Haymaker
Hook Norton Brewery Co. Ltd.

HaymakerHaymaker
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From:
Hook Norton Brewery Co. Ltd.
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Pale Ale
Ranked #97
ABV:
5%
Score:
82
Ranked #25,160
Avg:
3.56 | pDev: 15.45%
Reviews:
37
Ratings:
58
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 18, 2023
Added:
Jun 17, 2003
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  4
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by diablo14:
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Rated by diablo14 from Illinois

3.6/5  rDev +1.1%

Sep 13, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 1 by BrisLoganite from Australia

Sep 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.94 by steverx8 from England

Aug 27, 2023
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Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.68/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
500 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.0%. Clear deep golden colour, moderate white head. Grassy aroma, hints of lfowers, herbs and hay. Well balanced flavour with some malty sweetness and hints of toffee, followed by fruity and herbal Goldings hops. Easy drinking, invites you to take large sips. Quite enjoyable.
Apr 19, 2021
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Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

3.65/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
#1760. Blind-tasted except for the beer's name and brewery/country, zero reviews below read (yet!)...
L- Pale amber with a 1mm cap that soon 'tis but a wisp.
S- Mildly light with a an ever so subtle hint of citrus or similar.
T- Dry, crisp, hoppy-dry zesty zing that lingers on the palate.
F- Dry and quite light. I am sure it would be refreshing after a summer's day bringing in the hay harvest. Pretty refreshing after a couple of hours spent this pm shopping on Oxford Street London too!
O- It comes over as very trad and overall it feels pretty light, maybe 4.5%. The trad-hops are prominent within the overall mix, as you'd expect of a Pale Ale. It's drinkable enough and I'd drink it again (esp on a hot day), though it reminds me why when drinking trad Briti beer I go for the hops dialled down a notch or two and the malty body up by those same couple of notches - ie say into darker ESB territory. But horses for courses, it comes over as a very polished brew none the less.
Review/scoring all done, now the reveal, I get to read the bottle lables to see what I missed! Lable notes: 'See: Dark Bronze [heh? nope it really is mid-amber] Smells: apple, fruity hoppy. Taste: Rich [eh?], sweet [?] and fruity'. Well I'm not sure about that.
The labelling on mine is more roundel-style deep-trad looking than the recent design shown in the Description^. 500ml bottle BBE: Dec-2021 £1.91 Bought from BeersOfEurope/King's Lynn as part of a large pick-your own consignment to London.
Apr 19, 2021
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Reviewed by shambeano from Australia

3.39/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
500ml bottle, best before September 2021, poured into a tulip.
Look: Clearish pale ambery gold, about .5-1 cm of fizzy head that quickly subsides to a thin film.
Smell: Malty, honey, toffee, there is some fruitiness in here as well but nothing I can put my finger on in particular. Quite pleasant.
Taste: Toffee, malt, a little floral, and a little herbal towards the end.
Feel: mid bodied, mouth filling, I found it a touch astrigent at the end though.
Overall: Solid beer. I would have again.
Sep 27, 2020
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Reviewed by jarmby1711 from Australia

3.22/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Deep gold with a persistent fine head
The longer it sits in the glass the fruitier the bouquet becomes . Pleasantly so, at that.
That certain "something" in the back of the palate cries English Ale . It is a lack of sweetness but a subdued bitterness.
I cant work it out really, but I quite like the English character they imbue in their Ales.
However , when I think of Haymaking , I recall dogged days of heat, heat and more heat , chaffed arms and dust in the eyes and clogging the nostrils.
Haymaking in my part of the world requires a simple , dare I suggest lager , that is quaffable at a rather rapid rate to slake the thirst and bring a days labour to an end
Jan 11, 2020
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Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England

3.62/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A 500ml bottle with a BB of March 2019. Purchased a little while back from the brewery. Described on the label as a strong pale ale brewed with plenty of Goldings hops.

A: Poured into a straight pint glass. A deep coppery-amber hue with faint haze and light carbonation. Yields a huge head of creamy white foam that lasts for a minute or two before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Slight lacing.

S: Aroma of leafy hops with hints of floral notes, grain, subtle caramel malt, ale yeast, earthiness, faint bread and a touch of stewed husks. Pretty good.

T: Tastes of grainy malt with notes of mild caramel, barley sugar, hay, subtle floral hints, leafiness, ale yeast, earthiness and stewed hops. Slightly sweet, followed by a restrained leafy bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with soft carbonation and good body for the style. Not too fizzy. Mildly astringent. Aftertaste of leafy hops, hay, grainy malt, ale yeast and earthiness.

O: Not too shabby; a traditional ale with a balanced character. Looks good, while the aroma and flavour are a blend of grainy malt, mild caramel, leafy hops and ale yeast. Lovely body. Surprisingly dark for a 'pale' ale, but easy drinking nonetheless. Worth sampling if you stumble across it.
Sep 03, 2018
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Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

4.35/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Amber and slightly cloudy with lots of fine bubbled carbonation. Topped with 4 fingers of light beige tinged head. The lacing looks like honeycomb.

Caramel, toffee, very light. Oh yes, ironically hay is in there. Dried grass. Really subtle on the nose. A hint of peach.

Caramel, cotton candy, almost no distinct hops, only a slight almost non existent bitterness on the finish. Candy apple, fresh pressed cider as well.

Medium body, little carbonation, balanced and clean finish.

Aptly named as the flavour profile is reminiscent of autumn and all its pomp. Candy apples, hay, candy floss, carnivals. Really subtle but delicious. Found and drank in Bangkok July 26th, 2015.
Jul 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.56 by UniversitateaDeBere from Romania

Apr 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.87 by Dentist666 from Russian Federation

Feb 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by vanderSchorpioen from Russian Federation

Dec 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by AlexAfonin from Russian Federation

Nov 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BrazilianAussie from Brazil

Nov 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by killcore from Russian Federation

Sep 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Sl1p from Russian Federation

Aug 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by KrisBeerndt from Australia

Apr 10, 2014
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Reviewed by admiral from Australia

3.75/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A solid, fruity English pale ale that is on the sweeter side but enjoyable nonetheless.

aroma: fruity, citrus, orange marmalade with some toffee/caramel

taste: sweet, fruity, citrus, grapes and spice, with some candied banana and a solid malt backbone.
Feb 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by mungus from Australia

Jan 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Ciocanelu from Romania

Nov 16, 2013
Haymaker from Hook Norton Brewery Co. Ltd.
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 58 ratings