Darwin's Origin
Salopian Brewing Company Ltd

Cask. Sparkler used. Light copper in colour with a slight mist. A thin dense head. Ringed lacing to the bottom of the glass.
A vibrant fresh hoppy aroma. Grass, citrus, hedgerow and floral notes intermingle nicely.
The taste compliments the smell and is well balanced with digestive biscuit malt.
Medium body with a good cask conditioned feel.
No wonder it has won awards.

Hand pulled cask conditioned pint poured in the Oxnoble bottle n Manchester’s Castlefield district
Pours a red hued amber body with good tight white head
Aroma is marmalade
Flavour is bitter orange and shortbread

 

 

500ml bottle.
L: Clear, burnished copper with several streams of micro bubbles. Beautiful colour although head is thin and short-lived.
S: Hints of toffee and orange zest. Clean and light.
T: Grapefruit and orange zest with a leafy, herbal finish. Almost sweet with a gentle bitterness.
F: Medium/light body with some slick and a soft dryness.
O: An English pale ale with New World influences. Incredibly smooth. Could easily drink a few of these without getting bored and without too much damage. Would love to try on draught.

 

 

 

On cask. Gold colour with a floral nose. Fairly sweet start gives way to oily, somewhat herbal hops with some spiciness. A very well coordinated bitter.

 

A 500ml bottle with a BB of May 2014. Picked up a while back from Trembling Madness in York. Named after one of Shrewsbury's most famous sons, the label describes it as having a zesty aromatic flavour.

Poured into a straight pint glass. A rich orange-amber hue with faint haze and light carbonation. Yields a decent head of white foam that lasts for a couple of minutes before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. Slight lacing. Aroma of sharp fruity hops with hints of lime, peel, citrus, white grape, grass/hay, grainy malt, earthy yeast and stewed hops. Lovely.

Tastes of tangy aromatic hops with a dry, bitter finish. Notes of grapefruit, orange peel, citrus, white grape, grass/hay, earthy yeast, subtle grainy malt and stewed hops. Well-attenuated, followed by a hop-driven bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with pleasant carbonation and decent body. Spicy hop oils stimulate the tongue. Somewhat astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of bitter aromatic hops, mild fruitiness and earthy yeast.

Rather nice - an English ale with an American influence. Looks alright; shame it isn't bottle conditioned. The aroma is seriously fruity and hoppy, while the flavour is a shade more subdued and yeasty. Good hop presence and bitterness. Body is OK. Goes down a treat - worth sampling if you have the chance.

On cask at the Belfast Beer Festival, 2013.

Burnished brass with white film.
Candied orange peel aroma.
Saltines, a good whack of toffee, tart Seville orange, some resin, then white grape, light citrus, and grassy hops to end.
Sticky herbal finish and pith linger.
Clingy, pretty much medium, chewy.

Not sure I get the full range of hops (even if I describe them here) but it's got some nice depth. Galaxy, in particular, seems to be missing, though I'm not sure I know it to taste it. I'd like to chew this over on its own some time.

 

Hand pulled pint in my new Wetherspoons on 19 Aug 2011.

Even better in cask format than it's bottled version. Read my thoughts on that if you want a description of the beer. Very easy to drink and more-ish in every way.

Originally a monthly special brew, it became so popular around here (Salopian is brewed 12 miles or so from where I drank this beer) it has now become a permanent fixture.