Tabatha The Knackered
Anglo Dutch Brewery

 

Tasted by half-pint at the Ealing beerfest., 11/05/06, gravity dispensed.

A: pours a yellowish straw colour, coming with a thin layer of fluffy beer head sustaining o.k.; lightly carbonated body--not striking.
S: a flow of very spicy-sweet aroma overpowering the maltiness... showing hints of coriander, slightly artificial sweetness like fruit-syrup, and pear-drop like estery note. Quite different, if I was not to say weird, for this beer style.
T&M: a moderate grainy-malty palate upfront gives way to a sour-sweet fruitiness like apple-flavouring; more grainy and spicy aftertaste quickly ensues, thinning out in the very end. The bundle of flavours show no clear structure as far as my tastebuds could manage, and the (weird perfumy) sour-sweetness is slightly overdone vis-a-vis the relatively thin malty entry. I'd crave for a more 3D performance and a better spicy-malty balance if this beer was to pretend to be a Tripel. Maybe a little more fizziness could also be of some help to make it taste slightly more lively?
D: nice efforts, but not my cup of tea.

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Named after the brewer's cat! Golden colour. Like the CBF programme says, it is: "Fruity, hoppy and bitter, powerful and warming" - but "tripel style??? This is a strong English pale ale, as far as I’m concerned. Typical pale ale aroma and flavour.