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Ridgeway Oxfordshire Blue
Ridgeway Brewing
- From:
- Ridgeway Brewing
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
- ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.76 | pDev: 9.84%
- Reviews:
- 25
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 25, 2020
- Added:
- Sep 21, 2006
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 3
A slow brewed bottle conditioned golden ale designed to be drunk cold. Crisp, light-bodied and refreshingly clean, with plenty of good, tangy hop flavours. Traditional Maris Otter malt is blended with a German style pilsner malt, producing crisp, light-bodied and refreshingly clean drink. English Fuggle and Styrian Goldings ensure plenty of good, tangy hop flavours.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by lcjohnny
4.58/5 rDev +21.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.58/5 rDev +21.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look: Light coloured for a strong bitter Yellow to amber hues. Pours easily, (500ml bottle into an British pint glass) not overly carbonated, giving a white head that dies away classically, leaving lacing on the surface and bubbles around the edge - an attractive pint.
Nose: A bright nose of floral and jammy notes over a light biscuit.
Taste: Malty biscuity flavour with increasing hoppy flavours a bright carbonated taste.
Aftertaste: The hops continue to rise taking over from the floral and jammy nose.
.
Overall: An excellent strong (5%) bitter marked out by the floral nose and bright carbonation. A very quaffable beer as the floral nose of each new mouthful contrasts with the hoppy taste of the last.
Feb 25, 2020Nose: A bright nose of floral and jammy notes over a light biscuit.
Taste: Malty biscuity flavour with increasing hoppy flavours a bright carbonated taste.
Aftertaste: The hops continue to rise taking over from the floral and jammy nose.
.
Overall: An excellent strong (5%) bitter marked out by the floral nose and bright carbonation. A very quaffable beer as the floral nose of each new mouthful contrasts with the hoppy taste of the last.
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington
3.5/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 500mL bottle into a dimpled mug.
Appearance: light golden hue with a moderate effervescence and a nearly clear body with just the absolute tiniest hint of haze. Head pours a thick finger of frothy white foam; I think it looks great.
Smell: quite sweet and just a little bit grainy; not a lot of hop aroma, but a bit of piquancy that almost comes across as tartness. Not terrible, but not especially inspiring.
Taste: sweet and grainy with some prickly hops; they are herbal in nature and have more bitterness than any other flavor. Definitely a different pale ale flavor than I'm used to; I don't entirely dislike it, even if it is a little rough around the edges.
Mouthfeel: medium body with a rocky carbonation and a pretty decent texture.
Overall: an interesting beer. It's hard to say how well this was treated coming over the pond, but it does retain a pretty bracing bitterness. I'd like to try it closer to the source sometime.
Jan 30, 2018Appearance: light golden hue with a moderate effervescence and a nearly clear body with just the absolute tiniest hint of haze. Head pours a thick finger of frothy white foam; I think it looks great.
Smell: quite sweet and just a little bit grainy; not a lot of hop aroma, but a bit of piquancy that almost comes across as tartness. Not terrible, but not especially inspiring.
Taste: sweet and grainy with some prickly hops; they are herbal in nature and have more bitterness than any other flavor. Definitely a different pale ale flavor than I'm used to; I don't entirely dislike it, even if it is a little rough around the edges.
Mouthfeel: medium body with a rocky carbonation and a pretty decent texture.
Overall: an interesting beer. It's hard to say how well this was treated coming over the pond, but it does retain a pretty bracing bitterness. I'd like to try it closer to the source sometime.
Reviewed by sokol_1993 from California
3.6/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.6/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A lot of head, and good head retention.
Lots of hoppiness and floral notes.
Got this on cask at GBD in D.C. Not cold enough, but went down well with the chicken wings there.
Jun 06, 2015Lots of hoppiness and floral notes.
Got this on cask at GBD in D.C. Not cold enough, but went down well with the chicken wings there.
Reviewed by Huhzubendah from District of Columbia
4.23/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
4.23/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
On cask at Churchkey in D.C.
The beer is pale orange and slightly hazy with a soapy white head of broken bubbles. Fresh bread and dough aroma with citrus and floral hops. A really nice blend of hop and malt character. Ridiculously smooth on the palate. refreshing and silky. Goes down like water. Beers like this are meant to be served in this format. It's really a different experience having a low abv English beer from the cask as opposed to other serving mediums. Delicious.
Apr 20, 2014The beer is pale orange and slightly hazy with a soapy white head of broken bubbles. Fresh bread and dough aroma with citrus and floral hops. A really nice blend of hop and malt character. Ridiculously smooth on the palate. refreshing and silky. Goes down like water. Beers like this are meant to be served in this format. It's really a different experience having a low abv English beer from the cask as opposed to other serving mediums. Delicious.
