Golden Ales

Beer Review: Titanic Engine Room

07/11/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle Here’s a seasonal ale for Autumn: Engine Room from Titanic. I came across this ale at the wonderful Snowdrop Inn in Lewes recently. It’s a crispy golden ale, like the leaves of autumn, and is fairly potent at 4.6%. The Titanic Brewery of Stafford is a name that crops up at various real ale pubs, as guest ales and beer festivals and they’ve got an impressive range, all named with a clever twist on the fateful night of 15 April 1912. It’s got a very thick head sitting on top of that straw coloured mass below. It’s got a powerful bitter earthy bite and a hoppy finish. It’s certainly full-bodied, too, with a very modern flavour to...

Beer Review: Dark Star Hophead

05/11/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle I’m revisiting the Hophead from exciting Brighton-based brewer Dark Star. It’s described by the brewer as “an extremely clean-drinking pale golden ale with a strong floral aroma and elderflower notes from the Cascade hops.” In Cascade therein lies the key – it’s almost an American style pale ale with a cloudy amber hue. I first tried it at the Dark Star’s home, the Evening Star pub near Brighton station, which you can see here in The Guest Ale’s Dark Star review video. At 3.8% it’s light, zesty and almost Pilsneresque, if you like your ales gently carbonated yet full-bodied then this is for you. Dark Star is widely available in pubs that stock good beers across the...

Beer Review: Stinger by Badger Ales and River Cottage

02/10/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle Here’s an interesting collaboration for you: Hall & Woodhouse, the brewers behind Badger Ales, and TV’s Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage fame. These two Dorset powerhouses teamed up in 2007 to create an organic summer nettle-based ale and thus was born the Badger Stinger. According to Hall & Woodhouse; “Nettles were once a standard tonic beer for spring and summer use in England, being regarded as a remedy for gout and rheumatic pains, as well as an refreshing drink in its own right.” The nettles come from River Cottage HQ and the tasting notes lead me to expect gooseberry and lemon notes. I must admit, I’ve never tasted nettles, so I wasn’t quite sure what I should...

Ten Golden Greats: The Best Golden Ales

16/09/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle Summer presents us with the chance to sit outside in 20°C-plus temperatures in a t-shirt and sup something sweet, refreshing and flavoursome that really captivates the summer that we’re all-too-soon to miss. And the best thirst quencher for summer is the golden ale. Golden ales began to emerge in the 1980s as brewers aimed to develop refreshing beers to rival lighter lagers in the summer months in the UK. Many brewers will now develop their own paler golden ale for the summer, which tend to vary in strength from 3.5-5.3% (according to CAMRA) Taste is subjective, so these are in no particular order, but here are ten golden ales that you should definitely try before the autumn...

Beer Review: Golden Champion by Badger Ales

13/09/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle I’m still on the hunt for the perfect golden ale. Today I think I’ve come pretty close with the Golden Champion from Badger Ales. TV pundits and the Great British public alike have repeatedly praised the Golden Champion and I can do nothing but add to that. The Golden Champion is not to be mistaken with the (also awesome) Golden Glory by Badger Ales, although the name and the packaging are fairly similar. While the Golden Glory throws peaches by the bucket load at your taste buds, the Golden Champion drowns you in a tangerine dream. Let’s start with the colour. It’s a delicious golden syrup colour, brought to life with a delightfully summery nose – it...

Beer Review: Hepworth Pullman

10/09/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle Ah, Hepworth of Horsham, one of several up and coming Sussex breweries. I’ve come across them at numerous farmers’ markets around the south east of England and so far reviewed the Hepworth Sussex traditional pale ale and the Hepworth Prospect, but now was the turn of the Pullman, and it’s by far my favourite Hepworth creation. Named after the famous railway carriage, I was expecting something a little more industrial, instead I got a refined and surprisingly refreshing beer. This light amber-coloured golden is an absolute delight. It comes with a wheaty nose then surprises the drinker with a sharp, citrus taste. There’s a tangy orange undertone to what is a well-rounded and refreshing golden. Swill it...

Sainbury’s Great British Beer Hunt – Part 2: Flying Dutchman by Caledonian

14/08/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle In part two of four reviews of the 16 candidates in the Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt, I’m looking at the Flying Dutchman by Caledonian of Edinburgh. I’m a big fan of Scottish brewers, from Black Isle, Brewdog and Innes & Gunn right through to Caledonian. The Flying Dutchman is a light-bodied spring ale, aided in its creation by Heineken’s Henk Oexman, hence its recipe as a ‘wit bier’ (white beer). It’s got that sweetness that Benelux beers bring without the sugariness, making it more of a very quaffable golden ale. Right from the packaging, a very attractive and striking label, sticking close to its Dutch origins with a subtle orange colour, the Flying Dutchman is a...

Beer Review: Potholer by Cheddar Ales

09/08/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle The very yeasty Potholer by Cheddar Ales made an appearance at the GB Beer Festival this year, but luckily I already had a bottle brought back from the West Country for me as a gift. Cheddar Ales makes an incredible range of beer for a microbrewery based in Cheddar Village. The Potholer is a golden ale, extremely zesty with a vibrant head and a yeasty, malty nose. The yeast lives in the bottle as is best left in it when poured out. The full pint is a cloudy marmalade colour, with a complex fruity flavour. It’s possibly the most quaffable golden ale I’ve come across. It’s smooth and light, if a little light on flavour. Great colour,...

Beer Review: Old Golden Hen

07/08/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle Everyone knows the Old Speckled Hen, one of Britain’s most well-known ales. From the same stable and aimed squarely at the lager-drinking market comes the Old Golden Hen, a lighter golden ale which launched at the GB Beer Festival this month. The Old Golden Hen was crafted by Old Speckled Hen’s head brewer John Bexon and combines pale malts with the Tasmanian Galaxy hop, which a number of UK brewers are now using and adds a tropical fruit zest to beer. The Old Golden Hen has got a lovely golden honey colour to it with a really fizzy head that lingers. It’s got a mixture of straw and honey nose. At 4.1% it’s a little lighter than...

Beer Review: Brakspear Oxford Gold

24/07/2011

Follow @TheGuestAle It’s summer so I’m continuing to work my way through golden ales like there’s no tomorrow. Now it’s the turn of the Brakspear Oxford Gold, based on the bittering Target hops with pale and crystal malts to give body and texture. I should also add that it’s made from organic ingredients, so a guilt-free golden! The gold is a lovely rich amber colour and pours out with a real zesty fizz. There’s a real toffee and caramel nose to the Oxford Gold and it’s light and fizzy on the tongue with that toffee and caramel nose translating into the taste. There’s a hoppy aroma too and a late hint of honey. I found the Brakspear Oxford Gold...

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