dennisking
Regular.
As requested
Brewers choice old ale
- Thread starter dennisking
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This is a premium dry malt extract kit in the Brewer's Choice range. I believe it is just a more expensive version of the Hambleton Bard range because it comes with 'tea'bags with hops and grains to steep. I chose this one because I had already done the Hambleton Bard Old Ale kit and was pleased with the results.
So, the Brewer's Choice. I brewed this one two months ago, part of it was put into a pressure barrel and part was bottled. The version in the pressure barrel has taken six weeks for the priming sugar (dextrose) to ferment out and there is still a residual sweetness that spoils the brew a little bit. This may be due to the fact that the kit was at the end of its sell by date and the yeast may have been a little weak or maybe it's just how a mild ale should be. In terms of taste and aroma, there is very little aroma and the overall the beer is fairly thin, not too strong, some malt character but nothing spectacular, a decent clone of a pint of Mild that you could get in a pub. From this point of view the kit is a success . And from the barrel, I must admit that it looks gorgeous in the glass.
The bottled version has conditioned up very well. It is very well carbonated, almost to the point of the fizzyness coming close to that of a carbonated soft drink. There is very little head retention, which is fortunate because otherwise it would be unpourable, and the carbonation radically changes the taste profile. I can't help thinking, whilst drinking it, with its residual sweetness, of a soft drink I had when I was a kid, Dandelion & Burdock. So there you have it, Dandelion & Burdock flavoured fizzy beer. It might be better fully chilled but I haven't been there yet.
Would I buy the kit again ? :wha: No, for the price I would rather go for the Hambleton Bard Old Ale. I can not see that there is any appreciable difference between the Brewer's Choice and the Hambleton Bard version. If you feel like giving it a whirl, go for the Hambleton Bard, it's a better deal for a pint of standard surprisingly pleasant home-brewed mild ale. :
So, the Brewer's Choice. I brewed this one two months ago, part of it was put into a pressure barrel and part was bottled. The version in the pressure barrel has taken six weeks for the priming sugar (dextrose) to ferment out and there is still a residual sweetness that spoils the brew a little bit. This may be due to the fact that the kit was at the end of its sell by date and the yeast may have been a little weak or maybe it's just how a mild ale should be. In terms of taste and aroma, there is very little aroma and the overall the beer is fairly thin, not too strong, some malt character but nothing spectacular, a decent clone of a pint of Mild that you could get in a pub. From this point of view the kit is a success . And from the barrel, I must admit that it looks gorgeous in the glass.
The bottled version has conditioned up very well. It is very well carbonated, almost to the point of the fizzyness coming close to that of a carbonated soft drink. There is very little head retention, which is fortunate because otherwise it would be unpourable, and the carbonation radically changes the taste profile. I can't help thinking, whilst drinking it, with its residual sweetness, of a soft drink I had when I was a kid, Dandelion & Burdock. So there you have it, Dandelion & Burdock flavoured fizzy beer. It might be better fully chilled but I haven't been there yet.
Would I buy the kit again ? :wha: No, for the price I would rather go for the Hambleton Bard Old Ale. I can not see that there is any appreciable difference between the Brewer's Choice and the Hambleton Bard version. If you feel like giving it a whirl, go for the Hambleton Bard, it's a better deal for a pint of standard surprisingly pleasant home-brewed mild ale. :
Friday evening pint ... the above review doesn't change much, except that I have added a pic, and quite honestly it's a fine pint for the price and the investment in terms of work done. But my AG brews are much more interesting ... for an easy going standard pint of mild it's okay but you would still save yourself a few pounds just going for the Hambleton Bard version
Sorry, still working out how to get a pic onto the site ... more later
HHBF :drink:
Sorry, still working out how to get a pic onto the site ... more later
HHBF :drink:
The Month of Febrewery
... just a quick update ... the brew has been bottled for three months now, most of the residual sweetness has gone and it has turned into a fine malty beer with quite complex hints coming from the roasted malts. The beer has lost its Dandelion and Burdock and has turned into something pretty damned decent ... but you have to wait three months. A very pleasant pint but still too sweet to my mind ... if you like sweet brown ale ... that sort of thing, it's fine. :thumb:
... just a quick update ... the brew has been bottled for three months now, most of the residual sweetness has gone and it has turned into a fine malty beer with quite complex hints coming from the roasted malts. The beer has lost its Dandelion and Burdock and has turned into something pretty damned decent ... but you have to wait three months. A very pleasant pint but still too sweet to my mind ... if you like sweet brown ale ... that sort of thing, it's fine. :thumb:
