Hook Norton - Hooky Gold

Tonights review is of another beer brewed by our beer loving bloaks over in England.  I decided I wanted to grab a few more English style beers to see if I could get a better taste for the nuances with the way the produce beer.  I felt my last review of Wychwood's Wychcraft accentuated the fact that I have a severe lack of diversification within my beer fridge.  So heres my attempt to branch out.

Hook Norton Brewery is located in Hook Norton, England.  It was started in 1849 which was apparently a busy year for England: The young Queen Victoria ruled - the 35th monarch since William the Conqueror - the country had endured Magna Carta, the Wars of the Roses, The Reformation, Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarians, the Restoration of the Monarchy and was well into the Industrial Revolution.  There are your fun 1849 English facts for the day.  It also just so happened to be the year John Harris opened the doors to Hook Norton Brewery.  Today, over 150 years later, it is still only one of 32 independent family owned breweries in England.  While their website isnt all that helpful to gather more information on Hooky Gold, I think I was able to get a pretty good idea of what this beer is like on my own.

The appearance of this brew is slightly cloudy and straw colored.  The aroma is full of sweet malt and fruit.  Some subtle citrus and biscuit follows through as it warms.  A very bready and fruity flavor comes though in my first taste.  Nothing is overpowering here which is what I experience with Wychcraft.  All flavors come together nicely and play off of each other without any single flavor dominating the overall beer.  The finish is slightly bitter yet smooth.  A hint of buttery flavor is apparent as this beer warms.

Overall 4.8/6.0 - This was a very pleasant brew.  Lots of flavor and easy to drink.  It would be very refreshing on a hot summer day.  I liked this much better than Wychcraft because of its full flavor profile and crisp finish.  Id recommend this one if you are looking for a break from the bold brews typical of American breweries.


Side note... I just looked up bloak in Google to make sure I spelled it correctly and the first link is the urban dictionary definition.  Good lord thats horrible.  Look it up if you want... you wont be able to think about anything else for a long time.