Mauldons Mid Summer Gold

Brewed by Mauldons
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Sudbury, England

[RBESG, Sheffield]
Cask @ University Arms, Sheffield.
Pours lightly hazy golden with a nice, creamy, white film head. Good lacings. Aroma has lots of green apple, light doughy malts and subdued citric and piney hops. Very light carbonation, fine mouthfeel. Flavour has lots of green applepeel, light cider-ish, actually. Some subdued doughy malts. Fine, dry hoppy finish.

Handpulled at The Friendship, Fallowfield, Manchester. Hazy gold colour with pure white lasting head. Mainly citrus/hop aroma with some sweet maltiness. Medium body with initial sweetness. Dry bitter finish. Fine summer beer.

Handpulled cask at JDW Hatch End, Harrow. Perfect looking pull, gold with slowly clearing creamy white head, without the use of a sparkler. Good hoppy aroma. No strong flavours but a perfect blend of gentle sweet malt and subtle citric hops. Very well brewed and good enough for a second pint despite another scoop being available on the bar!

Cask, gravity, at Bedford Beer Festival ’07. Gold with a nettly hop aroma. Rather thin soapy-water taste. Low bitterness. Disappointing.

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 4     Pale Yellow(1)->Dark brown(5) : 2     Still(1)->Sparkling(5) : 2
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 4   White(1)->Tan(5) : 1   Lasting: 2   Lacing : 2
Aroma:
Intensity : 2  
Yeast : 1   Bread : 2   Apple : XX   Tropical Fruits : XX   Soap : 3   DMS : XX   Diacetyl : XX Sulfur : XX  
Malt : 3   Biscuity : 2   Hay : XX   Toasty : XX   Caramel : XX   Nuts : 2   Honey : XX   Cereals : 2   Grainy : 3
Hops : 2   Noble(1)->American(5) : 2   Leafy : XX   Spicy : XX   Floral : 2   Lemon/Lime : XX   Grapefruit : XX   Orange : XX   Herbal : 2   Grassy : XX   Pine/Spruce/Resin : XX  
Notes :   Peach/Apricot : 2   Earth : XX   Mint : XX   Butterscotch : XX   Smoke : XX
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 3   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 2   Sourness : XX   Bitterness : 3   Complex : XX   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 2   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 2   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : XX   Oily : XX   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : XX   Mineral : 2   Oxidation : XX   Metallic : 2

Comments: Soapy and dry, but light in maltiness.

Cask conditioned @ Humble Plumb, Soton. Light vaguely citric hops and sweetish malt. Unimpressive golden ale.

Cask (Market Porter, London) Light amber, no head. Sweet malty aroma. Taste is much bigger, a very generous hoppy kick to stop it becoming too corn-sweet. Bitter finish lasts a long time.

Cask. At The Eagle, City Road, London - yes, THAT Eagle, the one from the nursery rhyme. At first I thought this might have been skunked, but then I realized it was just the very fresh, very summery, very pungent hops. Poured very slightly hazy gold, with an average fizzy-creamy white head. Quite a pungent aroma from a beer this light - reminded me of very freshly mown hay and light grain. Taste is milder, sort of wheaty, very dry and funky - for a milder golden ale, there’s quite a bit of alpha bite here. Light, chewy/grainy mouthfeel, soft, with a hint of astringency and appreciable light acidity, yielding quite a funky linger, albeit not an aggressive one. I found this a very pleasant surprise - my experience with many golden ales on the left side of the Atlantic doesn’t predispose me toward them, but there was quite a bit going on in my pint glass with this golden.