John Courage

Brewed by John Smiths (Heineken UK)
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Tadcaster, England

Serve in English pint

I’m suprised this beer hasn’t been rated more because I find it quite quite prevalent where I live. It is a decent amber ale, though it was much beeter the last time I tried it. A good beer for newbies.

Amber in color, small head. Was malty as expected, not particularly complex. Very thin body, carbonation almost made it feel like a macro. Not very good.

Hazy, light amber ale with a mid-sized, frothy, off-white head. The nose is malty and fruity with notes of butterscotch, grass and apple. The well-balanced flavor is a bit thin and watery, but delivers a decently bitter, lightly acidic and moderately malty taste. Light-bodied with lively carbonation and a lengthy, bitter finish. Nothing repulsive nor memorable about this beer. Good session beer.

The aroma is really quite weak, almost smells like water. A very light, clear amber color with a nice head, but it dissipates very quickly. The flavor is not quite a weak as the smell, but neither is it very strong. It's quite malty for an ale, with a very mild hop presence. It was quite good, and in my opinion deserving of a higher average rating that it has. It's not an especially interesting or challenging brew, but if you want an easy-drinking beer that still tastes good this is just the ticket.

On draft at the Mellow Mushroom in Athens. Nice enough pint, but really an average and forgettable amber ale.

Pale brown color with big foamy white head. Aroma is . . . well, just not very good. There are probably some hops, it's maybe a bit wheaty. Flavor has caramel notes, somewhat malty and sweet. A rather underwhelming brew.

First had this on tap at the Spring Garden Bar in Chapel Hill. Amber in color, nice head retention. Very rich malty taste. Strong caramel flavor. Smooth enough palate to quaff.

Good. Poured a slightly hazy light amber with a small quickly disappearing head. Hops is first noticable flavor, but then some complexity comes through. Earthiness followed by a sweet finish. Slight roasty after taste that dissolves away and leaves the drinker wanting another drink. Definately likable.