From the Back of the Beer Cupboard #2 – CAMRA 25th Anniversary Ale
Lurking next to the Orcs Black Ale, I found this bottle of CAMRA 25th Anniversary Ale.
Brewed back in 1996 by George Gale & Co (who were acquired by Fuller's back in 2005), this 7.1% ale was brewed with Maris Otter barley and Fuggles, Goldings and Challenger hops.
I'm guessing it's an IPA-style golden ale? Hard to tell through the brown glass, of course. I can't find any information on the CAMRA website and Google isn't turning up anything either.
I'm pretty sure this came into my possession by accident a few years back. I think it was courtesy of Jo's Nan, who had decided to clear out her own drinks cabinet and had found this bottle lurking behind the sweet sherry, Bells whisky and Canada Dry. I said "thank you very much" and brought it home, at which point it disappeared into our drinks cabinet and was forgotten about until a few weeks ago.
The best-before date is given as April 2000, but with its 7.1% ABV and - from the sounds of the label - plenty in the way of hop-content, I suppose there's a chance it might still be drinkable..?
What do the beer congnoscenti among you reckon? Best keep the cap firmly on? Possibly rank, but worth risking? Entirely safe to drink and most likely delicious? Or even, worth saving for CAMRA's 50th anniversary in 2021? I'd love to know what the experts out there think.
Here's a close-up of the label. Click for a larger version if you'd like to see it in a bit more detail:
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