Old Man Ale - Coniston Brewing Co. Ltd

PorterLambic

Florida

2.78/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I really wanted to like this beer. It came highly recommended by someone who's opinion is usually much better centered than on this particular occasion. Oh well, drink and learn.

Pours out brown, like dark honey, with a reddish tint. A big, tight head and nice lacing.
Smell is hops and light malt.
Taste is hoppy with the malt more noticeable in the mouth than in the nose, and a juniper/pine hint hanging in the back.
Mouthfeel is a touch bitter from the high hop content with a slightly dry finish. Much more I.P.A. than English ale. Medium body.
Drinkability is just alright, nothing special. Nothing bad about it, but it doesn't seem to fit the style very well. Should be listed as an I.P.A. If it were, I'd rate it much higher.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2004 02:51:11 | More by PorterLambic

kaelingirl

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

04-13-2013 19:56:10 | More by kaelingirl

BGsWo22

New York

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-20-2013 22:34:42 | More by BGsWo22

ctwinne

2.75/5  rDev -24.5%

02-01-2013 23:28:59 | More by ctwinne

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +9.9%

12-07-2012 03:22:14 | More by PEIhop

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3%

10-21-2012 17:07:42 | More by RblWthACoz

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

07-12-2012 00:23:30 | More by TMoney2591

VonZipper

New York

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-25-2012 18:16:34 | More by VonZipper

Sarunas7

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

01-19-2012 06:44:24 | More by Sarunas7

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +9.9%

11-27-2011 00:09:47 | More by Rochefort10nh

mrfrancis

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, Old Man Ale displays a clear, brownish amber hue beneath a thick light tan head that laces deep into the glass.

S: Subtle, unobtrusive aromas of toffee, roasted nuts, brown butter, and ripe apples gradually make their presence known. Very inviting, but a little too restrained.

T: A fruity, rich entry gradually allows notes of roasted nuts, toffee, nougat, heavy cream, spiced apples, minerals, brown butter, and orange to show themselves. Finishes smooth and somewhat dry with notes of minerals, apples, nuts, and cream still easily distinguished.

M: Crisp and full-bodied, but still relatively sessionable. It's what I would expect from an English ale of this type.

O: I feel that this would make a good gateway English ale. It's smooth and refreshing, but still flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 19:38:19 | More by mrfrancis

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Mother in law gave me this beer from her recent visit in Keswick.
Trying not to fall for the trap I opened and poured and was struck by the orangy brown sparkle and the spicy sugary nose. Gave a decent just off white head which just oozed some light but thick fluffy frosting all over the glass.
Dry earthy start carried through to the middle and the end and though not much development beyond this it was still engaging enough in its simplicity and reasonable lightly sweet maltiness.
An old school beer for the well season male.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 20:07:57 | More by Zimbo

brentk56

North Carolina

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

Appearance: Pours a hazy copper color with a rocky ecru head; a few dots and strands of lace are left behind

Smell: Very fruity, with a range of stone fruit elements as well as some caramel and bready malt

Taste: Opens fruit dominant with quince, pear and apple elements that are guided along by the caramel underneath; a bready aspect joins the profile after the swallow

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with gentle carbonation

Overall: Old Man Ale packs a lot of flavor into a session beer and, though it is not particularly hoppy, it avoids the problem of being too sweet; would love to try this on cask at the source

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 21:52:43 | More by brentk56

metter98

New York

3.63/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy light copper in color and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger high foamy off white head that has good retention properties and took a long time to settle down.
S: The nose is surprisingly fruity and has aromas of apples and earthy malts.
T: The flavors in the taste are very similar to the smell but are slightly stronger in strength. There are some notes of roasted malts and bitterness in the finish along with some hints of sourness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied, a bit thin and rather smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There are some hints of dryness in the finish.
D: The beer is easy to drink but nothing really sets it apart from others in the style that would make me want to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 15:39:56 | More by metter98

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a slow to emerge 1.5" head with soap suds bubbles. Hazy apricot tan in color. Smells like a lager, tastes like a lager. Has a touch of crisp bitterness and a bit of an acidic zing which actually reminded me a little of Bud. Decent beer but not really unique to me in any way besides the color.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 09:40:37 | More by MoreThanWine

darkmartin

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours to a hazy, dark, caramel-amber with a medium off-white head that hangs around. Thin lacing.

Smell: Smells slightly sweet with some citrus and fruit. Definitely some nuts and yeast as well.

Taste: The previewed citrus hops come out at first, followed by sweet caramel, butter, nut and yeast come to play in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied, perfect touch of carbonation.

Drinkability: Quite high, definitely an interesting brown ale that incorporates some citrus with the common nut and sweet caramel trend of this style.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 06:29:58 | More by darkmartin

largadeer

California

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle with a best by date of 11/7/10, poured into a nonic. Brownish-amber with a moderate haze. Pours with a finger of off-white foam which settles to a thin cap. Fruity and mineral aroma, a bit of stone fruit and green apple, toasted malt, baking bread, light earthy hops. Mild but pleasant. Very crisp and rather dry, toasted malt and whole grain bread flavors are prominent, with undertones of green apple and buttery diacetyl, both of which are faint enough to be pleasant. Quite mineral with moderate earthy/spicy hop flavors that appear mid-palate, but there's little bitterness or bite. The finish is more toasty, dry, clean. Light-bodied, bordering on thin, but I don't know that more body would be to the beer's benefit. This has a lot going on for a 4.8% beer, I'd love to try this fresh on cask. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 00:25:34 | More by largadeer

popery

California

2.8/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle, home. Pours a hazy light amber color with a decent sudsy white head. The aroma is bready malt, apples, mild English hops, light yeast and a touch of caramel - not great. The flavor is out of whack. It's sweet with a somewhat off-putting fruity malt flavor. There's almost a bad Belgian phenolic quality to the beer. The finish is mildly grassy. Mouthfeel is fine but the finish is a bit chalky.

