Yorkshire Stingo
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

 

 

 

550ml bottle into a pint glass. According to the bottle, brewed in 2014, 7+ years ago. Should be interesting....

Looks splendid in the glass. Deep dark amber body with a big cream colored head. This persists throughout, leaving gobs of lacing.

Toffee, dark/dried fruit and some port wine notes on the nose.

On tasting, a lot of dark skin and dried fruit. The feel of the barrel without oak or high abv. Toffee of course. A faint sweetness wafts in and out.

Mouth close to full, finish strong fruit, and a little drying.

Overall, a very well thought out and put together beer. A lot going on, drinks bigger than its abv. Nice sipper on a cold night.

 

550mL bottle into a nonic pint glass.
L: Pours a dull dark amber/mahogany/copper with a thin creamy beige head that goes thin quickly to edge foam. Good carbo with small dense bubbles. No lacing.
S: Oak cask tannins, leather, very light balsamic vinegar, sweet toasted malt, caramel, dark over-ripe fruit being mainly berries, dry apple skins, dark soda bread.
T: Sweet toasted malts, figs, caramel, gently sour then sweet, woody oak tannins, raisins, lightly bitter, rum cake/pudding, leather, earthy hops, toffee, a hint of citrus zest. A hint of yeast at the end and has a long malty finish with a cask halo.
F: Semi-juicy smooth lightly thick med-full bodied tawny mouthfeel that is moderately drying. Good carbo and a long finish.
O: Rather a sipping beer, it is best enjoyed not too chilled. Bittersweet & fruity with deep cask flavors. Overall beautifully complex and malty gently bold and it's flavor characteristics broaden as the beer warms. It is outstanding in it's style.

Pours clear, bright garnet with loads of tiny carbonation bubbles. The foamy medium head dissipates quickly but coats the glass in lace trails. Massive cookie dough, field berry, caramel, christmas cake malt flavors in the nose with a light, herbal hop backdrop in the taste. Light vanilla oak notes in the back. The mouthfeel is full bodied with light carbonation. Spicy alcohol and endless maltiness in the finish.

A world class English Strong Ale from a world class brewery. I've been waiting to try this for over a decade.

 

550 mL bottle from the LCBO; coded SJ28T1 and served barely chilled. It's always great to cross off one of the older items on my 'wants' list.

Pours a clear copper-amber colour, capped off with nearly one finger of soapy, foamy, off white-tinged head that falls apart within a few minutes' time. A wide, creamy collar and bubbly film of suds remain on the surface, with decent lace generation as the level drops. The aroma is understated, but highly pleasant - I'm getting tea leafy hops, toffee and pudding, along with fruitier notes that remind me of sultana raisin, grape, fig and orange peel. Suggestions of booze-soaked oak, too.

A right proper strong English ale - bold & complex flavours, yet with a fair bit of nuance as well - not to mention the precision degree of balance between its malt and hop aspects. Toasted biscuit, toffee and figgy pudding, with hints of raisin and prune; there's even a hint of oily orange peel in there, as well as a spiciness that I can't quite place. Finishes with a blend of oak tannins, leather, herbal hops and dried fruits, with subtle hints of vanilla and grape followed up by a mildly warming, bittersweet aftertaste of toffee, floral/earthy hops and raisin. Medium in body, with moderate carbonation that prickles the tongue gently but firmly; feels smooth and satisfying to sip.

Final Grade: 4.37, an outstanding A grade. Yorkshire Stingo is almost certainly the best English strong ale I've come across, and it was practically a bargain at just under $6 CAD per serving. This is an uncommon style around here, with few local breweries bothering to take up the challenge of brewing one, and essentially no British exports available to purchase (save for maybe one or two around Xmas, if we're lucky). I really regret buying a mere four bottles, as Sam Smith products have become somewhat less common around here lately, and there's no reason to believe I'll be seeing this one again any time soon. If you enjoy English ales of any kind, this is absolutely worth trying, regardless of the price tag.

Purchased at the Eglinton and Laird LCBO in Toronto, June 5, 2021 for $5.70. Has been refrigerated continuously till pour (June 11, 2021). My second beer of the day, following a Wicked Awesome IPA

Poured into a 22 oz weizen glass, which is at room temp. Only glass I have larger than 20 oz.

Look - Dark brown, nearly ruby. Light (less than a finger) head that recedes to nothing in no time at all. No lacing. Typical of the style.

Smell - I pick up something sour that I can't quite put my finger on. That said, it doesn't transfer over to taste. Otherwise, some caramel, baking spice, a nice maltyness and a dark fruityness tying together.

Taste - Love the flavour. More of the smell, sans the sour taste. More caramel, baking spice and maltyness up front, with raisin and mulberries on the back end and a slight dryness in the after taste.

Mouthfeel - Fantastic. Feels like it coats my mouth similar to a good whisky, without the alcohol burn. Reminds me of Innis and Gunn's Vanishing Point, in a good way. I've been sipping it for 51 minutes now, and have loved every second.

Overall - It's a great beer. It gains character and depth as warms to room temp.

 

550 ml bottle served cool into a chalice. LCBO purchase for about $5.70 CDN. Has been on my wants list for 5 years.

Appearance - Clear, ruby hued beer with a finger plus of frothy, soapy head that recedes pretty quick leaving no lacing behind.

