First Gold
Badger Brewery, Hall and Woodhouse

March 2009: 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.0%. Deep golden to amber colour, big to moderate and slightly off-white lasting head. Moderate aroma of malts with some herbal and spicy notes (probably from the First Gold hops), hints of orange marmalade and caramel. The flavour has moderate malts with some notes of caramel, and fairly nice spicy and herbal hops again. Moderately bitter aftertaste.

Oct. 2016: Cask half pint at The Eel Pie, Twickenham. ABV is 4.0%. Single English hop ale. Copper colour, minimal head. Toffee aroma. The flavour has malts, toffee and a slight fruitiness throughout. Moderate hops in the finish.

 

 

 

 

It was called "First Call" in Brighton Pub (Park Crescent).

 

 

 

 

Amber reddish color. Poured a two finger thick head with medium retention and leaving laces.
Good malty aroma with hints of caramel and floral hops.
Similarly toasted malt is the flavor backbone, with English hops clearly noticeable. Notes of minerals and oranges with a mild spicy sensation.
Light body with good carbonation (bottle version). It would be even better with a bit more alcohol.
Good English bitter.

 

 

Sometimes it can be fun to fool around with some English styles.

This one is only 4% so even Ding would allow that it is a "session beer".

Pours a nice gold marmalade colour. Good head and lacing.

Nose provides an English hop character, then marmalade malt, finally falling away to a pleasant toasty sweet floral character.

Taste is a pleasantly subtle floral marmalade.

Mouthfeel is well-handled with a refreshing bitterness.

Overall a highly enjoyable session beer.

 

 

 

A huge foamy white head sits a proud of a light red brown body with slight hazing and tempting look.

The aroma is the ticket petrol, fresh cut grass and lemon zest

the taste lacks any real punch though hints of malt and barley very understated.

watery and subtle I guess worthy for the experience
glad I drank it but won't buy again

Pours an unexpectedly dark clear amber with a chunky snow white head that rings. Nose is buttery sourdough and a hint of tropical fruit. Toast and toffee, metallic in the middle, and a tame spicy dried orange rind hops and tobacco leaf hit at the end. Light, crisp, dry, no real chew.

There's that sour nose-tobacco end combo that I used to think was Northdown hops but, this being a single hop, evidentally I'm wrong about that. Certain malting? Either way, it's a signature of what I don't like in a pint of bitter.

There's some good things going on, but the hops don't come through enough, which they should if it's single. Also a mismatch between a dark for a bitter color and thin body.

Doesn't really know what it's about.

Poured from a 500mL bottle into Tom Collins glass.

A: Pleasant light-brown colour, light head, lots of bubbles.

S: The smell mellows over time from a harsh bitterness into a more round maltiness.

T: Spicy hops, a vaguely copperish backtaste, and thin sour malt. The aftertaste is watery, but somewhat hopped. I don't really enjoy this beer.

M: The carbonated spiciness is nice; nothing else is.

D: As beers go, this is not one of the best. I'm unsure why so many English beers tend to have a mild metallic flavour -- maybe they're being stored on their side? Badger First Gold isn't entirely unpalatable, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it.