Vale Old Toby - Ep02 (Badged as ABC - Aylesbury Brewhouse Company)

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 Six Bells, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Who	Score	When	Notes
Hogan Sampling		16 May 2026	2nd beer of this visit: Very good head and lacing presented and lasting on this smoked porter* brewed by the Aylesbury Brewhouse Company, stylised as ABC, and which is owned and operated by Buckinghamshire’s Vale Brewery at Brill, some 41 miles slightly north-west from St Albans, and Thame is the closest historic market town, situated just 7 miles south in neighbouring Oxfordshire. One brew per month is produced and never repeated and this is marked as Ep02 on the pump clip, referring to episode 2. A smoky bitter first hit from being wreathed in beechwood smoke. A very dry bitterness rising from being hopped with Northern Brewer. A malty hoppiness winning over with waves of chocolate, roast coffee and dried fig caressing my taste buds. Brewed with Chevallier heritage malt lending it a chocolatey, caramel-infused flavouring. A dry malty bitterness paddling out. Served in very good condition.