Tasting Notes: Bath Ales: Fools

Bath Ales: Fools (England: Bitter: 4.8% ABV)

Visual: Clear light cherry red into a tanned brown, moderate bubbled off white head.

Nose: Lots of toffee, crisp hops, caramel and blackcherry. Treacle and hint of aniseed. Vanilla.

Body: Warming malts, fizzy texture, treacle, caramel and charcoal. Crushed herbs and spices. Nice bitter core.

Finish: Bitter, aniseed, milk chocolate, burnt meat and campfire ash. Hops and slight sourness.

Conclusion: A lively sweet bitter, good bitter hops tied to a sweet body and crushed herb influence. Available each year around the time of the Bath Comedy Festival it makes for a decent pint and relaxes you into the mood for light hearted jocularity.

Even outside its set milieu it’s a decent pint with deep bitter sweetness oxymoronically combined. The herbs add to, rather than dominate the flavour. Almost tastes like a well put together Christmas season bitter, in a good way.

A sturdy beer, that’s no joke (ho bleeding ho ho)