on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is an interesting beer that almost tastes like it was poured from a cask given the low amount of carbonation.
Apr 01, 2013S: Light aromas of fruity yeast are present in the nose along with some hints of toffee and dark fruits.
T: The taste is a similar to the smell but a little more complex with some hints of caramel and toasted malts. Toffee-like flavors persist through the finish. Hops are not really noticeable but the beer only has bits of sweetness.
M: It feels nearly medium-bodied on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is an interesting beer that almost tastes like it was poured from a cask given the low amount of carbonation.
Reviewed by OtherShoe2 from Massachusetts
3.76/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.76/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours dark copper with no head, with the exception of a slight ring of bubbles around the rim. There is a little splashy lace as well.
Light malt aromas. Odd, I expected something else.
Some nice complexity here. Malt, some cocoa, some fruit (which instantly goes from sweet to apple skin). Moderate bitterness. The flavors a re fleeting as the beer finishes fairly clean. Malt lingers with a sweet edge on the palate.
Medium bodied. Lots of bubbles on the pour, but this is gone fast. Fairly still.
Not exact n the tradition of old ale, but a nice brew. A mellow sipper with all of the hard edges rounded off. Works for me.
Feb 03, 2013Light malt aromas. Odd, I expected something else.
Some nice complexity here. Malt, some cocoa, some fruit (which instantly goes from sweet to apple skin). Moderate bitterness. The flavors a re fleeting as the beer finishes fairly clean. Malt lingers with a sweet edge on the palate.
Medium bodied. Lots of bubbles on the pour, but this is gone fast. Fairly still.
Not exact n the tradition of old ale, but a nice brew. A mellow sipper with all of the hard edges rounded off. Works for me.
Reviewed by Hopfenpeter from Maryland
3.98/5 rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
3.98/5 rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This beer poured a somewhat hazy, medium gold with hints of amber. The half a finger tan head dissipates fast into a nice ring, which sticks around.
The smell is very malty, with lot caramel, toffee and yeast.
Tasting the beer the sweet caramel, toffee notes come first, followed by a strong malt backbone. Mild citrus hops balance the beer nicely in the end.
A very drinkable earthy ale, with the typical English feel.
Jan 29, 2012The smell is very malty, with lot caramel, toffee and yeast.
Tasting the beer the sweet caramel, toffee notes come first, followed by a strong malt backbone. Mild citrus hops balance the beer nicely in the end.
A very drinkable earthy ale, with the typical English feel.
Reviewed by damndirtyape from Ohio
4/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
500 mL bottle (L7 218 stamped on the cap) poured into a Tulip stout glass.
Appearance: Pouring gave a 1/4" light tan head that died down fast to leave a ring at the edge and a very thin island of foam in the middle of the glass. The beer is a hazy coppery-orange color. Little delicate strands and islands of lacing noted which were persistent the whole way down.
Smell: With a swirl of the beer, I get a very mild orange-like sweet smell with a metallic note to it. Otherwise the beer is a little nutty in smell with some sweet malt thrown in.
Taste: Buttery toffee malt up front, then some of the English bitter flavor in the middle, and then it ends again with that same buttery toffee malt with a crisp apple finish. Tasty beer.
Mouthfeel: Spot on for an English ale - I would have though this was fresh poured from a cask with the mouthfeel. Very mild carbonation with a slick and coating mouthfeel.
Overall / Drinkability: Pretty tasty beer, and it went quite fast. Went well with a meal (breaded fish and peas) and I could have this all by itself. I think my only concern is that from what I've read of an Old Ale in style...this beer isn't an Old Ale. It's more like a good ESB rather that what I've read for an Old Ale. However...I did enjoy the beer and I would not mind having it again. So overall a good solid beer - and a very tasty one at that, but I definitely need to look for some other Old Ales and see what I think then.
Apr 20, 2011Appearance: Pouring gave a 1/4" light tan head that died down fast to leave a ring at the edge and a very thin island of foam in the middle of the glass. The beer is a hazy coppery-orange color. Little delicate strands and islands of lacing noted which were persistent the whole way down.
Smell: With a swirl of the beer, I get a very mild orange-like sweet smell with a metallic note to it. Otherwise the beer is a little nutty in smell with some sweet malt thrown in.
Taste: Buttery toffee malt up front, then some of the English bitter flavor in the middle, and then it ends again with that same buttery toffee malt with a crisp apple finish. Tasty beer.
Mouthfeel: Spot on for an English ale - I would have though this was fresh poured from a cask with the mouthfeel. Very mild carbonation with a slick and coating mouthfeel.
Overall / Drinkability: Pretty tasty beer, and it went quite fast. Went well with a meal (breaded fish and peas) and I could have this all by itself. I think my only concern is that from what I've read of an Old Ale in style...this beer isn't an Old Ale. It's more like a good ESB rather that what I've read for an Old Ale. However...I did enjoy the beer and I would not mind having it again. So overall a good solid beer - and a very tasty one at that, but I definitely need to look for some other Old Ales and see what I think then.
Reviewed by levifunk from Wisconsin
3.68/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.68/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
appearance - cloudy brown ale. white head.
smell - yeasty malts, some sweetness.
taste - light flavor. bready malt with some faint spice and hops.
mouth - light body. medium carbonation.
overall - decent beer. I could drink a few of these in a sitting.
Aug 05, 2010smell - yeasty malts, some sweetness.
taste - light flavor. bready malt with some faint spice and hops.
mouth - light body. medium carbonation.
overall - decent beer. I could drink a few of these in a sitting.
Reviewed by Parrotbeak from Minnesota
3.2/5 rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.2/5 rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Slightly cloudy amber with a thin white head that fades quickly, becoming very patchy. Remains fairly thick around the perimeter, upon which some large bubbles remain.
