Hampshire Rose
Itchen Valley Brewery Ltd

 

Bottle-conditioned, picked up from the brewery's stall at the Farmer's Market in Andover, Hampshire. Four hops are used: Fuggles, Cascade, First Gold and Goldings, on top of Marris Otter malts and roasted malts. BB APR 09, served cool in straight imperial pint glass.

A: light amber in colour, healthy streams of tiny fizziness, with a well-lasting white pillowy head - looking good for a RAIB.
S: the hop mixture has the Goldings in dominance, a sweet edge of citrusness, a very fine and clean sour note almost like a well-lagered lager, rather fine but still noticeable roastiness from malts and burned sugar - overall the nose is clean and well-composed.
T: roasted malts give out a phenolic/smokey edge that is so impressive and ever-deepening... clean citrus fruitiness, earthiness and hop bitterness then join the chorus, leaving a substantially bitter, deep, chewy, and semi-phenolic finish.
M&D: absolutely fresh and lively effervescent on the mouthfeel, showing good attempts at bottle-conditioning; overall this is a very bitter Bitter, as the mixture of hops - despite leaving not a single type in dominance in flavour - does result in an impressive depth of bitterness with a phenolic twist.

A fitting rosey amber body was clear and inviting. Lasting bubbly head left rings of nicely formed lacing. Nice fresh hop aroma had a slight roasted air to it. Long herbal hoppy finish balanced nicely by the malt, smooth and tasty with roasty notes and a touch of fruit. Lots of flavor in this medium bodied pleasing beer. Itchen Valley is building a rep for making good beers, this one did not let down.

Pours golden amber in colour, with a white head that leaves beads of lacing down the glass.

The aroma is very weak. After a good swirl and a deep inhale, hoppy and malty notes are accompanied by a spicy finish.

Taste is much better. It is hoppy and malty, with a very sour and very hoppy citrussy aftertaste. Mouth-puckering.

Nice mouthfeel, moderate in carbonation, easy to drink.