Beer Review: Badger Golden Champion Ale

All too soon, we arrive at the third and final (for now) instalment of my three-part taste of Badger ales. If you missed them, part one looked at Badger Original, a rustic old ale. Part two looked at Badger Golden Glory, a very flowery drink, possibly aimed at women.

This time, Badger Golden Champion goes under the microscope. How will is fair against the rest of the Badger range? And how will it compare to other ales? Let’s find out.

The bottle is identical to the others. This is no bad thing, as 500ml, just short of a pint is a welcome change to the smaller 300ml bottles that most brewers rely on.

Labels on the other two Badger ales were pretty good at describing their contents. What does this one say? Well, the label on the neck is tells us more than either of the other two. It gets straight to the point by describing a “premium strong ale with a light, fruity flavour”. Making that any more concise would be almost impossible.

Again, we have reference to some award having been won. But again, we don’t know what for. A welcome sight is the 5.0% vol. This makes it the strongest Badger yet. A good thing in my book.

The now familiar Taste Profile box is surprisingly similar to that for Golden Glory. That is to say, it rates highly on the sweetness and fruitiness. Unlike the overpowering Golden Glory, Golden Champion here ups the bitterness quota.

The rear label goes on the elaborate further on the little label on the neck of the bottle. We get mentions of “light” and “refreshing character”; typical of beer labels. Where this one goes eccentric on us, is with the “elderflower aroma”.

In a glass, this lives up to the “golden” billing. Interestingly, it has less head than either Original or Golden Glory.

As far as smell goes, I have no idea if it is indeed elderflower. I haven’t smelled enough elderflowers to know for sure. What it is, is fruity and flowery. Thankfully however, it’s not as overpoweringly pongy as Golden Glory. More pleasant and intriguing.

Does it taste strong, light and fruity as per the label? Short answer; yes. Bitterness is what first hits you. But that quickly gets replaced by an aftertaste of fruit and flowers. The identities of which, I couldn’t possibly answer.

All well and good, but is it any good? I’d have to say yes. Golden Champion is stronger than either of the other two Badgers, yet it retains the qualities that made the others easy to drink.

I liked Golden Champion. It’s an ale drinker’s drink. It also does something different by adding the fruity and flowery qualities. Doing something different and achieving it without losing drinkability is something you have to respect.

Rating: 4.25

So, what are my thoughts on Badger brand. At least from my experience of Original, Golden Glory and Golden Champion?

In a word, good. Original is the archetypical ale and would go perfectly with a lunch. Golden Glory goes off in a totally unusual direction and could find itself in a new niche. For me, it was a little too strange. Golden Champion was an excellent drink that added one or two unusual qualities to the mix. All three were easy to drink and good value without compromising individuality.

Have you tried any of these ales? What did you think? Which one appeals to you most?

And what would you like me to look at next?

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Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Beer Review: Badger Golden Glory Ale
• Good for what Ales you

Tags: ale, badger, beer, dorset, golden champion, review