3.3 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Cask at The Stagborough Arms Stourport. Very nice session beer slight citrus with a nice hoppy aftertaste, very drinkable
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Golden of color with a white head. An aroma of sweets, citrus and honey. A flavor of sweets, bisquit, bitter and honey.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
Bottle from Co-op; golden yellow pour with white head, sweet malt aroma, very subdued hop notes light bitterness.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Cask,had pulled at Hawne Tavern,Halesowen.17th february.Golden pour with good sized stable white head.Citrus,hop and caramel nose and taste.Balanced,flavoursome and easy to drink beer.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Poured from a handpull at The Nelson Inn, Chorley, Staffs.
Looked ace in the glass; almost like a lager with a clean, white head. Smooth on the front with a wonderful bitter aftertaste - plenty of hop & a hint of citrus. First rate beer from the boys in Dudley.
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Cask@Wheatsheaf, West Bromwich. Golden beer with a small head and good lacing.Taste is of citrus and caramel with a small amount of bittering hops in the finish. Smooth on the palate. A good beer, but nothing specific stands out as excellent, just a good all rounder.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Cask at the Coach and Horses, Weatheroak Hill, Alvechuch. Poured a clear light amber with a thin white head and broken lace. The aroma is malty with hints of fruit. The flavour is medium bitter with smooth caramel notes and a zesty citrus palate. It really is a satisfying and flavour packed ale. A real winner from Holden’s.
2.6 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 9/20
Extremely smooth textured ale, a light golden colour with carbonation and initial head. However, what it has in character it lacks in flavour. It does have a pleasant sweet aroma.
3 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 11/20
On tap in wallsall.
Decent white head. Clear golden pour. Nice enough beer.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
The Holden’s Brewery owns two of my favourite pubs. Their beers in cask form are superb but I rarely review in bars, this is being done at home and is in bottle form.
Brown 500ml, best before end of Feb 2010, drank and reviewed early Dec 2009. Poured into an ’Old Speckled Hen’ vase shaped pint glass.
Almost lager like in appearance, pale gold and clear, with a pure white head.
The aroma tells you straight away it isn’t a lager though, great wafts of hops and yeast fill your nose. This is a proper English Pale Ale.
The hops from the aroma also add their bitterness, or maybe they have hops for each sense as many brewers do? The beer is refreshing and imparts a sweet bitterness in the first instance, before becoming more harsh and dry in the aftertaste.
The 4.4% ABV is evident and sits well within this very balanced beer. Holden’s do seasonal beers and I am sure most start off as this brew in the Mash Tun and they then play with it to produce the changing occasional beers.
Very drinkable session beer and even better in cask form (if well looked after).
Got round to reviewing a cask one at last (Oct 2011): I have this so often when out it seemed a shame not to review it, in fact I’ve started to review more cask ales while out now (when the wife isn’t with me).
This is a great brew and although the bottle version is fine a well looked after cask one is superb and a joy to drink: just add superlatives where you wish.
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