West Country Ales Vol 2

As I'm still working through my batch of West Country sourced ales here is a review of three more from Devon.

The Beer Engine Piston Bitter, 4.2%

The Beer Engine appears to be a Brewery/Pub in Exeter which was originally a railway hotel built in 1850 and from the pictures on its website looks like a lovely place to spend an afternoon.

It's a brown coloured ale, caramel on the nose with a rich, sweet taste with a pleasant malty bitter finish, not a complex ale but it tastes very good, really enjoyed it, 7.5/10.

Emma Says: ‘nondescript, sort of soilish’

Bays Topsail, 4.0%

Topsail hails from the Bays Brewery in Torbay, Devon and is the brewery’s flagship ale. The ale itself is deep amber in colour and woody and rich on the nose, on the palate it is balanced and has a lasting oak sweetness throughout, with a medium bitter finish allied with hints of pepper. It’s smooth to drink and really quite refreshing, 7/10.

Emma Says: ‘oaky and sweet but still wouldn't drink it’

Dartmoor Brewery Jail Ale, 4.8%

Lastly in this West Country selection is the Dartmoor Brewery Jail Ale and my least favourite of the three by far. The ale is amber in colour, slight citrus on the nose, the taste is quite uninteresting and maintains a uniform bitterness throughout. The bottle describes the after taste as ‘sweet moorish’ but I didn't experience either of those. Disappointing but not undrinkable. 5/10.

Emma says: ‘smells of citrus and tastes weird but I have just brushed my teeth’