Cropton Brewery - Old Goat Strong Bitter

Tonight I am posting the review of a Strong English Bitter. We discussed some of the differences between a standard Bitter, and a Strong Bitter in the last post so I don't feel the need to go into too much detail here, but I will discuss some of the characteristics of a traditional English Bitter, because I feel this beer has little in common with the traditional style.

The beer is the Old Goat Strong Bitter, and the brewer is Cropton Brewery. Cropton Brewery is based in North Yorkshire (North England), just outside of the city of Pickering, in the small village of Cropton. As far as their other beers are concerned, they brew a wide range of beers from American Style IPA's to Imperial Stouts, and from Porters to Golden Ales. They also brew their house favorite: Two Pints, a tradtional style cask-aged English Bitter. Ok so now let's move on to discussing the characteristics of a good English Bitter.

Reading the side of the bottle of Old Goat, it states: "A pale English ale with a malty flavour finely balanced with fine English hops to give a hint of citrus and a surprisingly smooth finish for such a strong beer." Now the reason I bring this to your attention is because this is exactly what a good Strong Bitter should taste like. They should be well-balanced, equally malty and equally hoppy, some will undoubtedly gravitate towards one side or the other, but in general, the beer should exhibit both of these qualities, and that's just how it is. Unfortunately, this brew (maybe I just chose a bad or old bottle) was not at all what the description on the side claimed it would be. Upon tasting this beer I was disappointed (partly because it traveled with me from London, to Edinburgh and St. Andrews, back to London, and ultimately across the English Channel to Amsterdam, where it was consumed) and partly because I was hoping for a nice, balanced, perhaps somewhat hoppier than average, malty English ale. Instead, I received something unbalanced, exploding with citrus, and only just a hint of malt. Reading some other reviews online, it would seem there were others who tasted the same things as I, but there were also others that found this beer to be quite good, quite malty, and as the bottle claimed, well-balanced. So casting aside all judgements, most likely this was just a bad batch. Regardless, the offering left a bad taste in my mouth, and in my mind. I would never base my opinion of a brewery on one beer, and would definitely try another if given the chance. Ok, onto the beer :]



Name: Old Goat
Category/Style: Strong Bitter
ABV: 8.0%
IBU: Unknown
OG: Unknown
FG: Unknown
Malt Types: Unknown
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Special Additives: Unknown
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 500 mL
Location Purchased: Nelsons, Merton, England

The Pour: Hazy dark yellow amberish, head is white, not very good retention, but lacing is ok.
The Nose: Bright and fruity, slightly skunky/musty, sour apple juice, white grapes, grassy hops, a hint of maltiness there somewhere, sweet and caramely, a bit of alcohol and spice, slight hints of yeast, white wine, and apple pie.
The Taste: Surprisingly sour (almost like biting into a lemon), somewhat salty. A little bite initially, flavor of sour apples and white grapes, a little citrus, some metallic notes. A low, bubbly carbonation, medium bodied. Is a bit astrigent, there is white wine on the finish, slightly bitter, a little warming on the back of the throat, but something seems a tad bit off with this one.....
The Verdict: Not at all what I was expecting; this could be a good thing or a bad thing......but definitely very different from any other english bitter I've ever tasted. Did not detect any hint of malt in the flavour (they claimed it would be a strong malty flavour). Read some other online reviews that suggested the same things, but I really just didn't expect it to be so sour....explain to me why an english bitter is so sour? The flavor left in my mouth a few minutes after polishing off the bottle is not delightful in any way....so that leaves me to believe that this different version of an english bitter is not a good thing. My recommendation for this brew is not to recommend it, if you get my drift ;] There are much better examples of strong english bitters out there. Just a bit disappointing since I traveled with this bottle of bitter for so long..............




Thanks for reading!

Zach

Brouwerij Alken-Maes - Judas

The next beer up for review will be Judas, a Strong Belgian Ale. Ironically I found it available widely in Spain (first time I had ever heard of it or seen it, despite traveling through Holland and Belgium this past spring). I first tasted it in Girona, a small town situated near Costa Brava in Northern Spain.

