Castle Eden Ale
Castle Eden & Camerons Brewing Company Ltd

Bottled, sadly not bottle conditioned rather purchased as part of a traditional ale gift set
Pours a clear amber body with good white head
Aroma is good. Good malty malty aroma
Flavour is malt then barley sugar

 

Tasted by a pint at the Cross Keys, a JDW pub in the centre of the City area, London.

A: bright amber hue with great clarity but a very thin and dissipating beer head.
S:slightly tart, hayish and citrusy hops upfront, while a stronger scent of floral hoppyness prevails later, against a light-bodied maltiness.
T: slightly tangy hops, flowery as well as slightly herbal, like wild flower blossoms which one smells when doing country walking in spring time; a smooth flow of pale malts sustains at the back, mingling with the lingering but slightly flat-textured, dryish hoppyness in the end.
M&D: very light on the mouthfeel, underlined by a refreshingly dryish, zest-like texture constantly. Overall, this beer is slightly overly light-bodied, and could be even boring if not for the aftertaste which brings more pleasure of hops and all.

On cask @ Bon Accord in Glasgow.

Poured amber with a thick creamy head which left foam all the way down the glass. A fairly clean nose with faint malt. The taste was complex sweet malts with a subtle hop character but it was the malts running the show. It reminded me more of a 70/- than an English pale ale. Nice creamy mouthfeel.

Overall a decent pint - maltmen will enjoy.

NERAX 2004
It pours a golden amber with a smallish mixed bubbly and foamy head.
A smell of dried cracked malt has a light aroma of cut hay. A whiff of hops follow, as does the smell of seasoned split white oak.
The mild flavor of dry malt is upfront and constant. A black tea-like flavor mingles and blends with a nice woody oak taste.
The fruit notes listed on the program guide arrive, ever so slightly, towards the end of the glass. It finishes dry and clean. Mighty drinkable!

NERAX 04

Reddish copper with little head. Nice fruity aroma, like a bruised, overripe apple. More fruity tones in the malt. Not much carbonation. Drying finish, with a touch of phenol.

Downright chilled. I don't know how in a room full of casks on a warm evening this can seem so cold, but it does.

Sampled on cask at NERAX.

This ale poured a hazy amber color with some white foam (a decent amount of foam despite very little sparging from the hand pump). The smell was nice with some fruitiness and floral hops, though mild. The taste was a very pleasant mild malty flavor with notes of fruitiness and mild hoppiness. Relatively clean, but with a lightly lingering flavor. The mouthfeel was smooth and dry with medium body and low carbonation feel. Very drinkable and enjoyable.