Bishop's Farewell - Oakham Ales / The Brewery Tap

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.7/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle, just out of date when opened on 26 July 2012.

This is very, very simular to the cask version (which is always a good thing).

Pours a pale yellow with next to no white head.

The smell is all citrusy hops with grapefruit coming through, no malt hints at all.

The taste is a crisp grapefruit induced hoppy flavour, again with very little maltiness to be found, some yeasty hints around in the aftertaste.

I’m a malt man, but this has class and deserves the high scores I’ve given it.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 21:22:49 | More by BlackHaddock

elginirishpunk

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a very good suprisingly complex flavor of beer. Strong and intoxicating aromas similar to a belgian style ale. Quick hit of bitterness and then finishes clean and smooth. Definitly will not ruin your palet if doing a tasting session. You are only able to taste a light hint of alcohol. Very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 17:11:52 | More by elginirishpunk

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.55/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Ruds for this one.

Poured from a 500ml. bottle, best before 11/01/13. ABV listed on bottle is 5%.

Appearance: A pale golden body with a thick 2 finger head that disappears a little to fast. A smattering of lacing.

Smell: Heaven in a glass! Ripe fruit, clementines, good does of hops with some sweet fruit. Constant and never lets up ob the fresh fruit.

Taste: A mesh of fruity hops with a good earthy base and the malt that restrains from being excessive. Fleshy grapefruit as well as the peel. Packed with flavor and so good.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, bitter but balanced and dry. Very robust for its 5%.

Overall: Excellent bitter and one of the best i've had the pleasure of trying. Get this if you can.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 11:13:48 | More by papat444

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.28/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle bought from The Vineyard, Belfast

Poured a nice pale golden yellow colour. Slightly off white head poured big thick and foamy with a whipped meringue like topping. Sparse carbonation drifts slowly to the surface... lots of sticky lacing...

Aroma - Spicy and slightly tropical fruits (grapefruits, ripe mangoes, kiwi fruit, pear), quite rubbery, some vegetal traces, pine, sea salt, some soapiness, grassy hops, light herbal notes, white pepper...

Taste - Spicy, citrus and grassy hop bitterness, light biscuit malts, light floral notes, good fruitiness (gooseberries, grapefruit, light pineapple,), light honey sweetness, herbal notes, quite perfumed, faint soapy hints...

M&D - Pretty sharp and dry... Light / medium bodied... supremely quaffable..

Overall - An excellent and very sessionable brew... definitely recommended..

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 13:49:52 | More by mdagnew

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.93/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A 500ml bottle with a BB of Jan 2012. ABV stated as 5%. Label mentions that it contains barley and wheat.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A hazy pale straw hue with very low carbonation and exceptionally fine sediment. Yields a minute head of frothy white foam that disappears within seconds. Aroma of light malt with plenty of fruity grapefruit and citrus notes, underpinned by subtle hints of yeast.

Tastes of pale malt with tons of hop aroma and a mild bitter finish. Notes of grapefruit, citrus and tropical fruits, along with a whiff of pine. Dry, earthy yeast in the background and a crisp bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and dry, but a little flat. Quite astringent - dries the palate. Aftertaste of aromatic hops - delicious!

An excellent ale - packed with aromatic hop goodness. Are all Oakham's beers this good? Fantastic flavour; this would become a favourite if it were regularly available. Love those citrus notes. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 23:59:51 | More by jazzyjeff13

Sigmund

Norway

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cask conditioned at the Smithfield pub, Derby. Golden colour, low white head. Lovely citrussy aroma, in the characteristic Oakham style. Hints of tropical fruits. Complex hoppy, herbal and citrussy flavour throughout. A very good and enjoyable ale, like so many others from Oakham!

Serving type: cask

10-13-2011 00:25:02 | More by Sigmund

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

3.85/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle #8 of the Sainsbury's Beer Hunt. Poured from a 500ml bottle into a Samuel Smith pint glass.

Pours a light golden colour with a decent head and excellent lacing.

Smells fresh and grassy, very strong hops.

Tastes refreshing and strongly hoppy despite being quite well balanced.

