Cavalier Red
Why Not Brewery, The

The third beer tasted by half-pint at the recent Catford Beerfest., 08/06/06. Gravity-dispensed straight from the cask.

A: extremely elegant, bright russet hue with good clarity; a little beer head hovers, low carbonated.
S: slightly candyish and caramely, plus a faint roasty tinge of crystal maltiness at the back; a good swirld brings out more assertive aroma: rich and slightly syrupy/honeyish, sweet hints of preserved berry-fruits, etc. Really not bad, fruity and malty.
T: the slight sour-sweet fruity and sweet raisiny malts upfront fast give way to a tea-leaves' faintly roasty bitterness manifesting itself on the sides of the tongue; a quiet wave of incredibly intense dryness of hops keeps the palate vertical, clean and refreshing.
M&D: a medium-plus bodied, tasty premium bitter; the carbonation is slightly too faint to make it a refreshing ale, but the aftertone of considerable, lingering bitterness is the key to keep one's palate for this beer going~~ I could imagine it to be even better and the maltiness more lively if served fresher with slightly more fizz.