RCH Ale Mary
A bottle conditioned version of Firebox with the addition of spice oils.
Pale malt, chocolate malt; Progress and Target hops; ginger, cloves, cinnamon, corriander, nutmeg, pimento. A dark, rich spicy bottle-conditioned ale, resonant with Christmas seasonal flavours and designed to take the chill off the coolest winter night. Ale Mary has a warm and sweet aroma of cloves, coriander and ginger. The palate provides touches of rum, raisins and sultanas, with a dry fruity finish. This ale has been exclusively brewed for us by Paul Davey of RCH Brewery.
Pale malt, chocolate malt; Progress and Target hops; ginger, cloves, cinnamon, corriander, nutmeg, pimento. A dark, rich spicy bottle-conditioned ale, resonant with Christmas seasonal flavours and designed to take the chill off the coolest winter night. Ale Mary has a warm and sweet aroma of cloves, coriander and ginger. The palate provides touches of rum, raisins and sultanas, with a dry fruity finish. This ale has been exclusively brewed for us by Paul Davey of RCH Brewery.
3.3
217 reviews
Weston-super-Mare, England
Community reviews
A clear orange/amber colored beer, with a thick foamy white ehad. The aroma is like perfume. There are fruits and sweet candy. The taste of sweet candies, a little bitter, perfume and a little spices. The aftertaste is some bitter with sweet.
Decent taste, standard color, but I really don’t like the herbs or spices I smell. Also low body, low carbo. Not very good.
Smell and colour are pretty nice on this one. Taste is kinda dissapointing though. Pretty average.
50cl bottle. Pours brown with a generous head and gentle bubbles. The nose is distinctly ginger biscuits and maybe a note of oranges on the end - very Christmas. The taste is of more spice, this time cinnamon as well as ginger as well as the background biscuit thing. The palate is medium to full in structure, there is a nice creamy texture in the middle section and it concludes not completely cleanly, but fairly well nonetheless. Overall, I’m drinking this in the summer (albeit a Scottish Summer) and this Christmas style ale is going down very well.
Bottle shared in a train. Aroma is very spicy, with a nice balance between the different spices. Flavor is sweet and slightly sour with loads of spices, slightly artificial soapy in the finish. Refreshing.
Bottle - Gazy orange/amber with floaties. Holds a good head. Medium carbonation and body. Sweet and fruity. Strong coriander flavour. Mildly bitter finish.
Bottle. Amber with an inch of white head. Aroma of hard spices and a little lemon. Spicy taste with almost hot ginger. Coriander and cloves are also pretty clear. Mild biscuity malt, dry finish. Started at 10C which was rather too cold, but even as it warmed the spices are a bit much for me.
Almost a bitter-like aroma to it, the appearance is cloudy and amber. The flavor is rather spicy, yet balanced. Very good.
Big frothy head medium carbonation cvlear bronze pour aromas ginger cloves mild coriander some cinnamon flavour mild fruity hop bitter good touch raisin spicy freshness ginger clove coriander a dryness cinnamon aftertaste spicy fruit good seasonal ale
Pours amber with a very large, lasting head and lots of lacing.
Nose shows lots of spices, I’d take a guess at ginger, coriander, cinnamon and cloves. Underneath is lots of sweet malt and hints of brandy and raisins.
The spices transfer through stongly as flavours, but unfortunately not much of the malt does. Prominent grainy notes, alcohol and astringency detract from the experience.
Carbonation could be higher and the body feels watery.
Bottle from the Cave. Dark golden colour, off-white head. Aroma is spicy, bit of cinnamon, caramel malts. Flavour is caramel malts, cinnamon. A bit sugary.
I can smell the carbonation which is a big negative for me. Sweetness is intriguing but all in all one big Christmas in a mug. Disappointing to say the least.
(bottle conditioned) the aroma was singing with festive spices ...very upbeat ..alcohoic ginger breadmen and frosted raisin bread...boozzy corriander similar to Hoeggarden.
Huge creamy head that lasts an age above glowin murky straw. I like this , its not generic or sickly in showcasing spices in a pale ale. Sweet and dry , with nice tart acidity... festive spices are rich . this beer is not ott ,maybe a bit contrived , but good fun.
Very well done session ale. Full mouthtaste of malt and caramel, lingering finish. Stands well over several sessions.
10th April 2006
Warning! Early amateur rating! Moderate carbonation in this ale. Complex array of vanilla and spices and some fruity hints. Long bitter finish a tad off putting.
