Hook Norton Hooky Bitter (Bottle)

Nice pour, a clear golden amber body with a foamy head. Pretty much no lace. The aroma is a light, sweet toffee with soft floral and herbal hops. The sweet malts and bitter hops are well balanced throughout the drink, although the floral/grassy bitterness increases in the end. The finish is dry with a prolonged, moderate earthy bitterness. Nice sessionable ale.

<font size=-4>West Lakeview Liquors, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

[room temp =) ]Pours clear amber with a medium sudsy white head. Nice hop aroma for a bitter, some toffee malt and hay also. Sweet toffee malt flavor with a touch of bitter hops in the finish. Straight forward and simple...and in some beers that is exactly what you want. Smooth english palate with basically no carbonation. Very easy drinking without being overly thin. Quaffable for sure.

Pours with a stunningly, brilliantly clear light cranberry hue. It shows a rich copper hue when held up to the light. A vigorous pour produces a three-finger thick, light tan colored head. The aroma is a mix of soft malt and hop notes; it is a touch metallic, with a distinct cracker-like malt character, some light grassy hop notes, perhaps a hint of marmalade and a touch of fruitiness that becomes more noticeable as the beer warms up a bit.

Lightly sweet malt greets my tongue at first, but then a bitter hop note rises up to challenge the malt and in fact lingers through to a long bitter finish. The beer is fairly light on the tongue, but does have a touch of malt body to keep it from being water-like. The flavors are balanced towards the hop character, though all of the notes are quite in line for a British Bitter. The malt & yeast notes combine to contribute a touch of toffee flavors up front, some soft apple-like fruitiness. As the beer warms up a bit a touch of citrus-like hop flavors become noticeable as does a bit more of the herbal notes; this could use a touch more hop flavor, but really gets better once it warms up from the 50°F / 10°C serving temperature.

I would say that the aroma is more malt balanced, while the flavor is clearly hop balanced; Each component plays a role though in both domains and even that fermentation character adds just a touch here an there. This stands out for being so low in alcohol, yet still being quite flavorful and eminently quaffable. It is perhaps a bit too hoppy, or really too bitter; I would have loved to see some more hop flavor characteristics here. What this really brings home is that I need to get to England to taste a whole lot of quality bitters. Quite an enjoyable brew.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

500ml bottle. Clear golden-tan color. Nice carbonation and head. Aroma is mildly sweet, and very fresh. The taste is mildly bitter as the name would suggest, with a nice chewy body. A rich and full-bodied beer for 3.6%. Delicate honey tastes and a nice fruity/malty finish. Delicious beer.

[785-20071028] 500mL (w/ jerc, tuqueboy). Mild malty beery yeast aroma. Clear, orange amber body with a quick foamy off-white head. Malty grains flavour has a little grassy hops and a mild bitter finish. Medium body seems watery. Mild beer.