Woose
Hot on the heels of yesterday's successful trip to Jaipur, I thought I'd try another of the Thornbridge range; in this case, the 3.5% "White Gold Pale Ale" Wild Swan.
As I opened this one the cascade of hop bouquet exploding from the top made me think it'd be basically the same as Jaipur - that overpowering explosion of fruits and hops was just like the Jaipur, and I guess was linked to the effervescence of the beer (note - I have no idea if that's the case. Sounds right, mind). Pours well, the fizziness giving a good solid head like its big brother the Jaipur.
On drinking, though, the differences become clear. It's much gentler than the Jaipur, and whilst refreshing, it lacks the complexity of the stronger beer. Wild Swan is, by today's standards, a weak beer, but that's not necessarily a bad thing - you can drink a lot of it without ending up speaking in tongues. It's light, zesty with hints of lemon freshness; I'd say Wild Swan is a summer beer - the kind of gentle ale you could sup in the gloaming, on a terrace by a river, after a nice walk and batting away the odd mosquito.
It's a good beer, but not as good as Jaipur (it's in good company there - not a lot else is). Mrs Woose relieved me of half the bottle, thinking it was Jaipur. Her verdict? "It's not bad, but it's no Jaipur"
Once again, she's hit the nail on the head.
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