Hook Norton Twelve Days (Bottle)

Brewed by Hook Norton
Style: English Strong Ale
Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, England

50cl bottle, no date. Somewhere just brown of ruby in color, thin white foam with quick fading retention but very nice lacing. Lots of caramel malts in the aroma, dried fruits and whatnot with some nuttiness. Nice firm bitterness keeps the malt attack from being cloying

500 ml bottle, $4 at Binny’s. Sweet ale smell, some coffee hidden in the nose, too. Dark brown color, few bubbles, clear highlights, big foamy tan head. Taste is straight ahead brown ale, but then those coffee roast notes appear again. Despite being only 5.5% abv, it’s very warming. Melted brown sugar or treacle appear, and earthy, peppery English hops. Carbonation may seem low, but not flat, a little more bubbly than an English cask ale or than yesterday’s St. Peter’s Winter Ale. Yet another fine fireside ale.

Big, rocky head. The aroma is a little irritating, due to some cheesy funk mixed with yeast and floral scent. It tastes fine, tho. 12 Days is almost Ovaltine-like in its maltiness. Some pumpernickel and dark chocolate tones. A good, hearty winter ale.

Sampled on 12/25/2009. This English Strong Ale pours a deep reddish brown color from a 50cl bottle. Medium sized white foamy head with nice retention and good lacing. The aroma is caramel, nutty and fruity with a hint of chocolate. A medium bodied English Strong Ale. The malts are caramel and chocolate. The hops are earthy with a hint of spice. Nice carbonation. Fruity and nutty up front with a nice dry caramel malt finish. Nice beer, a bit lighter than most Christmas Ales. Very drinkable. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

My second Christmas Day beer poured a the color of Coco Cola with a huge foamy light tan head and very attractive lacing that looks like a lace tablecloth. The nose is the aroma of caramel malts and roasted nuts with some subtle nuances of chocolate and ripe fruit. Medium body and slick mouthfeel. The flavor is big with the malts and nuts. The finish is lively and nicely bitter. A very nice Christmas brew.

Dark brown, thin white head. Loved the maltiness of this, all caramel, chocolate and then a dry mellow hop finish.

Date: December 03, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Ale Atlanta
Appearance: clear dark brown, wispy beige head, streaks of lace
Aroma: sweet chocolate aroma, sweet dark fruits, light spicyness
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, touch of caramel sweetness, balancing earthyness keeps it pretty dry, light essence of dark fruits, hint of spicyness
Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

Pours a deep dark chestnut brown color that is completely opaque with only the slightest of mahogany edges when held to a light source. Two finger frothy off-white head with very good retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap. Slightly toasty sweet malt aroma with hints of toffee, caramel and rye as well as a prominent hazelnut character and very subtle earthy hops. Slightly toasty medium body with a lot of silky chocolate malt, toffee, caramel, hazelnut, roasted coffee and burnt toast. There’s a nice balance of sweet chocolate and deep roasted flavor that somewhat dominates the palate. Slightly bitter with a subtle lactic creaminess. With all of the dark roasted malts the body is still slightly thin and the nut profile and roasted bitter notes are a bit much. I wish the sweetness was a little more prominent creating more balance. Pretty complex for a British brown ale but still kind of underwhelming