Half Nelson
Daniel Thwaites Brewery PLC

Hand-pulled half-pint in the Montgomery's Tower, Shrewsbury on 19th Oct 2013.

Good deep golden hue to the body, on top a foaming white covering that hung around.

The aroma reminded me of a tropical punch or cocktail: fruity and inviting.

Nice blend of flavours, the hops give a bitter and dry feel to the taste, the malts a sweet undertone. Not a stand out brew, but pleasant enough and another Thwaites beer that is worth trying.

Enjoyed at my local Wetherspoon pub during the chain’s beer festival this month, served by a sparkler-fitted swan-neck pour in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: coming in a bright drak-amber colour, with a well-lasting creamy beige head with soft carbonation.
S: upfront comes a rich aroma of guava, citrus peel & ripe yellow grapefruit-like fruity notes, along with less pronounced pale malts in the background. Not complex but very pleasant.
T: the clean, nicely creamy & gristy pale malts & piney Chinook hops are integrated perfectly, leaving a lease of lemony, spicy, ripe grapefruit-peel-ish & mineral-ish hoppiness to linger well towards a long, moderately bitter & chewy finish. The bitterness comes clean but with a substantial body as well, accentuating in the long end to render an anchoring weight to round up each sip.
M&O: the mouthfeel is smooth & gently carbonated, against a medium-plus body and a superbly balanced but hop-lead flavour profile. The real ale yeast works so well in this brew with the simple-profiled malts, complex aromatic flavours & resins of hops. On cask really this is a hoppy golden ale that reminds me much of the modern take on the IPA style. A successful & quaffable brew in my book.