Fursty Ferret - Badger Brewery, Hall and Woodhouse

atis

Finland

3.43/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours amber with slightly off-white head and patchy downsliding lacing. Aroma is malty with bits of spicy hops that remind of citrus fruit.

Taste is rather sweet malty with considerable presence of bittery hops, notes of citrus fruit that are also present in the aftertaste, some sugary residue remains in the mouth. Very light body.

Quite drinkable, but nothing too special.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2010 11:26:56 | More by atis

FreshHawk

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - Rusted bronze/Amber color.

S - Has a sweet malt/caramel smell. Light fruitiness (especially apple).

T - Caramel and malts are pretty dominant for the flavors. There is a slight bitterness and floral finish. There is also a very slight fruitiness (similar to the scent). None of these flavors really jump out though.

M - On the light side of medium bodied, Somewhat sweet and dry finish.

D - Not overly drinkable, the finish (dry and sweet) reduce it a bit. But it isn't overly offensive so it is fairly easy to drink.

Notes: Average beer that I don't mind drink but I won't really look for it.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2010 01:01:14 | More by FreshHawk

EarlNuce

United Kingdom (England)

3.05/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A: Light golden brown ale. Medium carbonation. Soapy head.

S: Slight orange and spicy hop.

T: Fruity. Orange marmalade. Sweet with hints of malts.

M: Carbonation tingle in the mouth. Not a heavy beer at all.

D: Couldn't drink too many in a night. Too sweet.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2010 21:13:19 | More by EarlNuce

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Bronze with an off-white head, light retention, good lace.

S: Orange-rind, marmalade, toffee, light fruitiness (tropical & pear).

T: Toffee, orange rind, mineral, good/balanced bitterness. Reminds me of Old Speckled Hen.

M: Light to moderate body is smooth with an off-dry finish.

D: An all-around good brew.

Thanks Jer & Karen!

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2009 02:03:34 | More by Derek

Fizzlybear

United Kingdom (England)

2.95/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

L - Pours a dark copper colour, with a frothy off white head.

S - There was a strong malt smell, with aromas of spiced orange. An average smell.

T - The taste was quite sweet, I picked up on honey and malt with a slight bitter fruitiness (orange and citrus).

M&D - The drinkability of it was not great, it settled slightly heavy on me, but the feel it has was good.

Overall there are better beers in this category to go for.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 10:20:40 | More by Fizzlybear

DerBayer

Germany

2.17/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

And now for something distinctly average or just below. The colour is a rich amber to ruby but head is very frothy and bubbly not what i would expect of the style.

The smell is weak and faint and doesnt really tell much and the taste is also somewhat non-descript but some hop aromas are present.

Mouthfeel is OK and so is drinkability but nothing great

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2009 19:16:47 | More by DerBayer

lacqueredmouse

Australia

2.75/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear golden bronze colour, slightly burnished with a filmy bust lightly sticky head of white foam. Lacing is pretty good, but not exceptional. Head being so filmy as it is is a bit of a let down. Otherwise a decent looking brew.

Pleasant light swetness and English hops on the nose. Some dried fig character, cut grass and a pleasant organic skunkiness. It's reasonably thin, overall, but it's not a bad nose all up.

Some caramel and a light straight hop bitterness, weak, but not offensive. Some phenolic characters coming through at the back, which mingle with the caramel sweetness still welling around from the front, leaving a slightly nasty conglomerate at the end of the palate. Mouthfeel is particularly thin, which is a shame, and overall the sweetness comes across as weak and sickly. I'm probably sounding too harsh. It's not actively offensive, but I can't say I'm a huge fan.

It's not incredibly offensive, but the more I drink the more bland it seems to be. The sweetness becomes more cloying, and the hop character, which seemed quite noticeable at the start, has a harder and harder time breaking through. Not particularly enjoyable by the end.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2009 02:51:43 | More by lacqueredmouse

laituegonflable

Australia

2.3/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Pours a slightly apricot-tinged golden colour, minimal beige head, virtually none left though. Still, slow carbonation. Leaves a touch of lace but not much. Very lacklustre appearance.

Slight sticky honey-style malt, maybe German influence, with slight notes of bread yeast, but not overpowering. Light bitterness but doesn't seem natural, and dominant character is that slightly corn-fed malt. Pretty meh, again.

Taste is a lot more organic than I gave it credit for. Flavour is quite malty and slightly earthy, genuine grain character underlying it. Bit of a carbolic soda bitterness creeps through on the mid palate and turns it slightly tart, then a hint of some sort of bitter pang on the back, but not very full of character, more of an afterthought, with a very small amount of bitter hang just lingering at the coda. Not impressed, but it's not as offensive as it might have been.

