Cotleigh Brew Town 200

Formerly brewed at Cotleigh
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Wiveliscombe, England

Serve in English pint

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Cask at The Penny Black, JDW, Bicester, 11-11-07 Poured mid amber in colour. and startled me by being almost christmasy with sherry like flavours at first but this gradually disappears and some more subtle biscuit and malts come through. Overall I found this to be a beer that didn’t quite know what it was or trying to be.

Cask at Banker’s Draft (JDW), Bedford. Wetherspoons Festival ’07. Dark gold. Faint indeterminate aroma. Biscuity malt background blossoms as the metallic tang of the fizz declines. Low bitterness. A gentle, retiring brew which, perhaps because it’s a celebratory offering for their bicentenary, doesn’t seem to want to give offence to anyone.

Counting house at wetherspoons beer fest. Aroma is biscuity malt with the typical wetherspoons cellar coming through, slightly grassy hop. Taste is also pritty biscuity slight honey sweetness and grassy hop finish.

Cask (handpump), Shakespeares Head (JDW), Holborn. Deep amber colour with a slight haze. Served through an inappropriate tight sparkler, so came with a big creamy head. Lots of biscuity malt and breakfast cereal (Weetabix?) on the nose. Some citric hop bitterness emerges to join the dry malt on the palate. Distinctly grainy aftertaste with a touch of residual sweetness. Serviceable enough but I didn’t think the balance was quite right.

A Mes rate: Cask at Baker St. ’Sporks.
Mid brown with a slim off white head. Hoppy with some slight sweet malt underneath. Notes of liquorice, tobacco, biscuit and slight coffee. Plenty going on but no balance.

Cask handpull at Wenlock Arms. Chestnut. Thin beige head. Looks in good condition. So it’s a strong bitter/ESB with an odd marzipan almond flavour. Not terribly good. OK hop on end, but lacks malt/backbone for such a strong ABV. Aroma has some hop.