Itchen Valley Father Christmas

Brewed by Itchen Valley
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Alresford, England

Serve in English pint

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Cask at The Pommelers Rest, London. Dark amber, beige head. Chocolate and fruit aroma, some licorice. Fruity flavor, hops and some swimming pool.

Cask (handpump) @ The Masque Haunt, 168-172 Old Street, Old Street, Greater London, EC1V 9BP.

Clear medium amber colour with a average, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted - caramel, light to moderate hoppy, warm citrus, orange - citrus, light spicy ! Flavor is moderate to light heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a average to long duration, light light notes of chlorine. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20101228]

5th January 2008
Flat as a pancake one dimensional brown beer. Tastes of nothing in particular. Poor.

Cask at JDW in Feltham, pours a dark amber with a fine off-white head, not terribly aromatic but what there is is malty and faintly spicy, chewy body with notes of peach, burnt caramel and cloves. Roast fruitcake and bitter finish.

UPDATED: DEC 7, 2010 Cask at the Tyburn, JDW. Pours a clearish, amber-gold with a soft, off-white head. Toasted malts and ripe, lightly tart berries in the aroma. Somewhat of a rich flavor, with some sour malts, grapes, and orange peel. Light to medium in body with very soft carbonation. Finishes with mild warmth, faint citric bitters, some light dryness and light bread. Nothing special.

Cask (Giddy Bridge JDW, Southampton) - Copper coloured. Fruity cake and spicy malt in the aroma. Spicy malt, caramel and dried fruit in the taste with a bittersweet and fruity finish.

<i>Cask conditioned at The Castle, Furnival St., London</i>
Amber color; frothy head. Light aroma. Very good caramel flavor, some sweetness, light nuts, strong bitterness; in the final there is a fruity and even a bit earthy touch. Very well made.

Handpulled cask at the Hamilton Hall, Liverpool St. (JDW). Dark copper with good off white head. Rich and malty but reasonably well balanced.. Pretty much in keeping with the seasonal style.

Cask (gravity dispense), Pigs Ear Beer Festival, December 2006. Slightly hazy copper colour. It was a bit of a struggled to extract much in the way of aroma from this beer - I certainly wouldn’t call it aromatic. Maybe a touch of sharp apple fruit. There’s a light, tangy hop character tot he flavour and a bit more citric fruit. Smooth mouthfeel but, overall, a little soft and not too assertive. Certainly not a traditional UK rich, malty, fruity Christmas beer but doesn’t really have enough clout to carry off a paler, more hop-dominated style. Not really anything wrong here, just needs "more" of everything. But I didn’t feel the condition was spot on, so could be better in the right circumstances.

Cask conditioned - gravity dispense - Pigs Ear BF. Slight haze, copper/amber colour with bubbly off white head. Slightly sour aroma. Bit appley. Some sweetish malt, straw. Bit rubbery.