Ridgeway Bad Elf 6%

Brewed by Hepworth
Style: English Strong Ale
Horsham, England

Bitter astringent aroma, floral hops, mild malt. Hazy gold amber with thin foamy lacing off-white head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts with light malt sweetness and decent acidity. Jumps quickly into bitterness with pungent floral hops. Bitterness remains through finish and long into the after. Chalky astringent bitter is the lasting impression.

Gold in color with a well-conditioned, fluffy, white head and a lot of bubbles rising from the bottom. Aroma of canned green peas and very hard water. A sour character character has appeared that I notice in a lot of Burton-style bitters after they have aged (i.e. Burton Bridge). Flavor has fallen off since last year. Last year it was so hoppy (and not in a good way) that I decided to give it some time to integrate (to my demise). It is sour, winey now. The hard water, big bitterness (incredibly out of balance), and metallic hop flavor are still there. This beer is just way off. This is an English brewey that has heard about the trend for hoppy beer in the U.S. and has decided to overhop, though a sophomoric attempt, for the U.S. market.

Golden, clear, white head, decent hop aroma, flavor of grapefruit and some light malts, watery mouthfeel, bitter finish.

Cask at Rich O’s: Large white head atop an orange body. Big hop aroma, citrus and bubblegum. No carbonation but a huge hop blast. Lots of grapefruit in this one. Good.

Aroma slightly fruity, deep golden appearance, taste starts off good, but ends very hoppy. Bit of a winterale taste to it. Having fun tasting winter brews right around Christmas time!

Pours from pint bottle a murky orange hue, medium low head leaving lacing in the glass. Others raters are dead on with the pine aroma. Definitely a hopfest in the taste dept. Commercial descriptions says a generous amount of malt....hmmm.... definitely leans a little more to the "hop-side" than the "malt side". A little watery in the mouthfeel - oddly enough, almost reminds me more of a summer brew than a winter one. The aftertaste is a dry, hoppy pine. Not bad, but a brew that I’m glad I bested 2 weeks before Christmas, instead of building my hopes up for Christmas Day and not getting the "present" that I wanted.

Pours with a cloudy orange body. Aromas of pine and citric acid. The flavor was not hoppy flavored but definitely had a huge amount of pine and citric bitterness. Some malt astringency comes through and tends to overpower. Is this what happens when an English brewer gets their hands on some American Cascades?

Never heard of this one before but on a flight of whimsy I grabbed it. Sampled from a 16.9 oz brown bottle this brew poured a medium amber color with a huge fluffy orange head that lingered for a long time. The aroma was sweet with noted grapefruit and pineapple elements. The flavor was sweet and very hoppy yet not overpowering. The grapefruit and pineapple assert themselves well. There is a bit of malt balance but overall this beer is heavily tilted towards the hops. A bit surprising in a British beer. Nice. I could drink a nice amount of this though there are far better beers on the market.