Redbrook
Riverhead Brewery Limited

This previous brewpub was taken over by the Ossett Brewery in December 2006, but the beer is still being brewed on the previous site under the Riverhead brand. Coming in a 500ml brown bottle, filtered and pasteurised; BB NOV 2008, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: light copper hue, coming with a creamy off-white head and fine but lively carbonation.
S: Fuggle's aromatic scent, sticky dried berries, dried longan-fruits and dates come together, with sweet amber malts and a touch of liquidy caramel sitting behind; a swirl adds an additional touch of plum-ish ripe stone fruits to the mixture, while a mild alcoholic wave stays consistently.
T: quite phenolic and earthy on the initial swallow, as if from smoked malts, soon the palate introduces tartly sweet autumny stone-fruits and citrus fruits, roast tea-leaves and a faint touch of walnuts, before reaching a chewy and moderately bitter finish full of leafy-textured citric hops.
M&D: this is a fruity premium bitter with some interesting elements to explore, but lacking more complexity and depth to make it a truly remarkable premium bitter, and the carbonation comes a bit too high to spoil the already shaky balance. It could've been very good on cask, I reckon, but the bottled version tastes just not "SO" right.