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Courage Directors Bitter
Eagle Brewery
- From:
- Eagle Brewery
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- English Bitter
Ranked #117 - ABV:
- 4.8%
- Score:
- 79
Ranked #26,431 - Avg:
- 3.46 | pDev: 15.03%
- Reviews:
- 77
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 23, 2023
- Added:
- Aug 09, 2002
- Wants:
- 4
- Gots:
- 13
Available in cask, bottles and cans, Courage Directors was originally brewed exclusively for the directors of the Alton brewery, but following demand, the beer was made available to the public. Full bodied with a clean, bitter taste, balanced with a sweet burnt, malty and fruity notes with a distinctive dry-hop aroma and flavour. Brewed with English Target hops, burnt Pale and Crystal malts.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England
3.76/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.76/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Blind-tasted except for the beer's name and brewery/country, zero reviews below read (yet!)...
L- Pale chestnut, clear, pours with 1Cm pale cream fine bubble head.
S- Very mild, I get little from it (nose tired/long night?
T- Bright, balanced, immediately clear this is sessionable.
F- Gently bright trad bitter.
O- I used to drink this for years, many years ago. A nice beer that isn't shouting statements. Hence sessionable, though others might find it's not shooting the lights out. Solid trad English bitter.
One of those I first enjoyed (by the bucket) at least 20 years ago, but somehow reviewing it here slipped thorugh the net. Review: 1954
500ml bottle BB: 31/3/22 £1.89 Bought from Waitrose, London W11.
Jul 11, 2021L- Pale chestnut, clear, pours with 1Cm pale cream fine bubble head.
S- Very mild, I get little from it (nose tired/long night?
T- Bright, balanced, immediately clear this is sessionable.
F- Gently bright trad bitter.
O- I used to drink this for years, many years ago. A nice beer that isn't shouting statements. Hence sessionable, though others might find it's not shooting the lights out. Solid trad English bitter.
One of those I first enjoyed (by the bucket) at least 20 years ago, but somehow reviewing it here slipped thorugh the net. Review: 1954
500ml bottle BB: 31/3/22 £1.89 Bought from Waitrose, London W11.
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway
3.75/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Rerate, cask at the Station Hotel, Ipswich: Some of the same English malt vinegar aroma as Courage Best, but the flavour is fuller and richer with more pronounced hops. Original rating, 4.1: (Cask conditioned). One of my favourite English Bitters. Perhaps not so very special, but always drinkable.
May 06, 2021Reviewed by Beck_Hardy_UK from Scotland
2/5 rDev -42.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
2/5 rDev -42.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
On draught. Amber/tea coloured. Faint whiff of bread/biscuit. Flavour is bready/biscuit. Mouth feel was clean, crisp with just a hint of malty sweetness. Over all a decent bitter.
Jan 28, 2019Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England
3.58/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.58/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A 500ml bottle with a BB of April 2018. Purchased recently from Home Bargains. The label describes it as a superior ale originally brewed exclusively for the directors of the brewery.
A: Poured into a tulip pint glass. A deep coppery-amber colour with excellent clarity and plentiful carbonation. Produces a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Slight lacing.
S: Aroma of rich caramel malt with hints of toasted grain, nuttiness, subtle fruitiness, ale yeast, leafy hops and mild grass/hay. Nicely balanced.
T: Tastes of caramel malt with notes of mild roasted grain, a touch of barley sugar, nuttiness, ale yeast, faint fruitiness, leafy hops and grass/hay. Slightly sweet, followed by a substantial bitterness upon swallowing.
M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with prickly carbonation and decent body. Could be a shade thicker for the style. Mildly astringent. Aftertaste of bitter leafy hops, caramel malt, nuttiness and ale yeast.
O: Pretty good - a traditional ale with a classic flavour profile. Looks alright, while the aroma and flavour are a satisfying blend of caramel malt, ale yeast and leafy hops. Decent body. Goes down readily enough - almost moreish. Worth sampling.
Mar 20, 2018A: Poured into a tulip pint glass. A deep coppery-amber colour with excellent clarity and plentiful carbonation. Produces a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Slight lacing.
S: Aroma of rich caramel malt with hints of toasted grain, nuttiness, subtle fruitiness, ale yeast, leafy hops and mild grass/hay. Nicely balanced.
T: Tastes of caramel malt with notes of mild roasted grain, a touch of barley sugar, nuttiness, ale yeast, faint fruitiness, leafy hops and grass/hay. Slightly sweet, followed by a substantial bitterness upon swallowing.
M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with prickly carbonation and decent body. Could be a shade thicker for the style. Mildly astringent. Aftertaste of bitter leafy hops, caramel malt, nuttiness and ale yeast.
O: Pretty good - a traditional ale with a classic flavour profile. Looks alright, while the aroma and flavour are a satisfying blend of caramel malt, ale yeast and leafy hops. Decent body. Goes down readily enough - almost moreish. Worth sampling.
