Double Diamond Original Burton Ale (Export)

Formerly brewed at Leeds (Carlsberg UK)
Style: Bitter
Leeds, England

Serve in English pint

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Date: 07/12/1996
Mode: Bottle
Source: Taco Mac, Sandy Springs

clean light amber, thin head, sweet malt aroma with strong hop accents, touch of malt with lots of sharp hop flavor, good bitter hop aftertaste

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Score: **+/4
-------- /> The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

Can -- Pours an orangey brown with no visible carbonation but a short creamy white nitro head with good retention and tremendous lacing. The aroma is gentle malt with a bit of bread and fruit. Gentle, creamy mouthfeel with no carbonation. The flavour is also gently malty with a little bitterness at the end. This was my favourite brew 20 years ago during a trip to England -- sitting in a warm pommy pub on a cold winter’s night with a pint of this was heavenly. It’s still OK 20 years on in Australia (sort of friendly, warm and comforting, actually), but it really needs the British backdrop to bring out the flavour.

I recently tried this on tap at a local Toronto eatery and found it to be a very boring beer. The colour was a nice golden hue with an off-white head that lingered for a while. The aroma was nothing spectacular, slightly malty but long lasting. The flavour was mild, not strong, not bitter as I had expected. Like other ales I have tried it was slightly thick on the tongue with weak carbonation.

I like carbonation, and this was not my type. Strange malty taste. I knew I would not like it as soon as I opened the can

yes detroiter. you describe it the way i know this beer! (also from the tap) only i am a hophead who enjoys the westcoast tradition of american ipa’s. so naturally i appreciate it less.

] Preface: You may find me guilty of rating this beer higher than it deserves, simply for nostalgic reasons. When I was a pup, too young to drink legally in Michigan, my friends and I had a habit of drinking in Windsor, Ontario. We would drink in dive bars, and rock & roll bars (listening to cover bands playing the Police, Clash, AC-DC, Led Zep), and decent restaurants (great seafood and French cuisine in Windsor, by the way), but usually at my favorite place - the Coach & Horses Pub, where they had a decent lineup of tap and cask beer from the British Isles, including Double Diamond. So when I could have stayed closer to home on a Friday night paying top dollar to older guys or to disreputable NE Detroit liquor store owners for a sixer of Bud or Michelob, instead I was hanging out across the border, learning to drink English ales the proper way - at cellar temp while relaxing with friends and throwing darts. OK, enough of that, on with the review… Nowadays, Double Diamond pours a somewhat cloudy dark amber brown, with a good inch or so of off white head. Good head retention, good lacing. Mild malty aroma, no big deal. Ah, the flavor - the taste of my misspent youth. Smooth and malty, lightly sweet, lightly bready, with a definite biscuit taste throughout. Finishes with just enough of a hop bite to let you know its there. Medium body, full soft carbonation. Smooth drinkable and oh so session able. Enjoyed on tap. Thanks for the memories, and the trip down memory lane (aka Windsor’s Oullette Blvd). Now I really miss Watney’s!!!

UPDATED: DEC 14, 2006 I had this in the Angel Inn pub while staying at Niagara on the lake in Canada with my wife. We stayed at the Prince of Wales hotel and had a great time. This beer was alittle to hoppy for my taste though.

Orange to amber in color with a very nice head, good solid retention, nice continuous lacing. Aroma was toffee and fruity esters. The flavor was fruity, tea bags, watery with a slight hop touch in the finish. Moderate body and carbonation noticeable.

Verre de 12 oz, provenant d’un fût, dégusté à l’Île Noire (Montréal, QC). Arôme: Odeur de caramel et de pommes (?). Apparence: La couleur est ambrée. Présence d’un moyen col crémeux et d’une fine large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de caramel. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est mince avec une texture légèrement crémeuse. Faible effervescence en bouche. Légère présence de noix en arrière goût. (Rating #617)

can: Now here is a pefect metaphor for a great beer on tap vs. its inferior version in the can. I am going to be bias (although I can see the canned version lacking) because I love it on tap (the can is a pale imitation). It has a great orange colour with a thin white head which lasts. Lively hop and fruity aroma and taste (hard to find in cans around here) which can taste a little odd from the can, and can come across as sour and thin. It does manage to be sweet (faint toffee, caramel?). Great medium body. Smooth mouthfeel and awesome finish for a flavourful bitter (i.e. not too dry and bitter). Smooth, sweet, fruity and creamy. Look for it on tap but a can with spicy food will do. Obviously not everyone has a liking for bitters, but this is a really good example of what they try to be.