RCH Ale Mary

Brewed by RCH
Style: English Strong Ale
Weston-super-Mare, England

Weston-Super-Mare is one of the places where Pommy retirees go to die. Drinking this wouldn’t be a bad way to go. Poured a cloudy amber colour with a thick head and some lace. Aroma has cloves, yeast and caramel. Complex flavour profile. Rum and raisins, spices and a big warming finish. Found this improved as it warmed, but I found the spices ultimately cloying. That said, it’s one of the most distinctive and challenging ales I’ve come across recently. (Bottle)

A cloudy bronze color with a thick creamy head and nice silky lacing. Nose of aforementioned spices along with apricots and fig, rich nutty malts. The flavor is sweet and floral with a meaty bouquet of an apple and pumpkin pie blend along with sweated shallots. Yeasty tang with a creamy vanilla & roasted sesame see oil finish. Very thorough spiced beer. Well thought out and tasty to boot!

orange peel, cloves, and nutmeg dominate the nose; light, fruity body with substantial spicing as above with notes of cinnamon and yeast, perfumey and dry; too many spices going on here, and it’s like drinking nectar of potpourri; yikes

Quite frankly, I don’t really see why the overall rating is so low. I really enjoyed this beer, as it is really one of the closest approximations of a cask ale I’ve got out of a bottle. It pours a lovely dark reddish-brown, with some sediment in it. The scent is of Christmas pudding, with ginger and cinnamon and cloves. The flavour is essentially the same, with a dry sweetness of raisins and candied ginger. Fantastic.

Hazy copper, good creamy head. Nose light caramel and buterscotch, nice malts, bit lemony. Big malty flavor, plenty of butterscotch and toffee, quite bready. Finishes very dry.

Purchased for the unusual and witty name and label. Slightly cloudy dark amber/caramel color. Head color light cream with light lacing but decent retention. Hint of cinnamon, pine, ginger and citrus in the nose. Spicy aroma and flavor with a dry, citrusy finish. A unique flavor, but definitely seasonal.

(old sample,bbe feb 2004) This has a slight haze, head lasting well. Initially aroma is of hops, but malt and spice come to the fore as it opens up. Rather light for a 6%er but good malty flavour with hops just noticable in the background. This was put aside to see how it would develop, not bad for nearly a year past its best before date, dont think it will improve, it’s not as complex as it once was, but still a satisfying brew...better drink the other three bottles soon!

Murky orangey, amber color with a damn huge, frothy white head. What a spice concoction, this stuff exudes spiciness. Cloves are predominant, corriander and a little nutmeg play up close. Looks good and appetizing. Unfortunately looks and aroma aren’t everything. Spicy flavor of cloves, corriander, hops, and other Christmas fruitcake crap but for all of its constituents it is utterly flavorless. There is a strange twangy sweetness that manages to slide in under the blandness. Finishes bitter. Too many flavors to blend well. Since I’ve never had a beer steeped with pimento maybe that is it. It is a very strong flavored ale, spicy and peppery. Full mouthfeel and oily. It is however very untasty.