Tasting Notes: Plain Ales: Maids a Milkin’

Plain Ales: Maids a Milkin’ (England: Golden Ale: 4% ABV)

Visual: Clear golden brown. Dash of a head.

Nose: Light creamy toffee. Maybe a small dash of milky coffee. Light planed wood.

Body: Slight ginger. Low level bitterness. Slightly oaken. Light grapefruit style. Slight sweetness with a hint of brown sugar. Lime and maybe some Christmas spice. Though I may just be influenced by the theme.

Finish: Light pineapple. Ground pepper seeds. Dry hop texture and moderate bitterness. Some greenery, crushed leaves. Golden syrup.

Conclusion:  If you use the word “light” or equivalent more than a given number of times in a tasting note then it is time to admit things are going somewhat badly. I mean, side notes are all well and good, but you need a main body for them to complement.

Thematically it has maybe a herbal touch for the Christmas call. Mainly however we are looking at a lightly sweet and even lighter citrus beer.

If you racked up the intensity then there may be a good beer in it. Maybe. I wouldn’t bet on it.

To go into a bit more detail it does play with touch of grapefruit main body, but ends with a dry bitterness, a lot higher intensity than you would expect from the rest of the beer and hints at where the beer could have gone.  Frankly the finish feels like it belongs to the heavier beer this should have been.

All in all a bit underwhelming,

Background: There is seriously no info about this online. None. Fuck.  My best estimation would be that it is a golden ale, it definitely seems to fit solidly in the style.  Of course now I’ve said that I’m probably going to find out the brewers have a completely different opinion. It is a tad darker than usual, and with the extra bit of bitterness at the finish it may be a bitter.  I have misidentified the more citrus’ and light bitters as Golden Ales in the past.  Anyway, between this and the seven lords a leaping beer I’m guessing Plain Ales are doing run of 12 Christmas beers.  Anyway, drunk at the Royal Oak, a fine bar but one who’s beer selection seems to be waning these days, down from an average of nine or ten cask ales at a time to four or five at best.