Old Court Ale - 16 Mile Brewing Company

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Smiling Chameleon in Lewisburg, PA on 3/6/11.

A - Copper-colored liquid with dark amber highlights and half an inch of creamy beige foam that reduced to a patchy retention and deposited some spotty lacing around the glass.

S - Aroma is quite malty with plenty of caramel, toffee and bready notes as well as toasted grains. Hop presence is mild at best, although some floral notes are apparent, as well as a hint of perfume.

T - Flavor is malt-forward with lots of caramel and toffee sweetness and just a subtle floral hop presence that provides mild bitterness. Finishes with a crusty bread character complemented by more sweet toffee notes. Simple but tasty.

M - Medium bodied with a light syrupy texture and modest carbonation that provides a hint of bristle on the palate. Finish is sweet with mild hop bitterness on the tongue.

D - While I definitely don't get APA from this brew, this is a fine bitter or even ESB. Overall, Old Court Ale is a very British-style quaffer that would be nice on cask or even nitro.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2011 14:47:47 | More by ffejherb

IceTrey9785

Virginia

3.13/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I got a bottle in a mix-six-pack at work...

A: Poured the ale into a British pub glass. Really nice cherry-wood color, great off white head, with good lacing. Looks like a malty beer to me!

S: Freshly baked bread, hint of caramel and brown sugar. Hazelnuts and a bit of baked fig come through as the beer comes to temperature.

T&M: Really upfront malt character. It is nutty, caramelized hazelnuts come to mind. A bit of citrus, but very, very faint. The mid-palate even has a bit of an edge that is similar to a sharp cheddar cheese. Very creamy and smooth, great texture. The finish is excellent with a wonderful peanut brittle flavor.

I like this beer, but it really isn't anything special. For a good pub ale -- sure, but for a beer that really knocked my socks off, I don't think so. A bit of hop bitterness is needed to give some trace of acidity and balance the sweet yeasty overtones. A beer I would drink if offered, but probably not buy again.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 22:01:42 | More by IceTrey9785

Kinanik

Virginia

4.2/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I got this one at Total Wine & More in Fairfax, poured into a pint glass from a 1 pt 6 oz aluminium bottle.

First, I want to say that the aluminium bottle is an excellent thing. I look forward to using this to house some homebrew.

A: Darkish, copper pour. Two-finger head with a relatively heavy pour which fell rather quickly.

S: Sweet, malty, a little biscuit.

T: Absolutely no bitterness. Tiny bit of citrus, but mostly caramel malty. Nothing special, but very drinkable.

M: Light, but not American Adjunct light. Excellent Mouthfeel.

D: Exceptionally drinkable. Smooth, nothing bad anywhere down the line. No ABV listed, but I would guess between 4-4.5%, none of which comes through.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 01:53:24 | More by Kinanik

mulder1010

Australia

4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Have to thank theCPJ for sending this out to my part of the world. Much thanks. Imperial pint Poured into a SA perfect pint glass

A-- Really like the aluminum bottle. Very well done. Poured an opaque golden brown. Short lived sand colored head that went quickly to film. Just a little bit of retention with a few swirls. Lots of very small carbonation bubbles on the side of the glass.

S-- Lots of Carmel in the smell. Biscuit with spicy floral hops. Carmel really stands out well in this.

T-- Burnt carmel, sweet carmel. Good amount of malt to this and touches of hops. Seems like an ESB to me.

M-- Sweet with touches of bitterness. Front is sweet with the burnt carmel and back is floral bitter hops. Reminds me more of an ESB or a US take on it. Medium carbonation and medium feel to this.

D-- Totally a session beer, can have multiple of these easily. Well made beer and the presentation is done well.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 13:08:10 | More by mulder1010

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

More crafts need to come in these aluminum can-bottles. Just for variety's sake. This brew pours a clear orange garnet topped by a sparse layer of white bubbles. The nose comprises a healthy dose of flowery citrus backed-up by a nice contingent of mild caramel. The taste sees the roles reversed, the caramel slightly dominating the more flowery citrus hops. A hint of white chocolate pervades the aftertaste. The body is a straight medium, with a light active carbonation and a crisp, dry finish. Overall, a decent sessionable brew; nothing special, but solid nonetheless, and rather drinkable.

Serving type: can

08-07-2010 23:51:31 | More by TMoney2591

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

*Poured chilled from an aluminum bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a dark amber to ruby color w/ a slight tannish lacy head on top that basically ends up a surface layer at best. Nothing else to note.

Sweet caramel malt aroma right away with a biscuity aroma coming behind it. Some earthy hops also found, but farily mild.

Sipping reveals a sweet caramel flavor with some roasty malt tones. A slight dirty hops flavor also comes through. The basis of this is a very malty ale of which style I am uncertain. It seems more like a scottish ale than a pale.

Feel is very good. Some carbonation balanced with a smooth drinking body.

Easy drinking brew that seems refreshing on a hot summers' eve. Solid brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 00:28:38 | More by Fish113d

jmfc8237

Delaware

4.08/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Purchased a growler from the brewery.

A- a dark amber to chestnut brown colour with a slight off white head about 1/2 in. high. Moderate retention and light lacing around the glass.

S- Smells very sweet with a nice strong english style yeast profile. has alot of malt backround and it seems this one will be big on taste.

T- It really has a nice meld of hops and biscuity malt taste. Well balanced and just enough alcohol to warm the back of your tongue. Sweet caramle and fruit in the front leeds way to a doughy malt finish that is very well rounded.

M/D- I really enjoyed this one alot. I like the silky mouthfeel, and nice carbonation. Deff. a session beer for most.

Serving type: growler

02-26-2010 20:50:17 | More by jmfc8237

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 651 ml aluminum can shaped like a tall bottle.

Pours a clear amber/red color with a finger of head slightly tanned and yellowish. Little bit of lace clings on to the glass with the head retaining fairly well. Initially it has a strikingly sweet aroma of malt and citrus hops that fades to a bit of grain and also a slight note of metallic twang. Taste is grainy with some caramel notes blended with a faint hop bitterness. As it warms, the alcohol comes through and there is a slight metallic twang in the finish that is somewhat masked by the hop bitterness. Moderate amount of carbination and a light feel this beer.

Overall it's not bad, I would definately drink it again. However, it reminds me more of an oktoberfest meets pale ale than just a pale ale which is what stopped me from scoring it higher. The color, taste and crispness will surely throw you off from thinking this is your normal APA.

Serving type: can

02-03-2010 23:41:47 | More by stakem