Red Breast
Jennings Brothers PLC

 

A 500ml bottle with a BB of Nov 2014. Purchased recently from a supermarket. The label claims that this smells like a rich fruit cake - not sure I agree!

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A dark reddish-brown hue with light carbonation. Yields a large head of frothy off-white foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. Some lacing. Aroma of mild caramel malt, faint toasted grain, fruity ale yeast and stewed hops. Balanced but unexciting.

Tastes of caramel malt with a dry, bitter finish. Notes of mild roasted grain, caramel, fruity ale yeast, faint grass/hay and stewed leaves. Well-attenuated, with a touch of harsh cardboard in the background. A strident, leafy bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, with effervescent carbonation and decent body. Could be a shade thicker. Rather astringent, followed by an aftertaste of acrid stewed leaves and ale yeast.

So-so. Drinkable but not very Christmas-like. Looks OK, while the aroma and flavour exude caramel malt and bitter hops. In particular the finish is a bit too harsh. Average body. Not a brilliant brew - no need to seek it out.

Bottled

Deep russet body, thin white head. Nose is a little nondescript, some maltiness, some caramel, a bit of nuttiness. Taste picks up a little, some bitterness, a bit of toffee, some sour fruits, with a long bitter finish. Not bad really.

 

Brown 500ml bottle best before Nov 2007, drank March 2007.

Poured into a sleeve pint glass. Mahogany brown with a red Teak hue, good sparkle to it. Off white head, clings to glass side and stays.

Toffee and burnt malts converge to give a heavy bitter sweet aroma.

Dry and fairly bitter taste, with the burnt flavour of the malts taking over from the toffee in the aroma.

Watery mouthfeel, some bitterness stays otherwise very poor.

I have had this in cask form and thought it a very good beer, this bottle version is OK, but I prefer the cask.

Edit: Dec 2011, the cask version I had last week was bloody awful, bland, weak and boring.

Tasted by half-pint at my local Wetherspoon pub, in Forest Hill, SE London. Served by a handpump w/o a sparkler.

A: dark russet-brown colour with slight haze, coming with a well-lasting nice beige frothy head and a very settled body.
S: hop resins combines with deep fruitiness of amber malts (faint pears and sour-sweet prunes), and Fuggles' earthy characters. Very settled aroma, with fruitiness slightly louder than other elements.
T: intial fruitiness followed by mildly bitter edge of roasted malts and a deeper layer of chocolate malts... balanced evenly with a rich flow of Goldings' slightly spicy hoppiness and an intensifying bitterness lingering towards the dry and tannic finish... dark stone-fruits abound at the back, but the palate is still dominated with that abundant entry of hops.
M&D: smooth-textured, easy quaffing wintry/autumny bitter, as fruity as hop-bitter. The aftertaste especially makes this beer utterly enjoyable.

This winter seasonal was a drinkable delight. A deep copper color, it is topped by a thin off white head that left nice thick bubbles of lace. Aroma is of fresh roasted malts. Toasted taste is subtle with a complex mix of cherry, licorice and even a bit of licorice. The flavors while interesting would have garnerd an even higher rating if they were not fighting each other a bit too much. Still, another fine seasonal from a new brewer I had not heard of before. Cask is where it's at folks.