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Gem
Bath Ales Ltd
Beer Geek Stats
| Print Shelf Talker
- From:
- Bath Ales Ltd
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #54 - ABV:
- 4.8%
- Score:
- 85
Ranked #21,843 - Avg:
- 3.77 | pDev: 13%
- Reviews:
- 46
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 18, 2022
- Added:
- Jun 25, 2003
- Wants:
- 7
- Gots:
- 11
SCORE
85
Very Good
85
Very Good
Notes:
It's 4.1% in cask and 4.8% in bottle
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Sam-VW:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio
3.53/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
I tried a pint of this beer off the cask'er at the King's Head pub in Shrewsbury. It poured a clear amber with cask white head that left a fine lace. The scent had subtle bitter hop notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with sweet malt base and the typical english bitterness through the drink. The mouthfeel was medium in body but with cask condition "carbonation". Overall it was a good beer.
Jun 05, 2022
Reviewed by James94 from England
3.73/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
L: Reddish amber colour, thick lacing, one-finger head
S: Fairly generic, slight skunkiness, vague citrus
T: Orange, vanilla, light malts
F: Not overwhelming, smooth, drinkable
O: 3.75
Dec 22, 2019S: Fairly generic, slight skunkiness, vague citrus
T: Orange, vanilla, light malts
F: Not overwhelming, smooth, drinkable
O: 3.75
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois
4.01/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.01/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
While I'm hardly an expert in this style (only my 16th rating), it makes me think I've been missing something.
Gem's Looks are driven by its medium chestnut and, in the sun, is brilliant. Decent lace, to boot. Smells are almost entirely malt wanting to become the juice of a hard fruit; call it apple. Tastes are perfectly balanced, just enough tang to tell me this is beer and not cider. Very sessionable and sits nicely in my mouth; waiting for the next bite of a snack.
Impressed by Bath Ales adherence to the CAMRA 'code" (as I call it... although it is looser than that), I went on Bath's website and was impressed that they have grown steadily since 1995 and have four pubs, a restaurant at the famous train station and a new brewery. They also were acquired 3 years ago by St. Austell... another purveyor of the English brewing tradition. Good luck.
May 21, 2019Gem's Looks are driven by its medium chestnut and, in the sun, is brilliant. Decent lace, to boot. Smells are almost entirely malt wanting to become the juice of a hard fruit; call it apple. Tastes are perfectly balanced, just enough tang to tell me this is beer and not cider. Very sessionable and sits nicely in my mouth; waiting for the next bite of a snack.
Impressed by Bath Ales adherence to the CAMRA 'code" (as I call it... although it is looser than that), I went on Bath's website and was impressed that they have grown steadily since 1995 and have four pubs, a restaurant at the famous train station and a new brewery. They also were acquired 3 years ago by St. Austell... another purveyor of the English brewing tradition. Good luck.
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England
3.24/5 rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.24/5 rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
L- Dark Chestnut, 1cm white head reducing to lacing.
S- Toasty malts, pretty subtle
T- Toast. Dry toasted grains, some balance of malt comes later.
M- The toastiness is quite pungent, the overall mouthfeel is quite mild for 4.8%
O- The smokey/toasty nature might be just a bit too dominant for me. Interesting to try but I don't think I could get stuck into several of these in a night.
Aug 21, 2018S- Toasty malts, pretty subtle
T- Toast. Dry toasted grains, some balance of malt comes later.
M- The toastiness is quite pungent, the overall mouthfeel is quite mild for 4.8%
O- The smokey/toasty nature might be just a bit too dominant for me. Interesting to try but I don't think I could get stuck into several of these in a night.
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England
3.43/5 rDev -9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.43/5 rDev -9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A 500ml bottle with a BB of Feb 2018. Purchased recently from Waitrose. Bath ales describe this as their premium amber ale - brewed with Marris Otter and Goldings.
A: Poured into a tulip pint glass. A deep coppery-brownish hue with good clarity and plentiful carbonation. Yields a decent head of frothy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or so before subsiding and virtually disappearing.
S: Aroma of caramel malt, ale yeast esters, subtle grain, mild barley sugar and delicate leafy hops. Decent but quite subdued.
T: Tastes of caramel malt with notes of ale yeast, mild barley sugar, leafy hops and faint grain. Traditional in character and nicely balanced. An understated bitterness upon swallowing.
M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with pleasant carbonation and good body. Aftertaste of caramel malt, leafy bitterness and ale yeast.
O: Decidedly traditional but pretty good. Looks OK, while the aroma and flavour are a well-judged blend of caramel malt, leafy hops and yeast. Nice body. What it lacks in charisma it makes up for with above-average balance and depth of flavour. Goes down easily and is probably even better on cask. Worth sampling if you have the chance.
Apr 25, 2017A: Poured into a tulip pint glass. A deep coppery-brownish hue with good clarity and plentiful carbonation. Yields a decent head of frothy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or so before subsiding and virtually disappearing.
S: Aroma of caramel malt, ale yeast esters, subtle grain, mild barley sugar and delicate leafy hops. Decent but quite subdued.
T: Tastes of caramel malt with notes of ale yeast, mild barley sugar, leafy hops and faint grain. Traditional in character and nicely balanced. An understated bitterness upon swallowing.
M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with pleasant carbonation and good body. Aftertaste of caramel malt, leafy bitterness and ale yeast.
O: Decidedly traditional but pretty good. Looks OK, while the aroma and flavour are a well-judged blend of caramel malt, leafy hops and yeast. Nice body. What it lacks in charisma it makes up for with above-average balance and depth of flavour. Goes down easily and is probably even better on cask. Worth sampling if you have the chance.