Reviewed by BeckHardy from California
2.63/5 rDev -24%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.75
2.63/5 rDev -24%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.75
I had this on draft in a London pub. It looked amber in the glass. Like strong tea actually. Low carbonation and a fairly decent head of foam. Decent lacing on the sides of the Imperial pint glass. Smell was of bread crust and biscuits. The taste was smooth with a slight underlying taste of fruit. Mouth feel was a wee bit slick but not bad at all. Over all not a bad pint at all. Served with the chill off of course. I would order this again. It would be interesting to compare this to Theakston's Old Peculiar.
Feb 13, 2017Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)
3.71/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.71/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
500ml can - a sort of surprising entry to the Alberta market for the typically 'once-in-a-while' English import segment.
This beer pours a clear, bright medium copper amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, rocky, and bubbly tan head, which leaves some disintegrating ice shelf lace around the glass as things lazily sink away.
It smells of grainy and biscuity pale malt, muddled dark orchard fruity notes (prunes and raisins, predominately), a hint of wayward son yeastiness, and some sassy leafy, weedy, and grassy noble green hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, some further indistinct black stone fruitiness, a touch of peppery spice, faded yeasty esters, and more testy earthy, floral, and dead grassy verdant hoppiness.
The carbonation is fairly pervasive in its come-hither frothiness, the body a so-so middleweight, and sort of smooth, with a wee airy creaminess settling in as things start to warm up a bit out of the ol' basement frigo. It finishes off-dry, the base malt holding tight, amongst the lingering spicy and hoppy intransigence.
Overall, this is a fairly enjoyable English bitter, the hops doing well to elicit some New World elan, in addition to their inherent old-school qualities. I'm a bit taken by this one, even as its ABV seems typically strangled, as such. Easy to drink, and worthy of sessioning, if I were ever to find myself in a pub situation where the default was a given.
Feb 09, 2017This beer pours a clear, bright medium copper amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, rocky, and bubbly tan head, which leaves some disintegrating ice shelf lace around the glass as things lazily sink away.
It smells of grainy and biscuity pale malt, muddled dark orchard fruity notes (prunes and raisins, predominately), a hint of wayward son yeastiness, and some sassy leafy, weedy, and grassy noble green hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, some further indistinct black stone fruitiness, a touch of peppery spice, faded yeasty esters, and more testy earthy, floral, and dead grassy verdant hoppiness.
The carbonation is fairly pervasive in its come-hither frothiness, the body a so-so middleweight, and sort of smooth, with a wee airy creaminess settling in as things start to warm up a bit out of the ol' basement frigo. It finishes off-dry, the base malt holding tight, amongst the lingering spicy and hoppy intransigence.
Overall, this is a fairly enjoyable English bitter, the hops doing well to elicit some New World elan, in addition to their inherent old-school qualities. I'm a bit taken by this one, even as its ABV seems typically strangled, as such. Easy to drink, and worthy of sessioning, if I were ever to find myself in a pub situation where the default was a given.
Reviewed by Altrurian from Portugal
4.08/5 rDev +17.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev +17.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Creamy head. Lovely, lasting cling. Reddish amber with a metallic glint. Full-bodied texture. Taste of toffee with the slightest bitter kick. An exemplar of the style.
Oct 24, 2016Reviewed by Beergeeknut from New York
3.63/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.63/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: It's a deep amber with a slight haze. The head is off white and about one finger thick.
Aroma: Piney notes, grapefruit.. a light floral hop dryness in the nose. Little notes of pear and apple.
Taste: Very crisp mouthfeel in the front. Bits of toffee, light brown bread, Wisps of figs and banana and twinges of spice towards the back end.
Notes: What we have here is a very tasty bitter top to bottom quite tasty. Cheers.
Oct 19, 2016Aroma: Piney notes, grapefruit.. a light floral hop dryness in the nose. Little notes of pear and apple.
Taste: Very crisp mouthfeel in the front. Bits of toffee, light brown bread, Wisps of figs and banana and twinges of spice towards the back end.
Notes: What we have here is a very tasty bitter top to bottom quite tasty. Cheers.
Rated by josanguapo from Spain
4.03/5 rDev +16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
4.03/5 rDev +16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
From Hipercor. In Ikea's pint glass. Playing Tomb Raider 2015. Very balanced and sessionable. Im starting to become a fan of the style
Jul 16, 2016Reviewed by PlutonowyManiek from Belgium
2.84/5 rDev -17.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
2.84/5 rDev -17.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Color: dark amber, clear. Head color ecru, not too high, on average lasted.
Aroma: in the foreground are plum and caramel in the background and gently yeast.
The beer is slightly watery, like the above are the leading caramel and plum.
Bitterness is always at the finish, coffee. High saturation.
Feb 05, 2016Aroma: in the foreground are plum and caramel in the background and gently yeast.
The beer is slightly watery, like the above are the leading caramel and plum.
Bitterness is always at the finish, coffee. High saturation.
Courage Directors Bitter from Eagle Brewery
Beer rating:
79 out of
100 with
123 ratings
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