Bath Ales Gem

This one is another beer from Bath Ales, who made the Barnstormer that I liked so much. I liked this one too, though it was not quite as nice as barnstormer.

They describe this one as their "premium amber ale" and it certainly lived up to its promise of a rich aroma of hops and malt, with a long deep bitter-sweet finish.

For the technically minded, it uses floor malted Maris Otter barley and Golding Hops from East Kent. It is 4.8% ABV

Cotleigh's Barn Owl

Well, looks like we are back on track. Today's beer is from Cotleigh's Brewery in Wiveliscombe in Somerset. so it looks like that Aussie beer was a rogue selection.

Thought I'd put a picture of Helen on this occasion, as it gets a bit boring seeing me all the time.

This beer is a copper coloured full flavoured ale, apparently with "hints of toffee and nut for smooth, malty bittersweet finish". That seems quite an accurate description - very acceptable. ABV is 4.5%

According to their website, the Cotleigh Brewery has been brewing for 25 years, though the label says there is a 200 year Georgian brewing tradition in Wiveliscombe. You can find out more at http://www.cotleighbrewery.com/

Coopers Original Pale Ale

Well, bang goes my theory that all these beers come from the West Country. This one comes from Down Under (as you probably guessed from the pose I am adopting in the picture). In fact, Coopers Brewery is located in Regency Park, Southern Australia - not a place I have actually been to myself.

The bottle informs me that "Coopers beers and stouts are made using the centuries old top fermentation process". This is interesting as top fermentation is used for traditional English beers, while bottom fermentation is used for lager type beers. Most Australian beers are the latter so bottom fermentation would be the norm Down Under and Coopers must therefore be something of an exception. On the other hand, Original Pale Ale is an English style of beer so I suppose one would expect it to be top fermented.

Coopers is apparently a family owned business and the current Chairman is the fifth generation to run the company. You can find out more at their website - http://www.coopers.com.au/home.php

What about the beer itself? Well, it was pale in colour, almost golden. ABV was 4.5% It tasted pretty good compared to most Australian beers I know. However, it was not quite in the same league as the West Country beers that I have been sampling recently.

Barnstormer

Yes! I really liked this one!

Brewed by Bath Ales (there definitely is a pattern developing here), the label on the bottle says "Rich in fruit with hints of chocolate, this full-bodied dark ale is a complex satisfying beer."

It does exactly hat it says on the label - "a rewarding and enjoyable beer."

Bath Ales have a website at http://www.bathales.com

For those interested in the technicalities, this beer uses Maris Otter, Chocolate and Crystal malts together with Bramling Cross hops.

Once a Knight

This was interesting one. It was again quite well hopped, but rather smoother than the Golden Pig. This may be due to the fact that it contains both barley and wheat. It was quite strong - 5% ABV. It had a fair sediment - indeed the label advises giving it 24 hours to settle (but I couldn't wait and anyway isn't yeast supposed to be good for you?)

This beer is brewed by the Castle Brewery in Lostwithiel in Cornwall. I wonder if there is some sort of pattern beginning to emerge here?