Overall a nice refreshing drink, a bit like Thornbridge Kipling.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 02:04:28 | More by CwrwAmByth

thepeter

United Kingdom (England)

4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Golden pour with little head and little lacing. Smells of hops, citrus, hay, and fruit. Clean, beautiful tasting quite like it smells and dry at the end It really is a refreshing well made beer. Crisp mouth feel great carbonation and just a great overall bitter. I will be buying more of these.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 20:08:33 | More by thepeter

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.65/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

500ml bottle, best by June 2012(!?), into a Birra del Borgo tulip. Shared at a tasting. Big thanks for this one go out to my friends who delivered this to me from merry old England.

A: Crystal clear, luminous gold body - looks like watered-down apple juice - with a thin, coarse head; decent retention and lacing. Mediocre.

S: Whoa, that's intense. Super floral, fruity, bitter, hoppy, and fresh. It's like a handful of hops shoved up my nostrils. The hops completely dominate, and that's more than all right by me.

T: Earthy + floral hops up front, followed by some smooth biscuity malt in the background, and finished with super-clean bitterness. Bold, balanced, and complex. Terrific.

M: Smooth light body, understated but silky carbonation. Works great with the lively flavors.

O: I was really excited to try this beer based on its ratings, but since I'm usually left fairly cold by English styles my hopes weren't all that high. One sniff put all my fears to rest, as this is indisputably a fantastic beer, transcending style to deliver a beautifully flavorful bitterness. I'd take this over any number of American Pale Ales, and even IPAs. If I ever find this on cask near the source, I'll be a very happy (and very drunk) man. Oh, and this one paired gloriously with the the incomparable Jasper Hill Winnimere cheese; pretty much every beer does, of course, but this one was an especially harmonious partner.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 01:01:09 | More by woosterbill

hophopandaway

United Kingdom (England)

4.63/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I have three pubs withing 3 miles that have this on almost permanently because it's so popular, and that's a real testament to the quality brewig that goes on in Oakham.
When the barman lifts a pint of this straw coloured pearler and puts in in front of you the salivation starts, then a whiff...mmm, citrussy hops. After a whiff I got a sudden urge to nail about a 1/3 of the pint, so I did, and the flavours are great big orange and lemons with a floral note and all this layered on a grainy backdrop.
This comes in at a perfect 4.6% and I think that is spot on for a good afternoon-moving-in-to-the-evening session or a quiet couple of pints of an evening: strong enough for big flavours, weak enough to enjoy 5 or 6.

One of my favourites, although how this has been classed as an ESB I have no idea, I would jsut say that this is a damn good bitter. Too many catagories of beer for my liking.

Serving type: cask

03-15-2011 17:30:54 | More by hophopandaway

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.53/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Filtered, 500ml brown bottle packaging; BB 10/07/09, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: pours a clear, bright golden hue, with sporadic fizziness and a thick, white pillowy head.
S: an intense middle of nectar-ish sweetness pierces through the flowery and grapefruity bouquet, showing Goldings and American hop fragrance by 50-50. A swirl gives rise to a unique aroma almost like elderflower essence plus lychee liquor, plus pale malt's slightly stinky-sweet note. Overall, predominantly hoppy and rightfully pleasant!
T: marvellously hoppy, complex, delicious, and bitter right from the start(!) - showing elder-flower cordial, honey-water, grapefruit-zests and lychee shells, tangerine fruits, green melons, hays, with a rather mild presence of gristy pale malts~~ as the juicy taste settles down, it's replaced by an utterly dry palate with a lingering aroma of grapefruit-peels, straws, and some unidentifiable elements. Utterly bitter, tangy and dry in the finish, reminding me of a light-coloured IPA! Besides, the sour part of citrus fruits and nectar is constantly on the side of the bitter edge, rendering a sort of balance overall.
M&D: can't have enough of this ale, at this strength one can very easily stay on it for the whole night throughout several sessions! It's very much close to the cask-version that I've tried many times, and the carbonation level is tuned to a moderate level to reflect the real nectar's true quality and fine taste, while remaining refreshing throughout the drink. All in all, this light-coloured IPA is a true winner for its complex aroma, a good depth of bitterness, well-structured flavour profile, and thirst-quenching quality. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2008 18:57:22 | More by wl0307

Mudpuppet

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Poured from a cask with beer engine at Deep Ellum in a pint glass. Poured a straw yellow with a big bubbly foamy head.

