3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20 Arborescence (29) - Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA - FEB 11, 2012
Appearance
Copper/amber. Pours a moderately thick head.
Aroma
Caramel sweetness, malt, toffee.
Taste
Starts as a typical English Bitter, but a toffee-like sweetness overwhelms quickly. Tastes like an English winter by the fireplace! There’s plenty of hops lingering about too, the mixture of different hops creates a nice balance.
Overall
I’ve missed beers like this, I tended to drink much more of pretty standard English bitters when I lived in the UK, but much less so since I moved back to Finland (and in the US), for obvious reasons. Not that this is a standard bitter; it has a more complex hops profile and the crystal malts create a lot of sweetness, appropriate for a Winter/Christmas Ale
3.4 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20 kevinsenn (183) - Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA - JAN 22, 2012
500mL bottle from LCBO. Attractive clear reddish brown. A pleasant, but very weak, aroma; can hardly smell it at all. Taste is good; slightly sweet, creamy, and smooth up front, leading up to a hoppy bitter bite in the end. Nice English ale.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20 kingstoni (162) - FINLAND - JAN 20, 2012
Bottle. Clear dark amber colour with a thin head. Aroma is sugary malt with cyrup and a hint of honey. Lightly bitter, a bit salty taste.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20 markodm (12) - ITALY - JAN 15, 2012
A deep amber beer with a nice beige little foamy head. Very interesting nutty notes with a little spicy, caramel, malty flavour. Bitterness is enough just to balance the rich maltiness.
Very easy to drink in the cold winter nights.
2.9 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20 Meilby (2372) - Kristiansand, NORWAY - JAN 12, 2012
Bottle 500ml @ Mary McGee, Holstebro
Pours clear deep amber with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel and fruity hops. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20 Metalchopz (1173) - Quebec, CANADA - JAN 8, 2012
The LCBO got a bunch of different Fuller’s this Christmas, and this is one of them. Best before date written on back label is 10 OCT 12. Pours a clean copper colour with a nice creamy beige, long-lasting head that creates a beautiful foamy and dirty lace. The aromas are quite grainy with cereal malts and hints of caramel undertones. The mouthfeel is smooth, silky and a bit creamy. The hop appears in the taste, adding a bit of bitterness the whole way, but well-balanced and creating a slightly dry finish. Caramel, biscuit and grain re-appear as the flavours. The spiciness comes from the hop in this one, and not much real spices are found here. An overall easy-drinking winter warmer for those who do not like the cinnamon ones.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 13/20 ralphdot (506) - Billingham, Durham, ENGLAND - JAN 7, 2012
5.3% deep amber with a thin head, sweet malt aroma, fruity, roasted caramel flavour, a nice winter beer, that I had on one of the hottest days of the year. I would be nice to have one at Christmas time.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20 ClubGonzo (1736) - Bergen, NORWAY - JAN 6, 2012
Bottle. Pours a clear deep amber-brown body with a medium off-white creamy head. Aroma is caramel, toffee, hints of raisins, almonds and cherries. Smooth and nice. Taste is caramel, burnt sugar, raisins and toffee. Long, lightly bitter and grassy aftertaste. Creamy mouthfeel. Solidly brewed, and a crafty, yet light winter warmer from Fullers. Good stuff.
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