For the next part of this bottle-top tour of Yorkshire, I’m heading a few miles to the west of York, to the village of Tockwith, and the Rudgate Brewery, established in 1992, and shared with the Marston Moor Brewery. I’ve previously reviewed the York Chocolate Stout (though that won’t stop me having another taste later in this series), but I’m going to start with the Ruby Mild.
This 4.4%ABV ale is a deep red colour, with an almost light brown head that fizzes excitedly as its poured from the bottle. There ‘s not a big aroma to it – maybe hints of caramel and hazelnuts – but the flavour is rounded and far from dry, as a good mild should be. The hazelnut aroma is carried through to a very nutty finish in the flavour too. This is a highly refined and enjoyable beer that would work as well with more delicately flavoured food as it would as a session ale.
And it’s not just me that likes this beer. In 2012 it was awarded the Gold Medal for Mild Beers at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival.
This is a great start to this exploration of the beers of this award-winning brewery. Next into the glass is Rudgate’s Battleaxe. Looking forward to that one.