X Ale, 22nd February 1945
Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

X Ale, 22nd February 1945X Ale, 22nd February 1945
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From:
Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
English Dark Mild Ale
ABV:
2.8%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.61 | pDev: 13.3%
Reviews:
42
Ratings:
91
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 14, 2015
Added:
Mar 17, 2012
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  3
So, these are our new historical beer releases: two beers from the same brewery, brewed under the same brand name, 107 years apart. X Ale, 22nd November 1838, and X Ale, 22nd February 1945. These beers were from Barclay Perkins brewery in London (now long closed). They were brewed & sold as the same beer over these 107 years, but the recipe and process changed dramatically. The beer changed from a golden, 7.4%, extremely hopped ale in 1838 into a 2.8% dark grainy beer in 1945. Probably a lot of factors came into play: wars, hop shortages, grain pricing, rationing, taxation, patriotism, the motorcar, the industrial revolution… I’m guessing these all played a role in the weakening and darkening of this beer. Interestingly, since 1945, Mild ale in Britain hasn’t changed so much: it’s still dark, and one of the weakest beers produced.
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Ratings by MatthewWilde:
Photo of MatthewWilde
Reviewed by MatthewWilde from Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Sample: 1 bottle 2012

A: Burnt orange in color, moderate internal carbonation, translucent, pours nice foamy lacing

S: Not much fragrance, definitely heavy in the yeast/wheat category, quite clean, not much else to report

T: Just like the nose, not very flavorful, yeast and wheat throughout, rather bland, but given the style it's not much of a surprise

M: Amazingly smooth, of course, almost water-like, no aftertaste, not overpowering or drying, very refreshing

O: Great story, but weak in the nose and flavor, understandable given the style, but needless to say I'm not a huge fan, quite drinkable though
May 23, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by nathanmiller from New York

Nov 14, 2015
Photo of JavierGC
Reviewed by JavierGC from Spain

4.71/5  rDev +30.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Marrón con una soberbia espuma con buena retención y que deja encaje en el vaso. Aroma a frutos secos y algo de caramelo. Cuerpo medio y buena carbonatación. Maltosa y acaramelada, con bastante sabor para el poco alcohol que tiene.
Jan 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by LehighAce06 from Pennsylvania

Sep 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.7 by vermilcj from Ohio

Sep 02, 2014
Photo of laituegonflable
Reviewed by laituegonflable from Australia

2.8/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours a deep red colour, streaming cascade of bubbles up the body. Head is cream-coloured, fairly dense with sticky lace. Looks good.

Smells massively sweet. Slight toasty edge with toffee, creme anglaise and buttermilk the main components; nicely but not wholly tempered by a light roasted bitterness which gives a slight boiled-sweet aroma. Some coconut and marshmallow. A bit sweet, but very nice.

Taste is very disappointingly sparse. Weakly sweet, with a hole in the middle of the palate. Sweet on the assault, then quickly watery with light pearl barley and some rice pudding notes. Slight vanilla on the finish and maybe a touch of toastiness, but it's a weird and disappointing palate, bereft of flavour and almost entirely bereft of complexity.

Quite thin, but a bit of texture to it. Gets watery again by the end. Pretty meh.

Held such promise until I tasted it. I'm really baffled as to where the charming aroma character went. Just a big gaping maw where a nice tasty beer might have been.
Aug 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DGSchmitt from New York

May 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Oakenator from Pennsylvania

Jan 04, 2014
Photo of DrJay
Reviewed by DrJay from Texas

3.73/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
Clear copper with a fluffy beige cap, sticky lacing and good head retention. Mild aroma, malty and earthy with a hint of fruit, a bit herbal -- very nice. Medium bitterness with mild malt character, herbal hops, light breadiness, perhaps a hint of mint. Very light bodied and nearly thin, with moderate carbonation and a bit of dryness. Pretty tasty and easy drinking with an interesting hop profile.
Dec 24, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by JoeMans from New York

Dec 17, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by jzlyo from Iowa

Nov 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Kmlund from Massachusetts

Oct 03, 2013
Photo of palma
Reviewed by palma from New York

4.58/5  rDev +26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Appearance: Dark pale body. Small off-white head. Very good surface lace thoughout the session.

Nose: Swiss Miss hot cocoa, nutty, dark fruits, caramel, molassas, warm bread.

Taste: Rye bread, unsweetened chocolate, cream, almonds, a bit of fruity ester. Semi-dry to dry. Very lightly hopped but just enough to give a slight bitterness in the aftertaste only.

Mouthfeel: Very thin and light bodied. Dark but still refreshing and very drinkable. I could drink this all day.

Wow. Pretty Things hit this style perfectly. Props to the brewer for taking a chance and making a style of beer that is often overlooked or even dismissed, rather than trying to appease the many beer geeks out there that favor high abv/high octane beers these days. Probably the best dark mild I have ever had.
Aug 24, 2013
Photo of wisrarebeer
Reviewed by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
A: clear, copper color, poured with thin, but compact, creamy head
S: medium nose, malty, roasted, toasted, grassy, nutty
T: very light but still has some decent taste, light roasted malt with some bitter/astringent finish
M: thin (obviously for ABV) but quenching, albeit light
O: thanks to Ron and Dann for recreating a style that was nearly lost, I love tasting history
Aug 21, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by beertardis from Rhode Island

Mar 17, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Dank26 from Pennsylvania

Mar 08, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by Davepoolesque from Massachusetts

Jan 31, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Giantspace from Pennsylvania

Dec 21, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by PEIhop from Massachusetts

Dec 15, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by ferrettman687 from Massachusetts

Nov 25, 2012
X Ale, 22nd February 1945 from Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 91 ratings