Archer's Ale - Sherwood Forest Brewers Ltd.

BDIMike

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

I met the owner of Sherwood Forest Brewering the other day and was very impressed. He was very passionate about his beer and the story about how he got started and how his beer grew into what it is today. I owed it to the man to try this beer and greatly enjoyed it myself. It pours a great color with a head that stays throughout the beer. There is not a lack of smell, but a great strong taste. Not many pale ales have such a strong taste and I greatly enjoyed this. The mouthfeel was perfect and I could drink these all day. Even though this beer falls under the American Pale Ale category, the beer is made with ingredients from England and tastes more like an English Pale Ale. Given my druthers, I would drink one of these over a Bass any day!

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2007 00:04:33 | More by BDIMike

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

04-07-2012 15:39:19 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

04-07-2012 15:38:55 | More by metter98

Sailracer

1.25/5  rDev -64.4%

03-23-2012 22:56:07 | More by Sailracer

jfcaa193

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -14.5%

02-19-2012 01:54:45 | More by jfcaa193

Goldfishman

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

01-30-2012 16:50:17 | More by Goldfishman

Hoagie1973

New York

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

01-26-2012 18:17:03 | More by Hoagie1973

barnzy78

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

11-29-2011 05:38:54 | More by barnzy78

bpfrush

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

11-15-2011 18:23:00 | More by bpfrush

Lawnboy33

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +14%

11-15-2011 05:24:06 | More by Lawnboy33

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Finally done with the random mixed sixer I made over a week ago. Damn, I gotta stop gettin' sidetracked. This stuff pours a clear dark ruby-brown topped by a finger of dirty white foam. The nose comprises toffee, light cocoa, mild grapefruit zest, light orange zest, and a few blades of grass. The taste amps up the fruits a little bit, ditches most of the cocoa in favor of biscuits, and adds a bit more grass. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fairly smooth feel. Overall, an okay beer, one that I could see drinking again, but not really something that could ever really wow anybody.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 02:03:39 | More by TMoney2591

matjack85

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I found this single 12oz brown bottle at the Binny's store in Plainfield, IL for $1.49. All of this company's labels have a Robin Hood theme to them.

The beer pours a clear amber color - eventually! You have to wait about 3 minutes for the outrageously huge head to settle down first before you can see the beer's color. I'm not kidding - 90% of the glass will be filled with off-white head, even with an easy tilted pour, so pour this one slowly. A good amount of lacing remains when everything settles down.

The beer has a nice bready, yeasty smell to it.

The beer also has a big, bready, yeasty flavor to it along with a lot of other stuff. I also pick up some brown sugar and caramel sweetness along with some fruit and bitter hops in the background. Overall I did not really care for this mix of flavors. It's a case where more is not always better. It's too all over the place.

Medium body with medium carbonation.

Glad I found this in a single bottle rather than a 6 pack. It's not awful - it's just not something I'd seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 22:00:02 | More by matjack85

madjr80

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Light brown in color with plenty of head retention. Medium in body and goes down nice and smooth. Not very hoppy, but enough hop character for its style. An easy beer to make an afternoon of drinking. Bread-like after taste and a bit nutty. A reasonably priced beer at 8.99 a six-pack.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 02:32:39 | More by madjr80

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Hazy orange-red with a small off-white head with low retention. A small cloud, nice ring and pretty much no lace.

S- Nutty slightly roast malt up front. Some dark fruit notes linger behind it. Caramel malt notes are big as well.

T- Starts with big malt that is nutty, caramel and roast. Also some nice dark fruit notes. The malt is in the finish as well with some grassy hop notes and buttery hints. Definitely some oxidation here.

MF- Light creamy body with moderate carbonation. Slightly bitter. Feels pretty smooth.

DB- A fairly flavorful, balanced beer with nice malt and hops. Nothing jumps out to impress me but it is definitely a solid ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 01:54:25 | More by cbutova

FreshHawk

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Darker amber color with a decent sized, foamy, creamy head with a slightly off-white head. Slightly below average retention leaving a thin bubbly layer of lace.

S - Not very strong or prominent with caramel and some pale malt type of aroma. A touch of English hops with a bit of herbal and grassy aroma. Pretty faint.

T - Some caramel and pale malt along with some apple taste. Pretty good amount of bitterness with some herbal and grassy hop flavors. Grassy bitter flavors linger toward the finish. Not overly exciting.

M - Lighter side of medium body with adequate carbonation. A bit of a slick/smooth feel. Slight drying finish.

D - Flavors are a bit bland with a lingering bitter grassy flavor. Not overly drinkable and the flavors just don't meld all that great.

Notes: Average beer that is vaguely English like but not very inspiring or much like other good English beers. Pretty bland aroma and taste. I wouldn't turn it down, but I wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2010 06:08:27 | More by FreshHawk

Haybeerman

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Ruddy, reddish-brown color. Poured a 1 finger tan head that dissipated to an even skim. Broken sheets of lacing.

S: Roasted malts; caramel and sweet bread. Spicey hops more prominent as the beer warmed.

T: Very consistent with smell; caramel and bread. Somewhat biscuity. Light, but complex hop finich; floral, pepper and grass.

