Ale Fresco
Greene King / Morland Brewery

 

Pint from the cask at Three Tuns in London. Got progressively worse over time, smelling and tasting more like vinegar. Maybe not the beer but rather the storage but this is a reputable pub and I doubt they don’t have clean lines and proper cask procedures.

 

Pint, from the cask.

A: Bronze, copper, clear, small taned head, some retention.

S: Floral, had to think of Saaz hops.

T: Phenol, berries on the turn, finish slightly bitter and wheaty. Like some other Greene King beers it reminded me of a Belgian Pale Ale.

M: Smooth, light body.

O: Lots of depth for a bitter, very decent.

This is an ASTOUNDING bitter; excellent cask pour from the Red Lion Pub, Avebury, England.

The appearance is golden-brown and nearly transparent. It lures me in like a mythological siren.

On the nose, it suggests fresh mown grass, lemon, tangerine, a faint horsiness, and biscuit. Just the way I like my Real Ale.

The taste is of smooth malt, lots of fresh hop, and a delightful bitter snap at the end. The mouthfeel is oily and smooth: parfec!

Overall, this is one of the best cask ale's I've had in the UK. It is a tremendous bitter and would fit the bill all night long. It's absolutely perfect with fish & chips and mushy peas.

Sampled at The Granta in Cambridge.

Appearance: honey in color, quite bright. Minimal carbonation and head retention, some lacing.

Smell: light, English hops with some slight citrus notes. Ale fruitiness, and an odd chlorine note reminiscent of a swimming pool. Some graininess as well.

Taste: Light in flavor, even for the style. Moderate bitterness, surprised that it's 4.5%, tastes lower. Some residual sugar. Ale fruitiness is subtly present. Hops are earthy but non-descript.

Mouthfeel: somehwhat watery, and a little too flat and warm, even for a British real ale.

Drinkability: mediocre, not enough flavor to be served so warm and flat.

Not quite there. Its screaming for a slightly more hoppier finish.It starts really promising but sort of fizzles out.

Not bad but it seems caught between a Golden and an IPA and isn`t either.

Mind you I had my first Sierra Nevada at the weekend so I`m hop mad at the moment.

Enjoyed hand pulled at The Old Tom in Oxford, England.

Aroma: Wow! Some hops in an English beer! While only moderate by US standards, I’m definitely getting some Cascade or Grapefruit hop notes.

Appearance: Amber-orange glass, thin cover of white that drops to a frothy ring that gives an unusual single tidemark (no, I didn’t down it in one quaff).

Flavor: Great citric hop flavor, no hop burn at all with a slightly bitter grapefruit rind finish. Nowhere near an IPA, heck, even an APA, but a nice taste of hops in England.

Mouthfeel: Served mildly warm cellar temp (about 55 degrees), low carbonation, soft real ale feel.

Overall Impression: Ah, a taste of hops. I was starting to forget what they tasted like. Refreshing, but a touch warm for the hot day. Not the beer’s fault, I really liked this one!

The colour is dark gold; the head dissolves quickly.

The smell is bitter with some hops and notes of lemon and sweet malt.

The taste got a different, very lemony-citric flavour. There is no body in this beer, but a lot of aroma hops (cascade?). The simple aftertaste is bitter.

The carbonation is quite mild.

A hoppy, dull ale.

Cask conditioned at the Baron of Beef, Cambridge. This beer was also available at the Cambridge Beer Festival. Deep golden colour, low head. There is a nice refreshing hoppiness throughout, citrussy elements in aroma and flavour. A decent spring/summer bitter.