Coniston Old Man Ale (Bottle)

Brewed by Hepworth
Style: Old Ale
Horsham, England

Head is initially large, fizzy/frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy dark amber, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (toasted bread, cookie), moderately yeasty (barnyard, horseblanket), lightly hoppy (orange, apricot), with a note of clove. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation. A cool, farmhousy bitter (old ale? um...no) that reminds me of Burton Bridge beers. Seemingly fermented with wild yeast...very horsey and barny. Delicious and well-balanced.

Pours dark chestnut red-brown with a huge, rocky brown-egg-colored head that fades to a half-inch layer of foam with moderate lacing. Aromas are rust, coffee, leather, ruby port, and alcohol. Taste is fruity-sweet but tart, reminiscent at first of juicy fruit gum, but then suddenly morphing to the banana-like flavor of diacetyl and tart fruit. Next came a bit of toasty, creamy malt, chocolate and then the heavy bitterness imparted by the challenger hops. Good finish, citrus fruit and yeast linger. Nice balanced mouthfeel.

Bottle. Nothing much wrong with it. Tasty without being very interesting. Slightly flowery. Medium bodied, with some slight smoke and toasty malt. Soft acidity, smooth, with a fruity/grassy finish. Pretty solid.

Bottle from Hogs Back. Pours red/chesnut with a fluffy white head. Aroma is malty and fruity. Flavour is rich malt, fruit, beefyness and bitterness. Richly flavoured and pleasent but with a strange off flavour that loses this some marks.

Aroma: Toffee in the nose, a little hop but not much else. Some pleasant fruity esters. Appearance: Crystal-clear, great looking beer. Amber with reddish highlights. Carbonation is adequate. Flavor: Very grassy hop flavor is dominant. This grassiness gives way somewhat to a metallic flavor. The flavor is mostly all grassy hop. Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, nice balance. Overall: Nice English ale, pleasing and solid, but lacks that "Wow" factor.

Pours a three-finger off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a ton of lace. Light carbonation, light to medium bodied. Color is a reddish/amber. Starts with some hoppiness more than I expected for a brown, finish is grassy that lingers. $3.50 for a 500ml bottle at Colonial Spirits, Acton, MA.

Wow, beautiful color of amber brown and thick white head. Nice light but sweet nose, very clean! Nice mouth feel with vigorous sparkle on the tongue. Light weight but nice cherry, and hop flavours with a carmel (subtle) background. Great summer beer!!!

Best before 12/20/04. Poured a medium sized off-white head that was fizzy with fine-medium sized bubbles that mostly diminished. Fast rising carbonation, transparent and an orange hue. Malty, hoppy, sweet and fruity nose. Malt, sweet and hoppy taste. Tingly mouthfeel. Medium bodied beer with decent lacing.