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It's always sad when a brewery closes and great beers disappear. The beers sometime resurface and are only a pale shadow of their former selves. But here's case of a fine beer recreated with great care and skill.
Old Bob, named after a former head brewer, came from Ridley's near Chelmsford in Essex. In 2005 the brewery was bought by Greene King when the Ridley family sold up. Old Bob has been retained and I'm
pleased to re-aquaint myself with this succulent brew.
Ridley's, Old Bob Strong Premium Ale (England) 
Old Bob is brewed with Maris Otter pale malt (75%), crystal malt (12.5%) and torrefied wheat (12.5%). It has 45 colour units. The hops are Fuggles and Goldings for bitterness with Styrian Goldings used in the hop back after the copper boil for additional aroma (35 bitterness units). The level of crystal malt used is extremely high and accounts not only for the bright amber colour of the beer but also a persistent barley sugar note, from the aroma through to the finish. The nose has a big spicy hop character, balanced by sultana fruit and wholemeal biscuits. Spicy hops, tangy, tart fruit and juicy malt dominate the palate while earthy hop resins combine in the finish with dried fruit and biscuity malt. The beer is available in branches of Asda, Londis, Morrison and Sainsbury's.
Malt: high. Hops: moderate. Fruit: high. 5.1% ABV, 50cl, �1.49-�1.73  |  |
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