Wellington County Brewery
(short notes)

Guelph, Ontario

These notes were taken on several bottles that a friend had brought back to Seattle from Ontario in 1994 and 1995.  Reviewing them, it is clear I was not impressed.  Perhaps these beers have improved?

 

Wellington's County Ale

ESB

* * *

Deep amber colored, lightly conditioned. Very good hop character in nose, excellent malty aroma. However, the bouquet creates high expectations that are not entirely carried through. The flavor has a decent malt/crystal/ diacetyl profile with a balancing bitterness in the finish. (Sampled from bottle).

Black Knight

ESB

*

Lightly conditioned. Dark brown in color. Nose is somewhat malty. A high degree of diacetyl evident in nose. The flavor features a slight maltiness which leads into crystal and buttery notes. The finish is roasty with an appropriate balancing bitterness. This beer is hardly an ESB. Designating it as a brown porter would have boosted its rating to **1/2. Even so, the strong diacetyl profile would detract from this beer even if they had called it what it is. (Bottle sample).

Iron Duke

Strong Ale

* * 1/2

This beer makes no stylistic pretentions; those of us who sampled it agreed that the best style would be Strong Ale. It is dark amber in color, and crystal clear. The aroma is limited to hints of malt. The flavor features a brief, but deep maltiness with a surprisingly thin finish.