August 18th, 2009Alan WalshPale Ales

Bradfield Brewery’s Farmers Pale Ale, 5.0% abv

As the rural representative of the  Real Ale Reviews team I felt a certain degree of responsibilty when I saw this ale on the shelf. Brewed on a working farm in the Peak District, this beer has come from a relatively youthful brewery and, after coming home to view the website, I was excited to try it because the Gill family seem to be striving to innovate and create a quality brand of beer.

Bradfield Brewery Website

I was immediately hit by the floral tones in this beer which faded away to a dry aftertaste. This was something of a surprise because, from the appearance of the bottle, for some reason I had been expecting a hoppy, citrus affair. I have not tasted a beer with floral tones this strong for some time and it is a welcome change. The overall effect is also a lot lighter than the 5.0% abv would suggest. If summer ever materialises I’ll certainly be grabbing a few more bottles of this.

I’m not really sure how to verbalise this properly but I have to say that this beer doesn’t have the polished ‘finish’ of products from more established breweries. This is certainly part of the rustic appeal of the ale and, while it would probably stop me from having a major sess on it, it doesn’t detract from the overall effect of the ale.

I  will certainly be looking to try the other ales from Bradfield and will hopefully get the chance to stop in sometime.

Tags: 5% Peak District, Bradfield, Dry, Farmers Pale Ale, Floral