It was my birthday a couple weeks ago. It was one of those “milestone” birthdays that engenders lots of greeting cards with the phrase “over the hill” on them. While my thirties are now behind me, I don’t feel compelled to buy a Corvette and cruise bowling alley parking lots for barely-legal girls. Still, there is a bit of ennui; I’m not getting any younger, after all. Fortunately, I have good friends. And beer.

So, while I was on my British Beer kick, I did pick up a bottle of Old Man Ale from Coniston Brewing Company, “hidden away behind the Black Bull“, a four-hundred-year-old Inn and Hotel in Coniston, England. They’re most famous for their Bluebird Bitter (which I also picked up).

Here’s what they say about it:

A rich classic ale ruby red in colour with a subtle yet strong fruit aroma. Full bodied and balanced with a hing of the finest Challenger hops, Old Man Ale is named after the Lakeland mountain at the foot of which sits Coniston Brewery.

Well, my bottle doesn’t pour “ruby red” but is a nice light caramel color. The head is made of up fine bubbles that reduce to a thin layer of foam and leave only a little bit of lace on the glass. The fruit aroma is subtle, but I don’t know if I’d also characterize it as “strong”. The mouthfeel is light to medium and, for a bottle-conditioned beer is not hazy nor does it have that “chewy” yeast flavor to it.

Admittedly, I may be missing some of the more subtle flavors because I’m drinking it at the wrong temperature. As it says right on the label:

Best served at 58°F in a straight pint glass at the Black Bull Inn, Coniston, Cumbria. The home of Coniston Old Man.

As I wend my way down the glass, though, I find myself enjoying it more. At 4.8% ABV it’s right in the range of a session beer, although I think I’d find it a bit too heavy for the 95°F weather we’ve had for the last couple of days. Drop the ambient temperate about fifteen degrees and this would be just fine. Worth a try.

[rating:3/5]