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Coniston Brewing
 scrapes in
 decent
 good
 excellent
 sublime
Coniston Brewing, Bluebird Bitter (England) 
Bluebird is an ale made famous by the Coniston brewery in Cumbria, though the bottle-conditioned version tasted here is in fact brewed by the Refresh group in Oxford (home of Wychwood and Brakspear). It pours a light, attractive amber/gold, with a moderate white head that dissipates fairly slowly. On the nose it has very nice aromatics, with a tang of orange and lemon, some floral and leafy notes and a background of toasty malt. On the palate this is quite a viscous beer, that pours like a film over the tongue, and immediately offers nicely bitter hop flavours edged with crisp endive and citrus notes. It perhaps doesn't push through to the finish the way I'd like it too, tailing off slightly weakly, but keeping that tang and intriguing aromatic hint of complexity too. 4.2% ABV, 50cl, �1.69, Waitrose.  | |
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