Interesting ale smells like peppermint. Taste has a syrupy texture to it, but very pleasant. Rated 2/3/03
Caramel colored with a thin tan head. Aroma of ginger, cinnamon, other spices, caramel and malt. Taste is kinda weak with ginger, cinnamon and mild fruit. Thin bodied and not my thing.
Poured slowly and carefully from botttle into CAMRA pint glass. Massive head. Reminds me of Youngs Christmas Pudding ale. A very odd head. Fluffy and huge. A descent body. Dark brown in texture. Aroma is full of spices; nuts, burnt toasted edges and roasted matls. Not too overpowering.
The taste is very much the same as the aroma. A bit more leather and smoke but not much. A good English old ale. Intesesting and complex. Would like to see how this stands up on cask. Consumed by bottle format. Bottle was bought at Utobeer.
Bottle. Pours hazy brownish orange with a rocky white head that lasts for ages. Nose is dominated by a strong, spicy cola aroma that probably comes from the combination of cloves, cinnamon, coriander and ginger. Flavour is a little more diverse. It still has that spicy cola overtone but there are also hints of malt, caramel, sultanas and orange. Light to medium body, lots of carbonation and a medium to long dry, sweet/spicy finish. Nice beer, not the sort of thing I could drink copious amounts of but very pleasant all the same.
Pours a hazy reddish orange with a big fluffy head. The aroma is brilliant roses, apples, cedar wood, tons of floral notes. The flavor is hoppy and herbal with woody notes, clove notes, some cinnamon and cranberry. Delicious.
Bottle: almost clear, copper coloured, visible carbonation, medium-sized persistent white head spicy (X-mas) nose: cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg; robust sweet-bitter flavour, medium bodied; warming spicy/orangey bitter-sweet finish with a following light tartness. A powerful winter brew.........
Bottle. Pours an amber body with an off white head. Dry spicy, clove, anise, ginger root and nutmeg. Wow spice whore. Lighter citrus, really wild beer here. Some fruit in the background but to no avail as the spices mask most of the body. Nice spicy ale.
Bottled. A bit hazy reddish amber colour with small creamy slightly off-white head. Aroma is mild alcohol, some spices, mild fruity and flowery notes as well as some plum(pudding) and sweetness. Flavour is sweet malts, some spices, mild hoppy notes. A bit plummy/raisiny sweetness as well. Pleasant. One of the more spicies English beers I have had.
Hazy red with a nice big, creaming looking head of off white foam. Big spices, light cloves and heavy allspice, Super Christmassy, slightly green in a way though. Something a bit funny here, very soapy maybe or over-ripe fruit? It is interesting but not really my thing. Very bitter burnt flavours. It has the flavour of the brown residue that spills out of an overfull apple-pie in the oven. Spiced yet green and fruity all overthrown by woody ash. Actually not all that bad. Something you can really get into. Not a big drinker but definitely worth a go. I’m probably drinking it at the wrong time of year but it is still pretty banging.
500ml bottle (Gallows Bird, Espoo)
Rich reddy brown, small head. Very sweet spicy aroma. Succulent palate, carbonation restrained. Full bodied flavour, cake and winter spices - ginger and cinnamon. Finish continues that theme. Perhaps a little over-spiced, but not so much as to make it a gimmick. Absolutely delicious, and want again.
Pours a hazy orange-brown with a thin cover of off white foam. Very spice filled aroma, the ginger and nutmeg seem to really come through, some fruit and toffee malt in there. Taste is big citric spices, coriander, cloves and more ginger.
Bottle pint: Hazy brown ale with some citric taste and some spices too, like coriande.
Bottle shared with barrios. Pours a murky dark gold with some particulate and ample offwhite head and some lacing. Aroma is lightly sweet with a weak floral hop. Suprisingly sweet with an appley flavor. Fair hop bitterness on the tail end and a lingering dry bitter finish that I didnt care for too much. Actually enjoyable, but WAY overpriced at $7 a bottle.
Bottle. Off white head with a honey colored body. Smells mildly of hops and biscuit. Bitter hop flavor with oranges and spice. Nice bitter spicy finish.
50 cl bottle at Cardinal, Stavanger. Hazy amber color, fine off-white head. Aroma is fruity, citric, spicy and has some yeast. Flavor is dried fruit, spices, malt, yeast and a hint of alcohol.