Judas is from Brouwerij Alken-Maes (one of the largest brewing companies in Belgium first formed by a merger of Brouwerij Maes and Brouwerij Alken in 1988). They operate a number of breweries in the region and brew an assortment (nearly 30) of other well-known beers like Grimbergen, Mort Subite, Kriek, Kronenbourg 1664, Fosters, and their flagship beers Maes and Cristal. Judas was first brewed in 1986 at their brewing facility in Jumet, Belgium and it won a silver medal at the "Monde Selection" in 1989.

Judas is a blonde ale, and some of the best blonde ales come from Belgium. Blonde ales are typically highly carbonated, and some undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle (this is known as bottle conditioning). Bottle conditioning is a process in which the beer is naturally carbonated inside the bottle (normalwise the beer is either combined with CO₂ gas during bottling, or inside a keg). To achieve natural carbonation the brewer introduces a small amount of sugar to the beer right before bottling. The remaining yeast still present in the beer will consume the sugar and produce CO₂ which, thanks to the bottle cap, is retained inside the bottle. Bottle conditioning a beer allows the beer to mature and the flavor to develop. A good blonde ale will be full flavored, slightly bitter and slightly sweet and ranges from medium to full bodied. Judas is also a strong blonde ale; characteristics of these stronger ales are obviously higher alcohol content and may be slightly sweeter than your normal blonde ale. Other popular Belgian Blondes you can look for in stores include: Leffe, Duvel, Satan, and Piraat. And now for the beer!



Name: Judas
Category/Style: Strong Belgian Ale
ABV: 8.5%
IBU: Unknown
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Unknown
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Special Additives: Unknown
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 330 mL
Location Purchased: König Brasería, Girona, Spain

The Pour: Clear dark yellow, slight orange hue, head is fluffy and white, nice retention, nice lacing.
The Nose: Sweet Belgian yeast, white grapes, green apple, astringent metallic notes. Slightly alcoholic, not incredibly noticeable for such a strong beer. Cidery notes, corn, a bit of malty cereal and white bread.
The Taste: Taste is corn and green apple, tart and sweet. Carbonation explodes on the tongue initially, but quickly disappears. White wine, white grapes, and a burst of yeast midway through. Finish is slightly bitter, is quite bready and dry. A hint of fresh cut grass and corn is detectable on the finish....
The Verdict: Is delicious and very drinkable. The alcohol is quite hard to detect so be careful with this one. The flavor is fruity and sweet, slightly bitter, and the carbonation is bright and tingly. I really do enjoy this one for the simple fact that it is such a pleasure to drink. A great example of a Belgian Strong Ale :]



Thanks for reading!

Zach

Black Sheep Brewery - Black Sheep Ale

As I was planning all along, I'm posting the review of a true English Ale here. It comes to us from Black Sheep Brewery way up in Masham, North Yorkshire. My friend and I each took one with lunch while we were in York, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Black Sheep Brewery began life in 1992, and ironically enough, Black Sheep Ale was their first ever beer. It is widely popular domestically, as well as internationally. In addition to the Black Sheep Ale, they brew a wide assortment of beers ranging from porters to bitters, pale ales to golden ales, as well as a selection of seasonal releases. All of these are available in both bottle and in cask.

Delving deeper into the Black Sheep Ale, we'll take note that it is in fact an English Bitter. If you haven't ever heard of this type of beer before don't let the name fool you. One might easily assume these beers are, well, bitter, but this is rarely the case. A Bitter Ale and a Pale Ale are exactly the same thing, it just so happens that the English prefer to call their Pale Ales, Bitters. While hops will certainly be noticeable, both in the aroma and the flavor, they are almost certainly not the dominant flavoring agent. In fact, most of the bitter ales I have tasted have never been extremely bitter, and while visiting the UK I even struggled to find an ale that would satisfy my need for hops, as very hoppy beers tend to be my favorite. Many english ales tend to be low in alcohol, some (referred to as Boy's Bitters) extend below the 3% mark, however the majority will fall in between the 3 to 5% margin. On the other end of the spectrum there are the Strong Bitters (Bitters which stretch beyond the 7% mark) on the market. I'm actually sitting on a Strong English Bitter which weighs in at 8%; I am hoping to review later, and I'm hoping it is incredibly hoppy. Most English Pubs will offer beers ranging between 3 to 5% with the occasional beer above 6%. This particular offering weighs in at 4.4%, so it lands right in the middle of the range.

