England

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Beers 21 - 40 of 165:

Brancaster Brewery, Old Les (England) Made at the Jolly Sailors pub in Brancaster Staithe on the Norfolk coast, and brewed in memory of a celebrated local fisherman, this dark orange/gold beer has almost no head, with just a thin, off-white lacing. The nose is fruity and malty, lile a malt-loaf with some dark, marmalade tones. There's a suggestion of hops, but it is a dark, rich style. On the palate it has a fair degree of bitterness, with a smooth, but slightly thin texture, and no great staying power on the tongue. It is a quaffable beer, but rather disappointing overall. 5.0% ABV, 50cl, �2.60, Realaleshop.

Butts, Organic Golden Brown (England) (RP) People who know about these things tell me the voluptuous young lady on the label is a reference to a track called Golden Brown by a group called the Stranglers. The brewery�s founder, Chris Butt, is a keen Stranglers fan. He keeps his cards close to his chest where ingredients are concerned, revealing only that Golden Brown uses three malts and just one English hop. At present only Target is grown organically in England so I think we can assume the beer�s rich bitter and fruit note comes from that variety. The nutty aroma and flavour is probably due to the use of crystal malt while a light roasted note suggests a touch of darker grain: brown, black or chocolate. The amber beer has a pleasing rich malt, tart fruit, chocolate and pungent hop resins aroma. The full-bodied palate is dominated by biscuity malt and tart hops, while the long finish has nuts, a hint of chocolate, tangy fruit and dry, bitter hops 5.0% ABV, 50cl, �26.99 X 12, Livingbeer.com, Onlyfinebeer.

Camerons, Challenge Ale (England) A dark, amber ale with a "clever twist of orange", Challenge has a moderate and quickly disippating off-white head. There's nothing particularly "orangey" on teh nose, which is dominated by caramel malt and red plum fruit, with maybe a hint of marmalade. On the palate this is a fairly refreshing style, with a zesty twist that keeps it fairly crisp, and a fairly neutral but not unpleasant mouthful of lightly hoppy, lightly malty and reasonable bitter beer. 4.5% ABV, 50cl, �1.19, Booth's.

Camerons, Chocolate Ale (England) Unlike the pitch black, unctuous liquid that is the phenomenal 8.7% ABV chocolate stout from Brooklyn Brewery, this much lighter ale from Camerons pours a bright amber colour, with a moderately thick cream-coloured head. The nose has a distinct aroma of cocoa, with a toasty underpinning and very little hop character. On the palate this is much fresher than the US beer, with a citrussy orange flavour and again that definite chocolaty aspect, with a fairly crisp, light body and clean, malty finish. Nowhere near as blockbusting as the Brooklyn, but a very drinkable beer with a point of difference. 4.0% ABV, 50cl, �1.19, Booth's.

Camerons, Long Leg (England) This beer, named after the stilts tradditionally worn by hop-pickers to reach the highest fruit, is hopped and late-hopped with Fuggles hops. It pours a bright gold colour,with a fluffy, fairly persistent white head. On the nose it is very citrussy, with notes of lemon rind and a grassy, nettly quality. On the palate this has a crisp, refreshing texture, with a good bite of zesty, clean, bitter hops that races across the tongue. The mid-palate gives way to a little more of that racy lemon fruitiness, before the hoppy bite and a little underpinning of sweet malt takes over the finish. A very suppable beer with a bit of character 4.8% ABV, 50cl, No known UK stockists.

Camerons, Nimmo's XXXX (England) This 4.4% ABV light golden beer was made by Whitbread up until in 1966, but has been revived by Camerons. It has a nicely hoppy nose (Goldings hops) with quite a bright, floral, leafy, nettle and citrus peel quality. On the palate this has quite low carbonation, and that sense of crispness and well-balanced, bitterness and fresh, fruity flavours follows through. A touch of smoothing malt completes the picture of a very nicely drinkable beer that almost sneaked fours stars. 4.4% ABV, 50cl.

Camerons, Strongarm Ruby Red Ale (England) The colour does what it says on the tin, with a creamy off-white head that disippates quite quickly. The nose is overtly malty, with a caramel character and some plummy fruit. There's a little sweet note of honey too. On the palate this is quite smooth and rich. It has a pleasing weight to it, with fruity flavours and quite a crisp, refreshing character. There's a slightly metallic note right in the finish, but a bit of hoppy bite too, leaving this as a pretty good session beer without setting the heather on fire. 4.0% ABV, 50cl, brewery website.

Camerons, Trophy Special (England) Originally brewed at the Castle Eden brewery, Trophy Special pours quite a deep amber/gold, with a moderately creamy white head. On the nose there�s a caramel and malted biscuit character, with a herbal quality and a note of something mineral before more burnt, toasty malt character. On the palate this medium-bodied beer is very crisp and fruity with lots of bright cherryish fruit and a sharp, citrus tang. The malt is much less obvious than the nose suggests, adding a subtle creaminess on the finish. 4.0% ABV, 50cl, �1.00, Booth's.

City of Cambridge Brewery, Parker's Porter (England) Named after Parker's Piece in Cambridge, this beer pours a very dark ruby colour, with a tight, quite quickly dissipating tan-coloured head. There's a real fruitiness on the nose of this Porter, with blackcurrant notes and a nutty, moderately chocolaty depth beneath. On the palate it is really quite crisp and very dry. There is a weight to the texture in the mouth, and plenty of dark roasted, coffee and chocolaty malt flavour, but a fresh, fruity, raspberry and citrus juiciness refreshes the finish. 5.3% ABV, 50cl, �2.29, brewery website, Onlyfinebeer.

Coors UK, Fine Light Beer (England) Not the same beer as the US-brewed Coors Light, but a higher-strength beer created and brewed in the UK at Coors Burton plant - the ex-Bass brewery. Crispness and freshness is what this is all about, down to a device on the rear label that changes colour when the beer is chilled to ice cold. The colour is a light, lemony gold with a white head. There are aromas of pear and citrus, with an estery banana note and very subtle malt. On the palate it is lemony and fresh, with a smooth texture, a rather insipid mid-palate, and a crisp, thirst-quenching finish. It's a decent lager that does its job well. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, �1.29, Onlyfinebeer, quite widely available.

Curious Brew, Admiral Porter (England) Curious Brew is a beer range released by Chapel Down winery in Kent, brewed at the Beer Station by brewer Andy Hepworth and Chapel Down's winemaker Frazer Thompson. This Porter is brewed with Sussex grown barley and Admiral hops and pours jet black with a hint of ruby at the core, and a high, creamy tan head. On the nose there's a deliciously alluring darkness of Pontefract cakes, singed toast, and inky-dark damson skins. The beer is aged in oak, but there is no noticeable vanillin influence, just it is a very soft and harmonious beer on teh palate with a pillowing softness of burnt, chocolaty and dark toffee flavours and medium-to full-bodied texture. The bittersweet hoppy bite really kicks in, adding a chicory note on the finish. A lovely, balanced and characterful beer this, and well worth seeking out. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, �1.49, brewery website, Onlyfinebeer.

Curious Brew, Brut (England) Curious Brut is brewed from barley and wheat malts, Saaz and Cascade hops, and undergoes a secondary fermentation using Champagne yeasts. I presume this is done in tank (or maybe barrel) as the label doesn't declare the beer as bottle-conditioned. It has a glowing gold colour and quite creamy, off-white head. It has a real summer meadow nose, with lots of grassy aromas and little floral hints, with just a touch of toffee. On the palate it has plenty of body and textural richness, with more of that sweet, toffeed attack, a vivid fruitiness, and then a very nice bittering hop quality kicking in. Long and very easy to drink, this is another fine effort if a touch too sweet for me. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, �1.49, brewery website, Onlyfinebeer.

Curious Brew, Cobb IPA (England) This beer is brewed with a rare Kent hop called Cobb, known for its aromatic qualities, and is hopped at four stages of the brewing process. It pours a dark golden amber colour with a thick, pillowing cappuccino-coloured head. The nose is tantalising and delightful: a really deep-set marmalade and honey character, with plenty of fudge-like depths and vinous, red fruit notes beneath. On teh palate it is thick and smooth, with a fine bitterness immediately taking charge. There's a raciness to the acidity in this beer, and a weight and breadth of chocolaty, caramel flavours on the mid-palate. A certain sweetness is present too, but it is the chicory and endive-like bite of the hops that wins in the end in a fine beer. 5.6% ABV, 33cl, �1.49, brewery website, Onlyfinebeer.

