Ridgeway Bitter

Bottle, think that I picked this up from Westholme Londis Stores, Goring-on-Thames Pours light amber, not as hoppy as expected, but reasonably refreshing, bitterness starts to show and then lingers a while, its ok.

26-Feb-08 (500-ml bottle: Purchased 09-Feb-08 for $4.35 at Ledger’s Liquors in Berkeley, CA) Two inches of bubbly, antique ivory head caps the hazy, golden body, and although retention is fairly good, settling to and holding a sizeable, rocky layer, it’s supported by a few dozen streams of large, swiftly rising carbonation bubbles. There’s a slightly musty aroma, but it’s fairly light and there isn’t much else of note, so the nose is rather uninspiring. On the palate, it’s actually difficult to taste the beer because the carbonation is extremely high to the point of being expansive in the mouth and prickly on the tongue. I’m forced to vigorously swirl the beer in the glass to release carbonation, which of course creates a gorgeous, fluffy head again, but also makes the beer more drinkable and enjoyable. Now able to actually taste the beer without interference, the dry, minimally sweet maltiness is balanced by the gentle, light-medium bitterness of the earthy hops. Light nuttiness in the background, but yeast-inspired fruitiness is minimal. Body is medium-light, and once the carbonation settles down, the beer is smooth on the palate and easy to drink. Chunky globs of foam stick to the glass. Overall, a simple and straightforward bitter that seems like a fine session ale.

Bottle at The Red Lion, Gothenburg. Golden orange color with a big, but shrinking white head. Aroma of biscuity malt, citrus, earthy hops, caramel and yeast. Taste of biscuity malt, citrus, earthy hoppiness and mild sourish notes. Easygoing and thin bodied. The carbonation is a bit too strong for the style. Not bad, but I like their Ipa more.

Bottle. High and lasting creamy white head. Clear amber body. Sweet peach aroma. Flavor though fruity and more bitter than indicated by the aroma. Heavily carbonated. Long bitter aftertaste.

....meh....a below averrage english bitter.....not very nicely conditioned in bottle........un remarkabale in every way