Hogs Back BSA Commemorative Ale
Hog's Back Brewery

 

'Brewery conditioned' 500ml bottle: best before Mar 2013, poured @ home, into a Uk pint sleeve on 6th Nov 2012.

Redwood coloured body, bright and clear: the head didn't hang around long enough to let me see the colour, the thin collar however was white.

The nose was both malty and fruity, as was the taste. Toasted/roasted malty molasses give the beer its semi-sweet flavour, the fruitiness and hop bitterness giving balance and depth to the overall feel. The beer had a treacle note throughout, this blended all the ingrediants and their traits together nicely and ensuring the malts ruled the flavours from start to finish.

 

Ruby amber with creamy taupe head. Stewed apricot, toffee, orange peel and some wax.
Dark toast, orange marmalade, and raisin, buttery diacetyl hit with tea, cinnamon and more orange oil hops.
Medium, chewy, round.

Maris Otter, crystal and chocolate, EKG and Fuggles.

Says "old ale" on the label, which it isn't, but it does have some of that fruit. Chunky ale with some sticky hops. Nice enough but nothing worth chasing.

Coming in a 500ml brown bottle, “brewery-conditioned” (meaning filtered and possibly pasteurised as well?); BB 11/2011, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: pours a dark reddish amber hue, coming with fine fizziness and a thin light beige foamy head on the top.
S: overripe pear and berry like fruity hops and esters come in contrast with aromatic biscuit malts, laced with a touch of grapes, toasted malts, and sweet butter. Pretty attractive, like a Premium Bitter actually.
T: the mildly effervescent foretaste has very smooth toasted-malt flavour coming hand in hand with understated sour-ish fruits, underlined by a deepening wave of hop bitterness that comes both earthy and slightly spicy. The finish, besides being a bit chewy, has residual aroma of pale malts plus roast malts and even wood sprigs, quite intriguing.
M&D: lightly carbonated, medium bodied, quietly flavoured yet all in all showing a very good structure and integrity. Better than the cask version I had a few weeks ago at a local Spoon’s, which was not in top form. Having tried this, I think a fresh cask might tell a very different story. Worth trying!

The is a beer that is about as classic of an English Ale that I have had recently. Reminds me of being in England. THe BSA is for Burma Star Ale, a commerative beer to celebrate those who fell for Britain.

Appearance is light brown color. Okay head, lacing was goodbut faded over time.

Smell had a fruity hoppy smell. Very aromatic but hard to pin down what I was smelling.

Tasted like England, Really not sure if this is an English Bitter or an English Pale Ale. Definately close to a few styles.

Great carbonation and mouthfeel. As with many English Pales and Bitters it is highly drinkable. I used to live in Woking and work in Guildford (by the wooden bridge near the A3) before moving to the US, I wish I made the short trip to this brewery.

A High Quality beer.