Mouthfeel is still and lifeless. Maybe a little bit of buoyancy in it but it's dull and uninspired. Overall, a lacklustre and very ordinary brew. Not harsh or unpleasant to drink, but definitely lacking something: like flavour, or ingredients.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2009 00:31:12 | More by laituegonflable

charlatan

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.15/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A light chestnut coloured beer with a decent head. It has a clean, grassy nose with a hint of orange peel. The carbonation is a little offputting, giving it rather a flavoured mineral water feel. Beyond that it has a rather light version of the stock Badger taste with a fairly pleasant and not at all fruity hoppy edge. Passable but unspectacular.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2009 21:22:09 | More by charlatan

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got this bottle from Vinnie, an Englishman who brought it into Bodega Brew Pub downtown La Crosse, WI for me. Thanks Vinnie! Poured with a fine off-white head and some lace. Has a deep amber color. Nose is malty and British hoppy. Flavor is the same but much richer, with a flash of cabbage. Maybe from the clear bottle. Finish is decent, leaving me the wish for another swallow. Typical English Ale with a little extra carbonation. Session beer; I like it.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2007 20:40:27 | More by drpimento

Sigmund

Norway

3.33/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

500 ml bottle, from the fridge (= too cold) at Arnie’s Coffee Bar / Bistro, Whitby. ABV was 4.4%. Brown colour, fizzy, minimal head. Reasonably hoppy aroma with some "boiled" malty notes. Brown ale flavour, some caramel and toffee. I am really not impressed. Have had better, have had worse.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2007 23:12:24 | More by Sigmund

vancurly

Australia

3.4/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Very handsome light copper/amber, thick, full off-white head.

Fleeting nose of rubber/sulfur, which is pushed aside by malt & floral notes.

Malt & green apple skins, light poppy seed note, floral & herbal hoppiness. Mild bitterness

Smooth, fairly light, yet drinkable. Wouldn't mind a session with the draught version.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2007 07:33:34 | More by vancurly

kmacphail

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.35/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This beer, a pale brown/amber colour, poured nicely into a pint mug, giving a good head for a bottled beer, this stuck to the side of the glass as it was drunk, a very nice sign on a bottled beer.

The nose was too sweet, a toffee and caramel mixed in with the already sweet nose of the malts, it would have been nicer if these were hints instead of a strong sweet smell, too much like a soft drink.

The taste was not too sweet, although definately dominated by maltiness and not a lot of hops. It was rather pleasant and a very nice thirst quencher, as the sweet taste gave a hint of fruit in the after taste. however the mouthfeel was a bit too lager-like for me, too watery.

Although I must admit, although this beer is nothing more than average in my opinion, I did go back for another and did enjoy it once again. I'm not sure why but I can't critisice this beer too much. It's not the best on the market, or the worst; it is just very average.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2007 23:51:59 | More by kmacphail

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

2.75/5  rDev -13%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A fairly pale brown, pale ale, with no real head, just a thin wispy covering, mostly making a collar around the glass.

This clear 500ml bottle had a best before sometime in 2007, drank sometime in 2006 (December 27th actually).

No strong aroma at first, but as the beer warmed up a sweetness arrived, giving toffee notes.

Dryish taste, but nothing to get excited about, a bitter type taste really, no great hop flavours for me.

Fizzy beer, not a true Pale Ale in aroma or taste, mothfeel weak also.

Not a beer I will be rushing out for.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2006 23:03:28 | More by BlackHaddock

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

3.43/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle bought from Grape Expectations, Ballyclare...

Poured a nice orangey copper colour... Slightly off white head poured quite thick and foamy and faded to thin layer...

Aroma - Quite sweet caramel maltiness, some not very nice rubbery hints, fruity (orange ?), sea saltiness, spicy hops, some traces of toasted bread...

Taste – Nutty, spicy / peppery hop bitterness, some woody notes, very light malts, slight dustiness, some burnt orange...

Feel - Quite smooth and dry. Medium bodied. Quite drinkable...

Overall - An average beer... a few unpleasent skunky notes ruined it for me....

