Village Brewer Old Raby
Hambleton Ales

The eighth beer tasted by half-pint at the Chelmsford Summer Beerfest., 12/07/2006. Gravity-dispensed. The range of the brand "Village Brewer" is contract-brewed by Hambleton, incl. this one.

A: dark ruby hue, bright and clear, coming with a fluffy/bubbly beer head and low carbonation.
S: red-apple-ish fruitiness along with flowery perfume, winey grapes upfront--overall shows a slightly stale, sour fruity theme; damp-earthy/muddy hops reveal in the remote background, with a bitter-sweet tinge of malts.
T: nutty maltiness leads the palate, backed by an intriguing touch of woody and phenolic flavour behind to balance with the subtle fruits... The aftertaste shows an exceptional length of dryness from both hops and roasty tinge of malts, leaving a tangy and bitter-sweet nutty finish deep down the palate as well as b/w the teeth...
M&D: medium-plus bodied old ale, the initially smooth palate gradually evolves into an incredibly dry and bitter finish. Overall, a hoppy and bitter old ale with a good structure and depth, and yet very quaffable!