Coalition Old Ale - Thornbridge Brewery

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.34/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Prime 16, served in a ¾ pint glass. A rye Old Ale hopped with citra? 1. what? 2. yes please!

A: Clear red-orange body with a cap of fine off-white head that settles slowly and leaves some nice lace. Beautiful.

S: Caramelized raisins; plum and cherry; citrus hops; spicy malt. Really complex, really vibrant. Excellent.

T: Bright orange/grapefruit hoppiness up front, followed quickly by fruity malt and a bit of straight rye. Lots of fig and plum, with apricot and peach as well. Hoppy bitterness and some spicy, bittersweet malt combine for an intense (and very tasty) aftertaste. Really complex, with both distinctly American and distinctly English aspects. It works.

M: Frothy. Hugely carbonated medium body. Over the top.

O: Delicious beer, although I’m not sure about the Old Ale categorization. It tastes more like an IPA/ESB hybrid, with just a hint of Old Ale fruitiness thrown in for good measure. Whatever you call it, it’s delicious.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2013 22:13:55 | More by woosterbill

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Purchased from Ale Yeah! In Decatur, Ga. A beautiful looking beer with a lovely glowing orange color and a slight haze. A very nice head of fluffy, grainy billows that leave some clearly defined rings down the glass as you drink. Very pleasant aromas of orange marmalade, honey, and fennel seed, with some light almondy nuttiness as well. Reminiscent of an Italian or Spanish nougat. The taste is a bit more subtle, and the fruit and honey is largely eclipsed by a somewhat astringent bitterness, a bit woody. I'm not sure the somewhat soft body of the beer can support all the astringency here, and the result is a thinness on the finish, whereas the palate is crying out for some more substance or sweetness there. My complaint is the fade on the palate. The beginning and middle of the taste has some nice notes of fruit, spice, wood, and perhaps some black tea. A nice beer that perhaps could have been great with a little tweaking.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 23:06:45 | More by Georgiabeer

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A collaboration with Dark Star brewing, this bottle was bottled October 2010, almost a year before I cracked it open. Purchased from K&L Wines in Redwood City, CA.

Pours a rather light golden colour, with flashes of orang edeep in the glass. Slight haze and a thick body. Head is pure white, incredibly fine, but only really forming in a ring around the edge of the glass. Lacing is everything you want: sticking and complex wherever it's put. Looks pretty good.

Nose is deep, but subtle, with slightly sweet oxidised port notes and a hint of wood. There's a fragrance to it, but it's an oddly organic fragrance, or an aged fragrance—again it suggests the wood, or something floral, perhaps. Interesting.

Flavour is deep and sweet, with a cleansing astringency on the back of the palate. Although it's a relatively low ABV Old Ale, it manages to capture that woody, boozy heat, the slickness and the depth of a much richer and heavier version. Finish is sharp and it does a good job of clearing out the heavy body. Nice.

A good beer. I've certainly had better examples of the style, but the fact that this plants itself firmly within the style is good in and of itself. Thornbridge have shown themselves again to be one of the most interesting breweries in the old country.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 00:57:31 | More by lacqueredmouse