Southampton Secret Ale

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Nothing really inspiring about this beer, not was it a drainpour. The label on my bottle was Secret Ale, so perhaps it’s a few years old. The beer pours out a dark clear copper color with a medium dirty white foamy head. Aroma was sweet malts, earthy with a kind of wet charcoal like angle. Caramel and herbal on the palate, it did seem rather weak in flavor. Light raisins were also detected.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours out in a crystal clear brownish amber appearance with a firm rocky off-white head. Earth, caramel, nuts and mild dried fruits in the aroma. Medium-bodied with notes of burnt caramel, fudge, grass and cookies. Long firm balanced finish of burnt caramel, nuts, minerals and spicy hops.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Pours medium-brown with a small, lasting head that contributes notable lacing. Aroma is roasty and nutty with no fruity notes whatsoever; clean, dry finish. Medium-bodied and well carbonated; great session drinkability. This was my first Southampton sampling and I am impressed.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Dusseldorf style Ale, and a very nice one at that. Dark amber/brown pour with a lasting 1/2" thick head and strands of creamy lacing. Great malt nose with a hearty sweetness of nuts and roasted grain. Complimenting aromas of caramel and dark fruits add to the fine scent. Medium malt body with a pleasant sharpness and smooth finish. Toffee, baked bread, and caramel start off a good flavor, and are backed up by some mildly bitter hops and a faint fruitiness. I tasted some light smokiness that really added some depth. Very drinkable, this is a great beer to relax with.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

My first Altbier. Pours a dark copper body. Head was 1 inch thick, bubbly, light caramel head. Aroma was fruits, malts, and some nuts. Not much carbonation. Tastes pretty bland.. slightly boring, its bitter, malty, buttery, nuts. For my first altbier I have nothing to compare it to. The brew was just not that pleasant.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

A hazy orange beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet malty with notes of caramel - and so is the flavor too with a slightly bitter finish........

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Beer poured a beautiful caramel brown color. Aroma was sweet and earthy. Flavor was a wonderful rich malty flavor, with caramel sweetness and some nuttiness. Could pass as a brown ale, and a great one at that. A touch of bitterness at the end perfectly balanced this beer and made it crisp and refreshing despite the sweetness. I LOVED IT!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

This alt pours a deep amber color from a 12oz bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is caramel, some bread and sweet. A medium to light bodied alt. Malts are caramel and slightly sweet. Hops are a touch floral and a little bitter. Smooth taste. Perhaps a little watery and thin. Kind of bland. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and crisp and a little metallic. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Thanks to aabrewer for sending me this one. The Secret Ale pours a nice amber color with an average sized head. The aroma is a nutty smell backed up with some caramel malt. The flavor is much the same. The taste did get better as it warmed up a little, and the brew was in very good balance. Nothing makes this beer stand out from the crowd, but I guess that means that there isn't really anything terribly wrong with it either. This would be a fantastic summer session beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours with a deep amber body topped by a medium thick head with some lacing. It’s slightly sweet and malty with a slight touch of caramel. A peppery, piney bitterness hits you in the finish. A little weak in aroma. Medium bodied and smooth.