Moonraker Ale - J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd

Starchild

New York

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The pour and head both look good, but a little short. It looks like this beer is only 9.89 oz., not going to lie but I’m little disappointed seeing that I expected 12. The color is blackened brown and the foam looks good. First sip is smooth basically tasting like Newcastle brown ale. Then hints of liquorish, malt, hop, chalk, and vanilla. Sweet delicate flavors then bombarded the taste buds. Man. Be careful pouring, I had some clumps in my pint. Interesting beer and the taste has England all over it.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2003 02:08:04 | More by Starchild

putnam

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beautiful roasted sweetness on the nose is characterised by buttery, sweet, toasted brown bread notes.
Velvety, slightly sweet caramel flavors are lifted by creamy mousse and shaped by tangy, roasted bitterness. White raisins, caramel creme and roasted seeds play supporting roles. AS it warms the roasty element begin to assert a stronger counterbalance to the sweet malt.

Well balanced brown ale... a bit sweet. Nice with pudding.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2003 02:48:06 | More by putnam

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark mahogany brown color, appears slightly clearish overall with light transmission at the bottom of the pint glass. Very soft yellow head of about 1/2 inch to start. Laces thickly. Some cocoa to the deep smell, some carob as well. Lighter mouthfeel than I expected but the flavor is decently full, expressing chocolate powder, light coffee tones, and a burnt profile close to the end. Some slight sense of alcohol but relatively smooth and easy drinking. A good enough beer but I have to admit I was expecting better mouthfeel and a little more complexity to write about.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2003 18:31:13 | More by ADR

RoyalT

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance – Beautiful dark brown in color and full of carbonation and sediment. The tanned head was huge and relentless, lacing the glass wickedly on its slow ride down. It was a thing of beauty for sure. I hope it tastes as good as it looks.

Smell – The aroma is very muffled, even after warming. I can pick up a solid malt base though with maybe a bit of yeast to it. There’s also some sherry and dark fruits, most notably figs.

Taste – The oak comes out in the taste. The sherry is there as well, and they both work to compliment the strong malt base. This ale is a lot bigger at the tongue than it is at the nose. There’s a warming alcohol flavor to go along with the huge sugars.

Mouthfeel – I liked the fullness of the body here, but the carbonation was quite annoying. It kind of fizzled without satisfying. Otherwise, this felt good.

Drinkability – This is definitely 9 ounces of sipping ale. I enjoyed it very much, but the flavors are a bit strong and clumsy and may not be to everyone’s liking.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2003 02:10:56 | More by RoyalT

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A very smooth and drinkable strong ale from Lees. I liked this beauty very much.

A hazed and deeply bronzed body is crowned by a nice, tightly formed ivory head. The head lingers long and filmy enough to do tight lacing.

The nose is initially fuity and malty and as it warms the maltiness becomes distinctly of a caramel nature, giving deep and rich malt notes. This follows in the flavor that strengthens with warming and builds a very strong sweet maltiness barely in balance with the light hopping. There is no sense of alcohol here, making this a deceptively dangerous brew.

The feel is distinctly smooth and creamy, with no sense of overload from the fullness of the body. This is a delightfully rich and drinkable ale. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2003 22:54:58 | More by AtLagerHeads

ZAP

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a deep red with floaties all over the pace....little whisp of a head...Nose is malty...woody....like it was oak aged in bourban barrels almost....low carbonation....relatively smooth and firm mouthfeel....flavors are pretty complext....some berry fruitniess....also the oak/bourban flavor....bitter dark cocoa...pretty malty but finishes on a strong dry note..

Add it all together and it's pretty good....just doesn't blow my socks off...tastes very alcoholic...like drinking bourban....worth trying one bottle...I will not buy this one again....

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2003 05:06:46 | More by ZAP

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Turbid and murky brown appearance. Just a collaring of light brown head. Aroma has caramel, wood, toffee, smoke and prunes. Good is a bit of an understatement. The smoke and toffee are the primarys on the buds. Some bitterness enters the equation. Leather as well. Raisins and rumcake. Licorice as well. Decent enough, but nowhere near the class of their Harvest ales.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2003 20:48:40 | More by Bighuge

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had three of these on cask at Redbones. Didn't know it was as strong as it was, but after the first few sips, I knew it had to be a pretty big beer.

Cola colored, with a nice head that quickly dissipated, this brew was pretty easy to drink, and I kept right at 'em.

This was one of the best casks I've had in a while: very smooth, a bit of malty sweetness, not bitter. I liked it because the taste was fullbodied. Little bit of a hopkick and slight alcoholic taste in the finish. I want to go back to England...now!

Try this on cask if you can.

pat

Serving type: cask

04-20-2003 07:07:22 | More by PatandDavid

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +18%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 9.89 oz bottle. Unknown vintage.

Appearance: Hazy, cararmel brown with light tan (off-white) foam.

Smell: Sweet malt with a hint of fruit (mild banana) and yeast.

