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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Aroma of ensilage and barnyard, some sulphur (over-cooked eggs). Flavour is OK, but light bodied and not very exciting. Weak background of acidity.

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

Cask conditioned at the White Horse, Parsons Green, London. Deep golden colour, moderate head. Minimal carbonation, aroma was hard to detect due to a smoky pub, some aromatic hops around. Flavour is instantly Cascade hops (I think), elderberry-like qualities, not really bitter. An OKish beer, not great, lacks some "bite".

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

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. Low (natural) carbonation. Golden colour, citrus aroma. Fruity flavour, very refreshing despite being served at room temperature (should be moderately chilled).

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. Served at room temperature (urk!) with only the natural low carbonation - this is a light golden ale with good hops and a lovely aroma, and it should be a perfect session beer when served cooler (and maybe with a fairly tight sparkler?).

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. I haven't had the bottled version yet, but it is reported to be somewhat different. ABV of the cask version is 4.4%. Golden colour. Flowery and candy-like aroma. Light bodied. Would benefit from a cooler serving temperature than was the case at the IBF. Flavour is moderately hoppy, would no doubt be refreshing if served cooler. As it was, it lacked some "freshness". Dry finish. BTW, it’s organic - "suitable for vegans" = no animals killed for the purpose of brewing this beer. Nice to know before you order your plate of bangers & mash.

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. The IBF programme description: "Biscuity malt and earthy hop flavours" seemed spot on to me. Decent.

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

Cask conditioned at the Smithfield, Derby. Golden colour. Lovely citrussy aroma. Complex hoppy, herbal and citrussy flavour. This is very good! - obviously related to its excellent low ABV brother, the JHB.

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Pale golden colour, low to none head. Light bodied, thin mouthfeel. Some hops in the aroma and flavour, but not remarkable. This is an ale for the girls!

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

(500 ml bottle). Deep golden colour, good head. Nice hoppy and elderflower aroma. Elderflower is probably what I get in the flavour too, but I've never eaten elderflowers, so I can't really tell. There's some caramel and a reasonably decent hoppiness, but it's a bit too sweet IMO. A bit alcoholic too, despite only 5% ABV.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. The hops are what it’s all about with this light and refreshing golden ale. Would benefit from being served at a slightly cooler temperature than was the case at the IBF. Lovely hoppy aroma and flavour, notes of grapefruit and pineapple. Recommended!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

Cask conditioned: Fruity, flowery, extremely refeshing English bitter. Can't think of any faults with it.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

(Bought in Sweden - not in Systembolaget's ordinary selection, listed as "coincidentally in store"). This beer has a deep golden colour and pours with a good head. It has a lovely fruity aroma - there is some oak and spices too. Flavour is malty and rounded, still with a great bitterness. This is quite simply a good beer - wish it were imported to Norway!

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

(500 ml bottle). Golden colour, moderate head. Moderate but decent hoppy aroma. Hallertau in a bitter? Must be unusual? Mouthfeel is initially quite soft and not very "bitter and twisted", but there's a distinct lemony bitterness in the finish (Styrian Goldings). Leaves a nice aftertaste. Very refreshing. I can see why this beer has a broad appeal to the masses. Not a piece of art, perhaps, but a decent and well made bitter. Looking forward to sampling it cask conditioned. Rerate: This beer has become part of my staple diet, due to its availability here in Norway, and I will readily admit that I LOVE both the aroma and flavour. I’m upping it 1 point. Also sampled cask conditioned at The Cask & Barrel, Edinburgh. Not in the very best condition, and served slightly too warm. Deep golden colour, creamy head. Nice zesty and fruity hop aroma, but should be even better. Distinctly hoppy flavour throughout, but not quite as zesty as it should be in its best condition.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

First time impression: Cask at The Grid, Southfields, London. Served too cold. Unbelievably high rating at the Great British Beer Festival. I still find the use of extremely bitter hops totally out of hand. Probably the first pint of my life that I was unable to finish. Undrinkable. If you guys like it, fine. I just don't. Sorry. Note: Looking at other ratings, I will have to sample this one again. My taste MAY have changed ...