S- Nice citrusy with malt notes.

T- Really nice bitter. Fairly strong hop profile for a ordinary bitter. Definite citrusy hops like cascade. I imagine they are UK hops though.

M- Nice mouthfeel. Off the cask so it isn't very carbonated.

D- Absolutely! Like any good bitter this is very drinkable. I could have a few glasses without any problem.

Serving type: cask

03-08-2008 22:42:27 | More by Mudpuppet

bonbright7

New York

4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A firkin of this was imported for the sole use of DEK's American of Rocky Point, NY last night and it was very popular with a mixed beer crowd who had never tasted it. The darkly golden ale had a constant lacing that never disappeared to the end of every pint.
The smooth light to medium flavors of bread and malts in the first taste were toasted valiantly by the delayed snap of citrus edged hops. Taste after taste, the even texture stayed true and reminded me of a lightly maltier version of the esteemed local Sixpoint Bengal Tiger IPA. I even arranged for an tasting of this cask alongside the great Fuller's ESB and the differences were very strong, but delicious in every way.

Serving type: cask

02-09-2008 16:58:42 | More by bonbright7

k0mp0

United Kingdom (England)

5/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Highly hopped beer, up there with the best.

Outstanding fruity spicy aroma of pears, lemons, apple skin, and a little grapefruit.

Tastes like thick hop soup with all of the above aromas and more with a decent amount of bittering that blends in perfectly with the beer. Aftertaste leaves the fruits and the bitter on your tongue, leaving you wanting yet another big gulp of this stuff.

Medium to high carbonation with a big fluffy head that sticks all over the glass suits this beer perfectly.

Mouthfeel is deep and lush, bombing yer tastebuds with flavour as it goes down, lovely stuff.

Drinkability, I could drink this all night no problem, it's something I could imagine having at any time of the year, hot summers day, or cold winter night.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2008 14:09:11 | More by k0mp0

gentlebubbles

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

NERAX 04

Very clear, very pale yellow, like sunlight in the glass. Nice fluffy white head. Enticing floral fragrance.

Classic, crisp bitter, but I taste a bit of bready yeast, a bit of medicinal taste. It's easy to put away, but I'm not completely sure I like it.

Serving type: cask

04-29-2004 18:44:00 | More by gentlebubbles

Jason

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served @ NERAX 2004 in a pint a glass.

Shimmering pale golden hue, decent froth off of the engine. Good hop flavor and aroma ... floral with mild fruity note of pear and apple skin. Slight salty mineral flavor complements the nutty malt and yeast mix. Very bold and packed with a complex living ale character.

Serving type: cask

04-29-2004 13:32:29 | More by Jason

downes51

Cyprus

4.4/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

What a blindingly good pint. I just came back from a lunchtime session comprising 4 pints of this stuff.

It's very pale, elegant, and strongly hopped. This stuff is so good it could almost pass for Belgian! And at 4.6% alcohol, well maybe it's a little strong for a lunchtime but after a couple I wanted more and more. Highly reccommended.

Serving type: cask

02-18-2004 16:20:17 | More by downes51

Mark

California

4.68/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Golden colored ale,had a nice long lasting white head that left great rings of lace. Soft malty aroma did in no way reveal what was to follow. A blast of citrusy, grapefruity, hops assaulted me. is this an English ale? Almost U.S. IPA like, but smooth and cask to boot. A total winner, enjoyed with dinner at the tremendous Lord Moon Of The Mall pub in London. One of the better one's sampled on his awesome vacation.

Serving type: cask

12-04-2003 23:54:35 | More by Mark

scottum

Vermont

4.88/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On cask at NERAX

This was the best beer on night one at NERAX '03 in Boston. Perfect mouthfeel and drinkability. Hoppy for an English brew. The taste was beautiful. Very well balanced. A bit fruity. The finish makes you want more and more. Sadly, this was also the first brew to depart NERAX.

Serving type: cask

05-02-2003 15:05:12 | More by scottum