Thwaites Old Dan (Bottle)

Brewed by Thwaites
Style: Old Ale
Blackburn, England

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Appearance: Chestnut brown, clear. Some off-white head. Aroma: Malt, slightly vinous. Nutty. Taste: Vinous, malt. Some alcohol. Caramel. Info: 330ml bottle, 7/4-2012

Brown 33cl bottle, same as the picture, best before 07 Apr 2011: bottle conditioned drank 20th Dec 2011. Poured carefully into a ’Palm’ badged stemmed tulip glass: looked impressive, bright, clear and a good chestnut reddy brown colour, on top a huge crown of off-white foaming bubbles. Those foaming bubbles fade to a full collar and wispy islands as the tasting progressses, but it did look very good initially. The smell was of yeast and malty goodness, a rich plum bread sort of aroma, with butter on of course. The taste is also plum bread with butter, the label mentions fruit cake, but I’m sticking with plum bread, add a thin layer of liquorice as the beer warms and you’ve got the flavours of an interesting beer: the label also mentions mellow, I’ll agree with that. Smooth mouth feel, this slips down far to easily considering its strength. The 7.4%ABV is hidden well but this isn’t a quaffing ale, more of a fireside sipping brew for those who prefer the finer things in life (like a job with a pension). There are better Old Ales on the market, but this isn’t bad at all, the liquorice arriving late on was an bonus: well above average and worth trying if you find it.

Dark copper with an oily look and a quick dissapearing white thin head. Smells of apple, wood dark chocolate, fruit cake. Full oily body slighty grainy. Biscuit, cherry, cinemon, caramel malt, light roast. Absolutly grand. This is one cracking pint.

Medeium head deep amber pour mild to medium carbonation aromas earthy honey caramel fruit sweet the flavours chocolate caramel nuttiness fruit sweet honey well flavoured English ale very sweet aftertaste earthy malty some fruit lasting bitter not bad

330ml Bottle drank at home:

Strong malts off this one to begin along with a good amount of alcohol too.It is quite a sweet smelling beer with some dark fruits with some plum and perhaps a touch of burnt sugar.
Deep caramel colour with a off-white to brown foamy head that has average retention and is about a thumbs width tall.
Sweet tasting and with a strong malt presence to go with it. There is a lot of alcohol in the taste but it isn’t off-putting and I also detect the plum and other fruits from the nose along with a definite licorice taste.
Medium bodied and very smooth and sweet to drink with an excessive alcohol taste.

A pleasant drink but one that has to be savoured without a rush, it was quite warming and rich although probably not a beer I’d have again.

1001 Beers Blog:

The bottle was clearly transparent through the base when held at the lights. The beer so radiant, so translucent that I doubt reseeding ever happened with this sample. Pours a fiery, candi-apple red with very fine, very intermittent carbonation. Head was shortlived but to its credit left a little legs. Rich, sickly toffee and caramelised sugars on the nose with just enough stone fruit and earthy, topsoil notes to keep from being too sweet. You get a tickle of the alcohol on the olfactories, vinous and sherry-like, and it is similar and warming as it slips passed the throat on first sip. Smooth, oily and rounded in feel, the body quite big, weighted by the residual sugars. Sweet toffeeish, raw sugar front melds well into ripe plum and a flavour reminiscent of stewed rhubarb. Vinous, fresh back end, very light wood and earth notes bleakly peak out. Finish is dry, not too long. Overall it is nice, but lacking in the complexity of a good Old ale. Just a strong ale really! (33cL, BB 07/06/12, Mane Liquor, Belmont)

Bottle bought at Tescos in Amersham, Bucks. A brown/chestnut coloured pour with a thin white head on top. Interesting sweet, spiced fruit aroma. Tastes fruity, malty, sweet, caramel, spice. This was quite a surprise, I wasn’t expecting much from a Thwaites brewed ale, would definitely buy some more.

Bottle. Pours a clear, chestnut brown - nice colour but a disappointingly sparse, bubbly head. Aroma is deceptively weak - a hint of treacle but not much to hint at the hefty ABV. Initial taste is syrupy and orangy, like an alcoholic Calpol - but there’s not much in the way of bitterness to compensate; light bitter notes catch the back of the mouth but the sweetness is much longer lasting. Thin consistency. It’s tasty in small doses but lacks balance.

Bottle 330ml.

Clear medium amber colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted, caramel, malt extract, fruit cake, light toffee. Flavour is moderate to light light heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20111209]

Initial taste involves figs, eventually mellows out. Not too much "in your face"