Reviewed by bark from Sweden
2.94/5 rDev -22%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
2.94/5 rDev -22%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
The colour is amber with a tint of brown, the liquid is clear. The two finger head is off-white and airy; it sinks down to an uneven lid leaving very little lacing.
The smell is malty with dry notes of rye bread, dried apples and a touch of oak wood. Floral hops in the background.
The taste is smooth with some toffee/butterscotch, rustic farmhouse bread and dried flowers. Light floral/spicy bitterness. Medium body. The aftertaste got quite a lot of raw alcohol, some sweet caramel, nutmeg, thyme and apricots. The finish got less alcohol, and a growing flavour of dough.
The carbonation is mild to medium, the few bubbles are mid-sized and long-lived. The liquid is smooth.
Quite an average bitter/amber ale with odd notes of alcohol and dough.
Apr 03, 2017The smell is malty with dry notes of rye bread, dried apples and a touch of oak wood. Floral hops in the background.
The taste is smooth with some toffee/butterscotch, rustic farmhouse bread and dried flowers. Light floral/spicy bitterness. Medium body. The aftertaste got quite a lot of raw alcohol, some sweet caramel, nutmeg, thyme and apricots. The finish got less alcohol, and a growing flavour of dough.
The carbonation is mild to medium, the few bubbles are mid-sized and long-lived. The liquid is smooth.
Quite an average bitter/amber ale with odd notes of alcohol and dough.
Reviewed by flyingpig from Scotland
3.49/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.49/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
500ml bottle from Whole Foods, Giffnock (£1.79):
Nice stuff but probably not quite as good as Bath's Wild Hare that I tried last. Obviously a little darker & the sweetness seemed more pronounced at times with a nice combination of darker malts, toasted flavours & some sugars that complimented the caramel & toffee flavours nicely. Nothing seemed overdone & a good balance was maintained throughout, making this one another decent session offering but I'm probably go back to other beers before having this one again; still it's definitely a nice beer & well worth trying.
Feb 13, 2017Nice stuff but probably not quite as good as Bath's Wild Hare that I tried last. Obviously a little darker & the sweetness seemed more pronounced at times with a nice combination of darker malts, toasted flavours & some sugars that complimented the caramel & toffee flavours nicely. Nothing seemed overdone & a good balance was maintained throughout, making this one another decent session offering but I'm probably go back to other beers before having this one again; still it's definitely a nice beer & well worth trying.
Reviewed by vinicole from England
3.92/5 rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottle. Light amber colour. Very little head. Gently rising effervescence.
Sweet honey and malt aroma. Hops present.
Lion Bar - toffee, nut and biscuit flavour.
Moderate feel and body.
Traditional malty English Pale Ale...and Bitter when drawn from the cask.
Apr 22, 2016Sweet honey and malt aroma. Hops present.
Lion Bar - toffee, nut and biscuit flavour.
Moderate feel and body.
Traditional malty English Pale Ale...and Bitter when drawn from the cask.
Reviewed by DypsoBubble from England
3.57/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.57/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Colour of black tea with a moderate head which persists after pouring. Aroma is of malt but little hops.
Tastes very malty with some fruity esters and a back bitter hop. Up front hops, hard to detect. Quite a nice mouth feel for a low alcohol session beer. Pretty bog-standard British fare and not at all exciting. Tastes of mass produced bitter back in the 1970s which helped introduce lagers to the British palate.
Dec 14, 2015Tastes very malty with some fruity esters and a back bitter hop. Up front hops, hard to detect. Quite a nice mouth feel for a low alcohol session beer. Pretty bog-standard British fare and not at all exciting. Tastes of mass produced bitter back in the 1970s which helped introduce lagers to the British palate.
Reviewed by Dentist666 from Russian Federation
3.53/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into english pint.
Pours clear copper beer with half-finger beige head. Smell - bready, malty, toasted.
Taste - biscuity malts, grainy, smooth and ok.
Jun 19, 2015Pours clear copper beer with half-finger beige head. Smell - bready, malty, toasted.
Taste - biscuity malts, grainy, smooth and ok.
Reviewed by interzen from England
2.57/5 rDev -31.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
2.57/5 rDev -31.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
500ml bottle poured into a pint glass
Look: Dark amber with a fairly creamy, off-white head to about a fingers-width. Retention not brilliant and recedes to a foam ring and some surface coating.
Smell: Predominantly malty - there are some dark fruit aromas in there but you've got to try really hard to pick them out, even after allowing the beer to 'breathe' for a bit.
Taste: Again, dark fruits with a hint of malt and caramel. In terms of taste, it comes a live a bit more than the smell might suggest but it's still on the wrong side of 'uninteresting'.
Feel: Easy drinking and pretty undemanding with it. Lack of carbonation isn't a big thing as there's nothing here that would benefit from it.
Overall: Again, pretty forgettable - as a traditional English bitter it just about passes muster but as an amber ale it's a bit of a fail. Not much to get excited about, sadly. Clearly it has its fans, but I'm not one of them.
May 27, 2015Look: Dark amber with a fairly creamy, off-white head to about a fingers-width. Retention not brilliant and recedes to a foam ring and some surface coating.
Smell: Predominantly malty - there are some dark fruit aromas in there but you've got to try really hard to pick them out, even after allowing the beer to 'breathe' for a bit.
Taste: Again, dark fruits with a hint of malt and caramel. In terms of taste, it comes a live a bit more than the smell might suggest but it's still on the wrong side of 'uninteresting'.
Feel: Easy drinking and pretty undemanding with it. Lack of carbonation isn't a big thing as there's nothing here that would benefit from it.
Overall: Again, pretty forgettable - as a traditional English bitter it just about passes muster but as an amber ale it's a bit of a fail. Not much to get excited about, sadly. Clearly it has its fans, but I'm not one of them.
Gem from Bath Ales Ltd
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
96 ratings
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