Gale's Festival Mild

A case where over-carbonation more-or-less ruining an otherwise fine bottle-conditioned ale. Had this in my cellar for a few months, and then chilled in my `fridge for a few hours. Once opened, it was like Mt St Helens -- much foam spewed all over. Once half of the bottle was expended, it took quit a bit of effort to get a half-pint's worth a beer into a glass.

Was all that worth it? Well, yeah, I guess so. I'm not all the familar with Mild Ales, but I do know Brown Ales (which I'm told is six-of-one, half-dozen-of-another in the U.K., depending on if it's in a bottle or not)..., and this is indeed a nice and tasty Mild / Brown Ale.

Malty, complex, mildly fruity (raisins?), some interesting bitterness and aroma hops -- all make this quite interesting. In fact, I can see this being a very nice session ale, since it's only 4.8%ABV.

But with the carbonation so over-the-top, mouthfell and overall drinkability suffer. Probably much better from a firkin, IMO.
//TB