Knight Of The Garter
Windsor & Eton Brewery

 

 

L- Mid-gold, clear, pours with 5mm white head.
S- Quite bright scent of hops on popping the bottle. Up close it almost smells quite like cider.
T- Quite dry and that lingers on the palate as the dominant taste, with a gentle toastiness also there.
F- Dry, refreshing, eminently sessionable, but don't expect a meaty-mouthfeel reward - I don't think that is realistic or perhaps possible from a 3.8%ABV beer.
O- Might be a candidate for a lunchtime beer or for drivers, or indeed fans of lower ABV% beers who don't want to feel the effects of alcohol. I think it's more of a summer beer, it's lack of oomph is clearer during cold months.
£2.15 Waitrose under John Lewis, Oxford Street, London. 500ml BB: 01/7/2020,

500ml bottle as a gift from Windsor:
A very basic & quite bland golden ale that was far too weak on the nose with only some faint lemon & background biscuit notes coming through. Thankfully the taste was a little more pronounced with the biscuit coming through stronger but again it was basic & bland with an earthy feel throughout but it didn't seem too fresh sadly & it was a struggle to get through; definitely not one I'd have again.

500 ml bottle, from Oddbins Chiswick. ABV is 3.8%. BB date 29. April 2014. Golden colour, nearly clear. Low white head. Lovely citrussy aroma, no unfresh notes. The flavour has also distinct citrussy hops throughout, with a firm bitterness in the finish. Decent malts too, and the mouthfeel is very good for a 3.8% beer.

 

 

Golden in colour. Thin but long lasting head. Gentle effervescence.
Dried grass and fresh silage aroma. Some citrus and light biscuit malt.
Not much flavour. Mild hop with a slight hint of malt..
Medium body. Quite soft.
No great shakes.

500ml bottle.
L: Pale gold. Very clear. Single spiral of bubbles. Thin, pale head recedes to patchy cap.
S: Citrus...but delicate. Good use of American hops to add interest to a traditional English style.
T: Solid malt base complemented by citrusy hops. Tastes more hoppy than it smells. Moderate bitterness.
F: Light to medium body. A little carbonation helps lift the body and saves it from being watery. The finish is a bit thin but overall this beer is very refreshing.
O: At sub 4% ABV this is a delightful golden ale for pub garden or bbq. Very impressed with the quality of beers produced by this small brewery.

 

 

 

 

 

On cask at The Anglers, Walton-on-Thames, England.

Creamy white (sparkler?) meringue head that rings over honey gold body. Lychee and golden crunch biscuit nose.
Husky grain gets two seconds before getting bum rushed by lemon rind and Seville marmalade hops.
Lightly lemon curd finish and dry linger. Smooth, light, round and creamy.

Hops are for real! A great blonde summer quencher. Windsor & Eton win again.

Handpump halfpint at The Albany.

A: Clear very pale amber body; the head is thin and white, and clumps up into sticky patches; nice lace. Solid - that clumpy foam on a real ale always seems to adumbrate delicious hoppiness.

S: Light and lively: snappy citrus hops (I knew it!) are dominant, with some slight breadiness underneath. Clean and pleasant.

T: Follows the nose: delicate interplay of pale malt and bright, grapefruity hops, with some floral honey as well. Clean, citrusy, bitter finish. Hugely refreshing.

M: Substantial but far from heavy, and moderately carbonated; a bit prickly for a cask pour, but I like it.

O: Great beer; it definitely makes me want to try more from this brewery - one I'd never heard of before. I ordered the beer mainly because I liked its name: honi soit qui mal y pense!

Cheers!

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear reddy gold colour with only a small head. It looks delicious though.

Smells quite hoppy and refreshing - flowery and grassy, like summer in a glass really.

Tastes citrusy and sweet, again quite hoppy but nicely balanced, with a hint of almost honey like sweetness in there. A faint bitter kick on the finish.

Overall a lovely beer, as well as low in abv and drinkable, always a plus in my book.

On cask at the Half Moon, Windlesham dispensed into a UK pint glass.

Pours a clear golden blonde colour with a small frothy white head.

Bitter floral hopped aroma - wonderful, this was freshly tapped and as good it gets !

Very well hopped for a 3.8% session beer in my opinion, all citrus notes - pineapple, orange, grapefruit showing up. A little sweet malt flavour also come into play.

Light in body, low in carbonation leaves you with a tangy but not too bitter aftertaste.

Another great beer from Wndsor & Eton, in the true 'session' mould. I'm very happy that they are one of my local breweries (7 miles away).

Served from a cask into a pint glass in a pub in London. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a half finger head of nice white colour, milky lactic cream, and restrained thickness. Colour is a transparent gold.

Sm: Cream, full expressive barley, slight bittering hops, and pleasant golden grain. A very nice aroma. Moderate in strength.

T: Cream, a nice grain & barley foundation (one of the most refreshing I've had), and a milky undercurrent that surfaces on the climax, recoiling bitterly on the finish. It's simple but light and refreshing. Built well for its aims, and pretty balanced.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Not too thick; maybe a bit thin. Complements the flavours of the body. Crisp.

Dr: Very drinkable, but borderline watery. The low ABV is intentional, meant to allow it to be more refreshing. It's priced typically by London standards. Overall, I think it'd be far better on-draught; casking lends itself to that awful watery character that holds it back.