Wye Valley Dorothy Goodbodys Christmas Ale

Brewed by Wye Valley
Style: English Strong Ale
Hereford, England

500ml bottle from Utobeer. Orange/red with lasting deep beige head. Lovely earthy hop aroma. Oh that is nice. Just shows what British brewers CAN do. Good malts, some red fruit, gorgeous red fruit, vanilla and earthy aroma. Subtle and agile ni mouth for a 6% beer. It’s just a lovely Xmas beer. Finish has a bit of sting. I wouldn’t have thought this was 6%. Rather lovely.

Bottle bought from Corks, Bristol December 2006. Brown in colour with reddish undertones and a decent, off-white head. Aroma of red fruit, juicy malt and a hint of Christmas spicing. Plenty of malt in the flavour with a dry, hoppy finish. very good.

Bottle.An excellent strong ale with plenty of character. Poured with a small head.Slight traces of liquorice with a full body that gives the impression of being far stronger than its six per cent. A lovely winters ale.

Bottle, SH Jones, Bicester, 04-11-06. Pours mid brown in colour. aroma quite malty with some seasonal spices, taste never quite lived up to expectations though as with all the Dorothy Goodbodys I’ve had so far it was still pretty good. Flavour was malty and with good hoppiness, little bit nutty, but quite tasty if a bit unexciting. Had this again 16-12-06 and really enjoyed so have upped the ratiung slightly.

Good off-white head, fast gone; clear chestnut coloured beer - looks like reasonably strong tea. "Horsey" smell (not lambic-like, just - horsey), dry grains or oatmeal flakes, whiffs of English hops and quite some raw (not rubbery or rotten eggs) sulphur. Engl!sh hops predominating shortly on, again, very dry-grainy flavours, like wholemeal or multigrains (unsweetend muesli?), and chestnut flour. Bitterish finish, hoppy, but not very refined. Burning MF, long harsh bitterness in the aftertaste, nearly metallic. Silk is very disappointed - I’m having an impression as of "wants to do its best, but is falling short". Thanks to my personal British Father Christmas MatW - as bulky, less beardy and not at all commercial.

Bottle. Mahogony in colour with a cream head. Aromas are toffee malts and spices with metal and some creaminess, quite fresh but thin. Flavours are burnt toffee malts, some roast charater with pine spicy hops, pepper and metal. Has hints of pear with dark chocolate bitterness towards the finish. Taste>Aroma.

Tasting like a stronger version of the brewer’s Winter Tipple, this has the same faults - a rather sour taste and an over lively fizz. There is plenty of dark malt and some nice bitter hops, but the result tastes more like a traditional porter than a winter ale. The Dorothy Goodbody series looks attractive, but the taste doesn’t live up to the promise of the label.