375 mL bottle, corked & capped. Bottled 23rd December 2009.
Blood red, scarlet pour with a big fizzy, pink head on the pour. Obviously this fades quickly to leave no lace and there is almost no retention.
The nose makes it obvious that this going to be pretty tart. A little funk in the nose and we also get a touch of the horseblanket in the tastes.
Initial tastes (unsurprisingly) prove that. Some light fruit, but otherwise it is ALL dry, tart, apple notes with the usual cider elements being repeated for a man with West Country experience.
The sharp bitterness is frankly the only aspect that makes any sense here, as anticipated but as it warms we do get a touch of raspberry. Even at the higher temperatures the raspberry remains a restrained element but it manifests itself with a bit of a sherbet, candy note.
These beers ALWAYS take on a less aggressive element as they warm, and this is no exception. Carbonation in the mouth remains high and slightly prickly despite the lack of life in the body, in the glass.
Nothing that i didn’t fully expect here, and in that respect the beer works well. Obviously you have to be in the mood for this kind of thing, but when you are nothing else will do.