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Hobsons Choice 4.1% - another great golden aleI'm revisiting an old friend. When we had our beer shop the real ale in a bottle version of this fine ale from the City of Cambridge Brewery was one of our best sellers. We had regular customers that would come in and buy nothing else. Steve and co. always managed to produce bottle-conditioned beer with a lot less sediment than most, making it an easy ale to pour, with the minimum of wastage along with a nice clear beer. Its golden yellow colour is a joy to behold. The aroma of hops and lemon strike your nose as you put it to the glass. This sweetish ale offers up tastes of malt, with citrus notes. There is virtually no bitterness. There is a mild hoppy after-taste with undertones of hamster bedding®.I make no apologies for liking golden ales, to my mind they are the best style of ale that there is. I speak as one who started his pub drinking 'career' at the tender age of fifteen, on sweet brown ale. I've never overly enjoyed lager, and I certainly do not see golden ales as their substitute. Hobsons Choice is apparently "named after T. Hobson Esq, Cambridge Carrier 1631, who let out horses to customers on a strict rotation basis - hence meaning 'The Only Choice'.". I think I could put up with this beer being my only choice, for a short while! Date: February 2008 Beer/Brewery Link Reviewed by: Paul Garrard Originally published on RealAleBlog |