Twelve Days - Hook Norton Brewery Co. Ltd.

budgood1

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pours out of the stately half litre bottle a clear but very dark mahoghany colour. thin tannish head which sticks around awhile...leaving some sparse lace. sweet brown sugar aroma, some fruit and woody notes...pretty nice. boozy wooden accents, brown sugar and molasses, dark rum, some cherries and dark chocolate, a bit of x-mas spice and a good dose of flowery hops. complex for sure...all perceived nuances are subtle yet sturdy. this is a dry beer...lip puckering in fact. i like it. a nice bodied english ale with a mouthfeel kept on guard by the dryness of the profile. drinkability is great...it's only 5.5% ABV but seems a lot boozier due to the liquor like flavours imparted.

english ales are hard to judge due to the subtle and modest qualities of the flavour profiles, but this strong ale has enough to keep the drinker interested yet invoke a sense of sessionability.

a nice meat and cheese platter would be a perfect pairing for this english x-mas ale.

recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2007 01:31:40 | More by budgood1

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours lighter brown with near-white head that thins out quickly.

Nose is soft, light baked goods spices and faint chocolate.

Palate - some maple, roasted malt, light chocolate, and a hop dryness at the end to round it out. Very light in character overall. Nothing leaps out.

Easily a session beer as it is somewhat thin bodied and lighter in flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2007 06:30:07 | More by yemenmocha

sacfly

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

1pt .9oz. mysterious L233 20:13 on the neck. Just put the date will ya?

Pours a clear deep reddish brown. Cheery wood. No head to speak of. Aroma is sugary sweet. Candied pears. Taste is lightly toasted grain and mild pear- not nearly as slick and syrupy as expected. Body is medium. Aftertaste has a bit of an astringent bite, but that fades rather quickly into a tart(?) slightly sour(?). Rather nice. Not sure if 5.5% qualifies as a “strong” ale, but I was not disappointed. Ha! I just noticed the pears on the front label… I guess the pear was intentional!

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2007 23:55:55 | More by sacfly

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Coming in a 500ml brown bottle, BB 28/03/08, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: dark reddish-brown in colour, topped with a well-lasting, beige-hued, scottish-pancake-like foamy head; carbonation is constant but mild.
S: mixed aroma of sticky caramelised sugar, sour-bitter nuts, (Bramling-Cross like) apply fruitiness, overripe sour-sweet berry fruits, and a light touch of citric sourness as of Goldings hops. Malty as well as autumny fruity, just what a premium bitter should be like, IMO.
T: bitter-sweet brown tea and caramelised dates lead towards an intensifying flow of tea-leafy bitterness and a lovely roastnutty+autumny fruity+raisiny flavour that both linger in the bitter-sweet finish with a very sound tart edge. The sour edge is esp. crucial for the overall balance.
M&D: softly-carbonated for a bottled ale, and the body is just medium for its alc. strength. Overall this is a quality nut-malty as well as fruity premium bitter, and the ideal body and balanced flavour make it a more-ish pint to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2007 19:28:25 | More by wl0307

dalri

California

3.08/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A strong porter - chesnuts, caramel, woodsmoke, dried fruit like raisins, fits in perfectly with the holidays as a warming, thick brew -I'm not much of a porter lover, but this was quite drinkable. Bottle tasted only. Color is bread crust brown, texture is very smooth

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2007 19:48:54 | More by dalri

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle poured into 2 half pint glasses

A - Poured aggressively provides thick creamy 3 finger solid head, that produces great lacing. Body is a dark mahogany brown, some ruby qualities when held up to the light.

S - Some dark fruit notes, with a little citrus grapfruit, some slight hints of sickly sweet caramel malts.

T- Not a harsh citric taste like some ales, some nice fresh bread malts, well balanced with a soft hop bitterness in the finish.Slight alcohol kick in aftertaste.

M - Medium carbonation, full bodied,

D- A very sessionable ale, however nothing that suggests its something out of the ordinary.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2007 19:20:24 | More by seanyfo