Duchy Originals Organic Ale

Brewed by Wychwood (Refresh UK - Marstons plc)
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Witney, England

Biggish yellowish head. Slightly hazy brownish amber body with small floaties. Fruity wooden perfumy aroma. Sharp dry-sweetish fruity wooden taste with toffee, perfume, and metal notes. Sharpish mouthfeel. Fullish body. Dry citric fruity wooden aftertaste with lingering perfumy notes. Meaty, papery notes linger. Not bad, but not great, either. (0.5l bottle, from some corner store in Copenhagen. BBD 2009-04-13.)

Bottle. Pours golden with lots of carbonation and a light head. Aroma has earthy hops with a crisp grain malt bill. Flavor has crisp grain malt (biscuit), spicy – earthy hops. Very IPA like in an English way. Crisp medium body with a nice bitter finish. Nothing spectacular but a decent brew.

Poured with a creamy tan head over a mid-hazed, coppery/orange body. Aroma finds soapy florals over dusty grains. Sharp sourness emerges later with an earthen/herbal tilt. A smooth palate carries an unassuming bittersweet flavor to a sweet & sour finish with light vegetal notes. Not bad... simply nothing much.

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(Bottle 50 cl) Very dark amber, very hazy with almost no head. Nutty, lightly sweetish aroma. Rather dry with notes of nuts and caramel - weak yeasty flavour. A quite exciting brew. 030905

sharp, malty, skunky aroma. amber color. small lasting white head. small amount of toasted caramel tasting malts. light bitter hop finish. this isn’t bad. wychwood’s best brew.

500 ml bottle. Clear,dark amber body with a medium but dense off-white head. Aroma is light malty, slightly burnt caramel and floor sealing. Flavor is sweet malty and caramel with a discreet bitterness. Medium body, quite smooth but rather boring.

500 ml bottle purchased from City Market, Burlington (Feb 2006). Served a bit above cellar temp in a Sam Smiths pint. Wow, a new beer on the shelves that’s not from New England! Those in areas less benighted for bottles can appreciate how exciting this might be, and whoah! it’s something I haven’t even heard of! I look it up...oh, crestfallen. Wychwood. Sigh. Well, let’s have a go anyway....

Pours very, very clear light amber with no trace of yeast visible, though the website implies that it’s bottle-conditioned....a decent bit of off-white head, dies very quickly into a couple of millimeters of coating....nose is really indistinct, just hints of dry caramel and a faint touch of oak....once in the mouth, it’s actually quite pleasant and quaffable, with a mild hint of bitterness growing towards the dry (and unfortunately, slightly metallic) finish....oaky and smooth, lightly sweet at the front, just a nice pleasing full but never heavy mouthfeel....it’s no great shakes overall, but better than I had expected from this brewer.

Label actually states English Ale, but I’m reasonably assured that it is a marketing thing for here in the states. Bright copper color with a moderate, but stable ecru head. Wet floor malt, and mild hops of mild herb in the aroma. Nothing that excites the schnoz. I saw this was a Wychwood brew and cringed slightly as I placed it in my basket. Forgot about it until I tasted and the memories flooded back. Nutty malt mixes with mild alcohol. Dry hopsack flavors add little to balance. THere are some nice floral flavors in the middle, but they are swept away by a dry caffeine bitterness. Gets sweeter as you progress.
Earlier Rating: 9/26/2005 Total Score: 3
Label actually states English Ale, but I’m reasonably assured that it is a marketing thing for here in the states. Bright copper color with a moderate, but stable ecru head. Wet floor malt, and mild hops of mild herb in the aroma. Nothing that excites the schnoz. I saw this was a Wychwood brew and cringed slightly as I placed it in my basket. Forgot about it until I tasted and the memories flooded back. Nutty malt mixes with mild alcohol. Dry hopsack flavors add little to balance. THere are some nice floral flavors in the middle, but they are swept away by a dry caffeine bitterness. Gets sweeter as you progress.