Daleside, Ripon Jewel (England) Harrogate-brewed Ripon Ale is described as a "Full bodied deep amber ale", and each purchase generates some money for the preservation of Ripon Cathedral. Dark Amber, with a thinnish off-white head that disippates quite quickly, the nose has a light, quite floral character, with peaty, malty notes and some honey, and a touch of nettly hops. On the palate it is smooth though medium-bodied, but with a powerful, quite winey flavour, with plenty of fruity, spicy, warming malt flooding the mid palate, a touch of caramel sweetness, and enough hoppy grip and acidity to leave the finish clean and crisp. 5.8% ABV, 50cl, �1.79, Fabeers, Sainsbury's.

Daleside, Yorkshire Bitter (England) This bitter pours quite a dark gold, with a thinnish off-white head. The nose is a touch musty at first, but that blows off and a malty, slightly treacley character emerges, with a snese of honey and richness, though no real hop presence. On the palate it is nicely bitter, with any sweeter malt and fruity notes buried under herbal and nutty flavours and a balanced, if restrained, hop quality. A very drinkable bitter this, that may not be complex, but is delicious. 4.5% ABV, 50cl, brewery website.

Darwin Brewery, Rolling Hitch India Pale Ale (England) (RP) Darwin's interpretation of a 19th-century India Pale Ale is brewed with pale malt only and uses Amarillo hops from the United State. The beer, named after a traditional shipping knot, has a superb aroma of hop resins, tart fruit and biscuity malt, with tangy citrus fruit and bitter hops in the mouth, and a long, dry, bitter and fruity finish. It's one of the finest interpretations of an IPA I have tasted for some time. 5.2% ABV, 50cl, �1.68, Asda.

Double Maxim, Samson ESB (England) A great brown ale name once brewed by Vaux, and now by the revivalists at Double Maxi, under Vaux's old head brewer. It pours a golden/brown colour with a thick creamy head. The nose has a really punchy brightness of red fruits and hops, with plenty of burnt, toasty notes filling in. On the palate it is medium-bodied, with a nice chewy texture and full, broad palate of bold, citrussy fruits mellowed by toast and a touch of toffee. 5.0% ABV, 55cl, �1.69, Sainsbury's.

Duchy Originals, Organic Ale (England) Made for the Price of Wales' Duchy Originals brand by Wychwood brewery, this has a deep amber-coloured ale with a thick, creamy off-white head. On the nose it is very tangy with grassy hops and nettly qualities, and a nice suggestion of background toasted oats and malt. On the palate it is a thick-textured, luxuriously creamy beer, with very forward bittersweet hop flavours and a certain biscuity richness. This beer has lots of bitterness and toast into the long, well-balanced finish, and is a very tasty beer indeed. 4.5% ABV, 50cl, �1.79, Booth's, Waitrose, independents.

Duchy Originals, Organic Summer Ale (England) A little lighter than the regular Duchy's Ale, and has been brewed, according to Wychwood, who brew the Duchy ales, with "more than a nod to the hop". It pours a light to medium gold, with a moderate white head. The nose is immediately filled with citrus and nettles, with bright, forward, hop and fruit notes, and an almost spearminty lift. On the palate a creamy body plays against a really dry, bittering hop character that has lots of green, grassy notes and a nice pear and ripe apple fruitness. Quite uncompromisingly dry on the finish, this is another winner from Duchy Originals. 4.7% ABV, 50cl, �1.69, Waitrose.

Duchy Originals, Organic Winter Ale (England) Launched in 2005, this brew from Duchy originals (brewed for them by Wychwood) is stronger and darker than their popular Organic Ale, and is brewed using First Gold hops from Hereford and Target hops from Kent, as well as organic barley, rye and oat malts. It pours a very deep and vibrant ruby, with a good cream-coloured head. It has a really lovely nose: a sumptuous mélange of burnt toffee and dark chocolate, with orange and red fruit aromas, and a nice stripe of nettly hops. On the palate it is full, creamy and rich, with immediately bitter flavours of oily hops but also a bittersweet dark chocolate. It has lovely body through the mid-palate, and finishes with spice and hints of dried fruits in abundance. A lovely winter beer. 6.2% ABV, 50cl, �1.89, Waitrose.