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Young's Dirty Dick's Ale
Young & Co Brewery PLC
- From:
- Young & Co Brewery PLC
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- English Bitter
- ABV:
- 5.2%
- Score:
- 83
- Avg:
- 3.68 | pDev: 10.87%
- Reviews:
- 186
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 12, 2020
- Added:
- Jan 14, 2001
- Wants:
- 4
- Gots:
- 5
Retired following re-location of Young's brewing operation to Bedford (09/2006)
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by RoyalT:
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan
3.48/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.48/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Appearance Clear, dark orange body with a huge head that went down moderately and laced the glass.
Smell This smells like the billing: a mild, maltry ale. Its almost like a macro in strength, but theres a bit more quality to the aroma.
Taste Yes, this one is very mild. Theres a sweetness that I cant quite make out and a hint of bitter hopping, but mostly the toasty malt tones lead the way here. Again, I should stress, the flavors are very mild.
Mouthfeel Light, fluffy carbonation fills the mouth. I thought this was the one weak spot of the beer.
Drinkability This went down well, mostly due to its effective mix of light malts, some sweetness, and a tinge of hop bitterness. I wouldnt choose to buy it again, but others might enjoy it.
Sep 04, 2003Smell This smells like the billing: a mild, maltry ale. Its almost like a macro in strength, but theres a bit more quality to the aroma.
Taste Yes, this one is very mild. Theres a sweetness that I cant quite make out and a hint of bitter hopping, but mostly the toasty malt tones lead the way here. Again, I should stress, the flavors are very mild.
Mouthfeel Light, fluffy carbonation fills the mouth. I thought this was the one weak spot of the beer.
Drinkability This went down well, mostly due to its effective mix of light malts, some sweetness, and a tinge of hop bitterness. I wouldnt choose to buy it again, but others might enjoy it.
More User Ratings:
Rated by crazyspicychef from Pennsylvania
4.34/5 rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.34/5 rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Going by memory.
I used to love this beer.
Nov 12, 2020I used to love this beer.
Reviewed by Dusty278 from Missouri
2.86/5 rDev -22.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
2.86/5 rDev -22.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Appearance - amber, nice head, lacing left
Aroma - grainy, is that metal?
Taste - Nice start, malty, caramel roastiness. Balanced with hops but I'm getting a bit of a metal taste that took away from the taste overall.
Mouthfeel - Nice carbonation, a bit thin.
Drinkability - a fairly good session beer, good and bad points.
Sep 17, 2008Aroma - grainy, is that metal?
Taste - Nice start, malty, caramel roastiness. Balanced with hops but I'm getting a bit of a metal taste that took away from the taste overall.
Mouthfeel - Nice carbonation, a bit thin.
Drinkability - a fairly good session beer, good and bad points.
Reviewed by RodBurg from Missouri
4.07/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.07/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I see it says this brew is retired. Well, I found one at a liquor store on my way home from work and decided to give it a try. The label intrigued me. Pours a clear dark copper with a thick head and some lacing.
Smells like biscuity malt and crisp hops.
Taste is very well balanced. Malt to start then a nice bittering by the hops. Very drinkable.
This one's a great sessioner. If I can find more I'll definitely buy again.
Sep 10, 2008Smells like biscuity malt and crisp hops.
Taste is very well balanced. Malt to start then a nice bittering by the hops. Very drinkable.
This one's a great sessioner. If I can find more I'll definitely buy again.
Reviewed by kinger from Ohio
3.6/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.6/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Clever label, interesting sounding ale so I picked one up a while back. Overall nice and tasty. Pours a medium amber color with a slightly creamy head that ultimately dissipates to a film. Moderate lacing is left along the glass and the carbonation is steady. The aroma is malty with a nutty undertone. I find the aroma slightly weak to detect but once the beer warms up it begins to come out a little more. I like the overall flavor of this one, it is rather malty with a slight hop character. The flavor is subtle, but it works well. Solid English Ale with a smooth finish and a clean aftertaste. Decent brew, nothing that stands out but all around decent.
Jul 31, 2008Reviewed by mhewes from Colorado
3.88/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.88/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Best by date of 8/17/2007 on it.
A : Pours a nice ruby color with a decent heads that leaves some nice lacing on the glass
S : Big on the malt with some hints of fruit
T : Real smooth strong malt flavors with a touch of bitterness at the end. It does have a little bit of an alcohol character to it
M : Real creamy
D : It's a shame that it's retired. It's a really drinkable beer and I could see downing a couple of these a night.
