Lovibonds Henley Gold

Brewed by Lovibonds
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Henley-on-Thames, England

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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33cl bottle from Waitrose. Hazy amber with a thin ring of white head; a weizen-style aroma with honey, cloves and banana; very prickly in the mouth, and not as sweet as expected, an austere grainy body with spicy lingering finish; overall rather flat with no carbonation - perhaps a dud bottle.

[330ml bottle from Waitrose, Marlow] Rather a rip-off paying £2.09 for an average-ABV 330ml bottle - and looking at the brewery website, it appears this is down to the brewer’s pricing rather than Waitrose. Pours a dark gold with a large and lasting foamy white head. Quite high carbonation for an ale, giving a prickly mouthfeel. Malt, citrus and tropical fruits in the aroma - a pleasant smelling beer. Flavour is strongly of citrus; sweet on the tongue but with some sourness following. A sticky mouthfeel means this is not as refreshing as many golden ales; could do with a little more bitterness (and it’s not often you here me saying that!). A bit of sponge cake and floral perfume in the finish. The more I drank this the more I liked it - it’s an interesting beer with a lot of potential, but just needs a little refinement and something to cut through the stickiness - and perhaps the carbonation could be taken down a notch, along with the price?!

(WBA) courtesy of Laurent Mousson - clear golden-bronze colour with a poor head; estery, aroma of matured banana with a touch of glue; sweet and very tart, medium-bodied; some solvant meet the banana in the finish

Cask - Turf Tavern, Oxford. Pours a deep amber with a compact, bright white head. fairly sweet with flavours of honey, plum and reduced berries. probably a bit too sticky and sweet after a while.

Cask conditioned at The Bird in Hand, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon. Golden beer with quickly dissapating head. I found this to be a sweetish perfumey beer, there is a fruitiness quite similar to lychees within the perfume, but little bitterness to balance. Quite decent but not fulfilling.