Tomos Watkin Premium OSB

Available: IL, CA, GA, IA, MI, NV, NJ, OH, PA, VA, WI

While touring Wales a couple of years back, I encountered numerous well-crafted but largely unknown ales, and so I’m glad to see the OSB bucking that trend and testing the U.S. market. Rich copper in color with a lush, red apple fruitiness backed by plum and spice notes, this is a robust and round ale that belies its 4.5% alcohol. Light, tea-like tannins temper fruity, caramelly malt while soft, spicy hoppiness lingers around in the background, bringing the flavor to a dry, slightly earthy close. Big enough for the Sunday roast, and yet sufficiently dry to be refreshing on its own.
- Stephen Beaumont

Mild malt and a floral hop aroma complement this amber beauty. Slight apple-like flavor gives way immediately to a gently satisfying, rounded caramel character. Apples and honey linger on the palate. A great session ale, yet with satisfying body. For being a Welsh beer, it is a whale of an ale. On its own or with whatever food tickles your fancy, suits me just fine.
- Charlie Papazian

The beer pours with a slightly hazy copper color and a thin, wispy head. There are slightly musty malt notes in the nose with a thin veil of citrusy hop. The palate shows broad moderate bitterness, a dash of caramel, angular minerality and a brisk, dry finish. Not many bells and whistles, but it has good structure and a hard enough edge to handle buttery Indian curries.
- Garrett Oliver

Stephen Beaumont
Stephen Beaumont boarded his first plane at the age of 15 and hasn’t looked back since, obsessing about travel to the point that he gets nervous if he doesn’t have a ticket or two stacked on the corner of his desk. When he’s not running around in search of new taste experiences, he makes his home in Toronto, where a new cultural experience is only as far away as the next neighborhood.

Charlie Papazian
Author of the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, founder of the Great American Beer Festival and a Beer Examiner at www.examiner.com, Papazian is a leading voice in beer and brewing.

Garrett Oliver
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.

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