Taste: Sweet, malty, yeasty. Hint of oak and musty grapes. Slight hop bitterness in finish.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth, mellow, and creamy. Low carbonation. Full body. Warming, but with a dry finish.

Drinkability: Very good. A ver nice strong ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2003 19:32:57 | More by UncleJimbo

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle conditioned; enjoyed at 50F.Carefully poured, the body is a slightly hazy, rich mahogany with an orange-cast and crimson highlights. It's topped by a thin but creamy light-tan head that holds surprisingly well and leaves thin and spotty lace throughout the glass. The aroma displays toffee, mild dark fruit, and alcohol. It's quite estery. As it warms, however, some more caramel notes begin to appear. A full body, coupled with a very fine and gentle carbonation, gives an exceptionally soft and creamy mouthfeel that emphasises the maltiness. The flavor is far more complex than the nose alludes to with notes of dark fruit (prune, raisin), toffee, scortched caramel, honey, oak and a touch of alcohol. It finishes with a rising bitterness and unique hop flavor that's not unlike wet, leafy, whole hops left in the wort at the end of the boil... lightly earthy, herbal and resiny - but dripping with malt. It combines with the residual semi-sweet dark malt to give a lingering licorice note. Well balanced and quite unique. A splendid, rich and complex old ale that's not quite accessible as Old Peculier, but ultimately more rewarding to those willing to delve a little deeper. If old ale is your tipple, this one is not to be missed!

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2003 13:16:27 | More by NeroFiddled

paceyourself

Connecticut

2.13/5  rDev -42%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

It was the first and probably the last time i'll drink this brew. It starts with a unappealing sweet molasses aroma. Roasted malt, molasses and toffee are all apparent at first then a strong alcohol feel takes over. It has more chunks and sediment than any beer i have ever seen, it wasn't a very enjoyable sight. Drinkability and mouthfeel don't seem to important at this point.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2002 16:08:37 | More by paceyourself

Jdiddy

Rhode Island

1/5  rDev -72.8%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Ok, I know that this review will be harsh but take it as a warning. Do not get an old bottle! The bottle I purchased must have been sitting at the store for years. It poured very thick with no head at all. It had huge chunks all throughout. It went right down the drain. I returned the other bottle I had purchased.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2002 10:19:03 | More by Jdiddy

John

New York

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

275mL. bottle, bottle conditioned. Cloudy dark brown, minimal head. Dark ripe fruit, notes of prune, raisins and pear...some medicinal alcohol. These notes are also present in the flavor along with some sticky caramel and molasses and more strong alcohol. For a brew at 7.5% abv, this tastes like a much stronger beer, almost like a barleywine. Full mouthfeel. A unique, belly warming brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2002 11:43:28 | More by John

Viking

Indiana

3.63/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It's not just the worst Bond flick ever, it's also a Barleywine!

Murky brown ale with a slight reddish tint. Plenty of CO2 trails noticeable through the murk. Good sized tan head. Dissipates quickly, but carbonation keeps a thin lace atop the brew. Rich malty aroma with hints of raisin, toffee and an odd note of roasted malt. Chewey toffee/caramel flavor, with hints of dark fruit. A little thinner on the taste than I'd like, however. Despite the carbonation, mouthfeel is rather creamy. It's a lot like rich, chewey toffee candy, without the intense sweetness. A pretty smooth drinking brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2002 18:05:02 | More by Viking

Jason

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Deep and dark reddish colour that fringes on brown. Fruity with a bubble gum and medicinal aroma. Smooth with a creamy back, nearly full body with a big maltiness ahead. Estery and yeasty in flavour with a husky grain and leafy hop that is a bit bothersome. Sweet from the large amount of malt but the all of the astringent flavours bashes that to hell. Not a bad brew, its just all over the place … not held together well at all.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2002 23:14:17 | More by Jason

Todd

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 275ml brown bottle. No freshness date. It's got a little "Camra" logo on it -- I guess stating that this is a "real ale."

Appearance: Rich, dark amber, near absolute brown in colour. The off-white head is crazy, thick, foamy, creamy, patchy, sticky and it seems to not want to go away. There's some clumps as this is a bottle-conditioned ale. Pour carefully.

Smell: Huge caramel, toffee, coffee and esters in the aroma.

Taste: Smooth, with some bittiness in the mouthfeel. Body is rich, thick and full. Malt profile is very sweet and robust with toffee, coffee, caramel, honey, chocolate, vanilla, oak/wood, fruity esters and raisin. Toasted and roasted notes tag each other into the tastebud ring as the complex flavours shift around the palate. Bitterness is just enough to balance things out, but not too much as to spoil the malt character -- a sort of semi-herbal, raw hop flavour and feel. Alcohol presence is strong, prickly and warming. Finishes with residual malt flavours, then turns dry.

Notes: This is an insanely delicious ale! A must for big beer lovers, and a fine addition for any beer cellar. Too bad it's so damn expensive at $5.45 a bottle here in the US.

On the back it says it won as a winter ale, and as a barley wine. I'll just call it a strong ale and straighten things out.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2001 00:00:01 | More by Todd