Ale Mary
RCH Brewery

Ale MaryAle Mary
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From:
RCH Brewery
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Winter Warmer
ABV:
6%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.86 | pDev: 10.36%
Reviews:
66
Ratings:
79
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 07, 2021
Added:
Dec 10, 2001
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
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Ratings by ElGallo:
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Rated by ElGallo from New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +3.6%

Nov 16, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.02 by Daneve76 from Australia

Jun 07, 2021
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Merry Mary Christmas 2017! I had a blast yesterday, drinking through a rich backlog of Flying Dog beers for New Beer Sunday (Week 670) & today is my day to delve into some Christmas beers.

From the bottle: "A beautifully executed bottle-conditioned ale"; "CAMRA Gold Medal 2001"; "Hand Brewed Ales"; "Ale Mary is bottle-conditioned by Wessex Craft Brewers. The ale, therefore, contains live yeast and matures naturally in the bottle, producing the sparkle and complexity of a cask conditioned ale. Store upright in a cool place and pour gently to avoid disturbing the natural sediment,"; "Ale Mary [-] A dark, rich spicy bottle-conditioned ale, resonant with Christmas seasonal flavours and designed to take the chill off the coolest winter night. Ale Mary has a warm and sweet aroma of cloves, coriander and ginger. The palate provides touches of rum, raisins and sultanas, with a dry fruity finish. This ale has been exclusively brewed for us by Paul Davey of RCH Brewery."

I have had my eye on this one for several weeks now at the FGBS & I finally pulled the trigger on Saturday during a Secret Santa beer exchange. Last Christmas, I ran through the Shelton Bros.' Bad Elf/Very Bad Elf/et al series & so I wanted to continue the Christmas tradition with some new (to me) beers that would be appropriate for the holiday. And so it begins!

I Pop!ped the cap, but I would have performed a gentle pour even without their warning simply because it came housed in a 0.5-liter bottle & that is more liquid than I want to play with at one time. I slowly decanted it from the bottle into the awaiting glass & then gave it a vigorous swirl. The resulting two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, light-tan head stood tall & then fell back, leaving stupidly great lacing in their wake. Color was Deep-Amber/Light-Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose smelled strongly of sour cherries! 8=O Amended: sour cherries plus cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg! 8=) Mouthfeel was medium, not overly carbonated as the label had suggested, but very smooth. The spices of cinnamon (especially), ginger (next) & nutmeg (least) were first & foremost, but the cherry was like a cherry bomb - it hid behind the spicy drapes & jumped out unexpectedly with a BANG! I am of English/German/Irish descent so a nip of kirschwasser was not unheard of at Christmas. In fact, my mother's maiden name is Kirsch, making it even more of an appropriate tradition. There were a couple of bottles still on the shelf when I left the other day & I may just snap them up - one to set aside for my annual beef (crock) pot roast & the other to have them put into a double-boiler on the flat-top at the FGBS! Mulled (or simply warmed), I would bet that this is fantastiche! The finish was dry and spicy, but it was the cherry tartness that really made it special. What a find for Christmas 2017!
Dec 25, 2017
Photo of GratefulBeerGuy
Reviewed by GratefulBeerGuy from New Hampshire

4.06/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Love bottle conditioning.

Dark amber color with a very lively, jazzy look. Massive, rocky and clumpy...sea foam style. Big time lace.

Aroma has a very nice malted cherries effect. Light grains and wheat as well. Smells very much like a belgian-style yeast with sour fruity notes.

The feel is full and jazzy, crisp but smooth. Flavor has a mild , malty taste, wicked crisp and lightly fruity. The hops are mostly herbal, maybe a bit spicy. It's very much like a straight ale with a Belgian edge in feel and flavor. A bit of booze in a subtle wat settles well over some of the fruity effects.

A bottle conditioned English ale is new to me....I dig it.
Apr 08, 2017
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Rated by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Reviewed in Roger Protz' CAMRA classic "300 Beers To Try Before You Die!" (and other books to come.)
May 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.72 by logicalparadox from New York

Sep 21, 2015
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Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

4.13/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Nice pour. Plenty of foam sitting on a medium gold brew. The foam ain't going anywhere soon but what's shrinking leaves lacing behind.

The smell is festive; spicy with some cinnamon, a bit of clove, and fruity ..cherry like flavour when I swish the beer in my mouth, dark fruit when I don't swish.

Medium body with lightish carbonation.

This is delicious.
Apr 09, 2015
 
Rated: 2 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Nov 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by jaydoc from Kansas

Dec 29, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 07, 2013
Photo of Suds
Reviewed by Suds from Missouri

3.39/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
This is a dark golden beer, the head is enormous, tall, puffy, and white. The scent of spice is immediately notable. Ginger and clove stand out. There is a bit of malt in the back as well, but the spice is predominant. The taste is moderately sweet...some yeas, and lots of spice. Again, ginger dominates, which gives the beer a warming sensation that is more than it's ABV would provide. Full in body and reasonably satisfying. This ale is solid and good, but I think it's more of a spice-bomb than necessary.
Sep 08, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by mrfrancis from Kentucky

Jun 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by LJWalker from Indiana

Dec 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by sneaks2210 from New York

Nov 17, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by harpus from Alabama

Jul 24, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by murraymj from Ohio

Jul 01, 2012
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: The beer is hazy caramel in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high white head that died down rather quickly, but left lacing down the sides of the glass, a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass and a thin layer of bubbles with some foamy patches floating on the surface.
S: There are aromas of fruity yeast in the nose—apples seem to stand out in particular.
T: The initial taste has flavors of fruity malts while the remainder and finish is dominated by ginger with some hints of cloves.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. No alcohol warming is noticeable.
O: This beer is quite unlike any other beers in the style but it is interesting and relatively easy to drink. The bottle conditioning makes this taste similar to a cask beer.
Feb 01, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by Caterwaul from Ohio

Nov 22, 2011
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Reviewed by Zimbo from Scotland

2.89/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Initially there was an encouraging fresh sugary smell when opened and it poured an appealing crystal brown colour with orangish highlights. Big one inch plus thick head. Starts out citrically fizzy and fairly sharp, almost with almosty champagnish acidity before thickening up and developing a degree of sappiness.
But then things get ugly as the beer takes on root beer/cola quality before being dominated by a cacophony of sharp spicy cinnamon and clove flavours which are just plain downright unpleasant. It may be well made but that didn't stop it from the indignity of the drain pour. Hope the fish liked it.
Oct 09, 2011
Photo of FanofHefe
Reviewed by FanofHefe from Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a Duvel tulip. Deep amber colored body, slightly hazy, with a bit of an orange tint. Big, dense, two finger light tan head that leaves some nice lacing.

The first word describing the aroma is spicy. Not an unexpected feature of a winter warmer. Starts very much like a hefeweisen/witbier with some coriander in the mix here as well. Some dark fruit lingers in the background.

Nice blend of flavors that follow the aroma. The spiciness is not overwhelming and combines with some plum and raisin on the fruity side. The coriander seems to merge with some clove and a bit of sweet maltiness.

Thin mouthfeel. This was recommended and I'm glad. Will be happy to revisit this in the winter months.
Jun 03, 2011
Ale Mary from RCH Brewery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 79 ratings