 jhumphries69 (656), Tyrone, Georgia, USA
Oct 5, 2007
12 oz. bottle. Pours a slightly hazy auburn - a touch of brown with highlights of orange and red. The head pours thick and soft, and it leaves tons of lace on a pint glass. The aroma is a pleasant mix of fruit, caramel and bready malts, and herbal, perfumy hops - almost like a spicy fruit-cake drizzled w/ caramel (diacetyl?). The flavor starts similarly - a soft, slightly toasted, slightly fruity, bready malt flavor with a touch of herbal English hops. A little bit of dark toast and caramel enters on the sides of the tongue about halfway back. Here also enters a touch more of spicy, dry hops. The finish is well-balanced and somewhat dry with a blend of light, delicate malt with just a drop of earthy hops. The mouthfeel is very light and creamy - and not particularly carbonated (which is great because I always dislike how many bottled bitters seem overly carbonated to me). So the texture is a little bit closer to that of a nice cask-conditioned pint due to the low levels of CO2. Overall, this is pretty much exactly what I was hoping for when I saw it and picked it up - much closer to the English style of bitter than most American breweries tend to get. Very decent, and a good session beer (as long as its not too long of a session).
PapaSkeetSkeet (36), , Massachusetts, USA
Jun 23, 2009 Smells of microwave popcorn. pours brown, barely any head. weak aroma. Some aggressive hops, a bit of malt. The hops come on too fast with too much carbonation. The bitter in the aftertaste is combined with a watery feel and only affects a small part of the palate. I’ve got nothing against this beer, I just don’t enjoy drinking it. Live and let live, just don’t drink.
WeeHeavySD (2783), San Diego (Hillcrest), California, USA
Jun 18, 2009 12oz from the Foodery, pours copper with a bright. Nose is sweet and malty. Taste is sweet and malty and a decent bitter. Not my favorite thing but pretty good.
RHeastings (218), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Jun 14, 2009 Enjoyed from a 12oz bottle in a nonnic-style pub glass. The beer pours a nice deep copper to medium brown. Spicy hops comes through in the nose. Initially, it seemed like these were American varieties, but based on the label, it may be English Goldings or perhaps Challenger. The palate is a malange of a nice but just a bit harsh hop flavor and bitterness and a delicious backbone of malt character. Overall, its not quite as good as Fuller’s, but a really solid ESB.
BMan1113VR (2113), Los Angeles (and Dallas), Texas, USA
Jun 3, 2009 Interesting. Found this bottle at Vendome in Beverly Hills, CA. Dusty and the only other beer from Stoudts was a bottle of the American Pale Ale, again, just a single bottle. I didn’t know that their beers made it out here to California. Wow, old bottle...Best Before 07/08/06. Red label. Pours a somewhat unattractive shade of auburn, murky brown. Quick to revert to a ring off-white head. Aroma is earthy with raisin, baked bread, a bit of toasted coconut nearly, and some butterscotch. Taste is nice with some oxidation and sherry notes, malty and a bit fruity with brown sugar. Water like mouthfeel. Light bubbles.
grandet (423), Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
May 28, 2009 Copying from tasting notes. Bottle. Poured a amberish red color with a small head. Aroma is bready with some caremal. Taste is nice and drinkable with some sweet malt and little hops on the end.
Sparky27 (1386), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
May 26, 2009 Bottle courtesy of beerbill – thanks Bill. Pours a cloudy dark amber/reddish brown with a one finger creamy off-white head that leaves spotty lacing. The nose is caramel and earthy hops. The taste is toffee and light brown sugar with some light tart citrus in the finish. Medium mouthfeel. Decent ESB.
kopher (215), New York, USA
May 26, 2009 clear copper, thin off-white head
aroma is light malty with toffee and pepper.
nice thin-medium body and fizzyness complement the relatively mild taste of malt and bittersweet hoppy finish.
1FastSTi (2506), Glendale, Wisconsin, USA
May 7, 2009 Pours to a dark chestnut colored body with a non-existent head. The aroma is lightly perfumey with some pale malts. The flavor is perfume and huckleberry. Floral hops. The palate is medium-light bodied and malty. The beer is well made but a style I tend to dislike.
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