Goldings
Shepherd Neame Ltd

GoldingsGoldings
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From:
Shepherd Neame Ltd
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Bitter
ABV:
4.7%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.38 | pDev: 12.43%
Reviews:
38
Ratings:
41
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 25, 2014
Added:
Jan 16, 2003
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Rated: 3.25 by vinicole from England

Jan 25, 2014
Photo of EmperorBevis
Reviewed by EmperorBevis from England

3.06/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25
Bottled
Pours a Amber body with adecent white head. Fruity aroma with a bit of hop. Malts, pear and orchard fruit flavours. Fruity, slightly bitter finish
Nov 01, 2013
Photo of sleazo
Reviewed by sleazo from New York

3.65/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A_Light bronze with a full cream head. Very clear.

S_Lemony aroma up front followed by a bit of grass and wheat.

T_Lightly malty sweet up front followed by a nice bracing bitterness from the goldings. Grass comes through the most with hints of lemon. The only detracting quality is a slight metallic aftertaste. Otherwise quite nice

M_lighter bodied with more carbonation than you would typically get on cask.

O_A really nice summer time brew. Crisp and refreshing for hot weather.
Jul 30, 2013
Photo of thierrynantes
Reviewed by thierrynantes from France

3.46/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Beer bottle (50 cl.) purchased from Le comptoir Irlandais, and tasted in 2013.

Appearance : clear amber color, with white foam head.
Smell : flowery and hoppy aromas (Goldings).
Taste & mouthfeel : malty and caramel flavor, with moderate hoppy finish.
Drinkability : an average beer in the style English Bitter.
Feb 15, 2013
Photo of Cozzatoad
Reviewed by Cozzatoad from Italy

3.83/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
500ml bottle

A- Light amber colour, perfectly transparent. A couple of fingers of perfectly white, frothy head. Shows quite good retention until the very last sips, not much lacing but still a decent amount

S- There's a dominant sweet malts base, along with a bit of a soapy feel. Then some delicate but definitely detectable frutiy notes, peach, slight citrus. A touch of pungent, fresh cut grass on the back of things. Nicely complex, not very assertive though

T- Sweet malts base as the smell suggested, but still pretty much on the light/quaffable side. Notes of caramel and maybe honey, slight buttery feel. A refreshing herbal/grassy feel on the tongue and in the aftertaste. Fruity notes of apple, peach, citrus bring some complexity, overall quite subdued but still very nice and somehow refreshing

M- Light body, quite dry (for an english beer). Medium carbonation. Nicely smooth. Nothing really impressive, but it just fits nicely with the beer's character

O- A delicate beer. Feels very light on mouth and stomach, highly refreshing and drinkable, it does what you would expect from a summer beer. Still, it also brings some decent complexity if you pay some attention
Aug 08, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by pin from Australia

Jul 25, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by Polasiuss from Ireland

Dec 24, 2011
Photo of jazzyjeff13
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England

2.78/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
A 500ml clear glass bottle with a BB of March 2012. ABV stated as 4.5%. I've held on to this one for a while - but what's wrong with a summer ale in mid-November?

Poured into a Sam Smith's pint glass. A clear orange-amber colour with strong carbonation. Forms a small head of frothy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or two before reducing to a decent surface layer. A slightly sweet, fruity aroma with notes of roasted malt, butterscotch and non-descript leafy hops. Not a great combination - it doesn't smell terribly pleasing.

Tastes of caramel malt with a mild bitter finish. Notes of toffee/caramel and butterscotch blended with a vague fruitiness that's hard to pin down - possibly from the yeast. Also faint aromatic hops and stewed hop bitterness. An unpleasant background hint of stewed veg. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly but watery; an astringent element dries the palate. Aftertaste of bitter stewed leaves and veg.

Poor - not a nice ale. The aroma/flavour combo is pretty unpleasant; stewed hops and fruity yeast don't mix. Supposed to be a light summer ale, but the character is too fruity and lacking in crispness. The aromatic hops are also hard to discern. In summary - you can do better than this.
Nov 15, 2011
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.35/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Bottle acquired at Abbott's Alehouse off-license in Cork, Ireland. Poured into a Grolsch pint glass. Reviewed from notes.

First things first. This is presented in a clear bottle; what gives? No self-respecting brewer bottles into a clear (or green!) bottle. It's bad form. We all know it.

A: Three finger head of nice cream, good thickness, and good retention. Clear dark copper colour.

Sm: Buttery biscuity honey and nutty hops. Pleasant and exciting.

T: Too malty. Nutty notes come through. Not quite butterscotch. Poorly balanced and built. No cream. Bittering hops are unwelcome in this beer. I despise how the malt is handled in this beer.

Mf: Sharp coarseness is actually nice alongside the refreshing wetness. It's a shame the flavours of the body don't match.

Dr: Expensive by Irish standards, and far from great.
Jun 01, 2011
Photo of charlatan
Reviewed by charlatan from Scotland

3.42/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Copper coloured beer with a limited head and a rather sweet nose with a hint of pine resin. In contrast it doesn't taste sweet at all. Herbal hops are to the fore here with a rather faint citric twang. Nothing special is going on but this is a worthy brew.
Sep 07, 2009
Photo of thepeter
Reviewed by thepeter from England

3.23/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A - Sparkling head that went to a film fairly quick. Clean clear amber, looks nice up against the light.

S - Not too much here. Hops, bread, apples, all very faint.

T - Bland and dry. Soda bread, hay, yeast, and a bit of hop bitterness at the back end.

M - Smooth but effervescent, foams up a bit in my mouth but not too much and the feel is very nice overall.

D - Refreshing, The kind of beer I could drink all day if I didn't enjoy flavor! It's just a bit too bland for my tastes.

Would be a good transition beer for someone easing their way into craft beer.
Sep 06, 2009
Photo of DerBayer
Reviewed by DerBayer from Germany

3.9/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
This is one of the most enjoyable bitters i ve ever had doesn t really look like one though - too pale.

complex hops all the way and some fruity esters but not too strong just the way i like it

mouthfeel is ok for the tyle but not as refreshing as i like

i will probably revisit this next summer
Sep 03, 2009
Photo of Evil_Pidde
Reviewed by Evil_Pidde from Sweden

3.67/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A: This beer pours amber, with a high white even head that leaves nice lacings when it dissipates.

S: A very fruity smell at first; there is both green apples and citrus. Then there is floral notes to this very fresh beer.

T: Dry bitter hops with some fruity notes (citrus) and very refreshing.

M: Dry, and more bitter and bitter as time goes. There are some wormwood-notes.

D: Very refreshing - served cold in the summertime. This one I may buy again.
Jul 28, 2009
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.86/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
500 ml clear bottle, bought at Systembolaget, Sweden. ABV is 4.5%. Deep golden to amber colour, big head, slightly off-white. Moderate aroma of floral hops, hints of grass. The flavour has pleasant Goldings hops throughout, on a relatively dry and biscuity background, with just a slight fruitiness. There are definitely worse summer ales than this one around. Highly drinkable.
Jul 23, 2009
Photo of soulgrowl
Reviewed by soulgrowl from England

3.85/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pretty nice, poofy head on this one, with solid retention, too. Body is a pristinely clear, brick red-orange. The nose is nice, too, full of that distinctly herbal-grassy-floral aroma of Goldings hops - mint, hay, thyme, maple leaves, carnations, and even roses are all here. The malts are nice, too, although one-dimensional - they pretty much only smell of toffee. Crisp yet mild with a maltier flavor than anticipated, with nice toasty and nutty notes to support a taut, zesty hop character of lemon, herbs, and grass. Light and clean with sparkly carbonation that accents the snappy hops nicely and dries up the malts well. Looks like I've used the word "nice" a total of five times already, but that's what this beer is. Nice, and probably my favorite from Shepherd Neame so far.

Good with Cheddar, fair with Shropshire Blue, awful with Camembert, and very good with aged Gouda.
Jun 27, 2009
Photo of ricke
Reviewed by ricke from Sweden

3.08/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A: Copper colored, medium sized good looking head that dissipates rather quickly.

S: Not much going on here. Mostly bready malts with fragile hop notes that actually goes quite perfumy and soapy. Not as bad as it sounds though, it smells decent.

T: Again, not much going on. Mostly sweet bready and biscuity malts that is sprinkled with restrained but rather sharp citric hop notes. Some floral notes, carrots and a gentle hint of herbs. The finish is short with a minimal bitterness and some mineral flavors.

M: Light body, medium carbonation.

D: Not much to say about this one. It's a decent British bitter, nothing else. Kind of refreshing, though.
Jun 15, 2009
Photo of JanM
Reviewed by JanM from Sweden

4/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The 2008 edition. A sour and fruity smell, some sweetness with a hint of caramel. Poured with little foam, quickly disappearing. The taste was rich with notes of apple and spices, even pepper. Very tasty and refreshing with a pronounced hop bitterness. In fact, it was pretty damned good and exceeded my expectations based on last year's edition.
Aug 15, 2008
Photo of BlackHaddock
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England

3.68/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This is my first English beer since a beer trip to Belgium and all that entails (drinking heavy alcohol brews with complex tastes and flavours.

Anyway, this clear 500ml bottle has been sat awaiting my attention for some time, even though it has a long life left (Apr 2009). The label claims it is a 'Summer Hop Ale'.

Poured into my new La Chouffe glass (two and a half times). It was a lovely amber colour with a huge off-white head, pretty as a picture.

It doesn't say so, but I am assuming it is hopped with Goldings. The aroma is certainly hoppy, even when served chilled as requested on the bottle.

Dry and tangy taste with the hops completely dominating the malted barley and whatever the other ingredients that may have been used.

Typical watery English Bitter feel, but it still has a presence and you know it has 4.7% alcohol within. Plenty of hops for us Brits, no where near the amount some US hopheads would prefer, but that would unbalance the beer in my opinion.

Not bad at all. Sheperd Neame produce a lot of 'Supermarket type beers', this is one of their better ones.
Jul 22, 2008
Photo of baggio
Reviewed by baggio from Sweden

3.3/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A: Copper with a quite nice lace that to my disappointment vanishes all too quickly.

S: Not too much smell...mainly malt and bread.

T: Citric notes, malt, honey, metal notes.

M: Smooth, medium carbonation, medium-bitter aftertaste.

Not a bad beer but lacks body and aftertaste. Still, goes down quite easy
and was quite pleasant to drink during a hot summers day.
Jun 28, 2007
Photo of Hammarby
Reviewed by Hammarby from Sweden

3.66/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A: Amber with a good two finger offwhite head with yellowish tones.
S: Bread, phenols, hint of sweetness (fudge?), malt.
T: Bitterness, dryish taste of honey, metallic tone, hops.
M: Medium body, good carboration, kind of oily feel in the aftertaste.

A nice little beer, but a bit too carborated for my personal taste.
Jun 09, 2007
Goldings from Shepherd Neame Ltd
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 41 ratings