Worthington White Shield

Brewed by William Worthington’s (MolsonCoors)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Burton-on-Trent, England

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Deep amber coloured body with a touch of a caramel and copper coloured tint and a nice, three centimetre tall tan head. Aroma of caramel, toffee, malt, earth, light english hops and a touch of citrus. Medium-bodied; Assertive malty flavour at first with some nuts, earth, caramel and toffee noticeable and a distinctly english hop flavour at the end. Aftertaste is quite complex for the style, with a lot of good flavours coming through and a touch of sweetness mixing with the alcohol and bite of hops. Overall, a nice beer and even sweeter drinking it once Chelsea has won the Champions’ League Final. I sampled this 50 cL bottle (as my last) purchased from the Utobeer Market Stall in Borough, London, England on 13-December-2008 (I know, it’s a tad old) sampled today, as soon as Drogba scored the final Penalty on 19-May-2012 from home on this side of the pond in Washington. Best by date on bottle: 22-September-2010.

Bottle. Malty and herbal aromas. Light copper colour, some gold tones. Nice white head, some persistance and lacing. Taste is malty and smooth, some non agressive biterness, well balanced, long dry finish.Tasty.

Brown 500ml bottle, best before 28th May 2009, drank Feb 2008. Poured into a pint sleeve glass, I tried to get as much beer in out the bottle without having any sediment, I failed and some got in. The beer is a lovely deep terracotta orange with a good formed white head. The aforementioned sediment sank to the glass base and the body of the beer was almost crystal clear. Weak aroma for me, hops and malt some fruitiness, but not much else. Dry and full of hops flavours, this is a true English IPA. It is both crisp and tart in the mouth and the 5.6% alcohol sits well, this is a fine beer. I really enjoyed this, one of the better English bottled beers I’ve had. White Shield has been an English institution well before Coors took over its care, I am pleased to report it is still as good as I remember it being back in the 70’s and 80’s which is when I last had any.

On cask at Cloisters. Pours a dark golden colour with a thick white head. Aroma of yeast and caramel. Similar flavours with moderate carbonation and a foamy mouth-feel.

Cask by handpump at Cumberland Bar, Edinburgh (11 Apr 12) - clear amber ale, thin off-white head, good temperature, no detectable aroma, malty, toffee, moderate carbonation, pleasant

Bottle courtesy of reps from Six Pints/Molson Coors. Lovely orange-copper colour that I managed to keep nice and clear by pouring carefully. Large and creamy off-white head that sticks around to the end of the pint, leaving some lovely lacing. Aroma and flavour are both straightforward and well balanced, with caramel and a bit of toast from the malt, and lemongrass & orange peel notes from the hops. Also a slight spice/pepper tingle in the finish. Might disappoint those looking for a modern IPA with a whack of hops, but for a more traditional take on the style, it’s top notch.

Pours orange with a stable foamy head. Aroma of orange and ginger with some floral notes, not very strong but interesting. Taste caramel and raisins with upfront bitterness that disappears a bit after the first touch, and comes back in the back of the palate with the orange notes from the aroma. The overall bitterness is a bit low even for an English IPA, but it is distinctive and very balanced. Nice beer.

Me l’avevano appioppata garantendomi l’ottima birra... Lasciamo perdere, che si è bevibile ma le birre buone sono un’altra cosa, a mio modestissimo parere...

500ml bottle. Pours light red, nice foamy head that thins out eventually. Orange notes, slight caramel. Slightly metallic finish. Okay.

Cask at King’s Arms on Roupell Street. Russet colour, refreshing and balanced taste gives way to punishing bitterness. Altogether more memorable than in bottle.