Sharps Chalkys Bite

Brewed by Sharps
Style: English Strong Ale
Wadebridge, England

Bottle (thank You, Stefan!): Golden, almost clear, small lacy head; a faint vinous touch in the hoppy-fruity nose; moderate to solid dryish bitter-sweet flavour, medium bodied; short, light and quite sourish bitter-sweet finish with a delicate hoppy touch. Not very impressive........

33 cl bottle, Fargo, ND, USA via Winnipeg. Slightly hazy golden colour, Interesting sweet faint-fennel aroma with some floral notes. Flowers lending a very balanced flavor that slowly turns to a bitter aftertaste. Very nice, better than I had thought (not too over the top as other beers can be when advertising a distinct flavoring agent on the bottle).

Bottle: Poured a golden amber color ale with a large pure white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of medium sweet malt with nice floral undertones and some wild dry hops are also noticeable. Taste is a very delicate and refined mix between some lightly sweet floral malt with some grassy wild dry hops. Very well balance with great mix between malt backbone and hop profile with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Very drinkable and well done though even more hop profile would have benefited this beer.

330ml, bottle conditioned, bought at Utobeer and shared with Finn H. at a hotel room in Earls Court. Slightly hazy, golden-amber in body appearance covered by a tiny, white head. Smell of mild spices and juicy malts. Flavour is a quite successful mix of leafy hops, dusty herbs, and caramel malts. Dry and rounded mouthfeel on a satisfying level. A rather pleasant kick-off to the great British beer festival (London, 04.08.2009).

Bottled sample. Pale orange in colour with medium carbonation. Aromas of orange marmalade, pale malts, and spicy (fennel-like) yeast, and black pepper. Slightly off dry in the mouth with more mellow orange accented citrus, light caramel and crusty bread notes. Fairly light bodied, with an effervescent carbonation that keeps this strong ale refreshing. Surprisingly good overall.

Bottle. Pours a clear golden color with a small white head. Has a fruity malty slightly yeasty citrus aroma. Dry malty citrus flavor with some yeasty hints. Has a dry malty finish with some fruity hints in the aftertaste.

[330ml bottle from Sainsbury’s Reading] Was being sold off half price, so thought I’d give it a go. It alienated me before I’d even opened it - the bottle says that Rick Stein wanted to create an English beer that could stand alongside the Belcian greats. Given that he’s supposed to be a firm supporter of British produce, I was annoyed that he wasn’t instead mentioning the British greats. By inference he has just denigrated the whole British brewing industry. Grrr! That aside, it pours gold with a minimal white head and obvious carbonation. There is a hint of fennel in the aroma, along with some malt, but neither of these carry through into the flavour. It’s initially sweet, with citrus sourness and soggy cardboard. Some spiciness - maybe coriander seed - with some bitterness in the rather sticky finish. Annoyingly fizzy throughout. I can see it might go well with fish in his restaurant, but as a beer in its own right this just didn’t work for me at all.