Theakston Old Peculier (Bottle)

Brewed by Theakston
Style: Old Ale
Masham, England

Bottle. Very dark red brown with a loose beige head. Aroma of dark malt, maybe some chocolate and fruit or esters (banana, apples, citrus?). Medium to full body with modest carbonation. Rich falvour mainly comprised of dark malt with balancing hoppy bitterness. The initial taste has a refreshing almost fruitiness to it which is displaced by the rish sweetness of the malt, with chocolate and treacle notes, which in turn gives way to a bitterness perhaps coming in part from the dark roast malt and part from the hops. A great beer.

Tasted 3/7/08. 12oz bottle. Deep dark brown with a slight ruby hue. Spotty sparse beige head. Citrus oranges and perfumy yeast nose. Sugary plums and raisins. Modest alcohol nose. Medium to full bodied. Big palate. Tight effervescence. Tingling initial malts is sweet with a subtle cookie flavor. Tart citrus and bitter hops. Floral yeast character. Touch burnt. Hits all aspects of the palate. Touch thin. Graham crackers and tart fruit. Great palate but a touch rough in the transitions. Tasted a little out of time.

Pours a deep brown, with some translucency in the pour but none in the glass with a off white head. Aroma of malt and not much else. Slight flavor of roasted malt, hops, and carbonation. I’m quite disappointed as this is neither old nor peculier. It is also not a bad beer, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it again.

Bottle from Tesco. Dark brown with reddish hints and a decent, off-white head. Aroma of dark fruit and a touch roasted malt. Sweet flavour with plenty of fruit, molasses and earthy hops. Good.

(Sample from July 28, 2006 Beer Club Meeting; 12oz bottle from Spec’s on March 20, 2008) Somewhat short, off-white head, doesn’t stick arond for long. Very pretty. Pours a deep, dark mohogany color. Smells like... beer, actually. There’s a wine-aroma to it that I can’t place (ah, that must be the "vinous" part of the commercial description). First sip... lightly roasted... light malt... surprisingly light for how dark it is, but still a tasty beer. Pretty fruity. Girls would like this. Nice aftertaste. Although I’ve had much, much better old ales, this is well balanced and easy to drink. If old ales were sold at every corner bar like pilseners are, this would be a contender for "most likely to be served".

Pours a dark brown, almost black with a tan head. Smells of rich roasted aromas with a hint of fruit. Taste is a wonderful blend of malt and hop, dominated by fruity sweetness, and a slight bitter finish. Great balance. Medium body and good level of carbonation. One of my favorite dark beers.

Red to brown in color with a pretty good head. Slight fruitiness in the aroma with some roastiness. Taste has some fruit with malts and sweetness. Medium body. Good overall beer.

Reddish-brown color with an average tan head. Aromas of toffee and fruit. Flavors are caramel, toffee and a slight chocolate taste. Medium bodied and very smooth.