Bottle. This is rather more of a rusty red/brown colour than it is gold and pours with a thin, bubbly white head. Hoppy aroma with some caramel malt tones alongside. A decent balance of hop and malt in terms of flavour; somewhat floral and lightly bitter in the finish. What one would expect from SN in all fairness, but slightly sub-par in comparison to Spit & BF.

ASDA (to my knowledge this is Walmart in Britain) seems to have commissioned this brew at Shepherd Neame (brewer of such legends as ’Spitfire’ or ’Bishop’s Finger’ ...) ... Shepherd Neame do not hide the commissioning which is a good sign ... the smell is distinctive, with malty, nutty notes dominating ... the taste is nutty too, with hints of green vegetables (leek, spinach) ... a pleasant bitterness makes this a recommended drink ....

500ml bottle from Asda, Ashford. Amber with thin off white head. Why isn’t this golden? Bleached hop aroma with some toffee candy sugar. Some hop/malt balance in mouth. Some floral hop on finish. It’s alright. Got Shep’s yeast character. Can’t help but think that it’s a slightly tweaked Goldings Ale. Hop sting is pretty good on end, but only an ok bitter.

<500ml bottle from Asda, Earley.</i> Burnished gold with a thick cream head; typical Shep hoppy aroma - similar to Spitfire; slightly metallic malty body and a chewy finish. Not refreshing, and no trace of the promised citrus. Slightly disappointing.