XB Bluebird Bitter - Coniston Brewing Co. Ltd

shirfan

New York

3.83/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The bottle claims this to be an English session ale with some American hops thrown in.

Pale gold with a slight haze, good head retention.

Aroma of sweet, almost lemony citrus and restrained malt.

Flavor is a lightly dry lemon zest, very mild cereal grains, and a touch of biscuit. Highly drinkable. The American hops don't do a whole lot for this beer, and the brewer's notes on the bottle say that they were aiming to miss an APA on purpose. That's where their dart landed; this is a very sessionable, hoppy (for the style) bitter. I'd love to have a pint or four on cask -- good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2008 00:14:19 | More by shirfan

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%

05-16-2013 21:55:27 | More by Slatetank

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +9.6%

03-21-2013 20:27:21 | More by PEIhop

BGsWo22

New York

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%

03-09-2013 20:13:28 | More by BGsWo22

leinie13

Ohio

4/5  rDev +9.6%

11-17-2012 00:28:02 | More by leinie13

GreyGhost4

Ohio

4/5  rDev +9.6%

11-17-2012 00:25:27 | More by GreyGhost4

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

2.93/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Serving type: 500 ml bottle. A batch code is printed on the label but there is no freshness date.

Appearance: Straight pour into a nonick pint glass. The color is hazy, medium copper. Two fingers of dense, off-white, rocky head dissipated slowly.

Smell: Sharp and British. The “American aroma hops” give it a very acute and concentrated grapefruit aroma, reminiscent of dish soap. It dominates the aroma. I can detect some sweet caramel malts and grassy British hops, but the dish soap aroma is omnipresent and pervasive.

Taste: Very strange mouthfeel: dry and powdery; it is almost like Tang after it has been mixed with water. The flavor is a weak reflection of the smell: sharp citrus hops (which is slightly similar to the dish soap of the smell), caramel, and earthy hops.

Drinkability: Needless to say, the dish soap quality is very off-putting. I will drink it but I doubt if I will ever buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 05:12:45 | More by TheQuietMan22

ghetto90007

California

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%

09-16-2012 05:24:53 | More by ghetto90007

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.95/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Fresh bottle. Pours a pale golden/straw color with modest white head. Nose is fresh with some black tea aromas, grain, and light citrus. Palate offers an expected black tea sort of flavor, soft biscuity malt, medium carbonation, and a rather clean malty aftertaste. Citrusy hops mix in for some balance, but overall malt stands out more to me. Very easy drinking. Delight.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 04:54:52 | More by yemenmocha

HoistinBrews

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9.6%

06-30-2012 01:19:00 | More by HoistinBrews

FriedGold2112

5/5  rDev +37%

04-24-2012 04:48:09 | More by FriedGold2112

peoplewithhands

Nebraska

3.05/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: cloudy light orangish with light head that stays

Smell: grapefruit and citrus with some sweet malt

Taste: grapefruit and bitterness with alot of fruity tart

Mouthfeel: Crisp carbonation, light body.

Overall: the fruitiness is almost too much, but I would drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 20:23:17 | More by peoplewithhands

ATPete

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.6%

12-09-2011 00:02:18 | More by ATPete

gc4hokies

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

appearance = pours a hazy light orange color. The head is very light and dissapates quickly.

smell = citrus/orange peel, hint of grass

taste = bisquit notes, dry, with plenty of bitterness for the style.

mouthfeel = good carbonation, solid consistency

overall = good session beer. very dry and drinkable. nothing exceptional

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 01:15:38 | More by gc4hokies

BMan1113VR

California

3/5  rDev -17.8%

12-02-2011 01:29:00 | More by BMan1113VR

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +9.6%

11-26-2011 23:58:47 | More by Rochefort10nh

ShuliShake

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +37%

11-21-2011 01:08:08 | More by ShuliShake

Halcyondays

California

3.2/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500 mL English style brown bottle,

A: Pours a hazy light orange with a small white head. Fair retention, no lace.

S: A lot of grapefruit with a Pine Sol/terpene astringency.

