Moonraker Ale
J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd

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From:
J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Strong Ale
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 15.8%
Reviews:
126
Ratings:
171
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 19, 2021
Added:
Oct 15, 2001
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  6
No description / notes.
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Ratings by AEK:
Photo of AEK
Reviewed by AEK from Wales

4.66/5  rDev +27%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
500ml brown bottle poured into a JW Lees bitter pint pot.

A. A clear, autumnal red-brown beer topped by a slightly tanned bubbly head.

S. Vine fruits, fruity malt and some sherry notes in the background.

T. Honey, cloves, figs, spice and kirsch blend harmoniously with the alcoholic warmth this ale gives off.

M. Full.

D. A delicious strong ale from Manchester. Although good in bottled form this comes nowhere near to its cask counterpart which is a REAL brute!! 3 pints of this beast on draught and you will know about it (so will your pocket).
Apr 18, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

4.05/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 7.5%. Mahogany coloured beer, big off-white to beige head. Very nice malty aroma with notes of caramel and dark dried fruits, also some oaky and vinous notes. The flavour is malty sweet and rich, notes of caramel and dark dried fruits again, vinous and oaky notes too, moderate hops in the finish. A lovely strong ale!

Cask pint at The William Webb Ellis, Twickenham. Dark ruby colour. Malty aroma and flavour, also notes of plums and dark dried fruits. Fairly rich mouthfeel, a decent strong ale. The alcohol is evident. (3.7)
May 19, 2021
 
Rated: 3.95 by pcbnumber1 from England

Jan 31, 2021
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.42/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
From undated notes.

Murky brown color; hint of rust.

Khaki head which dissipates quickly.

Minimal lace.

Cloying sweet malt nose with some booze. Smells of US barleywine, never a winner with me.

Medium mouthfeel.

Not as overly malty as the nose, with some cinnamon added to the mix. Not awful; not great. Can't say I'd reach for another.
May 19, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by archero from Texas

Jul 24, 2018
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

3.29/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
16.9 Bottle?
BBEOCT06

Over 11 years on this bottle, WTF! Just bought it.

Poured into a tulip a transculent dark brown color, some carbonation, with a really quick light tan head, which leaves very minimal sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, with a dark fruit complex (grapes, cherries, figs, plums, dates). The taste is malty, with a dark fruit complex (grapes, cherries, figs, plums, dates). Medium body, ABV hidden very well, still a complex brew, but feels watered down some. Overall, still tasty, this brew should not be aged this long.
Dec 29, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The appearance was a semi-dark brown color with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated within about a minute. Light foamy lacing graced the sides of the glass. The smell had a roasty nutty caramel aroma, somewhat like a brown ale. But a nice rich invasive chocolate came through with a light coffee to enliven a bit. The taste was pretty much the same with a light added vanilla. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fair sessionability about it. The carbonation was mostly subdued and good for the style and for me. Overall, it’s well done and definitely worthy of having again.
Jun 24, 2017
Photo of Taybeh
Reviewed by Taybeh from Minnesota

4.04/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On cask into a shaker. Too dark in here to tell, but probly dark brownish with decent lacing. Big waves of toffee, fig, licorice...very nice. Taste follows the nose but I'm not getting the layers as much. Smooth and creamy but no edge to clean up the finish. This was a happy surprise!
Dec 20, 2016
Photo of KarlHungus
Reviewed by KarlHungus from Minnesota

4.31/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
On cask at Town Hall Tap. It arrives a dark brown color with a dense off white head. Lacing stays around until the beer is gone. The aroma is malty with toffee, and carmel. There is also a really nice licorise note. The taste is similar to the aroma profile wise, but more pronounced. The mouthfeel is creamy with light carbonation. Overall, this is a treat to try on cask. I could drink a lot of this beer.
Dec 11, 2016
Photo of Victory_Sabre1973
Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
The date on this beer is 13 Aug 09

This beer pours very dark, and seemed to be a very thick pouring beer. The color is somewhere between brown and black.

There is no head. There were hints of carbonation.

The nose is incredibly complex. There's some sweetness to it. It also has like a wine barrel smell to it, at least to me.

The taste of it is, well, this is the week part. There isn't much. Whatever flavors there were are gone now. It also has a watery feel to it, in spite of the thick looking pour. I would love to try this fresh, because aged is a severe letdown. If I see it again, and it's fresh, I'll gladly revisit it.
Sep 05, 2016
 
Rated: 3.47 by n2pux from Texas

Aug 03, 2016
Photo of Beginner2
Rated by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
On the list of "1001 Beers To Drink Before You Die," stay tuned for my review.
Apr 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.3 by Texasfan549 from Texas

Feb 23, 2016
Photo of champ103
Reviewed by champ103 from Texas

4.23/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
On tap at Hay Merchant in Houston.

A: Pours a near opaque dark brown color with a dense beige head. The head sticks around as a cap throughout and nice lace is left behind.
S: Huge toffee, brown sugar, and molasses in the nose. Then comes some wonderful fruity esters. Apple skins and pears are pretty dominate. Though also some dark fruits like plums peek through as well. Earthy English yeast. I love this.
T: Fruity esters are more up front than the nose. Pears and apples are very nice up front that are even slightly tart (probably why some are misinformed and saying the "I" word). A toffee sweetness, even some wood comes next. Earthy and nutty English yeast rounds everything out. Fantastic.
M/O: A medium body with a surprising amount of carbonation. Crisp, but smooths out as this breaths. So enjoyable to drink. If it was not so expensive this would be a regular purchase of mine.

A fantastic example of the catch all style. I can see this fitting into the Old Ale, Winter Ale, even a slightly less boozy English Barleywine style. This is very hardy without being over the top strong, and while maybe not the absolute masterpiece that the Harvest Ales are, this is still really well done and so enjoyable.
Feb 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.53 by kjkinsey from Texas

Feb 06, 2016
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.27/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
From a cask at the 2016 Atlanta Cask Ale Festival.
Pours dark brown with a bubbly head. Lightly hazy.
Slightly pungent aroma hints at the strong flavor but the taste is quite tart despite a sweet note up front.

Overall: Fresh and interesting but infected.
Jan 23, 2016
Photo of Sludgeman
Rated by Sludgeman from District of Columbia

3.87/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
On cask at Rustico - Arlington
Jan 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.77 by smithj4 from New York

Dec 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by psm90 from England

Apr 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by JamLand from District of Columbia

Dec 07, 2014
Moonraker Ale from J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 171 ratings