Great Oakley Beers – your comments

Over the last week discovered ‘Wot’s Occurring’ (bottled), brought from local wine merchant (Amp’s, of Oundle), an instant favourite for me! Hoping I will see it more widely distributed in the future.

The pint I had at the Coach & Horses, Wellingborough was the best beer I have tasted this year

Julian Tubbs, Regional Director Camra

The Malt Shovel is a renowned free house which has specialised for years in serving beers from smaller craft brewers.

The beer from Great Oakley was well made, professional, well-balanced and rich in malt and hop flavours

Roger Protz, Camra Good Beer Guide Editor

I seemed to have quite a few milds at this festival, but this was a genuine dark ale. Deep ruby with thin beige head. Decent dark beer with lots of dark fruits. Rather a lovely aroma of choc and then velvety choc on the end. Actually superb and just as good as their dark mild.

Cask at the Globe, Nottingham. This is exactly the sort of blond beers that British breweries do so well. It had a fresh and fruity aroma with a full-on flavour of grapefruit and a long-lasting bitterness. Very good indeed.

Full on hop aroma. Absolutely glorious. Loads of citrus, even some faint lime, plus plenty of grassy notes too. Really aromatic. Flavour, bl**dy hell chaps, this is excellent. Absolutely stunning pale malt base with just the right level of sweetness topped off with lashings of grassy hops. Superb blend of earth and bitter in the finish. Nothing particularly outlandish, just a bl**dy excellent bitter.

Cask at the Live and Let Live, Cambridge. Tar brown in colour with a loose beige head and a striking cherry red colour when held to the light; aroma of roasted malt with smoke and tar mingling; dry in the mouth with a solid chocolate malt body and a light peppery bitterness; then a touch of caramel to finish. Excellent – if only all milds were as good as this.

Just thought I would let you know I had one of your ales (Welland Valley Mild) for the first time last night at the St Albans beer festival. And it out shone the other milds. Look forward to trying more of your beers in the future.

Had to contact you as tried Welland Valley Mild in Rugby yesterday…outstanding! If not on your regular production list, it should be! Cheers!

The Kingston Arms held beer festival no.3 this weekend and we tried 5 of the festival beers and enjoyed the late summer sunshine in the beer garden.

Great Oakley Brewery Wagtail 3.9% – “fantastic!” was my first reaction. And the next, and through to the last. Intense bitterness, sherbet and a citrus aftertaste. A cracking straw-coloured ale for the last of the summer sun.