T: Mild malt character. The hop flavour is solid with assorted citrus, hay, and a light carbonic acid flavour. Very well attentuated.

M: Prickly, spritzy carbonation. Crisp, good body overall.

O: Not a fan of the nose here, but the flavour saves it somewhat. A nice drinking pint, but at $6+ it's way to price for what you get.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2011 01:33:44 | More by Halcyondays

metter98

New York

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy golden yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense bright white head that quickly died down but left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: The nose has aromas of apples and notes of citrus hops.
T: The taste is similar to the smell in that it has fruity flavors, but there are also some notes of biscuit malts. A mild amount of bitterness is present, and this particularly stands out in the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: This beer is very drinkable and goes down effortlessly; I would easily have lots of these in one sitting. It is quite refreshing and thirst quenching.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 01:09:27 | More by metter98

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a nonic)
A- This beer has a slightly dense orange body with a strong carbonation and a bubbly rocky off-white head. The foam sticks together as it slides down the glass after each sip.
S- The soft pale malt has a faint dry honey malt flavor and a slight tartness in the finish that becomes more hoppy as the beer opens up. There is also a soft candy sugary note that comes through as the beer opens up.
T- The soft pale malt and tartness finish with a slight sweetness of malt. The hops take over the tartness as the beer warms but still stay pretty soft.
M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with a fizzy prick on the tongue at the end of each sip.
D- This beer has a very light flavor and a subtle depth but there is not a lot of depth of flavor there. It is easy to drink but just not much character.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 03:22:16 | More by rhoadsrage

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - golden hazy yellow, with big white 2 inch head, that fades and leaves intricate lacing.

S - grain, bread with subtle hint of hops/earthy/citrus.

T - hint of bread/grain with malt, nice smooth on tongue.

M - med/light body with solid carbonation balance.

D - solid session beer and worth seeking out for the English bitter fan.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 18:11:48 | More by BeerLover99

dball

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was a special treat for me at the Brickskeller in DC. It is very pricey. I'd call it a full flavored bitter that is very smooth with an unfiltered feel (not sure if it's unfiltered). I don't drink a lot of bitters but give this beer a thumbs up and a recommendation for someone looking for a unique import.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2010 01:44:18 | More by dball

drpimento

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I've had this before from cask and it's much better that way. This one poured with a small, cream colored head that quickly faded and no lace. Color is a slightly hazy orange amber. Aroma is malt, caramel, a bit of toffee and hop. Flavor is fairly bland (this bottle was in my cold fridge) and similar to nose. Body is ok and carbonation is a bit fizzy. Fiinish is like flavor and short. Usually I'd rather have another brand. Nothing really wrong with it. Can't imagine finding this someplace and not being able to find something better.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 22:23:00 | More by drpimento

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Orange with a slight haze with a thick, eggshell cap of fine bubbles. Great head retention and thick, sticky sheets of lace. Fruity aroma, tart apples, pears, soft malts, and a bit of citrusy hop spice. Moderate bitterness, fruity up front, apples, light citrus. There's a bit of spice towards the end and light, lingering bitterness. It's drier than I expected, which gave the texture a more coarse character and seemed to draw away any significant malt flavour. Light bodied with slightly rough carbonation. I liked the aroma on this one, but it feels like it's overattenuated.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2010 23:25:00 | More by DrJay

WYVYRN527

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've had this beer a couple of times now, and it's definitely grown on me. It pours a rich amber color with a thick eggshell head. Head retention is good, but I would have liked to see a bit thicker lacing.
The aromas of the beer are very floral, with hints of geranium and spice. Marris Otter malt's trademark biscuit and caramel-like character also shine through.
XB isn't as hoppy as I would expect with the addition of American varietals. Sweet bready malt is dominent, along with caramel flavors, followed with a nice fruity, floral hop finish.
Mouthfeel is good, although it could be a bit more viscous. The finish is creamy and stcks around for some time.
Overall, XB is a very pleasant bitter that goes down very easily. An excellent session brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2010 01:32:08 | More by WYVYRN527