I purchased this beer at Nelsons Specialty Beer and Wine Store just a 2 minute walk from South Wimbledon Underground Station, in South London. On my first visit, I spoke with the owner about the emergence of small craft breweries in the UK and he said they were beginning to gain popularity. I never asked him about the market for such beer, I should have, but I still reserve the right to say that in my experience, it seems it has been difficult for Europe to break from the classic styles they are famous for. I'm not saying the beer is not good, it's excellent, some of these breweries have been brewing the same style of beer since the 12th Century and I suppose keeping that in mind is important. It is always difficult breaking from tradition. It definitely requires a new-age brewer to come along and challenge the traditional styles. But are they widely accepted in the world of beer in Europe? There are already plenty of examples of breweries breaking from the norm and brewing off the wall beers; I had a Sour Cherry Stout earlier this week, and I've a bottle of Rook & Vuur (Smoke and Fire), a smoked stout brewed with chillies. I will definitely do my best to show these places to you. But are these new-age beers widely popular? That is the question, and I'm not yet sure, but I'll definitely find out. Anyway, moving along here, let's get to the beer, and then see if you can go track down a bottle of Black Sheep Ale for yourself...



Name: Black Sheep Ale
Category/Style: English Bitter
ABV: 4.4%
IBU: Unknown
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Maris Otter malted barley, Crystal
Hop Types: Challenger, Progress, Goldings
Yeast Type: Unknown
Special Additives: None
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 500 mL
Location of Purchase: 31 Castlegate, York, England

The Pour: Clear amber and light red copper hues on the pour. Creamy off-white head. Nice retention. Nice lacing.

The Nose: Stale wheat bread, earthy and yeasty. Grassy hops, slight nutty almond-like notes, sweet caramel, straw and toasted malt.

The Taste: Initially bright and bitter, crisp and caramely sweet, quite refreshing, a little dark roasted malt, wet earth and moss. Mouthfeel is light and the carbonation is tingly. Bittersweet chocolate and cocoa. Quite dry on the finish. Bitterness on the finish lingers but is not overpowering; definitely a noticeable amount of noble hops in there. Each sip makes me want more.

The Verdict: The beer was a nice complement to the cajun chicken salad I ordered. The beer was dark but not heavy, very drinkable and very refreshing. I enjoyed the complexity of it as it was sweet, bitter, chocolatey, earthy, and malty; all very good things to have in one beer. Given the opportunity I would definitely have another, and I'm sure you can find it somewhere back home in US :]



Thanks for reading!

Zach

Three Skulls Brewing Co: Buccaneer Bacon Lager

Hello hello! Yes I am doing another review. Quite spread out from the last, but can you cut me some slack since I am currently traveling through Europe? Ok so this next beer is a little bit out there in terms of style and ingredients, a lager flavored with bacon. I planned ahead, and had this review written out ahead of time (tasted it mid-January), since I have just found a bit of free time, I can review it, and keep my readers (I know there are a few out there) happy. Ok so, let's get down to business...Three Skulls Brewing Company...

