Tasting Notes:Moor: Fusion (2010)

Moor: Fusion (2010) (England: Old Ale: 8% ABV)

Visual: Black with a creamy beige head.

Nose: Mocha. Bitter, yet quite fresh – pear drops. Twigs and roasted nuts. Slight apple. Rounded out with light vanilla yogurt. After time distinct coffee comes through.

Body: Vinous character and very slick textured. Grapes. Bitter back. Fruitcake. Light coffee comes through in the centre. Milky chocolate drinks. Quite sour touches. Light apple crumble and light toffee

Finish: Fresh yet matched with dry malt and bitter chocolate. Sour. Cooking apples. Slick almost liquore feel.

Conclusion:  Now I recently tried the Old Freddy Walker which makes up the base of this beer, and it was pretty good, but often its sour elements overpowered its subtleties.

This then smoothes out the excesses that came before it and really give the flavour room to roam.   This really makes the base beer so much more appreciable. The sourness lightens and now is only an interesting influence on the chocolate filled middle.

Where it goes the extra mile is that slight extra freshness and fruitiness that the apply brandy casks bring.  Again this is subtle and not overpowering, but gives that slight smoother and more complex to the beer. A light apple crumble element that makes it deliciously easy to drink.

Still carries a lot of the vinous tendencies that I have come to expect in old ales, so its like drinking a wine porter.

So what are the flaws then, well it does take a while to properly get into gear, but when it gets going you can forgive it that. It doesn’t quite bring enough to the table to enter the world shakers league, but when that’s the worst criticism I can level then its damn good sign that they made the beer good.

Background: This is a beer based on the “Old Freddy Walker” ale but aged in Somerset Cider casks. Old Freddy Walker was I beer I enjoyed, but had several flaws that made it one I would not go for regularly.   According to Moors website, only 700 beers were made foe each of the 2010 and 2009 releases.  This 2010 release was drunk in the first third of 2011. Incidentally their tagline “Drink Moor Beer” gets on my nerves something rotten for a reason I cannot explain.  Drunk whilst listening to Gogol Bordello:  Immigraniada (We Comin’ Rougher) a song I highly recommend.

Tasting Notes: Moor: Old Freddie Walker

Moor: Old Freddie Walker (England: Old Ale: 7.5% ABV)

Visual: Utter opaque black with a cream coffee brown head.

Nose: Bitter coffee, charcoal. Chalk. Red wine and sour gooseberries.

Body: Milk chocolate, raisins. Fruitcake mixed with figs. Bitter and bready. Rum with white wine underlay. Slightly oily. Black cherry.

Finish: Slick, but with a chalky hint. Bitter, touch of black cherry. Vinous. Lots of fruitcake, bitter chocolate and grapes.

Conclusion: I’ve often talked about how the environment of drinking affects the beers, and in the case of darker beers cold is the worst enemy, freezing up their pleasing aromas and accompanying tastes.

Such was nearly the fate of this beer.  The initial pour seemed lacklustre and weak until I noticed the cold feel of the glass. Short moments of heating later I returned to the tasting with significantly improved results.

Sour and almost wine like front and finish, the dark fruity beast that makes up the main body is sandwiched between these challenging bookends. There is still a wine influence to the body, but with fruitcake and milk chocolate mixed into its bitter traits.

The beer seems to play catch me if you can with your taste buds, the rich flavours often seem fleeting before its sour gooseberry counterparts. It doesn’t always work, but it is a very distinctive stylistic choice for the beer, and really stands out from the crowd. This is a beer you wrestle meaning from rather than an open book.

The sour sometimes overpowers the complexity, but it’s a good shot at something different.

Background:  Ratebeer lists this as a porter, when taste wise I could swear that it is its close cousin, the old ale. Oddly the bottle text agrees with me so I’m going to go with old ale here.  Moor is a beer company with a great rep, but one that I’ve never really understood. The beers I’ve tried aren’t bad, but none so far have shaken my world.  This is part of my continuing quest to work out their appeal.

Addendum:  Recently I had this on tap. Much smoother and thicker, with less sourness. The beer was significantly better on cask and on that I would highly recommend it.  A really great beer

Tasting Notes: Old Chimney: Red Clover

Old Chimney: Red Clover (England: Old Ale: 6.2% ABV)

Visual: Dark hazy red, quite bubbly with a decent sized and steady bubble rich head.

Nose: Rich cinnamon, port and cloves. Cherry and chocolate. Plums and raisins. Really dark and fruity. Condensed cream. Almost an edible dessert in itself

Body: Figgy pudding, fruitcake and digestives. Bitter heart, good malt then bitter chocolate traces. Red wine, banana, chives leaves and liquorice.

Finish: Chives, dry hops and bitter chocolate.

Conclusion: This is a wonderful little bottle of beer. Wonderfully fruity with a slight bitter/chocolate back. Tantalising nose and, appropriately enough for an old ale, feels very aged and traditional.

A good British ale, and one with all the trimmings. Quick rich and obviously herb influenced. A warming dark and rich ale, could do fine as a winter warmer.

Tasting Notes: Batemans: Rosey Nosey

Batemans: Rosey Nosey (England: Old Ale: 4.9% ABV)

Visual: Varnished mahogany body with a beige bubbled head that sits lightly upon it.

Nose; Glazed cherries, grain, liquorice and hops.

Body: Sugary cherry. Bitter. Battenberg. Wheat, slightly sour. Almonds. Orange. Syrupy, fruitcake. Raisin and faint lemon.

Finish: Dry hops, with a following dry tongue feel, Cherry again.

Conclusion: Not very impressive. The bitter core hides most of the cherry elements and the subtleties are pretty much absent.

It doesn’t make you wish for the end of the world rather than drink it, but when that’s the best you can say, it’s probably not worth grabbing a bottle.

