Frog Island Natterjack

Brewed by Frog Island
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Northampton, England

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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UPDATED: SEP 19, 2008 [500ml bottle direct from the brewery, relabelled as WheresThePath Trail Ale for my brother’s 30th Birthday under the brewery’s superb bottle personalisation service]. 16/5/2008: Moderate but lasting head, soft carbonation, slightly bitter with a continental pilsener flavour but with sweet syrupyness coming through in the aftertaste. Re-rate 18/9/2008: Poured gold with a ridiculously large head this time (has it been fermenting somewhat in the intervening few months?!). Initially grass and hay, developing through honey into a sharp/sour grapefruit flavour. Lots of malt in the aftertaste, a little bitterness and some sweet syrup left on the tongue. Interesting and nicer than I remember - have upped my rating accordingly.

Bottle conditioned inside a brown 500ml bottle, best before 31 Aug 2010, drank and reviewed 28 July 2010. Poured carefully and slowly into a pint ’Old Speckled Hen’ badged vase shaped glass. Very pale, dull golden yellow, slight haze too. On top a magnificent foaming crown of white bubbles. The largest piles of lacing I’ve ever seen, can’t really call it lacing, more like clumps of foam hung to the glass as I drank down the brew. Floral hop aroma (English Goldings used), some yeast esters as well. A homebrew sort of feel and taste for me, a hop bitterness is very evident (English Target hops used for bitterness). Interesting, an almost ginger/peppery bite in the aftertaste hits with the hop bitterness.

Cask at the Three Guineas, Reading. Hazy amber with loose white head; fruity apricot aroma; sour grain flavour with an immediate sharp bitterness; before a gentler hoppy finish.

Bottle conditioned bought at a garden centre in Northamptonshire. Gold with a loose bubbled white head. Fruity with some apples and a mild citrus bitterness. Sweet malts balance nicely with a good smooth carbonation. I must try this in cask form.

Cask handpull at Malt Shovel Northampton. How have I not rated this beer? Clear deepish gold thin cream head. Slightly green apple acidic bitter. Then it settles down into a lightish bitter with touch of strawberry jam sweetness. Fine

Cask, half hand pull at Cask & Barrel Southside in Edinburgh. Nitro creamy, white head atop of a clear, copper coloured body. Mid sweet malts and herbal hops to the nose. Flavoured with malts and leafy hops. Nice bitter tail. Drying palate. Satisfying, 30.11.2010.

Cask handpull, The Malt Shovel, Northampton. Still but lacing straw. Slight peach, cherrystone and alcohol aroma. Dry and woodsy; plenty of alcohol presence. Still and slight with fruit and wood, abrupt dry finish. Unrounded.

From the Bottle at Chris O’s, GBBF Week 09/08/2008 White head. Fruity aroma. Bronze golden coloured and hazy in appearance with a little dryness in a crisp malt finish.

Bottle. Slightly cloudy and yellow appearance. Some bitterness and left lots of lacing. Slightly acidic which was a bit off putting.

Bottle, 4.8%. Citric/sour aroma. Cloudy/muddy orange colour. Sour flavour, strangely bitter lemon

Bottled at Monks Cafe, Stockholm. Pours out in a hazy orange color with afluffy white foam. Rounded aroma of lemon, soil and mild spices. Medium-bodied with notes of honey, Seville oranges, almonds lemon-peels and grapefruit. Dryish finish of grass and lemon with touches of almonds and soil.