Sharp's Special
Sharp's Brewery

 

Saint Georges Day 2012: 500ml bottle conditoned ale (5.0%ABV), best before date of 12th April 2012, so 11 days late. Poured slowly into an Abbot Ale glass tankard. The rear label asked for the beer to be served chilled, it was.

Dull reddy brown body with a huge light tanned head of foaming bubbles.

Malty nose and taste, a semi-dry bitterness from the hops comes very late in the mouthfeel and the overall impression is of a strong, rich, malt flavoured brew. Well carbonated and my sort of beer.

The beer look with a pretty intense cherry red color; the foam tends to brown and is probably too low even for a handpump.
At the smell emerges too many the caramel and malt, that at the end, not being balance by hop (that is almost absent), make the smell too monotonous and too heavy. It completely lacks of freshness. Even in the mouth you feel almost a molasses effect, because while you are going to ahead feeling to feel the sweet and the caramel has not yet heard of hops. Indeed, the hops will be for sure, because at least the beer avoid overreach on the sweetness causing the undrinkable (such as red peach or tropical fruits!).
Even on the aftertaste you feel malted notes, warmth and a dust with a not too satisfactory. It 'a not a delicate beer, but because it is sharp, but because they are too heavy and monotonous: not in our taste.