Fred is a Golden Special Ale, weighing in at 10% ABV. My bottle was from batch 79. I should have tasted it from a wine glass (not a lot of options when you are in a hotel room!).
Look
Fred is amber/gold in colour, and pours with a thin but creamy head. It left some lacing. It looks like there is very little carbonation – just one or two streams of bubbles.
Smell
There are some beers that I can happily just smell for a while before taking a sip, and this was one of them. The aroma is mainly sweetness and malt. There is also some fruitiness, and a hint of alcohol.
Taste
The malty sweetness carries through, particularly the candy sugar flavour. In the middle I taste some dark fruit, and some hops – not enough for any real bitterness to come through. It finishes with more sweetness, and some alcohol warmth.
Feel
This beer is full bodied, and has medium/low carbonation. Some alcohol warmth comes through.
Drink
Definitely a sipper! The high alcohol and sugar content mean that this is a beer to be savoured. Enjoyable from start to finish.