Liberation Ale
Daniel Thwaites Brewery PLC

Obtained this bottle from my roommate (and fellow BA) ldemaris. The bottled version is 5.2% ABV.

Thaites Liberation Ale pours an amber-gold color into my pint glass. Atop the clear liquid sits a 1/2" white head that quicky collapses into a soapy ring. Low carbonation, little lacing. The smell of this beer is a pleasant bit of moderate hoppiness, backed up with a mild sweet toasted aroma.

The taste of this beer reminds me of, oddly enough, Fat Tire. Toasted and biscuity flavors are present, along with a moderate hoppiness. The Golding hops compliment the malt quite nicely; this is one well-balanced bitter. The mouthfeel is light, crisp, and slightly dry; finishes with an herbal bitterness.

Overall, a fine English bitter, and something that would be quite sessionable. However, it appears I'll have to go to the UK myself to have another one.

Had this beer by a pint at my local Wetherspoon pub a fortnight ago. Can't really find more information about this beer on Thwaites' website in terms of why it's called Liberation, but I suspect it has to do with the VE Day or the sort.

A: clear, pretty reddish brown to ruby hue... tight, sponge-like, off-white beerhead sustains quite well, leaving a thick lace around the glass~~ exceptional for a cask-ale (esp. at a Wetherspoon!!).
S: a bit sour, freshly-cut grassy note and slightly woody mixed with a floral scent of hops upfront--quite straight-forward aroma of traditional English bitter.
T: wow... very different from the understated nose--very fruity and complex, well-structured palate in general: at the front there is faintly citrusy bitterness, starfruit juice, tannin taste of ooh-long tea leaves (after being chewed); a settled, deeply bittersweet nutty palate of dark malts prevails at the back, underlined by a well-sustained, mouthwatering, partially fermented tea-like, "dryish sweet" bitterness on the tongue (pardon my poor English...).
M&D: despite being medium-bodied, the flavour is so rich for a best bitter at just 4.5%abv. The mouthfeel turns from the initially lively, to a mellow and extremely lingering bitter aftertaste. It demonstrates what a quality and tasty English best bitter should be like (when served absolutely fresh), and I can definitely keep drinking this beer for several sessions.