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RCH Brewery
 scrapes in
 decent
 good
 excellent
 sublime
RCH Brewery, Ale Mary (England) 
(RP) Ale Mary won the CAMRA Champion Bottled Beer of the Year competition in 2001 and stunned the judges � of whom I was one � with its exotic spicy character. The beer is RCH�s premium bitter Firebox with the addition of ginger, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg and pimento. The beer recalls the heady days of medieval brewing when a witch�s brew of herbs and spices were used in the brewing process. More conventional ingredients are pale and chocolate malts and Progress and Target hops. The amber beer has an orange fruit signature that is quickly overlain with a peppery, gingery and perfumy aroma. Coriander and ginger in particular dominate the palate, which also has powerful hints of hop resins, citrus fruit and juicy malt, with even a faint chocolate note. The prolonged finish is dry, bitter, perfumy, spicy, herbal and hoppy. 6.0% ABV, 50cl, �26.99 X 12, Livingbeer.com, Onlyfinebeer.  | |
RCH Brewery, Double Header (England)
This bottle-conditioned ale has a bright gold colour with a foamy, cream-coloured head. Bright, resinous clove and spicy hop nose. There are green, herbal undertones too. On the palate there is plenty of zing and grip, with a smooth, full texture, but a cutting edge of hoppy bitter flavours. A refined, background maltiness emerges and this has very good fruit too. All in all, a very nice beer indeed. 5.3% ABV, 50cl, �1.37, Asda. |  |
RCH Brewery, Old Slug Porter Dark Ale (England)
Old Slug pours a very deep brown witha hint of ruby, and has a massive, high-rise cream coloured head. There's a vividly fruity note about this beer, with a suggestion of blackcurrant cordial ina mongst mucg darker, burnt, espresso and cocoa-bean notes. On the palate it is uncompromisingly dry, with more of that tart, blackcurrant skins bitterness and plenty of dark-roasted malt flavours. It is medium bodied and quite easy to drink given its relatively light alcohol and crisp finish. Very nice stuff. 4.5% ABV, 50cl, �2.09, 1516 Beer Co, Onlyfinebeer. | |
RCH Brewery, Pitchfork Rebellious Bitter (England)
Named after a 17th century farmer's rebellion, this bottle-conditioned beer pours a cloudy orange-gold, with a very low carbonation, thin off-white head. This is a particularly aromatic beer that is distinctly fruity, with exotic aromas of fleshy mango and papaya and a juicy tangerine quality. On the palate there is an immediate sweep of bitter, endive-like hops that cut across the mouth with a pithy, grapefruity dryness. It is quite light bodied, and those sweet notes of fruit can be glimpsed on the mid palate before that bitterness and grassy hop quality overpowers the finish. A cracking beer for lovers of those almost astingent hop flavours. 4.3% ABV, 50cl, �1.69, Beersofeurope, Onlyfinebeer, Sainsbury's. | |
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