Owl's XXX Ruby Mild Ale
Elland Brewery

Like LBB the previous reviewer, I got this bottle courtesy of RichLightweight as well. "Limited Edition 0265 of 1000", BB July 2006, served cool in a straight imperial-pint glass.

A: bright, dark ruby/copper hue with brownish hints, coming with a 1cm thick foamy beige beer head sustaining throughout the drink; streams of tiny bubbles slowly ascend from the bottom of the glass like spring rain drizzling upside-down~~ really nice.
S: a mildly sweet and creamy dark malty note (dark-chocolates, cocoa powder, and faintly caramelised sugar), as well as sour-sweet dark fruity aroma (like ripe dark plums, sour red grapes, semi-fermented pears) abound~~ Very settled, with layers of aroma dovetailed nicely and a balance is obtained b/w sour fruits and subtle dark malts, decorated with a semi-earthy edge of hops and a slightly perfumy aroma of sweet flower petals floating in the air. Interesting~~
T: a chewy, dryish roasty, sour-bitter edge of roast/dark malts prevails upfront, balanced elegantly with a more understated fruity/red-grapey sourness, and a rough, musty edge of yeasts... going deep down the palate and turning more dryish bitter as the flavour softens and the mouthfeel intensifies... A chewy, tannic citric bitterness, a mildly burned edge of roast black tea-leaves, as well as dried herbal bitterness manifest quietly but firmly in the aftertaste, esp. down the sides of the tongue, before a faint warming alc. undercurrent flows down the throat...
M&D: softly-carbonated, smooth on the mouthfeel, and medium-bodied vis-a-vis its relatively high alc. strength (for a Mild). The beer drinks absolutely smooth and light, but the lingering bitterness of complex forms contributes a rewarding depth to this beer almost single-handedly. A fruity and bitter strong Dark Mild, this ale is in the league of fuller and maltier Sarah Hughs Ruby Mild, and profoundly drier Gale's Festival Mild, each fantastic in its own way. Big thanks go to Rich for carrying this E&S gem all the way from Yorkshire~~

Limited Edition 0268 of 1000

“Owl’s XXX is a ruby mild ale, especially brewed to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Leeds Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale”
“Thirty years ago a group of drinkers got together to stop the brewers replacing proper beer with tasteless fizz. Today we’re still going strong, celebrating and protecting decent beer and decent pubs in Leeds.”
www.leeds-camra.com

500ml℮ 5.5% abv
Produced by Eastwood & Sanders
Bottled by Clarke’s Organic Group Ltd.

Presentation: short stumpy wide based brown glass bottle with a thin proboscis like neck sealed with a metallic red crown cap. Has one main purple colored label that almost wraps completely around the whole body. Labeled as “Ruby Mild Ale OWL’S XXX”, Bottle-Conditioned and Hand-Brewed in Yorkshire by Eastwood & Sanders Fine Ales. Listed at 5.5% abv. 2.20 Units of Alcohol per 500ml Bottle and Best Before: July 06.


Appearance: Shattered rustic brown with deep dark orange-red hints beneath a 3” deep light tan colored thick foamy head. The torso has a slight cloudiness but nothing off-putting. The scattered side walls of the collapsing head form a fantastic intricate network around the edges high above the depressed pock-marked centre.

Nose: Malts and warm caramel with a doughy middle. Low aroma profile but a nice enough schnozzle. Once warmed, it deepened with a hint of a freshly opened pouch of Drum rolling tobacco, reminded me of drinking Tetley’s Mild in a smoky Yorkshire Working Mans Club.

Taste: Hints of alcohol at the entrance, dark chocolate, caramel, malts and a rich fruity aspect that fulfills. Lovely stuff, it improved with a little warmth once out of the fridge, closer to room temperature it exhibits a very light but enticing vinous aspect which combines with tender smoked malts, this all lends some complexity to the taste. Great stuff.

Mouthfeel: Has a lovely thick feel that belies its stated five-and-a-half percent strength. Rich deep carpet like setting at the back of the throat. Solid stuff.

Drinkability: My first Review for some time and I found that the bottle had all but gone by the time I got to typing in my thoughts about the Drinkability; I guess that speaks for itself.

Overall: A strong dark ruby mild ale that has a satisfying rich feel to it.

Happy Birthday to Leeds CAMRA and a Big Tyke Thanks to BA RichLightWeight for this treat. Cheers Mate!