Smell is fairly reminiscent of a euro lager up front, with a little bit of skunkiness over some caramel and malts. Faint spices and corny, bready malts as well.
Malts laced with some light caramel tones, with more bready, watery malt character coming in and carrying through to the finish. Very faint bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel is slightly flat, with a low level of carbonation. Medium body.
Decent drinkability. Rather uninteresting; the taste barely makes the bottle capable of being finished. Would definitely not seek out again.
Mar 25, 2010Smell is fairly reminiscent of a euro lager up front, with a little bit of skunkiness over some caramel and malts. Faint spices and corny, bready malts as well.
Malts laced with some light caramel tones, with more bready, watery malt character coming in and carrying through to the finish. Very faint bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel is slightly flat, with a low level of carbonation. Medium body.
Decent drinkability. Rather uninteresting; the taste barely makes the bottle capable of being finished. Would definitely not seek out again.
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri
3.75/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.75/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A - Poured out a clear, bubbly, burgundy color with a one-finger, tan head of foam. It left a little soapy residue on the glass.
S - It smelled malty, bready and earthy. There were notes of caramel, too.
T - It tasted of sweet bready malt. There were earthy hops and it had a good bit of spice.
M - It was crisp and very smooth. A medium-bodied ale that is easy drinking.
D - This is a good beer but it seems a little weak for an old ale. That being said it is still a very tasting English ale.
Jan 04, 2010S - It smelled malty, bready and earthy. There were notes of caramel, too.
T - It tasted of sweet bready malt. There were earthy hops and it had a good bit of spice.
M - It was crisp and very smooth. A medium-bodied ale that is easy drinking.
D - This is a good beer but it seems a little weak for an old ale. That being said it is still a very tasting English ale.
Reviewed by chinabeergeek from Massachusetts
3.36/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.36/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500ml bottle. no date. tasted in late april/early may, 2009
very slow semi-gusher.
ambery copper, almost clear. mild haze. 1-finger, off-white head recedes to thin wisps and ting. thin lacing up top, then a great curtain later.
aroma: apple and pear esters, with very light caramel and toffee from the toasted malts. very faint earthy and dried grass character from hops. the esters are what predominate.
taste: similar focus on fruity esters, though there is slightly more hop character here. mild bitterness. faint phenol or fusel character towards the finish.
light to medium body, with very faint hint of astringency in back. light, tingly carbonation.
kind of boring. and is this really supposed to be an old ale?
Jun 28, 2009very slow semi-gusher.
ambery copper, almost clear. mild haze. 1-finger, off-white head recedes to thin wisps and ting. thin lacing up top, then a great curtain later.
aroma: apple and pear esters, with very light caramel and toffee from the toasted malts. very faint earthy and dried grass character from hops. the esters are what predominate.
taste: similar focus on fruity esters, though there is slightly more hop character here. mild bitterness. faint phenol or fusel character towards the finish.
light to medium body, with very faint hint of astringency in back. light, tingly carbonation.
kind of boring. and is this really supposed to be an old ale?
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky
3.7/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.7/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Somewhat of an oddity. The style of beer is a bit of an enigma, not really fitting into any clear style definition. It's beer, plain and simple.
The look is a hazy rust color with low-lying carbonation, a light head formation that stood the session and allows some lacing. Not exactly inviting, but typical of aged ales.
Very fruity and sweet upfront with a lot of bruised fruit aromas: peach cobbler, apple pie, fruitcake, and pineapple-upside down cake. Maltiness is quite sweet scented that is well-woven into the fruity mix. A bit twangy, maybe from wood aging- maybe not.
Flavors highly favor the barley malts with a bready, crusty, fig-ey taste. Quite sweet with only a settled herbal hop flavor to balance. But the beer doesn't lack complexity. That fruit aroma makes for very deep and varying flavors, but they all do favor the sweetness. Aged note of sherry and a savory note give credence to the cellared process. A mild woody, nutty character comes through, but not like it does in the nose.
The beer weighs a bit heavy on the tongue because of low carbonation and deep sweetness. The beer doesn't seem to be thick, high gravity, but maybe a bit under-attenuated. The beer is mouth coating with a mildly oily feel.
A pretty good beer, but if Old Ales are going to appeal to me, they probably need much more hop character, gravity, and attenuation to start with. Ultimately, middle of the road for English Ales.
Mar 16, 2009The look is a hazy rust color with low-lying carbonation, a light head formation that stood the session and allows some lacing. Not exactly inviting, but typical of aged ales.
Very fruity and sweet upfront with a lot of bruised fruit aromas: peach cobbler, apple pie, fruitcake, and pineapple-upside down cake. Maltiness is quite sweet scented that is well-woven into the fruity mix. A bit twangy, maybe from wood aging- maybe not.
Flavors highly favor the barley malts with a bready, crusty, fig-ey taste. Quite sweet with only a settled herbal hop flavor to balance. But the beer doesn't lack complexity. That fruit aroma makes for very deep and varying flavors, but they all do favor the sweetness. Aged note of sherry and a savory note give credence to the cellared process. A mild woody, nutty character comes through, but not like it does in the nose.
The beer weighs a bit heavy on the tongue because of low carbonation and deep sweetness. The beer doesn't seem to be thick, high gravity, but maybe a bit under-attenuated. The beer is mouth coating with a mildly oily feel.
A pretty good beer, but if Old Ales are going to appeal to me, they probably need much more hop character, gravity, and attenuation to start with. Ultimately, middle of the road for English Ales.
English Owd Ale from Moorhouse's Brewery (Burnley) Ltd
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
16 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!