Screech Owl
Castle Rock Brewery
- From:
- Castle Rock Brewery
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- English IPA
- ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- +2 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.92 | pDev: 10.2%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 06, 2025
- Added:
- Oct 25, 2012
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 2
NO SCORE
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Originally one of the 12 ‘Natural Selection’ brews back in October 2008 to support the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s Adopt a Species Campaign, it immediately won the Society of Independent Brewers (Midlands) Supreme Champion Beer award at the Robin Hood Beer Festival and followed this success by winning the SIBA National Strong Bitter title, as well as bronze Strong Bitter (Champion Beer of Britain) 2013. Brewed to export strength this strong well hopped India Pale Ale has become a firm favourite with followers of the style.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by JamFuel from Sweden
4.44/5 rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.44/5 rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On cask at Vat And Fiddle in Nottingham.
Pours a clear yellow with soft, fluffy head.
Smell is crisp and fruity with notes of citrus, pine, peach, biscuit and caramel.
Taste is crisp and fruity with a solid bitterness. Notes of pine, citrus, peach, caramel and Digestive biscuits.
Mouthfeel is medium, smooth and well carbonated.
Overall, a terrific IPA with nice bite.
Apr 05, 2025Pours a clear yellow with soft, fluffy head.
Smell is crisp and fruity with notes of citrus, pine, peach, biscuit and caramel.
Taste is crisp and fruity with a solid bitterness. Notes of pine, citrus, peach, caramel and Digestive biscuits.
Mouthfeel is medium, smooth and well carbonated.
Overall, a terrific IPA with nice bite.
Reviewed by James94 from England
3.92/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Clear golden colour, most of the head disappears quickly
S: Spices, herbs, cake, sweetness, dark fruits, coconut
T: Citrus, sharp grain, herbs, spices, marmalade
F: Somewhat overcarbonated, medium to well bodied
O: 4
Jun 16, 2022S: Spices, herbs, cake, sweetness, dark fruits, coconut
T: Citrus, sharp grain, herbs, spices, marmalade
F: Somewhat overcarbonated, medium to well bodied
O: 4
Reviewed by charlatan from Scotland
3.59/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.59/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On cask at Cove and Kilcreggan Ale Festival. Straw colour; sweet, grassy nose; sweet, rich and fruity for an IPA; the flavour is white wine and raisins. I wouldn't have classed this as an IPA based on taste, but it still tastes good.
May 06, 2019
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England
3.39/5 rDev -13.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.39/5 rDev -13.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
A 330ml bottle with a BB of Aug 2013. Picked up a while back as part of the Sainsbury's 2012 Beer Hunt. The label describes it as a strong IPA that uses American hops for flavour.
Poured into a tulip pint glass. A bright amber hue with good carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a surface layer. Nice lacing. Aroma of fruity hops with notes of citrus and white grape. This is underpinned by hints of caramel malt, stewed hops and a faint butteriness in the background.
Tastes of light, fruity hops with a dry finish. Notes of citrus, white grape, melon, caramel, stewed hops, cardboard and faint diacetyl. Somewhat harsh, with a restrained bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with decent body but lacklustre carbonation - could be more effervescent. Quite astringent, with an aftertaste of fruity aroma hops, harsh stewed leaves and cardboard.
A reasonable brew, if not the best IPA I've ever encountered. Looks nice, though the aroma and flavour are a bit mixed. The aromatic hop notes are pleasant, but the malt is a bit weak and the taste hints at incomplete fermentation. The hop character suggests an American IPA in spite of the mild bitterness. Body is OK but texture could be better. I reckon that bottle conditioning with live yeast would improve this immeasureably; removing the diacetyl and softening the harsh notes. A decent enough tipple; worth sampling if you come across it.
Jun 08, 2013Poured into a tulip pint glass. A bright amber hue with good carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a surface layer. Nice lacing. Aroma of fruity hops with notes of citrus and white grape. This is underpinned by hints of caramel malt, stewed hops and a faint butteriness in the background.
Tastes of light, fruity hops with a dry finish. Notes of citrus, white grape, melon, caramel, stewed hops, cardboard and faint diacetyl. Somewhat harsh, with a restrained bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with decent body but lacklustre carbonation - could be more effervescent. Quite astringent, with an aftertaste of fruity aroma hops, harsh stewed leaves and cardboard.
A reasonable brew, if not the best IPA I've ever encountered. Looks nice, though the aroma and flavour are a bit mixed. The aromatic hop notes are pleasant, but the malt is a bit weak and the taste hints at incomplete fermentation. The hop character suggests an American IPA in spite of the mild bitterness. Body is OK but texture could be better. I reckon that bottle conditioning with live yeast would improve this immeasureably; removing the diacetyl and softening the harsh notes. A decent enough tipple; worth sampling if you come across it.
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England
3.45/5 rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.45/5 rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Hand-pulled pint in the excellent 'Great Western' (Wolverhampton) on 6th Oct 2012.
Light golden body with a thin white head which surprisingly left some heavy lacing on my UK pint sleeve glass.
The nose and taste were all about the hops with the malts playing second fiddle in every aspect. The hops give the beer a citrus edge which also gave off a floral fruity feel in both the smell and flavours.
The body depth was about right and it came across a lot better than a lot of the 'golden, citrus, hoppy brews' the UK breweries seem to love at the moment.
Oct 25, 2012Light golden body with a thin white head which surprisingly left some heavy lacing on my UK pint sleeve glass.
The nose and taste were all about the hops with the malts playing second fiddle in every aspect. The hops give the beer a citrus edge which also gave off a floral fruity feel in both the smell and flavours.
The body depth was about right and it came across a lot better than a lot of the 'golden, citrus, hoppy brews' the UK breweries seem to love at the moment.
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