Black Sheep Riggwelter (Bottle)

Brewed by Black Sheep
Style: Old Ale
Ripon, England

(Sample Date: 7/24/2009 Source:Other) 500 ml bottle. Aroma of caramel with some roast and toasty malts. Clear amber brown with large fluffy head. Lightly sweet flavor of caramel with just a hint of roastiness and earthy hops. Dry finish that is lightly bitter.

500ml bottle from the local store near my dad’s place in Norwich, drunk 26th Dec 09. Deep reddish brown with a diminishing magnolia head. Full bodied with a caramel malt flavour. Some fruitiness and herbs too. Long bitter finish. Coats the mouth well. Better than many bottled beers of this sort.

Bottle. Pours clear dark amber with a bubbly beige head that quickly settles to surface cover. Aroma has notes of sweet malt, dark fruit, brown sugar and cherries. Flavour is quite malty and not as sweet, has notes of dark chocolate, cherries, cloves, anise and malt. Smooth, almost oily, mouthfeel with minimal carbonation and a fairly bitter finish. Overall a very nice, slightly unusual old ale.

THOUGHTS: It might have been a little skunked or at least a little past its prime. Not as flavorful as most old ales. A little thin too. Probably not skunked. Not the best old ale, but a nice beer. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, light to medium brown with dark amber highlights and an average to large, creamy, tan head that mostly diminished and left good lacing. The aroma was moderate to heavy dark bread and caramel malt; slight milk chocolate; light herbal hops; light to moderate earthy yeast; banana, a little sour fruit; and sugar water. The initial flavor was rather sweet, slightly sour and a little bitter; while the finish was sour and a little bitter with an average to long duration. There was caramel malt, a little maple syrup, fruit, yeast, metallic hops, sugar water, and a little herbal hops. It would have been cloying if not for the dry bitter finish. Nice balance. The nearly medium body was fairly oily and then dry with soft yet tingly carbonation and a moderate to heavily astringent and slightly chalky finish.

Creamy, tan head that is a little oily. The retention was surprisingly short. Beautiful mahogany color. Aromas is a sweet malt. On the initial taste, the malts were not as pronouced as expected, however the mid-palate carried strong, dark malts and dried raisins. A lot going on in this beer through the mid-palate. Bitterness really comes through on the finish, although the finish left quickly, leaving sweet tar flavor on the lips, and a tingly, viscous feeling. Because of its style and origin, i would serve this with a hearty beef stew.

bottle from work. dark red brown colour, beige head, little lace. meaty, roast coffe aroma with a big chunk of chocolate. sweet malty flavour, with even more chocolate, well balanced and good alcohol, lovely fine bitter finish. gorgeous beer.

Pours brown with a big beige head. Aroma of roast and caramel malt. Flavor is roast malt, chocolate, with a long bitter finish.

Serving: 500 ml. bottle. Appearance: Brown with garnet highlights. Foamy, light tan head. Decent lacing left behind. Aroma: Vinous notes, raisin, caramel, and a slight metallic note. Not terrible, but not stellar either. Flavor: A little fruitiness, caramel malt, slight roasted notes, herbal hops, and perhaps a slight burnt note. Something I can’t quite place. Palate: Smooth, medium-low carbonation with a medium mouthfeel. Long, bitter and roasty finish. This one had odd aftertaste that seemed to stick to my mouth. Not exactly pleasant. Overall: Decent flavor at first, but the lingering bitter aftertaste that wouldn’t go away really dragged this one down. Okay, but certainly not worth seeking out, especially since you pay a premium for this one to be shipped across the pond.