Where are they? How long have they been there? What else do they brew? A bacon lager, really? All good questions; in time my friends, in time....so Three Skulls Brewing Co (I have never been to the brewery or brewpub, but I have tasted several of their beers) is located northwest of Green Lake and three blocks west of Greenwood Park (Greenwood is north of Seattle, on the other side of I-5 from University of Washington for all you non-seattleites out there). Three Skulls Ales just happens to be the side project of one: Baron Brewing Company. Maybe you have heard of them or run across their beer in the Seattle area? Baron Brewing Company has been in service for the better part of nine years, and just three years ago decided they wanted to create an alter-ego that would allow them to brew northwest (pirate-themed) style beers, as opposed to the german-style beers they were brewing at Baron. So voila, here we are, Three Skulls Ales. And aren't we all happy they decided to branch out? I think so. As far as selection is concerned, they have a nice unique variety, which includes this mysterious Buccaneer Bacon Lager, a blood orange Belgian-style Witbier, Hop the Plank IPA, Yellowbeard Pils, Blackbeard Dark Lager, and their winter warmer: the Three Skulls Poison (which sounds delicious by the way). Personally, I have only tasted the Bacon Lager, and the Blood Orange Wit, but all of the others sound quite interesting. Go find their beers in Seattle, currently on tap at these locations.

Ok so, this Bacon Lager...how do they brew it? Is there really bacon in the beer? From the name we gather that this beer is a lager, which means the yeast rests on the bottom and ferments at cooler temperatures than that of ales. We learned from the last review that lagers can be all colors, strengths, and flavors, but many of the mass produced big name breweries out there, brew pale lagers. This example is a pale lager as well. I have seen a couple of other bacon beers in the Seattle area, but most are dark in color and full in body and the flavor of bacon is not very well represented. When I saw this was a lighter bodied lager I was excited because I figured the flavor of the bacon would be more dominant. Now the next question: is there really bacon in the beer? On their website they claim there is. I don't doubt it, but from a brewing standpoint, lipids (fats) in a beer is not a good thing because they become solid at cooler temps (take butter for example, or the thick white solidified grease in your pan after you cook bacon). So is there a fair amount of bacon in this beer? Probably not. But there is some. And how they add it, I have no idea, but they claim it must be added at exactly the right moment. Aside from the bacon in the beer, the lager recieves another splash of smoke from Birchwood smoked malt used during the brewing process. Birchwood smoked malt will lend a mellow campfire-like quality, as well as meat-like and sometimes cheese/butter-like notes to a beer. Ok so let's move onto the actual review of this beer since most of you are probably quite intrigued at this point.....



Name: Buccaneer Bacon Lager
Category/Style: Smoked Lager
ABV: 5%
IBU: 25
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Birchwood Smoked Malt
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Bacon
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 22 oz

The Pour: Golden, pale orange hue. Slightly hazy and cloudy. The head is fluffy and white, slight lacing, weak retention.

The Nose: Dominated by bacon and smoke, whoa! Really lots of smoke and bacon, maybe some meaty notes and a definite citrus presence. Meat and cheese, slight woody notes, reminds me of a German Rauchbier. Kind of funky nose-wise. Lots of meaty, buttery, woody, cheesy notes floating around in there...

The Taste: Really citrusy initially. Lots of smoke, definite bacon-like notes, but very much dominated by citrus and lemon. Bacon lingers, lots of smoke in your nose. Light tingly carbonation, body is light, very slight bitterness on the finish.

The Verdict: I hate when people do this, but I can't help but say that this beer is very much a hybrid of a Berliner Weisse and a German Rauchbier. If you have ever had either one, I would say that you will know what I mean when you try it. I will also say that I have no idea how long this bottle was sitting. Was not told if it is preferable to drink this beer fresh or let it sit for awhile, but assuming the light nature and low alcohol, I would say it is most likely meant to be consumed fresh. Given this fact, the beer spent considerable time outside of the refrigerator and inside, so that may have altered the taste. But regardless, given these circumstances, I rather liked the beer. I thought it was quite a unique offering. And even though it had notes of meat and cheese (like I said, very similar to a Rauchbier) I enjoyed the odd combination of refreshing citrus-like qualities in the flavor (again, not sure if that was intended). I also am not sure where you might be able to find a bottle. Maybe bottleworks down in Wallingford or another specialty beer store, this bottle was given to me by a friend. Ok that's that. Good luck tracking down a sample of this, and if you do, let me know what you think! Until next time, toodles!



Thanks for reading!

Zach