Oakham Hooked Up (collaboration with Hook Norton)

Tasting Summary

These comments are the opinion of the individual reviewer and represent what they thought of the beer on a particular day in a particular pub. If a review is less favourable, it may be because the beer suffered somewhere in the supply chain between them and the brewery.

The River Ale House, East Greenwich, Greater London

Who	Score	When	Notes
Philip Pirrip		19 Mar 2026	I picked up few of the tasting notes attributes. Seemed more malty than hoppy
Hogan Sampling		19 Mar 2026	Recommended this copper-coloured amber ale by a fellow regular or two. Presented as fresh on this evening and displaying very good head and lacing and lasting all the way on this collaborative seasonal beer released in March 2026 by Oakham Ales from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, renowned for being one of the first in the UK to champion American and New World hops and established in 1993, and the historic, family-owned Hook Norton Brewery, a regional brewery founded in 1849 and located in the village of Hook Norton, Banbury, Oxfordshire, and one of the few remaining traditional "tower breweries" in the UK, where the brewing process flows logically from floor to floor using gravity. A stationary 25 horse power steam engine, installed in 1899, still powers much of the brewery's machinery. A malty first hit with a hint of berry, tropical and stone fruited notes. A toffee-infused caramelised bitterness rising. I did not overly detect its orange and soft lemon citrus flavours as certainly no citrusy after-effect. The merest hint of resinous spice and minty herbal flavours and a grapefruit bitterness. A biscuity maltiness rising. A fresh hoppiness prevailing with a dry hoppy note on the downwards journey aided by its hop varieties, Karma from the USA, a descendant of Mystic and Cascade, and the UK hops, Jester and Harlequin, the latter noted for providing fruity notes. Very moreish and so stuck to it and as also in excellent condition.