Bath SPA

Crown & Thistle, Gravesend. Fruity hoppy session bitter bursting with juicy flavours. Melon sweet then chewy fresh hops. Mmmm.

Cask Conditioned at The Saye and Sele Arms, Broughton. Pale gold with bubbly white head. Lovely session bitter, full hoppy flavour and lemony grapefruit fruitiness lasting through, in this case, the full 3 pints. Sharp, cereal malt, lightly roasted provides a good background for the grassy fresh hops, cracking beer.

Beer No 23 on the Wilsons’ Road Trip 2005. Cask at The Hop Pole, Bath. Yellowish gold. Aroma of Saazy hops with melon fruitiness. Splendid dry bitter finish.

Cask at the Monks Retreat (JDW), Reading. Amber with a dense cream head; floral, elderflower, aroma; crisp and fruity flavour with floral hops; and a clean bitter finish. Excellent, refreshing.

Cask at the White Horse, Parsons Green, 23rd Apr 09. Slightly hazy amber. Perfumy hop aroma. Wonderful grainy taste and then a bitter hop finish. Very enjoyable.

On draught @ The Mansion, London 26/07/09 A floral blond beer from this consistently good brewer. Pale gold with a thick albeit small head. Citrus nose. Liberally hopped but not terribly complex. However a good session or summer beer.

Cask handpull at Moon Under Water, Leceister Square, JDW. Paleish gold, lasting white head. Light citrus aroma. Some sweaty sox hop. Toasty, hoppy aroma, good balance in mouth. I have a soft spot for Bath beers and this is good. Bit of peach. Lovely fruity bitter. Great in mouth. Peach/grapefruit is very good. Good beer, bit like a Belgian triple without the alcohol.

A soft golden ale at the lagerish end of the spectrum, with some citric hop and tropical fruit coming through. No great depth of flavour, or complexity, but its and refreshing quaffer. And nothing wrong with that. Jolly decent stuff. Cask (handpump), Lion Inn, Trellech, Wales.