June Beer of the Month: Dent Ramsbottom Strong Ale

Just like the month of May, June came and went before I knew what was going on.  Looking back over my notes there are some nice beers in there but nothing much with the “wow” factor.  That’s good, in a way, because the beer that I remember enjoying the most was a nice sessional Best Bitter.  Tasted on the Devil’s day…

My notes, also posted at Ratebeer, for Dent Brewery’s Ramsbottom Strong Ale:
Tasted 06/06/2006.  500ml, bottled-conditioned, discounted at Rumble’s Wellington.
Golden-hued garnet, bright, with a light tan airy head, a venting of carbonation and light lace. Definite crushed pale and crystal grains on the nose, with a touch of roasted malt.  Some light stone fruit and vinous esters like I’ve had off the Thames Valley yeast. Mild and gorgeous. At first it’s a bit too carbonated to get the true flavour but once it’s aired it’s lovely - dry, toasty, mild chocolate malt notes and nice subtle crystal malt sweetness underneath.  Good spicy bitter finish, which lingers on with the dry roasted malt.  A bit of a hoppy mild for me.  Lovely balance and a good showpiece for the benefits of bottle-conditioning.

Re-reading it makes me want to pop in and see if they have any more bottles.

Other notables beers (marks out of 5, in brackets) from a great quality month in May:

• Eastwood & Sanders Elland Back (4.0)


• Adnams Broadside Strong Original (3.9)


• Burton Bridge Empire Ale (3.8)


• St Peters Spiced Ale (Cinnamon and Apple) (3.70)

All notes, as always, at yalnikim on Ratebeer.