Hicks
St. Austell Brewery

Perfect pint. Very refreshing, but not watery.

 

 

 

Bottled and bottle conditioned and part of an Asda grocery delivery
Pours a pretty clear burnished bronze tinted amber coloured body with nice tight if slender white head
Aroma is caramel and spiky yeast
Flavour is butter toffee for microwave popcorn and pewter
Nice balanced body

New review in April 2025 as I think my original cask pint was past its best (see below).

500ml brown glass bottle.
L: Clear, chestnut colour with one finger of short-lived, bright white head that collapses to a ring.
S: Caramel.
T: Black toffee and biscuit. Moderate to high bitterness.
F: Full body, slick mouthfeel, astringent finish.
O: A full-bodied, strong-tasting Cornish ale. Still assertive but definitely cleaner and fuller than my original tasting. A sipper. Tastes and feels stronger than 5%.
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On draught at the Golden Lion pub in Port Isaac, Cornwall.
L: Chestnut colour with a light haze and one finger of cream head that lasts to the end and leaves sheets of lacing 4.0
S&T: Rich and malty. Lots of dried fruit 3.25
F: Body is just a tad lightweight 3.25
O: An assertive English strong ale. A bit hard work though. Might be near the end of the barrel? 3.0

Look: Rich amber ale.
Smell: Hoppy, malty aromas.
Taste: Rich malty, hoppy bitter taste.
Feel: Bitter on the palate with plenty of flavour.
Overall: A great ale.

L: Dark amber colour, a little head
S: Faint toffee, not much else
T: Tropical fruits, toffee
F: Medium-to-full bodied, balanced carbonation

O: 4.25

Pours a clear copper color with a small top of beige head that dissolves quickly.
Aroma is of bread, toffee, dried fruits and nuts.
Taste is malty with notes of bread,caramel and coffee. Some slight dried fruity notes in the pallate as well. Finish has some slight bitterness allong with toasted background. Good lenght on the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. An absolutely decent and drinkable strong ale.

 

L- Deep copper-chestnut, clear, pours with thin 2mm off white super-fine bubble head. The foam cap sustains remarkably well.
S- A light bready aspect.
T- Blind tasted I might have concluded this is a trad Best Bitter. The hops are trad and quite bold. There is sufficient malt following alongside to give it balance.
F- I can imagine this having broad appeal (amongst those who don't need youthful drama in a glass). Versatile too as it's quite 'filling' yet bright enough to not jade the palate.
O- Entirely pleasant, well balanced, no-nonsense trad English ale. The ABV% of the one I'm having is 5.0%. The lable describes this as 'Traditional strong Cornish Ale'. With the word 'strong' emphasised (see pic^). Come on, 5%; strong? Hahaha!
Bought from Asda, 500ml bottle £2.10 BB 05/2024

500 ml bottle conditioned, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.0%. Clear copper colour, moderate to small off-white head. Aroma of toffee, caramel and malts, hints of dark berries. Malty flavour, notes of caramel and burnt toast, alcohol is evident. A slight sweetness, hints of dark berries again. Moderate bitterness in the finish.

 

 

 

Dark and intense copper, with ruby edges. One finger of foam, quickly falling down.
Malty smell, orange marmelade, quince. Fruit. Even some dry fruits.
A lot of orange marmelade in the taste, along with a lot of malt. A bit boring, but ok.
Average body, malty aftertaste. Some bitterness, root-like.
Not a great drinkability, but ok.

Classic and old.

Bottle conditioned. Chestnut in colour. Quite a deep and lasting frothy head. Gentle effervescence.
Fruity malt aroma.
Rich and complex mix of toffee malt, autumn fruits and English hops.
Medium to full body. The conditioning is very good.
A really nice old school English Strong Ale.