Tasting Notes: Arbor Ale: Snuffy Jacks Old Ale

Arbor Ale: Snuffy Jacks Old Ale (England: Old Ale: 5.9% ABV)

Visual: Dark brown black with a thin dash of an off white head.

Nose: Lovely milky coffee and a summer days breeze. A hint of oak.

Body: Bitter up front then slips into sweet coffee liquor. A medium body with something almost like lettuce then sustained bitter again.

Finish: Chocolate, dry dusty attic. Some aniseed.

Conclusion: Not bad, but if suffers heavily from coming so soon after the Beer Geek Brunch Weasel.

The bitterness on this beer tends to overwhelm the more subtle elements and the finish does not quite work. However it does have a nice sweet middle when you take a good gulp. It’s still not anything special.

Nothing too exciting for the style, but its an ok beer I guess.

Tasting Notes: Naylors Brewey: Old ale – Brewers Choice

Naylors Brewey: Old ale – Brewers Choice( England: Old Ale:6.2% ABV)

Visual: Deep bronze and apricot flesh with a light brown bubbling cream head.

Nose: Creamy and slightly hoppy with a rich thick caramel element.

Body: Bitter and very smooth mouthfeel, big oak wood influence. Onion gravy towards the end. A harsh natural sweetness, raw and unfiltered, The lightest citrus touches that combine for a subtle fruit influence. Also a touch of treacle sponge to contrast. With a final delightful slightly sour end character that distinguishes it.

Finish: Bitter and burnt. Has a slight roast dinner feel, Some rough textures and liquorice .

Conclusion: This is a meal of a pint, with all its age showing. Drunk in Manchester against the background of a massive snowfall it provided a warming buffer against the cold with its character and alcohol content.

Feels very chewy despite its smooth mouthfeel and has nice touches of sweet characteristics.

Well put together and its filling meal qualities make it a pint to go with cooked meats and a roast dinner, drunk slowly with friends.

Tasting Notes: Box Steam: Dark And Handsome

Box Steam: Dark And Handsome (England: Old Ale: 5% ABV)

Visual: Dark red, light brown froth of which there is middling amount.

Nose: Coffee, crushed grain dust, grilled shark steak.

Body: Coffee, bitter chocolate, touch of hops.

Finish: Bitter chocolate again which lasts quite well. Sweet at the very back. Strong bitter bite after a large mouthful. Acrid and burnt remnants.

Conclusion: Pleasurable. Not a showstopper but brings a nice balanced range in. Not too heavy or harsh. Another beer that would be brilliant session beer if only slightly lighter in alcohol. Its delectable finish adds a lot to its appeal.

Tasting Notes:Harviestoun: Old Dubh 40 Year Special Reserve

Harviestoun: Old Dubh 40 Year Special Reserve (Scotland: Old Ale: 8% ABV)

(Aged in Highland Park Whisky Casks)

Visual: Black, a thin brown froth eases away leaving a bubbling around the edge of the glass. Small bubbles fizz up from its impenetrable centre.

Nose: Charcoal, sickly sweet treacle. Peat and salt, sea cliff breezes over an oil spill. Id be lying if I said the Islay charm and almost medicinal nature where not hinted at. Victorian house attics and ageing cellars.

Body: Light for a second then rich expensive sweets, luxury boxes worth. Butterscotch froth. A feeling of descent into deep rocky canyons. Sweet strawberry crème centre as the chocolate breaks open. Roasted and sugared nuts intertwined. Surprisingly slick mouthfeel.

Finish: Dry oak, sweet black toffee, warm alcohol haze .liquorice. A whisky air and memories of a fire warmed room. Raw cane sugar.

Conclusion: It’s hard to say when the whisky end and the ale begins. A wonderful harshness on a rich and playful beer that feels very stout like in its composition. Worth just breathing air in over you tongue after swallowing a large mouthful to enjoy its whisky finish. Drinkable like a lighter ale, but enjoyable and rewarding to investigate like a fine beer, and probable for depths like a fine whisky.

In comparison with the Paradox stout expressions I’ve tried from the mighty Brewdog brewery this beer beats them out to be the finest whisky aged beer I have sampled yet.

Another beer for careful consideration and verbal dissection with a verbose group of companions. Top notch.

Tasting Notes: Brains: The Rev. James

Brains Beer: The Rev. James (Wales: Old Ale: 4.5% ABV)

Visual: Sunset red with a solid lasting ice cream froth that looks ready for a flake.

Nose: Hops, processed vanilla, caramel syrup sauce, sickly sweet, an actual whiff of fresh ice cream.

Body: Creamy, rising heat, cloves in minute traces at the very end. Slight wood muttering.

Finish: creamy, hops, more vanilla, banana syrup.

Conclusion: A satisfying sweet beer with just the edge of spice to keep it from becoming dull. The sweetness edges forwards towards sickliness but never quite tips over into it. Wales has done good again with this beer.

Tasting Notes: Kingstone Brewery: 1503 Tudor Ale

Kingstone Brewery: 1503 Tudor Ale (Wales: Old Ale: 4.5%)

Visual: Dark brown. Short lasting white head which settles down to a light brown froth.

Nose: Oats grains and hops, a farmhouse bake – Mashed potatoes and gravy. Horse feed bags.

Body: Bitter, malty, a grainy texture, tiller earth flashes to mind and descriptions of the early Egyptians beers with thick gritty heads. Sesame seeds. Bitter chocolate

Finish: Lovely lasting bitterness. Sweet grains. More oats.

Conclusion: Feels like its callback namesake. Calls to mind heavy tankards and darkened ale houses. Would by perfect with steak or maybe a full spit roast feast; This Welsh beer is a mighty example of ale and recommended without hesitation