Reviewed by metter98 from New York
3.65/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.65/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: The beer is slightly hazy pale yellow in color (with some hints of amber hues) and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin white head that quickly died down, leaving delicate lacing covering the surface and a thick ring of large bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of fruity yeast and grapes in the nose along with hints of floral hops.
T: The taste has flavors of fruity yeast along with notes of malty sweetness and a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and slightly chewy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink and quite sessionable. The flavors in that taste aren’t particularly strong, so it would make a good accompaniment to food. There is an excellent balance between the bitterness and sweetness because neither stands out in particular.
Feb 22, 2012S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of fruity yeast and grapes in the nose along with hints of floral hops.
T: The taste has flavors of fruity yeast along with notes of malty sweetness and a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and slightly chewy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink and quite sessionable. The flavors in that taste aren’t particularly strong, so it would make a good accompaniment to food. There is an excellent balance between the bitterness and sweetness because neither stands out in particular.
Reviewed by mrfrancis from Kentucky
3.92/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: Pours a slightly hazy golden amber with a fizzy white head that dies away much too soon.
S: The smell starts off somewhat malty with caramel and biscuit aromas, though lemon jelly and tobacco scents from the hops are gradually integrated. There is also a scent reminiscent of a dry white wine.
T: Notes of lemon jelly, pepper, grass, tobacco, caramel, biscuits, and minerals wash across the palate. The finish is gentle and grassy with caramel, biscuit, and grassy, peppery hop flavors.
M: Light bodied and very dry with spritzy, stinging carbonation. This is a very quaffable ale that would be great on a hot, sunny day.
O: I find this to be an interesting bitter/pale ale. I really like the fact that it is bottle conditioned. This one is worth a try, but definitely be sure to serve it chilled, as I don't think this beer is meant to be served at warmer temperatures.
Dec 29, 2011S: The smell starts off somewhat malty with caramel and biscuit aromas, though lemon jelly and tobacco scents from the hops are gradually integrated. There is also a scent reminiscent of a dry white wine.
T: Notes of lemon jelly, pepper, grass, tobacco, caramel, biscuits, and minerals wash across the palate. The finish is gentle and grassy with caramel, biscuit, and grassy, peppery hop flavors.
M: Light bodied and very dry with spritzy, stinging carbonation. This is a very quaffable ale that would be great on a hot, sunny day.
O: I find this to be an interesting bitter/pale ale. I really like the fact that it is bottle conditioned. This one is worth a try, but definitely be sure to serve it chilled, as I don't think this beer is meant to be served at warmer temperatures.
Reviewed by fx20736 from New York
4.3/5 rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.3/5 rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 500ml bottle into a British Pint glass.
A:Hazy Apricot with a thinnish offwhite head that leaves respectable lacing.
S: Muted at first but some fruitiness, some diacetyl.
M: Slightly more mineral like than some English Ales but this was not unpleasant, somewhat welcome actually.
T: Thick pale maltiness with a mild herbal sting followed by an afterglow of minerals, sulfur and a sultana like (golden raisin) semi-sweetness.
Notes: The bottle says: "The first Bottle Conditioned Ale brewed deliberately to taste great chilled". When I poured the beer was 46f. I like this beer, even if I don't love it. It fits the bill as a solid, only brewed in England Pale Ale with enough character and taste for repeat drinkings. Blue is not as earthy or funky as some Bitters but I also think 46f may have been too cold as my last swallow, drank some 15 minutes after the first had more character and more body. I now wish I had let the beer warm to 50f. I plan to buy this again.
Oct 28, 2011A:Hazy Apricot with a thinnish offwhite head that leaves respectable lacing.
S: Muted at first but some fruitiness, some diacetyl.
M: Slightly more mineral like than some English Ales but this was not unpleasant, somewhat welcome actually.
T: Thick pale maltiness with a mild herbal sting followed by an afterglow of minerals, sulfur and a sultana like (golden raisin) semi-sweetness.
Notes: The bottle says: "The first Bottle Conditioned Ale brewed deliberately to taste great chilled". When I poured the beer was 46f. I like this beer, even if I don't love it. It fits the bill as a solid, only brewed in England Pale Ale with enough character and taste for repeat drinkings. Blue is not as earthy or funky as some Bitters but I also think 46f may have been too cold as my last swallow, drank some 15 minutes after the first had more character and more body. I now wish I had let the beer warm to 50f. I plan to buy this again.
Ridgeway Oxfordshire Blue from Ridgeway Brewing
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
38 ratings
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