Coniston Bluebird XB

Brewed by Hepworth
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Horsham, England

Opaque light amber with small milky head. Tart and musty aroma with apple, caramel malt, herbal hops. Very tart and quite watery. Little in the way of hop flavor. Not much in the way of malt flavor. Not so great.

Bottle. Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is medium amber. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain), moderately hoppy (grapefruit, apricot). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Not much to say.

Thanks Jesse. This one pours amber honey color a froth that creeps up a couple fingers then recedes slowly to a full downy canopy with some snail tracks down the glass. The lacing lingers the whole drink. Mild aromatics ply softly. Medium nectar with ample residual effers. The texture is quite creamy though. Flavorwise this brew is a classic bitter. Fresh hop flavors kill my palate and leave a stinging bitterness. With only a mild malt profile this brew has complexities ranging from citrus to caramel and butterscotch. The finish is bittered well leaving a parched smile on my face. I don’t understand the Golden Ale label from RB. If you are looking for a complex ale with full bittering, this is it.

Bottle. Golden with a small head. Aromas are yeasty, dry and woody. Hoppy with citrus and some caramel. Flavours are biscuit malts with dry, earthy, woody notes. Yeasty with bitter lemon. Dry on the finish. OK.

Gold color, small lingering head. Slight aroma of malt and straw. Significant carbonation, somewhat rich body. Amber malts, floral hops, not too big or bitter but rather easy drinking and tasty.

Tap @ YNWA, Kolding. Pours a clear golden yellow with a small creamy white head that turns into a thin film. Aroma is lightly hoppy, some pine appearing. Okay round mouthfeel. Flavour is light bitter, grassy, pine hops give good dryness. Fresh and light.

Very drinkable, and nice and dry. Decent level of carbonation, nothing to complain about. Sadly I think this has sat a little too long, and the british ale yeasts are never really meant to hang out in the bottle too long. Thus, it has a slight funky aroma and flavor that comes from breakdown of the yeast. The american hop profile is really subdued - in a good way. I’d really like to have this one on cask, within 50 miles of the brewery - I bet its killer. Cheers up to low alcohol british brews with american finishing hops, I would love to see even more of this.

Bottle. Amber body, nice white head, fruity hoppy nose. Fruity, hoppy body, not herbal/earthy like so many English beers (presumably due to the American aroma hops). Very quaffable.