Duchy Originals Organic Ale

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

Amber beer with a nice lively, but small head. Good aroma of malt, apples and grass. Initially round flavour with a strong bitterness in the aftertaste, thanks to the good hops.

500 ml bottle. Clear orange-amber beer with a white head. Aroma is quite leafy with orange marmalade notes and a soft earthy character as well. There is a bit of cherry and a touch of celery as well. Lovely malt character. Very British tasting (perhaps unsurprisingly). Flavour also shows soft leafy hoppiness behind the sweet pale malt. Decent brew.

(500 ml bottle: $3.99 at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA) A really nice fruity nose is vibrant and expressive when the beer is first poured, but it quickly shows a bit of mustiness and then ultimately turns somewhat earthy, the fruitiness considerably diminished by that point. And in the flavor, the expected fruitiness (based on the initial aromas) never really jumps out like it does with the nose, but rather a nutty, earthy flavor offers a balancing presence, and the beer finishes late with a pleasant smokiness. The beer is mildly bitter, but certainly has a more floral character to it. And there are no unusual flavors, something I’ve come to expect with organic beers. Medium-bodied with average carbonation and a pretty easy-going mouthfeel. Clear, amber body is topped by a solid inch of beige-colored head. Not much lacing, but retention is pretty decent as there was still a thin layer atop the beer after my half-hour long phone call had ended. The nerve of people calling me when I’m rating a beer! Good beer, quite enjoyable, and it’s organic too!

500mL bottle purchased from LCBO in Toronto. Pours an attractive, slightly clouded dark copper. Very little head. Mild, typical English pale ale aroma. The flavour is also rather typically English - and decent. Mild hoppiness, well balanced, low carbonation.

Bottled from Sainsburys. Clear amber body, slight fruity nose, nice malt lingering finish.

Tasted 30/10/2008, 500ml bottle from Regionals, while tending to the pilot batch of Yeastie Boys ’Kid Chocolate’. Pours a hazy amber with a reddish hue. Sweet plummy stewed (oxidised) malt on the nose with a little floral ester and herbal/lemon hops. Same in the mouth, with a good malt depth and a nice balancing bitterness and full hop flavour. Suspect this would be a bloody lovely drop closer to home but it’s dropped off to a nice wee quaffer this far away...

Herbal and flowery nose...spritzy smelling. Tea colored with a firm, creamy white head. Malty-sweet with sweetbread and biscuits popping out and some butterscotch notes as well. Some hints of toffee and light caramel as well. Very mellow and almost hopless. A very easy drinker due to its watery feel ont he palate.

Bottle. Pours a mostly clear but lightly hazy copper color with a bright white foamy head. Nose is lightly floral hops with a light spiciness as well. Palate is full and smooth with a nice bite in the finish. Flavors of light piney and spicy hops with a light malty grain note.