Cotleigh Red Nose Reinbeer

Brewed by Cotleigh
Style: English Strong Ale
Wiveliscombe, England

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

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Cask@The Evening Star, Brighton. Thanks to Mat for this beer. Aromatic hops in the nose. Slightly chalky, musky, with some caramel to start. Hoppy finish, crisp, fresh kiwi fruit in the finish.

[500ml bottle, Appellation Wines, Edinburgh] Copper coloured pour, decent white head. Aroma slightly earthy, but plenty of toffee and fruit. A touch smoky on the palate, but mostly chocolate malt and fruit – not as thick and heavy as I was expecting. Some roast on the end – decent enough [15122011]

Bottle from the Bitter End Offie, Bromley. As flat as ancient man’s view of the world pour, murky copper colour. Raisin, dark fruit, dates and some chocolate aroma. Chocolate, licorice and some coffee flavours. Tastes a bit odd. Nutty-malty aftertaste. Nasty. Need to try this again just in case I got hold of a dodgy bottle.

Bottle from Nina’s. Pours a dark golden brown colour with a thin, light tan head. Aroma of apple seeds, alcohol, barley and yeast. Musty flavour with apple upfront followed by barley, yeast, alcohol and a dry apple seed finish. Mildly bitter with mild carbonation and an oily mouth-feel.

Bottle from The Cave. Brown - dark orange colour, no head. Nose is caramel, candy sugar, bit sourness. Flavour is sour, malty, caramel, alcoholic, metallic. Very watery. No carbonation at all. Very badly done or indeed something wrong with the bottle. Either way, its undrinkable.

50cl bottle. Pours a coffee/cola colour. The nose has biscuits and cola again. The taste has a very bitter toffee note which goes from the start to the end. It’s a bit cardboardy and I’m wondering if there’s something wrong with this bottle. The palate is dry and slightly astringent throughout. I’ll need to try this one again.

Tasted this in The Last Post, Paisley (JDW) in December 2008. Cask, handpump dispense. Dark mahogany in colour with a thick creamy buff head. Strong fruitloaf notes in the long aroma. Good creamy mouthfeel and excellent lacing. Dark malt complex gives moist malt loaf base with sweet overipe figs and plump raisins. Sharp bitter metallic tang from the astringent hop resins comes as a complete shock after the full bodied stone fruit malty base. Vinous dry woody notes lead to a rich peat smoke finish. A really enjoyable Strong ale and well recommended.

Bitterer Antrunk mit leichten Getreidenoten. Gewürznoten, im Mittelteil herber. Insgesamt aber ziemlich, fast langweilig mild. Zum Ende etwas bitterer. Trinkbar aber nichts Besonderes. 9/8/8/9/7/9

Bottle. Appearance: Dirty hazy brown with a thick snow white head. Aroma: Spicy malt, dark berry, cranberry, grass. Flavour: malty, chocolate, bitter with a long tangy finish.

Cask at the Central Bar, JDW. Pours a dark, clearish amber-ruby with a light beige head. Lightly toasted malt aroma with some sugar plums. Flavor is weird. Very grassy and flowery, with hints of bitter chocolate but not much sweetness. Some notes of plastic and mild spices. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Finishes with some throaty hops and plastic. Not super pleasant. Flavor does improve a bit as the beer warms but that’s no excuse.

BC. Clear chestnut with a fine, level beige head lacing the glass with each sip. Drink-me aroma of blackcurrant, apple peel, geraniums and hazelnut. Mouthfeel of soda water; strange, not entirely appealing flavour veering between lightly roasted malt, mildew and fake berry. Good nutty aftertaste with a hint of cigar. The malt has just about won me over. Can’t work Cotleigh out.