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

(330 ml bottle). Copper coloured, a slight haziness, moderate but relatively thick beige head. Malty sweet aroma, caramel. Flavour is again malty sweet with some caramel - definitely too sweet. One-dimensional. Thin mouthfeel despite the sweetness. The brewers claim they have used "organic grown hops" - maybe those hops were organic to a degree that they were left to rot on their stems, ’cause there sure is no trace that any of them have been used in this beer! Very disappointing.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Golden colour, moderate natural carbonation. Lovely INTENSE hoppy aroma - fruits (citrus), honey, flowers. Flavour is extremely pleasant and well balanced with a citrussy hoppiness throughout. One of the best session beers I’ve had.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Pale golden colour. Lovely citrussy sweet aroma, hints of honey. Some natural carbonation, zesty. Some wheat character. A nice hoppy bitterness throughout. Another great session beer from Oakham.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. ABV was listed as 4.9%. The brewery website does not mention the ABV, it might vary. This is another lovely citrussy golden ale from Oakham, a style which seems to be their specialty. Golden colour, low head. Plenty of citrus, tropical fruits and honey in the aroma. Flavour has some citrus, but also some of the dusty hoppiness you’ll find in many Southern English ales.

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

Cask conditioned at Charlie’s Bar, Copenhagen. Fullers have finally "discovered" that golden ales have been in demand for a number of years. This is their attempt at this style. Golden colour, low head. Moderate hops in aroma and flavour, but nothing special here. Disappointing. Rerate, 330 ml brown bottle, from Maxi Stormarked, Sandnes. ABV is 4.2%. Golden colour, moderate head. Moderate fruity hops in the aroma, some notes of toffee and buttered toast too. The flavour has moderate malts and fruity hops (hints of oranges), with just a very moderate bitterness in the finish. Nothing wrong with it, but doesn’t blow your socks off.

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

750 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. I had to try this one, despite being sceptical to the gimmicky name: IMO, most good beers are worth "to dine for" (with a possible exception of the very sweetest ones), so why should this one be different? It isn’t - it’s basically a decent standard golden ale, where the Tettnang hops (more commonly found in German lagers) shine through nicely. Citrussy aroma, notes of flowers and honey. Pleasant lightbodied flavour with a moderate but decent hoppiness throughout, nice but nothing spectacular. No doubt good with food (I must admit that my "dining" was limited to a couple slices of pizza), but again: so are many other beers.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

500 ml bottle. Golden colour, slightly hazy. Decent white head. Lager-like aroma with notes of flowers, hay and honey. Flavour is sourish and thin with some citussy notes. Short sourish aftertaste with metallic notes. Disappointing.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

330 ml bottle, as Rosita Original, from Vinmonopolet Vika, Oslo. ABV is 5.5%. Imported to Norway by Moestue Grape Selections AS. According to the Norwegian rear label, this is a spontaneously fermented ale (not sure if that is entirely true), with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Hazy golden colour, large to low white head, decent lacing. Strong sweetish and "unfresh" aroma, distinct notes of stale marmalade and decaying / rotting fruits. The flavour is somewhat better than the aroma, wheaty and fairly refreshing character with hints of citrus. Won’t buy again though.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.3%. Hops are Nelson Sauvin and Amarillo. Very pale yellow colour, moderate head. Vegetal aroma, notes of grass, elderflowers and citrus. The flavour is citrussy and refreshing, moderate notes of elderflowers, hints of white grapes and green gooseberries. Moderate bitterness. Light bodied. A decent summer ale.

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

Cask at The Harp, London. Served a bit too warm. Pale golden colour, low white head. Moderate hoppy and slightly citrussy aroma. Distinctly hoppy flavour with a nice bitterness throughout.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival. ABV is 4.0%. Pale golden colour, low head. Nice citrussy aroma. Distinctly bitter hoppy flavour, but has too weak body to support the bitterness. Still props to Durham for daring to brew hoppy ales, while so many other English breweries are "playing safe" with boring beers.