Smell - Some dark fruits, raisin, plum, maybe some orange marmalade aroma. There's spices maybe cinnamon and nutmeg hints of wood. It shares similarities with Fuller's Vintage Ale, but they are quite different beers.

Taste - Dark fruits, some toffee and caramel, hints of molasses, some rich spices mixed again with something in the realms of orange marmalade. Woodiness is in there, maybe even butterscotch. Bitter, but not assertively so. A very layered beer.

Mouthfeel - Some heat from the booze, but medium-full bodied and lightly carbonated, a sipper in the same way a doppelbock would be.

Overall - Very tasty beer that I'm not glad to have tried, complex and improves even more the closer it gets to room temperature.

 

This is an older vintage - brewed in 2014. Holds up well to passing time. All of the different layers of flavors are present - fruit, raisin, treacle toffee, festive pudding and a slight oak quality. In additional on the nose there is a pungent dark fruit, balsamic acrid note that is typical with these older English ales (JW Lee Harvest). Very creamy body. Simple and smooth drink. Good value for the money. Think I paid $11 for this which isn't terrible.

 

Poured from a 550 mL bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Cloudy mahogany brown pour with big foamy off-white head. Lasts awhile and leaves great lacing.

S: Caramel and toffee. Toasted malts and sugars.

T.F: Follows the nose. Semi-sweet and malty. Toasted grains, brown sugar, and toffee. Caramel and baked raisin. A bit of plum and spice. Earthy... oak, nut, and vanilla. Smooth carbonation. Medium bodied and sticky. More oak, fruit, and sugars to finish.

O: A very mellow beer. Nice flavors that are pleasant but don't blow you away. A good beer to sip and enjoy.

Not exactly what I expected , similar to a lot of sours it has a cherry/balsamic bite up front with a clean crisp finish..

Not my style but a very drinkable berr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Light carbonation with an above average body.
Aroma is malt, brown sugar,dark fruit heavy on the plum, prune bread
Taste is plum, prune bread,yeasty doughy bread.
This is a delicious well made beer. Not a knock a few back type but goes great with a rich dessert or heavy meal

Poured from a bottle. Brownish red in color with a tan head and some lacing. Smells of dark fruit, raisin and alcohol. Taste has a lot going on vanilla, raisin, malt, cinnamon and caramel. Mouth feel is very soft and light, unique feel to it. Very good

Ale brewed in 2017, aged at least a year in oak barrels. Clear amber color. 3-finger tan head which lingers for several minutes. Oak, maple and dark fruit flavors and aromas. Despite the visibly apparent carbonation, it doesn’t feel very carbonated. Boozy, sweet finish.

 

 

550mL bottle coded SD26Q1 (Brewed in 2017 printed in small font on back label) poured into a snifter at just above fridge temp 8% ABV. The beer pours slightly hazy darker amber in color with red orange highlights and khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin film and leaves some lacing. The aroma is faint with toffee, dark sugar and dark fruits. The taste is semisweet caramel (burnt sugar), prune, leather and oak before a dry, mildly bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average to slightly more carbonation. Overall, very good. Complex and rich with a variety of flavors. This bottle sat at room temperature at my LBS until recently, so not the best conditions. Fresh or properly cellared would both be of interest to me.

 

 

2017 vintage

Appearance - Crimson colored body with tan head

Smell - dates, orange peel, toffee, orange marmalade

Taste - toffee, orange peel, oak, orange marmalade, dates

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, medium carbonation, orange & dates upfront, orange marmalade on the finish, hint of oak as well

Overall - decent beer here, nice flavor with the orange marmalade and hint of oak. At the price Point, likely won’t revisit but a decent beer.

Price Point - $7.99/16.9 oz bottle

L- Quite dark ruby-chestnut, very slight haze (bottle-cond, most sludge left in bottle). Pours with 5mm pale tan head. 550ml bottle, and be aware that even with the head easing back, the beer below is no more than 1mm below the rim of a trad Imperial pint glass.
S- Quite rich, liquorish (whisky/brandy/kirsch?), basicly 'full of spirited promise'!
T- dry, kirsch (cherry), and perhaps a brandy note in there too. I'll read the lable afterwards!
F- Full on puddingy winter-warmer Xmas beer. 'You won't be sessioning this brew (for long)'
O- Very good, great for winter. One to slowly savour, and would go well with your Xmas dinner, or indeed most forthright foods/meals. Zero out of place with this one.

Now I'll recheck the lable to see what I got, and what I missed. Highlights:
- aged in oak casks (some 100+ years old).
- aged for at least a year
- [aging] derives 'fruit, raison, treacle toffee, Christmas pudding and slightly oaky flavours'.
- contains cane sugar; for the final bottle fermentation?
- 'Stingo' it is a word for a strong beer, perhaps regional English?

BB: Apr-2020. Bought from BeersOfEurope.

 

De Gastrobar Al Andalus. En copa Ikea de pinta inglesa. Viendo Dark 2x08. Brutal feel, que oculta totalmente abv e invita a trago largo.sabor maltoso, mineral y con ligeras notas a madera. Buena pero demasiado cara para lo que ofrece (12€) Mientras a bebes no llegas a flipar pero al final terminas echando en falta mas

Dark brown with an amber tinge, no head, and no carbonation.

Smells very malt forward, with a bit of balsamic, cherries and alcohol.

Tastes of malt, brown sugar, figs, raisins and dark fruit.

Medium body almost no carbonation.

Drinking in Redding, June 7th, 2019.