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J.W. Lees
 scrapes in
 decent
 good
 excellent
 sublime
J.W. Lees, ASDA Election Ale (England) 
Released in April 2005, in the run-up to Britain's general election, ASDA playfully put five beers on its shelves packaged for suporters of the main political parties (Labour, Conservative, Lib-Dem, SNP and Plaid Cymru each had a beer). In fact, all the beer in the bottles is the same brew: a gold/nut brown bitter with a moderate off-white head. The nose has a nice spice and orange-peel note with some grassy hops and a hint of malt. On the palate it is quite smooth and creamy, with an initial biscuity sweetness, a nettly hop quality and decent bitterness in the finish. Not a bad drop all told, and good fun too. 4.0% ABV, 50cl, �1.48, Asda.  |  |
J.W. Lees, John Willies (England)
This beer pours a rich, golden/amber colour with a creamy off-white head that disippates quite quickly. On the nose there is a tang of orange marmalade and quite a toffeed quality, with herbal, hoppy notes beneath. On the palate there is a creamy, smooth texture and an immediate bite of bitter, quite astringent oily hops that sit at one extreme, with a sweet-edged, caramelly malt quality at the other. The only problem is that there is a bit of a gap in the middle, with little flesh to really get a grip of. This is not a bad beer by any means, but the juxtaposition of endive-like bitter hops and sweetness makes for a slightly unsatisfying drink. 5.0% ABV, 50cl. | |
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