Miasmatic Review

Thankfully it's not the flavor.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I bought this beer mainly because of the name. As I strolled through the liquor department of a local grocery store I spied a bottle labeled, "Young's Dirty Dick's Ale" From the Ram Brewery in London England. I couldn't help but to purchase a bottle to review just because of the name. It was priced at $2.99 for a 1 pint .9 oz bottle. As I was telling a friend at work about my find, they made the observation, "Hopefully the name of the beer doesn't describe the flavor." Not that I would know what a dirty dick tastes like, I'll have to ask her.

It comes in your usual brown bottle with a maroon label on it that has the logo and a picture of a stereotypical British fellow wearing a top hat. On the neck label it gives a little information on the brewery along with the tag line, "The Cheeky Ale." Between my friends comment and that, I was starting to get worried. The most eye-catching thing about the label is the name of the ale itself.

It poured a dark copper color with a nice clear hue, not a touch of cloudiness at all. There was a good head on the beer that faded at a decent rate, not too quick, not too slow. I've been drinking on this beer for 20 minutes and there is still good lacing on the glass all the way to the rim.

I would like to comment on the aroma, but to be honest there really wasn't any. I went into three different rooms of the house with the beer trying to find one, and then went outside. I sat the beer down, walked away for a couple of minutes and came back and finally found a very faint smell of hops and dark malts. The taste is week with a hop and roasted malt flavor that fades quickly. There is a slight bitterness to it, but not bad. There is a mildly bitter aftertaste, but again it also fades rather quickly.

This is a smooth beer that is easy to drink. It has a very light body. This is a beer I could see myself sitting in a bar with some good friends sharing a pint or two early in the evening.

I'd have to give this beer a rating of 5.5 out of 10. It's an above average ale, but nothing to go out of your way for.