Wye Valley Dorothy Goodbodys Winter Tipple

Cask at Birerria Paradiso. Red-amber color with a big, lasting sparkler head. Spices, caramel, and light dough aromas. The flavor is upfront with cinnamon and nutmeg spicing. Malty as well, with caramel, toasted bread. These combine with moderate citric hops to give a dark orange spice-cake flavor. Pretty full bodied and smooth for 4.4%, but the lack of any alcohol presence reminds you of its lightness. Pretty cool sessionable winter ale that might not really be a warmer, but gets interesting and balanced spiced-cake flavors in, which are often not my thing.

(cask @ The Old Toad - Rochester, NY) Copper color with a nice tan head. Light aroma of malts and toffee with a light hop base. Taste is very smooth and malty with a hint of fruits, toffee, brown sugar and some hoppy bitterness. Smooth finish and very creamy. Definitely a great session beer.

1. Cask Handpump at the Ship & Mitre, Liverpool 05/12/2002 Copper amber coloured with some fruit aroma. Full malt finish. 2. Cask Stillage at the New Century Hall, Manchester 21/01/2006 Amber golden coloured and slightly hoppy with a floral aroma. Wheaty and crisp on the palate with some bitterness and dryness in a malt finish.

Cask Conditioned @ CAMRA National Winter Ales Festival, New Century Hall, Manchester.4.7%. Russett coloured winter ale with a sweet, malty flavour balanced by a bitter finish, although a little syrupy overall. A really pleasant winter ale that drinks to it’s strength.

Burton Winter Fest. Golden brown with a small head. Aromas are caramel malts with hints of grapefruit. Flavours are fruity and quite malty with grapefruit bitterness on the finish. Also has some residual sweetness and sulphur. Like Oakham JHB but a bit more wintery. This version was at 4.7%

Anyone expecting a winter warmer might be disappointed, as this is, in fact, a rather nice best bitter. Sure, it is a quite malty one, but that is undepinned by a a quite austere flinty hop bitterness. Finishes clean and slightly sharp. Not at all thick or sticky. A pleasant drop. Handpump, The Speaker, Westminster, London SW1.

[Cask at Gullivers, Copenhagen] An amber beer with a fine light brown head. The aroma is sweet and fruity while the flavor is cask flat, sweet malty with notes of caramel. It is a nice beer.

Served from a firkin. Aside from the attractive amber appearance, there's not much to recommend. Flavor is bland and lacks any complexity. Finish is mild and slightly bitter. Maybe it did not travel well across the pond.