This was a hard beer to rate. My overall score should be lower. I didn't hate the beer, but it has some big flaws. It tastes like a good recipe that has been mangled somewhere between the planning and my glass. I don't think it is, but it could be a freshness issue (I bought this bottle within a week of it hitting the store's shelf, so the issue would be with the distribution).

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2010 04:40:47 | More by popery

Minkybut

Virginia

2.98/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I poured this beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was a cloudy amber color. The beer poured a tan head that was gone away really fast. The smell of the beer was bready with a hint of sugar or caramel. The beer had kinda of a fruity taste. There was no lacing and the beer was watery but gave a dry mouth feel. I will not buy again.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 18:53:42 | More by Minkybut

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a brownish, honey looking beer. Clear body under a 2 finger, off white head. Lacing is spotting and foam stays around a bit on the surface and more so around the rim as the beer drinks.

I get a light sticky sweetness aroma, some caramel and hints of fig. Almonds. Not a strong smell. Faint yet clear. Soft biscuit.

At first sip, a hit of sweet and tingle on the tip of the tongue. A sweeter caramel surrounds the middle tongue. A nice soft blend of biscuit, caramel, nut and some minerals. A small dose of hops gives it a metallic feel to it.

A touch thin, but goes down nicely. Faint lingering aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 07:42:59 | More by Mebuzzard

ThirstyBird

Germany

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appears a dark cloudy honey brown with a nice tan head that falls slowly to a course blanket. Smells fruity (definitely get cherries) with some malt sweetness. Taste is a little watery but does follow the nose. With a little dry, fruit sourness on the finish. Pretty active carbonation and I suppose it's light/medium in body. This one is alright. It seems to get better as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 01:49:05 | More by ThirstyBird

Sallerj

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

This is a great example of a beer that might have been awesome when and where it was brewed, but is mediocre by the time it gets here. It smells of lemon and stale bread. It has a great, creamy mouthfeel. The flavor is a mix of fading malt and hop flavors, with citrus and caramel. I'd love to try this at the brewery, but I'll never buy it in the US again.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 02:51:11 | More by Sallerj

hustlesworth

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bottle says 4.8%abv

A- the bottle also says it's ruby red in color... which it definitely isn't. and i wouldn't call it a brown ale by looks alone. but we'll see. it's a mildly hazed rusty burnt orange with a rather loose wrinkly beige head. foam is rocky before it falls in on itself but holds tight at a thick disk with lots of nice english spit bubble lace.

S- hoppy aromas up front, and grainy, grassy, hay, some floral in the back, this one smells pretty fresh. nose is dominated by toasted barley and cereal grains but some tart red fruit and orange and grapefruit aromas come out as the brew warms. woodsy, earthy, arid. smells a lot like goose island honker's ale.

T- interesting roasted malt flavor over crystal malt toffee sweetness. the actual sweetness never gets to come out though, as it is immediately put in check by herbal grassy hop flavor and earthy bitterness, again making me question the brown ale style. citrus-berry tartness lingers in the background. finishes woodsy, grainy, and dry with roasted bitterness like very weak coffee, and a strong dash of hop flavor.

MF- somewhere around medium bodied, maybe a little under, carbonation is assertive, and the brew is slick on the cheeks and drying. no butterscotch or caramel sweet feeling.

D- the old man is a good, well-crafted brew. that being said, how should it be rated within style guidelines? a so-called (though not self proclaimed) brown ale that's not even close to brown. it's more along the lines of an ESB, as the only similarity to a brown ale for me is the hint of roasted malt. to fit the style, my rating would be out of whack. rated instead as a generalized english ale, this is a pretty good one.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2009 00:58:54 | More by hustlesworth

dedrinker

Kansas

4.5/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It aint no brown ale, and mine was 4.2% abv. It's more like a dark bitter, or an ESM (extra special mild) being silly of course, but not a brown ale.

chocolate, caramel, light roast, apple? Whatever. This is what's going on and it tasted good in that "I love UK bitters" way.

lovely mouthfeel/body/ etc. rookie beer drinkers (beer geeks) stay far away - it doesn't have enough superficial excitement for sophomores.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2009 20:21:26 | More by dedrinker

scoobybrew

Iowa

4.33/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was poured from the bottle into a pint glass.

A - faintly hazy light amber color, decent head that settles into a well retained lacing

S - toasted malts with some fruity esters and a trace of hops

T - surprisingly earthy noble hop flavor in contrast to the aroma, hops finish strong also; malt definately takes a secondary role here with some yeasty esters accenting

M - medium to light body with moderate carbonation

D - This is quite a departure than what I typically expect from an English brown. The hops are really up front in the flavor. It might even be misclassified here and fit better as an ESB. Either way though, it's quite enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the next.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2009 21:05:20 | More by scoobybrew