Alesmith: Olde Ale (USA: Old Ale: 11% ABV)
Visual: Dark cloudy brown to red with greyed to brown bubbled froth of a head.
Nose: Sultanas. Sour red grapes and port. Christmas cake. Nutmeg. Cherries. Buttery shortbread. Cinnamon.
Body: Big vinous and sour character. Sour grapes. Sultanas. Buttery shortbread. Madeira cake and Christmas cake. Cinnamon. Creamy character. Some alcohol tingle. Malt chocolate. Cake sponge.
Finish: Sultanas and raisins. Malt chocolate. Vinous. Sour grapes. Some bitterness. Lightly herbal tea. Cake sponge. Cinnamon.
Conclusion: British style old ale they say? British style ma son? Bit of a bold statement there guv. Let’s take a look at you then.
So, yeah, you’ve get some vinous going on lad, bit of the red wine and Christmas cake on the I suppose* there, gets proper lovely jubbly there it does.
However, me old china**, you’ve overplayed your hand. What is this? Bit of the old buttery shortbread? Bit of smooth play here, you are not from around these parts are ye? Too smooth for that mate. Now, that ain’t a criticism mate, you do good, but it is a dead give away like.
Course, you do give it a good try, big vinous body, lots of warming alcohol character that warns you that you will be a bit Oliver Twist*** by the end of this. Seriously, at 75cl and 11% it will knock a drinker right on your arris***** son if they don’t share it with their droogs******. But even there, in that big punch of sour grapes and Christmas Cake&, you couldn’t let it go, could you? Nah mate, buttery shortbread again – smooth as silk, you just had to show off didn’t you.
Now, I am impressed, and it takes a lot to impress this geeza, but I have to ask. American, right? You do the same with Belgian beer styles, make ’em smooth as silk. Again, not complainin’, but it’s a bit fancy ya know? Anyway, well worth the bees and honey& it costs for something a bit different.
Lots of sour wine like old ale, lots of smooth as silk as a bit of a twist. give it a good old butchers&
*nose
** mate aka friend.
***pissed****
**** aka drunk
***** Arse aka bottom.
****** What do you mean you haven’t watched ” A Clockwork Orange”?, for shame.*******
******* – No that isn’t what it means, I was just venting.
& Not rhyming slang. I actually mean Christmas Cake.
& Money. Yeah, I know, this one was new to me as well.
& Look.
Background: Bottled 04/03/14 (UK Style date) Drunk tail end 2015. They call this a British style ale proudly on the front of the bottle. Over a picture of Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. Now I am about to be amazingly pedantic, but Ireland isn’t part of Britain. We deliberately made up many different ways of grouping the countries, with different names for each, so to confuse everyone so we can be pedantic when you get it wrong. Because we are evil. If they had put UK style ale I would have understood – just showing Northern Ireland would have been confusing geographically so I could have forgiven that the entirety of Ireland was on there. Anyway … drunk while listening to Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven. A name that is almost as long as playing the damn CD. Nice chilled backing music for beer.