Guardsman
Windsor & Eton Brewery

RB transfer

 

 

L- Pale chestnut aka very deep amber. 5mm fine white head, ongoing good very fine rising CO2.
S- Subtle as expected from a 4.2% beer. There is something slightly fragrant that is perhaps a note of citrus... ?
T- It's pretty thin, as expected from a 4.2%, but I get 'roasty/toasty' malts and grains, and then comes the beer's signature bitter/hoppy finish,
F- It's well balanced, and as expected of a bitter is refreshing. It's of and true to the traditional 'best bitter' style, that my father used to home-brew from the 1960s-80s.
O- It's perhaps a touch lighter ABV% than I'd usually drinking in the evening, but this might be ideal for me if wishing to have a lower-impact beer earlier in the day. I like it, it's old-school/trad to me.
Lable states it was the first new beer brewed in Windsor for 80 years, and that it's made with 'Fuggles and Goldings whole leaf hops'. 500ml bottle, bought from Waitrose, Windsor for £2.15 BB: 4-July-2019.

Cask pint at Wetherspoons, Victoria Station, London. Copper colour, low off-white head. Moderate aroma, malts, toffee and a hint of fruity hops. Pleasant flavour, decent hops with a hint of blackcurrants, malty and nutty notes too. Good beer.

 

 

500ml, bottle conditioned.

L: Hazy, copper colour with a single finger of off-white head that recedes quickly to a ring. Spotty lacing.

S: Toasted malts. Some hay. Very light.

T: Malt & caramel followed by a good level of bitterness from the fuggles and goldings hops. Exactly right for a quality English best bitter. Earthy, semi-sweet aftertaste.

F: Medium/light body. Minimal carbonation. Smooth & dry.

O: An enjoyable pint of traditional English bitter. Not a stand-out but I've had it a couple of times previously on tap and it's an attractive, easy-drinking beer with a refreshing bitterness. Best served cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served via cask dispense into an English pint glass at the Half Moon, Windlesham, Surrey.

Copper in colour both pints I sampled were fairly lively and came with a decent frothy white head. Think of images of English country pubs of the past and big frothy heads - this really looked the part !

On the nose the aroma was fairly subdued, a little caramel and a pinch or two more malt came over to me. Pleasant but not dominant.

Flavours were more dominant than the nose and pretty much spot on for a 4.2% bitter. Slight sweet taste to this beer, malt and caramel as per the nose and a bitter hoppy finish.

Medium bodied with a mild mouthfeel, a little carbonation but in no way watery. Very good in this respect.

Overall another good beer from Windsor & Eton, actually drank this whilst eating curry and it paired well!

Gravity halfpint at the Sebright Arms.

A: Clear copper body under a thin, clumpy, sticky white head. Lovely, delicate lace. Very nice.

S: Rich, lightly sweet biscuity/caramel malt blend. Toasty, complex, and pleasant. Hops would be nice, but for a malty bitter this smells very nice indeed.

T: Some light fruitiness joins the rich malty flavors adumbrated by the aroma, and an earthy hop bitterness closes things out. Tasty.

M: Creamy medium body with moderate, fine carbonation. Smooth and pleasant.

O: A very nice bitter; not as terrific as the brewery's Knight of the Garter, but a high quality brew in its own right.

Cheers!

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a medium/dark amber colour with a small white head that dissappears quite quickly.

Smells faintly malty and slightly alcoholic.

Tastes firstly of medium/dark tangy malts and alcohol, almost rum like in a way. Add in a hop kick towards the end but then it smooths out leaving a delicate malt taste lingering on the palate.

Overall quite a nice beer, wouldn't be my first choice for a bitter but it's very unique, which is maybe down to the oak conditioning.