Samuel Smiths Organic Best Ale / Organically Produced Ale

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Bitter
Tadcaster, England

Serve in English pint

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Clear orange yellow, small foamy white head fades. Floral malty sweet aroma. Lightly bitter, semi sweet malt taste, floral and herbal with a hint of fruity yeast. Light carbonation, light-medium bodied, lightly hopped. Mildly bitter finish. Reminiscent of a bland blonde, but better. LBW (Lagerboys Be Wary)

A different animal from Samuel Smith. All of the great roundness in the profile, but there’s some unexpected notes of banana and clove like a weizen so this is a big surprise but the beer fits the Sam Smith profile despite this and ROCKS! This is my favorite brewery in the world and this is in their top 5. I’m done rating beers I’ve had over a thousand different beers in my life, this is one of the best. I may be done rating ’em.

Hazy golden-orange color with a white head. Aroma is full of bread, perfume and grass. Flavor is a bit more complex. I get some citrus and grass notes from the hops, as well as some earth, yeast, bread and toffee. Low bitterness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Bottle at home. Small nose, leather, earth. Dark amber clear color fine white head. Malty taste, notes of hay and small bitterness. :) Bolton Brew.

Very clear for an ale. Aroma is mostly toasted malt and butterscotch candy. The butterscotch flavor carries through, blending with grassy hops. Very smooth. There is a hint of lemon in the finish. And that classic English hard water, as well. Overall, I thought this was fine. Definitely not bad, but I don’t think I’ll be getting a craving for it again. Just didn’t have enough flavor for me.

fruity esters dominate the aroma with hints of floral hops and UK base malt. Head retention is not great, white foam at beginning. Malty background that shines in the finish. finish is medium dry. floral/earthy/light fruit hop flavor without much bitterness.

Reviewed 2/18/13. 355 ml bottle into a nonic pint glass. A: Pours a golden amber color with a mild yeast haze. The head is a one and a half finger eggshell shade. It doesn’t retain itself in a fantastic manner, but I love the lacing that’s left on the glass. S: There is a lot of semi-sweet caramel featured in the aroma, alongside touches of butterscotch and toffee. It doesn’t seem to feature much in the way of hops; if they’re here, then they seem to be merely used as a ballast against the malt sweetness. Still, it’s a pleasant aroma featuring a slight mineral touch ever-so-prevalent in many Samuel Smith offerings. T: Initial flavors of butterscotch, caramel, and toffee give way to some stone fruit esters in the midpalate and a semi-dry, vaguely hoppy finish. There’s also a mild finishing astringency on the palate, nothing that’s remotely harsh, however. Some of the fruity esters here (like cherry and apricot) help give a cherry pie quality to it. While not horribly complex, I could see myself drinking a few bottles in a sitting - which is always a great thing. M: It features a pleasing dryness on the back end to counteract the slightly sweet linger. It also has that ’hard water’ feel I expect from this brewery; a clean lightness that creates a very drinkable offering. O: Very solid. I admit I didn’t expect it to be this good, seeing as I don’t usually gravitate towards the style. If it had a bit more depth, it would be incredible; as it stands right now it’s simply very good.

Normally I do not buy anything labeled “organic” because the whole “organic “ food movement is way overhyped and is quite frankly somewhat of a scam. However, because it is Samuel Smith’s I gave it a try. I was pleased at how smooth and balanced this beer is. Not too hoppy. Perfect for those who don’t want their ale to taste like Pine-Sol.

Pours nearly clear amber-gold with a tall, frothy, white head. Sweet, floral nose....fruit and honey. Taste is sweet, malty, citrus...slightly bready. Minimal, but smotth bittering. Nice.

Bottle pours hazy orange with a medium white head. Soft floral nose. Flavor is toast and crackers with nice citrus and floral hops. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone