Old Ale
Hepworth & Co. (Brewers) Ltd.

From a large brown bottle, this is a dark brown, sold beer with a frothy tan head. The head doesn't last very long. Dark fruit, chocolate, and nuts in the aroma. The taste is balanced slightly sweet, and the beer is full in body. Straightforward and enjoyable.

L- Very dark ruby-chestnut when held up to a halogen light. Clear, pours with 5mm tan head. Holds very well and forms lacing down the sides.
S- Toasty malts is all I get but it's pleasant.
T- Quite hoppy on the front, then into a darker roasty-toasty flavours with some coffee notes.
F- Dryer than expected at first, in fact it's hoppy dryness is quite pronounced, BUT it's certainly still a trad style. The body is quite light for the ABV% and taste.
O- I'd be fascinated to know what a fan of trad stout/porter made of this, to my inexpert palate there seems to be material cross-over. It might be the toastiest ale I've ever had, quite unexpected, blind-tasted I think I'd put money on it being a stout/porter.
500ml bottle BB: 28/11/2020. Bought for me from a shop, likely Waitrose, located between Brighton and Hove.
I learn from the lable description: the beer is a 'Sussex traditional winter brew'. It uses Admiral hops. And in a first for me 'this beer can be served slightly mulled'!? Well I likely had my first sip of mulled wine about 40 years ago, and have enjoyed it since, but mulled ale? Googling a recipe it's the equiv. of mulled wine/gluhwein for beer, ie stew gently with spices, cool, add heavy does of spirit (brandy in this case) and serve as a winter drink. Well I never, too roasty/coffee for me, but as is typical I learnt from drinking it.

 

Aroma: fruit, dark malts, a touch of chocolate, no strong hops, no roast. Appearance: Brown with ruby highlights, chestnut, ½” fluffy head, dissipates to film. Flavor: fruity dark malts, some roast in the background some chocolate, plums. Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium carbonation, creamy, no astringency. Overall Impression: weak on the alcohol and the malty esters – this is not a malty, estery vinous, sherry like rich old ale

Dark and clear , foamy beige head. initial sour aroma had me thinking the bottle was skunked. It is just the nature of, and adds to the character of the beer. Some molasses on the nose, but chocolate on the taste. Complex, as aroma is different from taste, but overall, well executed.

 

 

 

Actually, I have never heard of this English brewer prior to the time this bottle was purchased, but here goes ... it is a "traditional English ale brewed with Admiral hops that opens quickly in a froth that settles atop a dark ruby body. The color is a dark one. There are intense notes of plum and raisin. Meanwhile, the palate delights itself in a wash of malt with subtle chunks of hop. There is a nice balance that makes for a mild quaff and a superb sessional.

As the British would say: I am very ducky with this, old chap.

Poured from 500mL bottle into a Samuel Smith nonic.

Appearance: deep, dark brown hue with a clear body and a frothy tan head of moderate size and duraton.

Smell: Sweet but mild aroma of caramel, chocolate and dark roasted malts Hints of dark fruit including dried plums.

Taste: The flavor is mildly bitter, has more intensity than the aroma, has an obvious hop presence, and reflects more dark roasted malts. Lingering after taste with a touch of char and smoke. .

Mouthfeel: medium+ body with fairly soft, medium-low carbonation. Smooth.

Overall: A fine ale with plenty of dark malt flavor for one so low in ABV.

 

Appearance: Pours a clear tawny color with a rocky head; decent retention and just a smattering of lace

Smell: Toasty and husky, with toffee, tobacco and a hint of stone fruit

Taste: Nice range of malt flavors in the front end, with toast and grainy husk flavors complemented by toffee, tobacco and the hint of stone fruit; earthy hop and nut skin flavors arrive in the middle and there is some burnt sugar that lingers in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Not a classic Old Ale and really more like a Dark Mild, this is a very nice English style beer - hard to find many quality English beers these days

 

 

 

Appearance - quite unimpressive pour with no head whatso ever.

Smell - Has a very strong malt presence to it and some caramel notes.

Taste - Very British and very "old". Tastes like a beer I had back in 1800. Some hop crispness to balance the malt and flavor out.

Mouthfeel - very thin and watery and flat with no carbonation.

Overall - Very sessionable and light. Some good flavorings going on for the style and somewhat fulfilling. Needs a better head and carbonation. Feels like I'm on the otherside of the pond drinking this one.

Poured from 500mL bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich brown hue with a clear body and a good finger of frothy light-tan foam. Good.

Smell: mild but decent aroma of sweet, caramelly and nutty malt. There's a hint of musty fruitiness in there and it is good if a little bit low-intensity.

Taste: nutty, toasty and a bit biscuity, the flavor isn't quite as sweet as the aroma. The intensity of the flavor is better, though, and the autumnal warmth of the nuttiness well-complements the bitter chill and biting rain coming down outside.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a low but sufficient level of carbonation. Not precisely creamy, but it's got a decently satisfying mouthfeel.

Overall: I rather like this beer. It might not be something I'd have everyday, but it definitely has its place. It's well on the low side of the ABV spectrum for the old ales I've had, but I find it works well nonetheless.

16.9 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a dark mahogany, very clean. 1 finger head, quickly fading.

The nose is full of light chocolate malts, and has a general "fake chocolate" aroma. A little rust, faint port, and overripe cherry.

Very malty in flavor with that chocolate malt taking center stage. As it sits, it gets a little smokey with flavors of cigarette butts mixing in with the chocolate.

Very light in body, the mouthfeel is a little watery. There's also more carbonation than I tend to like in an Old Ale, but that's to be expected considering its bottled rather than on cask.

Not a lot of character to this beer, it is very light and drinkable. I don't know that I would seek out another, though the $1.99 price tag is nothing to quibble at (it's definitely worth the price). It strikes me as a beer that suffers from being bottled; I really think if I were to have it on cask, I would have an entirely different opinion.

Coming in a 500ml brown bottle, BB 04/06/2011, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: dark brown in colour, lightly carbonated, coming with a beige frothy pillow that lasts extremely well.
S: bready, brown-sugary, syrupy even, plus an extra touch of red bean paste but short of a real kick. Malty and roasty at its best, I think.
T: loose mouthfeel, bitter-sweet, malty and fruity with hints of raisins, dried blueberries & dates, followed by a light taste of roastiness as of burned nuts and aromatic bitterness of aromatic hops, while the aromatic molasses' notes linger as well.
M&D: lightly-carbonated, medium-bodied, pretty light on the mouthfeel but the flavour makes up for the lack of weight. This malty brew benefits from a good depth of hop bitterness and decent level of roastiness. Easy to enjoy though not to the point of being remarkable I'm afraid.

Dark, cola-brown with a very slight head of eggshell foam that quickly shrinks to a skim even after an aggresive pour. This beer looks exactly like a diet coke in the glass with a few bubbles stuck to the inside of the glass. The aroma is subdued and malty. Sweet malty flavors balanced with a mild tea-like bitterness and mineraly quality in the finish. Very light and mild bodied. A nice session ale, easy drinking.