M: Light to medium body. Moderate carbonation. Smooth and crisp in the finish.

D: A little small and expected a sharper bitter. That said, easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2010 03:14:02 | More by Haybeerman

Tone

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, amber color. 1/4 inch head of an off-white color. Good retention and decent lacing. Smells of yeast, sweet malt, citrus, and pale hop. Fits the style of an English Pale Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, yeast, hops, citrus, and slight roasted malt. Overall, a rather average EPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 21:57:36 | More by Tone

gatornation

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

pours a dark amber almost brown hazy color with a beige ring..the smell is toffee caramel and a roasted malt smell i also smell toasted bread ...taste is more of the same its toffee and spices some hops in a bitter metallic way i pick up some citrus rind and burnt toffee or toast..the mouth fell is medium..any way i found this english pale to not be flavorful or drinkable it was way to metallic and burnt tasting..again glad i only bought 1 to try..not recommended

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2010 22:07:16 | More by gatornation

WakeandBake

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A slightly hazy amber color pour with a two finger foany offwhite head , lasting a bit , leaving some streek lacing behind . Aroma is quite mild , spicy hops , sweet malt , earthy . Flavor is of herbal and piny hops , caramel , nuts, bread crust ,and a hint of butterpretty strait forward , light bitterness , full body , creamy/sticky mouthfeel , short spicy hop finish , I would call it sessionable , but nothing too exciting .

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 22:06:16 | More by WakeandBake

jwc215

New Jersey

1.7/5  rDev -51.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

This one was a semi-gusher - I opened the bottle and it began foaming over. After waiting for things to settle down, I poured very carefully, but resulting in nearly all foam. A nice chestnut body appeared after some time. Nice color - shame that a too-fizzy ridiculously large head interfered.

I had to wait a bit for the head to (noisily) settle to a reasonable point - Caramel struggled to show under heavy green apple and butterscotch.
Smells infected.

The taste was worse. Green apple sourness and a lemony tang. Caramel hardly noticeable. Soapdish, green apple and butterscotch.

Overly fizzy, even with the head settled down.

I assume this is a bottling issue or some infection took place. I hope... I couldn't finish it... Hopefully, I'll have a chance to revisit this one to see if it was an "off" bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2010 20:11:07 | More by jwc215

Frosty80

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Color: clear, deep amber

Smell: moderate maltiness with notes of toast, chocolate and caramel. hop aroma is low and reflects European varieties

Taste: good balance of malt, hop flavor and bitterness. scale is definitely tipped slightly to the malt which is toasty, slightly chocolatey and caramely. secondary nutty malt flavor may be percieved. has a very faint fruitiness. hop flavor is moderate but mellow with a bitterness that lends good balance to the malt. finish is somewhat dry with toasty malt flavor and a bit of bitterness

Mouthfeel: medium body with moderate carbonation

Notes: this is an ESB people! and not a bad one at that. mimics more of a Fullers ESB style with a slightly more complex malt profile than most but still not as delicious as Fullers. nice attempt at the style though.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2010 21:19:39 | More by Frosty80

Amalak

New York

4.33/5  rDev +23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cool looking bottle aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this ale. It's brownish/red, opaque, with a nice foamy head and lacing and some malt and barley scent.

It's nicely carbonated and has a very nutty, malt taste. It has a kind of peach aftertaste to it with a slight bitterness. Good flavoring. Excellent, refreshing brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2010 22:17:25 | More by Amalak

tigg924

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: minimal head, moderate carbonation, redish-brown in color, clear

Smell: toasted malt, brown sugar, hops

Taste: toasted malt, cocoa, small hops, and nut--maybe peanut

Mouthfeel: medium bodied, semi-sweet with slightly bitter parts, robust, medium-high carbonation

Drinkability: What a pleasant surprise. This is an APA with more of a brown ale/porter feel. It is very complex for the style. Very enjoyable and sippable, I could session this.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2009 22:49:54 | More by tigg924

yelterdow

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served at just over fridge temperature in the optimal Sam Adams Boston Lager glass, the month of September is notched on the label. Now available in the NYC area.

Appearance- Rich and deep amber, this ale supports a thick, rugged light beige head that has impressive resilience. After a few minutes, it's still complete but thin; lacing is moderate and clings in long, broken islands.

Smell- Bready, malty sweet aromas of caramel and brisk hops infiltrate the nose in abundance. There's plenty to take in, and I love the clean, balanced execution.

Taste- This is a terrific example of a domestic English style session beer that's full of character, taste, and smoothness. The bold, yet balanced ingredients come together and harmoniously dance in the mouth and continue through the swallow. Bready, malty, and sweet with a mellow hop finish.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Subtle and gently carbonated, this is definitely one of the easiest drinking beers I've had recently. It's a solid choice for a session beer that really delivers in the flavor department and overall balance. I would love to pair this with fish & chips with some malt vinegar for dipping.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2009 14:51:17 | More by yelterdow

msolar

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

It was ok - nice balance but a bit watery although I'm not an expert on English Ales. It had a good aftertaste but you didn't get much flavor when the beer was actually in your mouth.

I'd like to try some of their other beers but I wouldn't put "Archer's Ale" on tap at home.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2009 13:24:41 | More by msolar