Apr 27, 2008A : Pours a nice ruby color with a decent heads that leaves some nice lacing on the glass
S : Big on the malt with some hints of fruit
T : Real smooth strong malt flavors with a touch of bitterness at the end. It does have a little bit of an alcohol character to it
M : Real creamy
D : It's a shame that it's retired. It's a really drinkable beer and I could see downing a couple of these a night.
Reviewed by nasty15108 from New York
3.9/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.9/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I managed to snag this since retired brew in a beer distributor in Yonkers NY. Although the best before date was 17 Aug 07, I figured I'd give it a shot.
The beer poured a dark amber color reminisent of iced tea and it left a nice off white head with lots of lace on the glass. The smell was fragrant, but not over powering. I enjoyed the taste, but it was a litte thinner then I would have expected from this style of ale.
I would definitely recommend this one to anyone that can still get there hands on it. A great session beer.
Feb 22, 2008The beer poured a dark amber color reminisent of iced tea and it left a nice off white head with lots of lace on the glass. The smell was fragrant, but not over powering. I enjoyed the taste, but it was a litte thinner then I would have expected from this style of ale.
I would definitely recommend this one to anyone that can still get there hands on it. A great session beer.
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin
3.85/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.85/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I was surprised to find this at Wayne's Liquor yesterday knowing that the production of this beer has ceased. You can tell this is English with the slogan on the label, "one of the cheekiest ales around!" Or by looking at the "brewed in London" phrase where the ABV is listed. So on to the beer:
Light orange to caramel color, the head is compact. The diacetyl in this brew melds together nicely with the rest of the flavors, with moderate tones of caramel and a kick of hops. Light splash of fruity esters are hinted as well. At first, I wasn't impressed by this, but the more I got along the more I wished I bought another bottle. Allowing it to warm up does wonders to this beer.
Nov 04, 2007Light orange to caramel color, the head is compact. The diacetyl in this brew melds together nicely with the rest of the flavors, with moderate tones of caramel and a kick of hops. Light splash of fruity esters are hinted as well. At first, I wasn't impressed by this, but the more I got along the more I wished I bought another bottle. Allowing it to warm up does wonders to this beer.
Reviewed by CharlieMopps from Virginia
4.08/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
4.08/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Enjoyed a couple months back, even though this offering has been retired. Still, I figured I'd post my findings anyway.
A: Over three fingers of pillowy, white head surge forth on the pour, leaving pockets of lace thick along the sides of the glass. The beer's color is a ruby-red with hints of russet that is transparent.
S: Mild malt aroma that contains notes of grain and a very faint toffee-sweetness. Other than that, not much in the way of the bouquet, but this subtlety is enticing.
T: Ultra-smooth malt flavor rolls over the front of the tongue. As it makes its way back, a brief flash of mildly bitter hops (very much English in character) keeps the palate on its toes. If you weren't looking for it, you might just miss it; but the flavor itself is so spot-on that it keeps you coming back. Finish is mostly a grainy malt feel that slides away freshly.
M: Chewy and well-carbonated, rather creamy in texture and definitely pleasing in conjunction with the flavors this beer exudes.
D: Incredibly drinkable, this is a fine session beer. Flavor is ultra-mild, but still has enough subtle nuance for the palate to stay interested. All this coupled with a low abv makes for fine drinking. Unfortunately, this one has been axed, which is a shame.
Oct 27, 2007A: Over three fingers of pillowy, white head surge forth on the pour, leaving pockets of lace thick along the sides of the glass. The beer's color is a ruby-red with hints of russet that is transparent.
S: Mild malt aroma that contains notes of grain and a very faint toffee-sweetness. Other than that, not much in the way of the bouquet, but this subtlety is enticing.
T: Ultra-smooth malt flavor rolls over the front of the tongue. As it makes its way back, a brief flash of mildly bitter hops (very much English in character) keeps the palate on its toes. If you weren't looking for it, you might just miss it; but the flavor itself is so spot-on that it keeps you coming back. Finish is mostly a grainy malt feel that slides away freshly.
M: Chewy and well-carbonated, rather creamy in texture and definitely pleasing in conjunction with the flavors this beer exudes.
D: Incredibly drinkable, this is a fine session beer. Flavor is ultra-mild, but still has enough subtle nuance for the palate to stay interested. All this coupled with a low abv makes for fine drinking. Unfortunately, this one has been axed, which is a shame.
Young's Dirty Dick's Ale from Young & Co Brewery PLC
Beer rating:
83 out of
100 with
199 ratings
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