Geary's HSA

Hampshire Special Ale

Geary’s Brewing Company

Appearance: It is a nice dark caramel color, quite clear.

Aroma: There wasn’t much of a smell that Porter or I could detect. Our noses were quite cold from the walk to Portland Pie so we may just not have been able to smell anything.

Taste: It was served a bit too cold and had minimal carbonation. While there was some hoppiness it wasn’t an overly dry taste. It has a flavor that sticks with you.

Mouth feel: It has a nice fullness to it.

Overall: Geary’s was a beer that I had stayed away from, their HSA has made me want to try more of their beers.

Morland Brewing’s Hen’s Tooth

Bottle Conditioned English Ale
http://www.oldspeckledhen.co.uk/

Appearance: In the bottle it was clear and whiskey color. Once I poured it into the glass it wasn’t clear at all. It appeared to be a slightly orangey copper color.

Aroma: it had a bright citrus hop smell.

Taste: It is a full flavored beer. I think that hops have a very distinct flavor to them but it isn’t necessarily what you would think hops would taste like if you had only smelled them before. This beer tastes like how you would expect hops to taste. It’s not overly carbonated and you can slightly taste the warmth of the alcohol.

Mouth feel: While this beer is neither heavy nor light in your mouth there is a full feel to it.

Overall: This beer is decent but not necessarily one I would go out of my way to drink again.

Wychwood Brewery’s Hobgoblin

Dark English Ale
http://www.wychwood.co.uk/

Appearance: It’s a dark deep red, so dark that you can’t see through it. It didn’t appear to be cloudy at all.

Aroma: It has a subtle sweet cupcake smell. (I love cupcakes!)

Taste: There is extremely little carbonation. It was quite watery. You could mainly feel the coldness and not really taste much flavor. The saltiness of popcorn brings out the alcohol flavor.

Mouth feel: It has a very light feeling in your mouth.

Overall: A beer I would not try again.

Ridgeway Brewing’s Bad King John

A very English black ale
http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/beers/breweryProfile.asp?BreweryID=40

Appearance: It is an extraordinarily dark coal black. No light was able to get through.

Aroma: There is a very faint chocolate aroma to it.

Taste: It has a roasted/ burnt coffee flavor to it. There is a slight mellow sweetness to it. It has a bitter after taste. It gets smoother and sweeter as you get closer to the bottom of your glass.

Mouth feel: It definitely moving towards a heavier feeling in your mouth.

Overall: The beginning is a bit rough but it would be quite tasty by number two or three.