Brewery: O’Hanlon’s
Location: Whimple, Devon, England
ABV: 5.0%
Version: 500ml bottle
Source: Tesco

I actually hope, for the sake of both brewer O’Hanlons (whose Port Stout I thoroughly enjoyed on the recommendation of both Ed and a best winter ales article in the Independent a while back) and the guy at Tesco who signed the contract, that this one had gone off in the bottle before I got to it. Because otherwise, what they have on their hands is a strange, sour-tasting, thoroughly nasty brew.

A light, hoppy aroma was promising enough, but the first taste had me grimacing and wondering whether I actually wanted to go any further. It possessed none of the sweetness and richness you often get from a stronger ales and definitely none of the “toffee and malt flavours derived from live conditioning” promised on the label. And yes, I did pour carefully to avoid sediment.

I struggled on for another few sips, but was eventually defeated as the taste just got more and more rank. About a fifth of the bottle went down under protest, but then the rest went down the sink and I turned to a trusty Hobgoblin to cleanse the palate and restore equilibrium.

Something very wrong here, surely? Alas, the only way to be sure would be to sample another bottle, and that’s not a risk I really feel like taking…