Yorkshire Stingo
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

Yorkshire StingoYorkshire Stingo
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From:
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Strong Ale
Ranked #4
ABV:
8%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,110
Avg:
4.1 | pDev: 10.24%
Reviews:
490
Ratings:
1,026
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 29, 2023
Added:
Dec 22, 2008
Wants:
  137
Gots:
  130
Some of the oak casks at Samuel Smith’s date back more than a century with the individual oak staves being replaced by the Old Brewery coopers over the years. Gradually the casks soak in more & more of the character of the ale fermented in stone Yorkshire squares. Yorkshire Stingo is aged for at least a year, matured in these well-used oak casks in the brewery’s underground cellars deriving fruit, raisin, treacle toffee, Christmas pudding and slight oaky flavours, before being further naturally conditioned in bottle.

Not suitable for vegans.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by davemathews68:
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Rated by davemathews68 from Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

Oct 29, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.21 by shagal from Canada (AB)

Dec 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4.13 by KeithGreatNorth from Canada (BC)

Dec 04, 2023
 
 
Rated: 4.14 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Jul 16, 2023
 
Rated: 4.34 by BradtheGreat7 from Ohio

Feb 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.55 by Beecham from California

Jan 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.33 by Tmappin from Canada (NS)

Aug 23, 2022
Photo of MikeWard
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

4.17/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
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.
Jan 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by jroof1 from Massachusetts

Jan 21, 2022
Photo of LesDewitt4beer
Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

4.48/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
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.
Nov 19, 2021
Photo of CAMRAhardliner
Reviewed by CAMRAhardliner from Canada (ON)

4.56/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
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.
Sep 22, 2021
 
Rated: 4.49 by unclekeith from Alaska

Aug 28, 2021
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Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

4.37/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
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.
Jun 28, 2021
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Reviewed by Joe_Canadian

4.26/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
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.
Jun 11, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by irishkyle21 from Canada (ON)

Jun 05, 2021
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Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
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.
May 04, 2021
 
Rated: 5 by doctorgary from New York

Apr 06, 2021
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Reviewed by oldmankoch from Tennessee

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
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.
Mar 09, 2021
 
Rated: 3.98 by chiefz1 from New York

Feb 24, 2021
Yorkshire Stingo from Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 1026 ratings