J.W. Lees Ruddy Glow

(Cask at Eagle, Hoxton, London, 28 Nov 2007) Dark ruby colour with frothy, off-white head. Fruity, slightly sourish nose with notes of cowberries and spices. Fruity, spicy taste with cowberries, raspberries and caramel. A bit strange.

Cask handpump at The White Horse, Harborne, Birmingham. Copper with a good head. Scent is spicy with some sugars. Watery and sweet. Not much taste; just a hint of caramel. Dry end.

A Mes rate: Cask at Baker Street ’Sporks.
Amber brown with a slim off white head and lots of lacing. Sweet caramelly malt, aroma with some slight hops underneath. Full flavoured with a nice tobacco and malt finish.

Knickersby ’Spoons. Ruby pint with well-retained cream froth. Aroma is sourish and vinous with plenty of buttery vanilla. Flavour is more of the same with smooth berryish fruit, caramel, and red wine creaminess. Unusually well-conditioned and tasty back-to-back with 4 pints of Church. Enjoyed it.

[CASK: Ra!n Bar, Manchester 02/12/06] A good autumn ale that is more of a winterish ale I thought. A rich ruby ale with a pleasant finish of good flavour. Worth a try.

JDW, Eastbourne. Soft, frothy head. Autumnal. Damp leaves. A typical Autumn Ale - a splash of crystal malt. Slightly stale tasting. Not great.

Nov 07 Cask conditinoed @ Humble Plumb. Sweet caramel, heavy syrupy body. Poor. 2.3
Oct 06Cask conditioned @ Standing ORder (JDW), Soton. Nicely malty without being sweet or over the top. Robust bitterness which feels remniscent of autumn walks through woods surrounded by fallen leaves. Not much else to it but quite drinkable. 3.3

Cask at The Pilgrim’s Progress (JDW), Bedford. Orange-amber, slightly hazy. Small white head. Served chilled. Negligible aroma. Quite a nice, rich, fruity taste with early bitterness.