Wychwood Fiddlers Elbow (Pasteurised)

Brewed by Wychwood (Refresh UK - Marstons plc)
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Witney, England

Bottled, and clear. Nice orange-yellow color. Lots of hops in the aroma, and pleasantly fruity. Malty and very hoppy flavor. This is an excellent English style IPA. I was fortunate to have this @ Andy's corner bar, where the beer is cared for perfectly and not exposed to light. Most people who have rated this have not had a fresh bottle. This beer is outstanding! Why does it seem that others who have tried this beer and gotten a fresh bottle have said that this beer was sweet and not very hoppy? The one that I had was very hoppy as compared to other Engligh IPA's that I have had. Something is amiss.

The British penchant for packaging in clear bottles always causes a bit of consternation when you see this sitting in the fridge. The image of that Gallic rogue Pepe le Pew always springs (just as he did in pursuing his feline femme fatale) to mind as one reaches for this latest addition to the ratebeer ratings war. At $8 a bottle ($5.60 to you 50 staters) it is always a challenge. So, we have an average amber coloured beer topped by a quasimodish head (ugly and hard to appreciate) that then shows a faint toffee hop aroma. The bitterness of the beer is clear as is the dry back palate. There is only a small component of wheaty tartness that does still lift the palate. An ok beer but not one that the brewer could say is a real string to his bow.

Clear orange/golden colour with a very thin white head. Very still appearance, absolutely no visible carbonation. Strong macrobrew aroma with strong hints of metal and a tiny bit of english hops and a tad of some malt. Medium-Bodied; Strong maltiness, even stronger metallic taste and the strongest: macrobrew skunkyness. Aftertaste full of malt and that horrible macrobrew crap palate--stale hops & metal. Not the absolute worst beer, but pretty bad in terms of a 'quality' beer! Pass this beer up and go for Hobgoblin if you really want a beer from this brewery! I bought this 500 mL bottle from Harris Teeter in Pentagon City (Arlington), Virginia and sampled it on 31-August-2003.

medium golden with white head (large bubbles) and heavily carbonated. aroma is slight skunky quality, hint of cinnamon..flavor has some citrus quality but a definite metallic aftertaste..very austere.

Because of the clear glass there is a risk that American reviewers will experience a bad bottle. There is also a risk that because of its easy drinkability and sweetness that some of this beer's depths will be missed. There is a subtle rusty tang which opens up into fresh earth, balanced by mild marmalade fruit. But all in all it is what it is - a simply drinkable and slightly sweet beer for students who have no desire for anything more complex. However, for me, its subtly is not enough to overcome its blandness.

White bottle. Sweet apple aroma and flavor. Some yeastiness, stoney flavor. Bitter aftertaste. Far from perfect beer.

Pale amber with a small white head. Skunky buttery aroma with hints of toffee. Flat buttery flavour. Metallic watery finish with hints of sugar and toffee.

on opening, i got a wave of malty aroma that bordered on pungent. a little bit of hops in the aroma, and a really malty body, and apart from a little other bitterness, not too much other complexity here. i'd rather have a boddington's or something with more to offer in the body.