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2006 10:42:27 | More by mdagnew

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

2.88/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottled-version. BB date: Aug. 06.
A: like the cask-conditioned version, the colour is orangey-amber
S: pale-malt sweetish aroma dominates the nose, with wild flower's sweetish yet a bit stinky scent, like elderflower-blossom+rhubarb, underneath is a tinge of white-sugary note and some orangey hops; overall very light-weight but refreshing.
T: deeply flowery sweetish flavour pours into the mouth, leading to a faintly citrus hop and a mildly dryish palate at the back of the tongue and introduces some bitterness. Surrounding the mouth is a residual taste of weird, warmish, powdery grains and rhubarb flavouring, like that of some flower-infused teas... come to think of it, the same thing happens to some other Badger's beers, e.g. Golden Glory and Badger's Original--might be the work of their unique treatment of hops?
M: overall the mouthfeel is too light and the texture too thin, with that slightly artificial fizziness not common to a real ale. The ending touch is watery, all the more so if one catches the lack of aftertaste. Thin-bodied and lacking flavour and depth; this beer fails in its bottled-version even harder than on cask. I think the brewery should improve the recipe or leave the resources for other better beers.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2005 18:22:48 | More by wl0307

bditty187

Nebraska

2.55/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Clear, dark copper in hue with an amber-bronze highlight but I already knew this because the bottle was clear. No animation. The head was off-white in color, at the apex the foam was a little less than a half-finger in height. Head retention was fair; it subsided to a thin, soapy cap rather quickly. There was a few rings of subsequent lacing, just enough to be noteworthy. Overall, the appearance is satisfactory.

The nose has been slightly affected by the clear bottle. I can get past it. Weak caramel notes, grain, mineral water, and a hint of dull honey/apples. Light potency. The bouquet really doesn’t say much. It is too clean for an ale, especially a British interpretation. It is too neutral to be considered inviting.

The palate is a yawner. Grainy caramel, some mineral twangs, and a smattering of honey and fruit are about all the palate has too offer. There is nominal malty goodness and faint hop bitterness. It does turn juicy at the finish; this saves the beer from complete failure in one sense. I’m burping skunk… that all but kills this beer for me. Is this really an EPA? No way, okay maybe it is (is this really a piss-poor Mild Ale?) but Fursty Ferret is just not a good representation of anything.

Medium-light in body, the carbonation is low and this makes the mouthfeel very sluggish. This beer is not refreshing, which is a shame because a beer with such a modest abv should at least be refreshing!

Is it at least drinkable? No. Every swallow made my stomach fell funny (I wasn’t laughing). For novelty sake this beer was purchased (see: the name and label). Honestly, I didn’t care for this beer. It is sluggish and boring with little redeeming qualities. This bottle was purchased in England and brought back to me thanks to Howard and Lynne. Regardless of my review I need to issue a huge thanks for the effort!

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2005 14:14:06 | More by bditty187

Toddv29424

District of Columbia

2.7/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The beer pours a dark caramel color with a little head, which leaves a nice lace on the glass then it finally dissipates. The initial taste is much like an English bitter served at room temperature: pretty bland and wheat heavy. The second taste is much more pungent, and tastes like an cider-and-alcohol mixture. This lingers for a few seconds, then the apple and fruits start to emerge more and it warrants another sip. I don't think this beer would complement any food, it is best drunk on its own.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2005 19:24:27 | More by Toddv29424

GreenCard

Oregon

2.73/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Best before Oct '05...

Appearance: light brown, good clarity, medium layer of tannish froth, OK head retention but flattens to a sudsy coating

Aroma: underneath the heavy skunkiness there's malt, marzipan, braeburn apples, hint of honey, strawberries

Flavor: bready malt sweetness with an edge of roast, slight tanginess, leafy hops, finishes dry with an aftertaste of chocolate and crackers

Mouthfeel: medium-light body, fine carbonation, soft texture

Other comments: Another clear-bottled British brew and wham!, you get a big whiff of skunk as soon as it's poured. Slowly, these brewers are starting to transition to brown bottles, but there are still plenty of stragglers holding on to that silly tradition. Not sure what this beer is like without the skunk.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2004 09:50:59 | More by GreenCard

CRJMellor

Arkansas

3.43/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours deep caramel with a moderate head that leaves spotty lace.
Aroma of caramel, mineral water, hop, oil and resins.
Flavor of lightly sweetened caramel, lsightly burnt and roasted malts and some floral hops.
Mouthfel is light sweetness, gritty, slightly charred middle and a rather dry but very light bitter.
Drinkability was OK, pretty average beer to be fair.

Serving type: cask

07-29-2004 01:49:57 | More by CRJMellor

Doiv

United Kingdom (England)

3.73/5  rDev +18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep amber with an off-white head that leaves beads of lacing down the glass.

Aroma is malty, with bitter hops, rhubarb, apples, and a biscuity finish.
Taste is malty, followed by a banana and apple sort of taste, then a little biscuity flick before a bitter hoppy finish kicks in.

Mouthfeel is good, goes down pretty well.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2004 19:57:01 | More by Doiv