Cotleigh Buzzard

Brewed by Cotleigh
Style: Old Ale
Wiveliscombe, England

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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UPDATED: APR 25, 2006 Oct, 2003: JDW, Rochester. A good musty ale. Darkly autumn coloured, hinting at the winter months to come. A restrained brown sugar sweetness is invigorated with dark luscious fruits on the prune and plum side of things. There’s a delicious spanking tree bark bitterness. And the whole thing enveloped in an oaky mustiness. Brainstorming. [4.1]
Oct, 2004: JDW, Gravesend. An oaky, musty, fruity ale. Damp, autumnal and delicious with chocolate notes. [3.6]
Oct, 2005 JDW, Rochester. A pleasant stout style ale - roasted barley flavours, but lighter than normal in a good quality base which is smooth and fruity. Lingering twiggy finish. All very pleasant, though never soaring. [3.2]

Lovely, dark chestnutty colour, well carbonated (bottled). Aromas quite stout - like: chocolate, coffee, hops. In flavour this was dark and nutty, though just a little bit too sour, almost verging on vinegary. I usually favour the darker beers but much as I wanted to, I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as I’d hoped.

Cask @ The Three Guineas. Pours dark redush amber with a bubbly beige head. Aroma is toasted, malty, a bit fruity and has some sweetness behind. Flavor is a bit acidy, lightly roasted, sweetish and bitter with some fruity notes. Finishes shortlived bitter.

First tasted this at the Paisley Beer Festival in April 1991. Cask, gravity dispense. Dark ruby red in colour with mahogany tints and a thin white head. Rich roast malts and sweet molasses in the long aroma. Thick creamy mouthfeel and good lacing. Dark complex malts give a rich maltloaf base with syrupy dates, milk chocolate truffle and mocha coffee. Slight prickle of earthy hops but fades fast as sweet malt comes through in the dry, roasted almond finish. An excellent Old Ale and one of my favourites from the Cotleigh portfolio.

Cask, handpump @ The Coal Orchard, Taunton, Somerset.
Presents well; a bright and radiant, deepest tawny copper with a steady, tight and compact off-white crown. Aroma is soft but shows enough character; some dark and toasted malt, wood, roasted peanuts and almond meal come through as does a little fell, dark fruit and musty earth. Similarly softly spoken on the palate. The body is light, shows some good, solid woody malts, quite nutty and earthy with a spicy hop backdrop. Not much of an edge on the swallow, finish is nutty, woody and dry, just a little smoke also. Light, sticky dark fruit note upfront, tangy like caramelised, almost burnt plums. Very quick drinking stuff, unsure whether I’d define it as an Old ale.

Bottle from Beers of Europe. Dark brown pour with a dissipating white head. Caramel, chocolate and raisin aroma. A little flat. Chocolate and malt flavour. Lightly bitter. Just by the lifeless look of this I didn’t expect too much. Pity

cask at cloisters ... golden amber ... thin white lacing... waxy lemon fruity nose ... soft light body ... juicy fruits ... light lemon ... soft dry hop ...

Cask at Oluthuone Leskinen, Oulu, Finland.
Dark reddish brown colour with big light tan head. Dark fruits, sugar, old cellar, wet dog and staleness in aroma. Wood, nuts, dark fruits, hoppy bitterness, dry ash, chocolate and old cellar in flavour. Allthough all the words ain’t so positive it’s rather enjoyable Old Ale.

Bottle. Woodlands Garden Centre, Leicestershire. Pours a chestnut colour with hint of ruby and very little head. Chocolate nuttiness but also a dark fruit, vinuous quality. Dry and a little smoky.

dark brown colour with no head, good old beer aroma (yer, I don’t know what that meant either) taste is dark fruits and roast malt, I like it.

Bottle. Chestnut brown, snow white head. Aroma: cocoa, malt, bran, quite a good nose of chocolate too. Flavour: Chocolate, bran, malt, quite a mild turf flavour, weak mouth feel with a short malt finish.