Bristol Beer Factory Bristletoe

Brewed by Bristol Beer Factory
Style: Old Ale
Bristol, England

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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500ml bottle from Beers of Europe. Oh this is nice. A good, roasty toasty beer. Very drinkable. very refreshing. Bags of flavours. Really fine, tip toe balance of sweet and bitter, sharp and comforting. The spices don’t really come through that much - the dark malts tend to overshadow them, but they add a little bit of warmth and depth, and fill in the corners. This is a very satisfying Winter Warmer.

Bottle. Muddy brown beer with a reasonable head. The aroma is mildly roasted and hopped, and the flavour is roasted, bitter and mildly chocolaty. It does have ginger notes. Overall a nice roasted and bitter chocolaty beer. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle from Stirchley Wines, Birmingham. Reddy brown pour with a small off white head. Relatively subdued nose of spices, fruits and malts. Prominent spices, especially ginger and nutmeg, sat astride the flavour and rescued proceedings from malty mediocrity. Some bitterness crept in towards the finish. A little thin, but drinkable overall. Christmas time.... Brizletoe and whine....

Bottle. Copper with a cream foam. Aromas are coffee and chocolate with yeast and citrus. Herbal and spicy with some burnt notes and grapefruit. Flavours are nutty, fruity coffee with grapefruit bitterness. Dark chocolate with festive spices. Good.

Cask at the White Horse Old Ale festival 2011, Parsons Green, London. A dark amber coloured pour with a medium off white head. Roasty, fruity aroma. Tastes fruity, bitter/sweet, spice, almost Christmasey. It’s alright.

Draught @ Euston Tap, 190 Euston Road, London, Greater London, England NW1 2EF.

Clear dark brown colour with a average, creamy, good lacing, mostly to fully lasting, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate to light light heavy malty, roasted, caramel, moderate hoppy, pine, orange - citrus, english licorice, light yeasty, UK yeast. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, chalk. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20101231]

Cask at the Southampton Arms, London on 14th December 2010. Pungent aroma and spiciness. Fruity and floral hop in-mouth and a berry fruit finish on a light mouthfeel.

Draft at the Euston Tap. Pours clearish, dark amber with a frothy head. Malty aroma with some organic grains, light berries and earthy grass. Lightly sweet, lightly doughy malts, some odd butterscotch or something, maybe nuts, with some herbal bitters. Light to medium in body with fine carbonation. Finishes with lingering, mildly astringent hops, light bread and faint spiciness. About average.

A Sim rate (cask at the Saaaaaaaafhampton): Aroma of leathery malt. Bit dull with some muted roasty notes. Colour’s a great autumnal auburn. It tastes like a bit of an assault: roastiness, smoke, with a ton of hops and malt. Definite metallic tinge which almost ruins it, but subsides just in time. Cinnamon and nutmeg make it Christmassy with a crisp roasty finish. Decent beer. Enjoyed it.

Cask-conditioned at the Royal Oak, Bath 3/1/09. Chestnut coloured with a decent, off-white head. Aroma had some caramel, red fruit and a hint of spicing. Malty flavour, with some sweetness giving way to cinnamon and other spices (nutmeg?), and a decent bitter finish. Drinkable.