Peerless (Betwixt) Red Rocks

Brewed by Peerless
Style: English Strong Ale
Birkenhead, England

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

Bottle 500ml.

[ As Peerless Red Rock ].
Clear medium to dark amber colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly diminishing to lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, caramel, caramelized malt. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and light moderate bitter with a average to long duration, caramelized malt. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20120120]

Cask, 5%. Almost clear very dark red colour. Very small tan head. A little roasted flavour, mild sweetness, berrylike. Clean bitterness, slightly grassy.

Cask at the Crosse Keys, JDW. Clear, red-brown pour with a foamy head. Bready malts, pine and grass on the nose. Fairly sweet, hints of bread and caramel, earthy bitterness. Medium in body with oddly ringly carbonation. Dirty hop finish, earth and pine, some mild sugar. Not bad.

Cask conditioned handpump King Billy Northampton. A dark ruby coloured beer with a whitish head. It’s quite an attractive looking beer actually. The nose is decent with fruity notes. Good flavours: chocolate, fruit, sweet notes, toffee and rye which is a listed ingredient. Tasty.

Cask conditioned at Far from the Madding Crowd, Oxford. Chestnut colour with white head. Quite a sweetish beer, plenty of roasty, nutty malt flavours with a dusty hop balance. The rye adds a little depth. Pretty reasonable.

UPDATED: MAY 20, 2010 1. Cask Handpump at the Old Harkers Arms, Chester 01/09/2009 Fruity aroma. Creamy head. Amber red coloured a little rich on the palate and fruity with a crisp and slightly bitter lasting malt finish. (As Betwixt Red Rocks) 2. Cask Handpump at the Manchester & County JDW, Manchester 20/01/2010 Small white head. Some malt aroma. Amber red coloured a little fruity and rich on the palate with a hint of dryness and bitterness in a crisp malt finish. 3. Cask Handpump at Peerless Brewing Company Limited, Birkenhead 27/03/2010 Fruit and some malt aroma. Mid brown red coloured malty and a little rich on the palate with a hint of bitterness in a dry full malt finish.

Cask handpull at Vernon Arms, Liverpool. Deep copper colour, thin ivory head. Malty, ruby ale, good raspberry flavours, some drying hops, good sharp and sweet at same time. Quite impressive. Carries weight of ABV well. Good biting earthy hops. Impressive. Bit cold, but great flavours.Labelled as Ruby Ale, but looking at the brewery website, it must be this beer.

Cask, Ship Inn, Hoylake. Nice to drink a beer named after somewhere close to home ! Reddy brown colour with a medium off white head. Caramel malt and yeast aroma. Slipped down smoothly; flavour was slightly sweet, malty again, with a slight pepperyness mixed with toffee notes and some restrained hop. Drying lingering bitter finish. Not completely sold, but would certainly drink this again. Extra points for the name and coming from the Wirral.....