Long Sleeves
Slake Brewing

From a 473ml can dated 11/04/25. Poured into a pint glass. A bubbly tan head on a slightly hazy light amber brown. Good head retention. The head diminishes to a layer that sticks around. Sheets of fine lacing.

Faint caramel in the nose. Toasted malts up front. Some fruit. A moderately bitter hop finish.

Smooth. A medium/light body and good carbonation. Overall a fine drinkable ale.

Nov 1 2025

 

473 mL can from the brewery; coded Batch 270 and served barely chilled.

Pours a deep brownish-copper colour; holding the glass to the light reveals its clarity, as well as its brilliant reddish-orange highlights. Less than a finger of loose, frothy, bone white head collapses within a minute or two, quickly eroding down to a thin collar and patchy cap of suds. There's also some stringy lace deposition; looks fine so far. Toasted grains, toffee, bready malts and digestive biscuit on the nose, alongside hints of earthy, tea-leafy hops.

A flavourful, light, English-style ale - my first impression reminded me of Honkers Ale, but better. Malt-forward early on, with toasted grains, bready malts, toffee and biscuit giving way to candied citrus peel and plum skin by mid-sip. Finishes much more bitter than it initially lets on - earthy, herbaceous hops and leafy black tea bitterness dominate the tail end, eventually receding into a bittersweet aftertaste. Light in body, with moderate carbonation that adds some low level prickliness to this brew's smooth mouthfeel. Amazing drinkability.

Final Grade: 3.95, a B+. Long Sleeves is billed as an amber ale, so naturally, I assumed they meant American amber. It's clear that I was mistaken - this is definitely an English-style bitter. The implication seems to be that, in spite of my own fondness for these styles, English bitters (and British-style ales in general) aren't necessarily all that popular with the younger beer geek crowd - so much so that Slake thought this might sell better if they denoted it as an amber. Alright, that's enough inner monologue... I really liked this bitter, and you should try it too.

Amber coloured body, some English hop bitterness, quaffable bitter. OK for lower abv, but I got a sour sample, maybe the glass contained a sour beer earlier?