 noelcb (271), Toledo, Ohio, USA
| 5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 20/20 |
May 9, 2005 Poured dark brass, huge solid brown head which fell gradually to textbook-definition lacing. Aromas of chocolate, treacle, brown sugar, maple syrup, with lots of balanced hoppy herbalness, toasty malt and yeast. Flavor was wonderfully complex with everything from apple and lime to roast turkey! I could taste molasses, dark chocolate, pumpkin pie, earth, mushrooms among the egalitarian mixture of roast malt, hop bitterness and yeast. The bottle is quite attractive as befits a true treasure of an ale. Well done, Young & Co.
iCraig (32), Manchester, Greater Manchester, England
| 5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 20/20 |
Mar 1, 2007 My favourite ale!
Beautiful smooth taste but strong, and very moreish, very hoppy and smooth malts.
And its not retired, its now brewed in Bedford by Wells and Young!
Wulfstan (509), California, USA
| 5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 20/20 |
Sep 25, 2007 This is another essentially perfect beer from Young’s. It has a deep bronze colour with copper/reddish hints, a thick, creamy, beautiful head that lasted long and left perfect lacing. The body and flavour are incredible: amazing, deep complexity with a perfect blend of bitter, sweet, malt, hops, and other subtle elements. The aroma is delicious and all round this is vbursting with flavourful, yet smooth and ultimately very memorable. I should note that Young’s seems to have a special gift at creating an excellent head and perfect lacing that sticks to the glass.
Daredevil (77), Bern, Switzerland
| 4.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 19/20 |
Jun 24, 2005 Updated: Oct 19, 2005medium bodied ... earthy hops and flavors of grapfruit, pear and white pepper
jcalbi (378), New Jersey, USA
| 4.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 5/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 19/20 |
Feb 15, 2002 Lovely hop aroma, and deliciously bitter taste. Hints of burnt carmel on the palate. One of my favorite session(?) beers.
TheBeerLover (1019), DC Metro Area, USA
| 4.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 5/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
May 21, 2006 This beer in my opinion is a classic English pale ale/IPA. This beer strikes an incredible balance of malt, hops, and esters, and makes for one fantatic drinking beer. Young’s Special London Ale pours to a beautiful, bright, amber color, with a creamy white head, and a moderate carbonation. The nose on this beer is excellent with lots of good flowery hop aromas, paired with some good pale malt aromas, and light esters of fruit. The palate is firm, with very good pale malt flavor, paired with some "flinty" flavor, and light, estery fruit flavor. SLA finishes with more good pale malt and esters up front, then ends with a very pleasing, flowery bittereness that balances this one out to perfection. Outstanding beer which would work well with classic pub grub, and hearty dishes. A classic.
MagooinPA (99), Warminster, Pennsylvania, USA
| 4.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
May 13, 2006 Updated: Oct 6, 2007This is my favorite beer of all time on draft. I would die to have it on cask. My only problem with it is that it is made and marketed for America, originally anyway. The rest of the world should be insulted as a true beer lover would realize this is indeed Special.No longer available in these parts. Im sad over this but will pursue it with vigor! I understand you can’t find it in London anymore. An update from SE Pennsylvania!! This is available at Vadalia’s in Landsdale, Pa much to my delight. I’m enjoying one as I write. No reason to actually re-rate the particulars.
eraserhd10 (226), new haven, Connecticut, USA
| 4.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 19/20 |
Jun 2, 2005 Upon opening this bottle-conditioned ale, the first whiff reminds me of a smoky, musty British pub. I’m thinking, "G’day Guvn’r" A definite toffee taste. Full, rich ale with perfectly balanced Goldings hops. Decent alcohol, but not overpowering. Sweet, pasty finish.
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