M&S Norfolk Bitter
Woodforde's Norfolk Ales

Poured it from the bottle to big deep and wide IKEA beer glass. Nice rich dark color with a minimum head. Very little aroma, moderate mouth feel. I admit I am a fan of bitters. I don't need a lot of exotic hops, the classics work just fine for me if well brewed. While not a complex flavor or deeply layered ale this one provides a decent example of the genre. I starts with a very slight taste of sweet malt and then continues to an ending and lingering aftertaste that belays its name. I might buy it again if the price was right.

500ml bottle from M+S London. 4.5%. BB 17/08/18
L Clear mid/dark chestnut. Pours with 3-5mm white head, veeeery slowly clearing.
S [Difficult due to congestion; benefit of doubt = 3/5]
T Pleasant bitter. Says it has a citrus aspect [wow, isn't that sooo fashionable these days], but I don't register it.
F Light, refreshing, balanced
O Pleasant beer. Nothing really leaps out as memorable or disappointing.

 

 

Good M&S commissioned bitter. Copper with a typical bitter head. A bit more red than I expected, but not completely out of the standard. Rich, bread and toffee malt scent with good, crisp hops. Pleasant toffee malt taste and light citrusy hops. Nice, lemony character to the hops and they mix well with the hops.

Carbonation is a little bit high, but not quite out of control. Could be a bit better. Nice session beer though - it gets better as it warms up.

Another commissioned product in the Marks & Spencer's range of bottle-conditioned ales, coming in a 500ml brown bottle; BB 04/09, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: light brown-ish amber hue, slightly translucent, coming with a puffy off-white froth like moderately aerated milk froth, as well as quiet carbonation.
S: traditional aroma for a traditional bitter, showing citric hops intertwined with burned sugary malts with a nutty hint. Yeast sediments don't seem to interfere with the aroma that this RAIB is meant to convey, hence pretty clean overall apart from just a tiny touch of damp-ness. Well integrated.
T: lightly sour-sweet (almost honey-ish) pale malts and fruitiness with citric and peachy hints are followed by moderately bitter dried-herbs and a touch of phenolic smokiness from yeasts, turning zesty/tangy as well as slightly earthy in the aftertaste, while finishing bitterness seems to manifest itself more in the form of a dry-ish palate.
M&D: for a RAIB, the carbonation is very decent, showing a constant input of microscopic fizziness and a rather refreshing but always mild palate for an English Ale. However, as a Woodforde's product, I find this beer slightly below the average quality due to the understated performance and flavour. This one comes a bit traditional yet lacking the level of bitterness one would normally expect from a traditional English "bitter Bitter". Still, as the brain gets used to the flavour, the delicate performance of English hops and the elegantly citric undertone gradually win the approval of my taste buds. Not bad!