Beer review: Robinsons Old Tom (8.5% England: Robinsons)

The Robinsons Old Tom is an ale, more specifically an Old Ale. It's brewed by a British family-run regional brewery Robinsons. Robinsons was founded in 1838 and produces about 4,2 million litres annually. The Robinsons Old Tom has been brewed for over a 100 years and has received several awards, most notably it's been voted the World's Best Ale at the World Beer Awards in 2009.

Taste: The Robinsons Old Tom is a full-bodied ale with a sophisticated and mature flavor. It starts with some dried fruits, then moves on to aromas of bittersweet chocolate, toasty malt and smokiness. The beer finishes with a slight bitterness and some barley wine taste with some alcohol warmth in it.

Overall, The Robinsons Old Tom is a very mature beer. It offers a wide variety of aromas and is best when enjoyed slowly and with care. The beer offers a demanding amount of flavors and might be a bit too demanding for the casual drinker. Personally I don't enjoy the barley wine finish since alcohol is a bit too present. However, it definitely is a truly remarkable beer!

90 Exceptional

Beer review: Robinsons Trooper (4.7% England: Robinsons)

Robinsons Trooper is an ale, more specifically an English Pale Ale. It is the official beer of the heavy metal group Iron Maiden and supposedly the recipe was created by the group. It's brewed by a British family-run regional brewery Robinsons. This sounds much more promising than the roots of the Kiss and Motörhead beers. Of course, being the beer of Iron Maiden, one of the most popular metal bands in the world, it's also meant for worldwide distribution. Let's see if this compromises the taste of the beer.

Taste: The Trooper starts with a faint sour lemony taste and then moves on to a medium-bodied sweet, malt dominant taste. It features hints of toffee, honey and finishes with a mild bitterness.

Overall, the Robinsons Trooper is miles above the beers of Kiss and Motörhead. It's not a beer with the most character, but considering the wide distribution and bulk quality of the beer, it's a really nice one. It's available in many Finnish supermarkets and it's one of the better beers there.

70 Good