Young's Dirty Dick's Ale
Young & Co Brewery PLC

Young's Dirty Dick's AleYoung's Dirty Dick's Ale
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From:
Young & Co Brewery PLC
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Bitter
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.68 | pDev: 10.87%
Reviews:
186
Ratings:
199
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 12, 2020
Added:
Jan 14, 2001
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  5
Retired following re-location of Young's brewing operation to Bedford (09/2006)
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Ratings by Quaffer:
Photo of Quaffer
Reviewed by Quaffer from Missouri

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
16.9 oz. bottle

Appearance: This was a crystal clear, ruddy brown beer. The very light tan head rose up to a good two fingers and then ssettled back slowly. It became dense and a little frothy as it did so. There was a very respectable amount of lace left behind on the side of the glass.

Smell: One *whiff* of this and there was no question that this beer was a classic English ale. Bright fruits, lightly roasted malts, saltine crackers, and light hops combined nicely on the nose. Fairly subdued and simple, but that is exactly what I would expect from a mild.

Mouthfeel: Fairly light bodied but with a hint of chewy grains along the sides of the tongue. Very smooth with only some light carbonation developing in the back of the mouth.

Taste: And I thought that the aroma was sublte. The strongest flavor was an initial hit of cherry. This was joined in the middle by a malty, almost caramel-like, sweetness. Hints of toasted cracker came through on the finish. Well into the aftertaste was when a hops bitterness arose. It was very subdued, but complimented and balanced the lightness of the other flavors.

A good beer and possibly the first mild that I have reviewed. (I need to check that out.) While I did enjoy it and will drink it again, I'm afraid that I might get bored with it if I consumed it regulary. Just a little too "mild" for my tastes. The low abv would make it a great session beer if it was a little less expensive.
Apr 11, 2005
More User Ratings:
Photo of crazyspicychef
Rated by crazyspicychef from Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Going by memory.
I used to love this beer.
Nov 12, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by Sipchue from Pennsylvania

Dec 31, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 28, 2012
 
Rated: 2 by BlackBeerDown from Arkansas

Oct 25, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by kobeer from Texas

Jul 22, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by macrosmatic from Florida

Apr 10, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by RoryOMoore from New Jersey

Feb 27, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Turbodog666 from Connecticut

Jan 10, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by msromberg from Texas

Dec 31, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Beertracker from Oklahoma

Dec 19, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Dec 06, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Adamostella from Washington

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of Dusty278
Reviewed by Dusty278 from Missouri

2.86/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Appearance - amber, nice head, lacing left

Aroma - grainy, is that metal?

Taste - Nice start, malty, caramel roastiness. Balanced with hops but I'm getting a bit of a metal taste that took away from the taste overall.

Mouthfeel - Nice carbonation, a bit thin.

Drinkability - a fairly good session beer, good and bad points.
Sep 17, 2008
Photo of RodBurg
Reviewed by RodBurg from Missouri

4.07/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I see it says this brew is retired. Well, I found one at a liquor store on my way home from work and decided to give it a try. The label intrigued me. Pours a clear dark copper with a thick head and some lacing.

Smells like biscuity malt and crisp hops.

Taste is very well balanced. Malt to start then a nice bittering by the hops. Very drinkable.

This one's a great sessioner. If I can find more I'll definitely buy again.
Sep 10, 2008
Photo of kinger
Reviewed by kinger from Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Clever label, interesting sounding ale so I picked one up a while back. Overall nice and tasty. Pours a medium amber color with a slightly creamy head that ultimately dissipates to a film. Moderate lacing is left along the glass and the carbonation is steady. The aroma is malty with a nutty undertone. I find the aroma slightly weak to detect but once the beer warms up it begins to come out a little more. I like the overall flavor of this one, it is rather malty with a slight hop character. The flavor is subtle, but it works well. Solid English Ale with a smooth finish and a clean aftertaste. Decent brew, nothing that stands out but all around decent.
Jul 31, 2008
Photo of mhewes
Reviewed by mhewes from Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Best by date of 8/17/2007 on it.

A : Pours a nice ruby color with a decent heads that leaves some nice lacing on the glass

S : Big on the malt with some hints of fruit

T : Real smooth strong malt flavors with a touch of bitterness at the end. It does have a little bit of an alcohol character to it

M : Real creamy

D : It's a shame that it's retired. It's a really drinkable beer and I could see downing a couple of these a night.
Apr 27, 2008
Photo of nasty15108
Reviewed by nasty15108 from New York

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I managed to snag this since retired brew in a beer distributor in Yonkers NY. Although the best before date was 17 Aug 07, I figured I'd give it a shot.
The beer poured a dark amber color reminisent of iced tea and it left a nice off white head with lots of lace on the glass. The smell was fragrant, but not over powering. I enjoyed the taste, but it was a litte thinner then I would have expected from this style of ale.
I would definitely recommend this one to anyone that can still get there hands on it. A great session beer.
Feb 22, 2008
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I was surprised to find this at Wayne's Liquor yesterday knowing that the production of this beer has ceased. You can tell this is English with the slogan on the label, "one of the cheekiest ales around!" Or by looking at the "brewed in London" phrase where the ABV is listed. So on to the beer:

Light orange to caramel color, the head is compact. The diacetyl in this brew melds together nicely with the rest of the flavors, with moderate tones of caramel and a kick of hops. Light splash of fruity esters are hinted as well. At first, I wasn't impressed by this, but the more I got along the more I wished I bought another bottle. Allowing it to warm up does wonders to this beer.
Nov 04, 2007
Photo of CharlieMopps
Reviewed by CharlieMopps from Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Enjoyed a couple months back, even though this offering has been retired. Still, I figured I'd post my findings anyway.

A: Over three fingers of pillowy, white head surge forth on the pour, leaving pockets of lace thick along the sides of the glass. The beer's color is a ruby-red with hints of russet that is transparent.

S: Mild malt aroma that contains notes of grain and a very faint toffee-sweetness. Other than that, not much in the way of the bouquet, but this subtlety is enticing.

T: Ultra-smooth malt flavor rolls over the front of the tongue. As it makes its way back, a brief flash of mildly bitter hops (very much English in character) keeps the palate on its toes. If you weren't looking for it, you might just miss it; but the flavor itself is so spot-on that it keeps you coming back. Finish is mostly a grainy malt feel that slides away freshly.

M: Chewy and well-carbonated, rather creamy in texture and definitely pleasing in conjunction with the flavors this beer exudes.

D: Incredibly drinkable, this is a fine session beer. Flavor is ultra-mild, but still has enough subtle nuance for the palate to stay interested. All this coupled with a low abv makes for fine drinking. Unfortunately, this one has been axed, which is a shame.
Oct 27, 2007
Young's Dirty Dick's Ale from Young & Co Brewery PLC
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 199 ratings