BREWER: Two Cocks Brewery, Berkshire, England

STYLE: Golden Ale

ABV: 5.6%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

TWITTER: @TwoCocksBrewery

INSTAGRAM: twococksbrewery

DATE OF POST: 8th January 2021

 

JYMI SAY’S…

There was positivity in the air from the get go when I settled down to test Viscount. I have always been a huge fan of Two Cocks brewery which is obvious from my writings on Leveller and Puritan a few years ago. So I was fairly sure I was going to be getting a decent beer here, just how decent was the question. Going into a review already being a fan of a brewery does bring added pressure however as if standards have dipped huge disappointment may only be moments away.

And before moving on to the beer I have to take a moment to once again absorb just how utterly spectacular the packaging for these Two Cocks brews actually is. In a crowded market where all brewers are scrambling to find an edge on those beer shelves with mad designs, wild names and all manner of other tricks – Two Cocks just saunter along with their actual feathers, plonk themselves down and just blow EVERYTHING else out the water. I doff my feathered hat to them once more.

Moving to the beer itself I’m actually going to quote the information on the label to help us along…

An unusual light golden ale that crosses the boundaries of beer /wine/cider in taste. The lightest of malts combined with the scarce Nelson Sauvin hop and a process that includes a piggyback fermentation deliver an ale with low bitterness and a complex fruit character.   

Ok, instantly my interest was piqued as the thought of a beer wine cider type brew done by an already trusted brewer sounded, well interesting if not bleedin’ amazing! The fact Nelson Sauvin was involved just helped things along nicely. You know what, I’m going to stop going on…

This beer is FANTASTIC!!! The dryness of wine, the fruitiness of cider and a soft hop background just make 1643 Viscount a thing of absolute beauty.

And there is nothing more to say.

Jymi’s Rating: 94%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Perfection in one’s field is near on impossible, if not completely impossible, to reach.  However, if you were going to put your money on a team doing it, then Two Cocks Brewery would be a sensible way forward, certainly in the beer world anyway.  

Let me give you a fact: 1643 Viscount is an incredible beer.  Make no mistake about it.  It’s a golden ale with the most amazing nose, which is sweet, light and citrusy.  This gives an insight into the impeccably brewed beer that sits behind the aroma.  

In the drinking, it’s light, but not so light as to not pack a punch.  Viscount is perfectly balanced with a light sweetness upfront and a light bitterness following behind.  It dances on the palate for just the right amount of time and disappears just in time for the next sip, when the experience begins again.

My one complaint about Viscount is that it should be sold by the bucket load, not just your standard 500ml bottle.  It really is that good.  

If you’re looking for perfection in a golden ale, you might never find it.  But, mark my words, Viscount may well be as close as you get.

Sammy’s Rating: 99%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 96.5% 

MOB review next weekend: HOPERATION IPA by ARKELL’S

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