Houston Crystal

Brewed by Houston
Style: Bitter
Johnstone, Scotland

Serve in English pint

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Bottle. Golden with a white head. Pithy citrus aroma. NIce malty flavour with refreshing zest hops. Nice foamy mouthfeel. A nice hot day drink.

Sunshine citrus undertones, caramel thickness coming from African honey grassy hues. Might be best drunk from the fridge on a summers day. Its a perfect partner with feta and salad.

Bottle. Pours a pale amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty spicy aroma. Sweetish malty fruity caramel flavor with spicy hints. Has a fruity malty spicy finish.

Bottle at Teviot. Pale copper, thin white film. Toffee, grassy hops, touch of honey nose. Similar flavours, hint of diacetyl, peppery bitterness. Dull but not awful.

500 ml bottle. From the Scottish Real Ale Shop.
Clear deep golden colour with small white head. Mild candy fruity hops and malt in aroma. Moderate hoppy bitterness, candy fruitiness and unpleasant sweetness.

Tasted this in the Saltcot, Saltcoats (JDW) in October 2006. Cask, handpump dispense. Clear reddish amber in colour with a thin white head. Strong sweet, aroma of fruit jellies. Resiny mouthfeel and good lacing. Pale malts give a digestive biscuit base with sharp fruit notes of pink grapefruit and redcurrant coming through. Dry dusty hop resins add floral notes to the aftertaste which mixes well with the sweet malt. Finish is robust with dry redcurrant and woody briar on the palate. A decent session bitter that is very easy to drink despite the high ABV.

Aroma: Straw. Slightly musty. Not particular strong or complex.

Appearance: Clear, gold body. Small beige head. Medium carbonation.

Taste: Very hoppy. Slight pear flavour.

Palate: Sticky mouthfeel. Medium bodied. Quite robust.

Overall: A good, straightforward ale.

Cask-conditioned at the Bon Accord, Glasgow 8/06/2011 @ 5% ABV. Deep golden in colour with a decent white head. Aroma of biscuity malts, grapefruit and a touch of lemon. Flavour had some sweetish cereal malts, more citrus fruit and a dry finish. Enjoyable.

Cask (handpump) @ Blue Blazer, 2 Spittal St, Edinburgh, Scotland EH3 9DX.

ABV: 5.0%. Clear medium orange yellow colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, moderate hoppy, citrus, orange - citrus. Flavour is moderate sweet and bitter with a average to long duration, fresh. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is flat. [20101031]

UPDATED: JUN 13, 2011 Bottle from Peckham’s Rye. Strong fruity malt aroma. Rich amber brown colour. Strong scented bitter & dry hop fruit flavour. Lingering bitter aftertaste. Probably Houston’s best brew.