Coniston Bluebird XB

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

Now for the correct rating of this. Deep, slightly hazy gold, slight head fades. American hop aroma from the Mt. Hood, lots of pine. Flavor is dirty biscuit, some pine and citric hop, and some wateriness. Yeast flavors are evident, but not tasty. Not too good.

Large offwhite head, good retention with a fair amount of stringy lacing. Good clarity, light copper color. Faint spiceyness in the nose, orangey. Maybe a touch of malt. Light bodied and crisp. Light biscuity malts and light spicey hop flavors, a bit fruity also. Finish is dry, fruity. A timid little guy.

Bottle shared with blankboy, HogTownHarry and GregClow - courtesy of blankboy. Light yellow, small white head. Grapefruit aroma, lots of strong citrus hops in there. All grapefruit taste, but soft enough and balanced with some light mal - I quite liked it. Struck me as much more American than British. A soft lingering bitterness. Subtle spiciness. A great session ale and in good shape in the bottle

Bottle shared with blankboy, HogTownHarry and tupalev - courtesy of blankboy. Slightly hazy orange colour with a decent white head. Aroma is nice, with some resin notes - a good combination of the UK and US hops in there. Flavour is fairly hoppy, but kind of spicey as well, almost like a cross between a pale ale and a Belgian wheat. Not bad.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow & tupalev. Pours a clear dark gold with a large white fizzy head. Aroma has a strange blend of hops and soap but somehow it works. Flavour of fruity malt, citrus hops and cilantro. Clean and smooth finish. Doesn’t taste like a U.K. Ale, it’s definitely closer to an American Ale in style. A pretty good beer.

Bottle (500ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow and tupalev - courtesy of blankboy. Poured hazy dark gold with a decent white foamy head. Very interesting blend of American and British hops - very resiny and pungent, but strangely has an ashy belgian blond character to it too, with pepper and coriander. Taste followed the nose, only somewhat muted and more soft and balanced. Mouthfeel is very lively - overall I thought it a great spicy belgian / american-hop-influenced bitter. Unusual.

Orange in colour and a fair amount of carbonation with a medium head, on looks it could easily pass for a lager. Nice hoppy aroma and the body is lightly hoppy with fruity notes...mainly apricot and citrus. Good summery beer.

"English Pale Ale With American Aroma Hops" is the "sub-title" on the label of my bottle. The label where it calls itself a bitter. Like the one on the picture of the RB page where it’s called "A Golden Ale/Blond Ale," right above the description where it reads it’s a "Stronger version of Bluebird"... even though both weigh in at a 4.2% abv.
Is it any wonder we beer drinkers are such confused mortals?
Actually, I would have pegged it for an almost APA, had I not been so clearly informed otherwise. Pale orange in body with lazy carbonation and a tall fizzy head, it has a toffee-ish aroma neatly blanketed by a cloud of soft orange blossom and grapefruit scents... with a sprinkling of pine. The mouthfeel is light and spritzy. The flavor is sweet caramel with just a touch of the hop bitterness that was advertized to the nose. It’s got a fairly clean, slightly sweet finish. Not a bad whatever-it-is.

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