474. Hook Norton Hooky Bitter

This is our first beer from Hook Norton Brewery, which is located in Oxfordshire, England. As the bottle informs us, Hook Norton is “where progress is measured in pints.” Now that’s my kind of measure.

Hooky Bitter pours a clear bright orange-ish copper with a minimal eggshell white head. The nose is a combination of fruit esters, grainy caramel biscuit malt, and some slight butterscotch and butter. In other words, it is very, very British. There could be a touch of bitterness behind that, but the fruit, caramel, and butterscotch effectively mask and cover it. That is, if it is there. Flavors start with a caramel graininess and biscuit malt mixed with generic fruit flavors, which I am guessing are from the yeast. The butterscotch comes in at the end of the front and carries into the middle, along with drying from the bitterness and a touch of cracker. As that fades, there are low levels of caramel mixed with a creamy turn that heads us towards the finish, which is dry, mineral-ly, and ever so slightly papery with some lingering butter and hop bitterness. Like I said, very British. The body is medium to light with a smooth creamy mouthfeel; the beer is pleasant and easy drinking—there is surprising body and complexity for the size of the beer. You could, quite easily, hit this all night long and have a rather pleasant and enjoyable session. Nice job, guys.

From the bottle: “Hooky Bitter is a subtly balanced golden bitter, hoppy to the nose, malty on the palate—the classic session beer, eminently drinkable. Cheers!”

ABV: 3.6%

(4/30/2011)

413. Anchor Small Beer

Ah, Anchor Brewing, and their Small Beer. So dreamy. I always liked the idea behind the beer, and the fact that it is a refreshing and thirst quenching beer helps out too. Plus, the small beer in the big bottle is a nice visual joke. Well, if you have a sense of humor. This is our fifth beer from Anchor Brewing, including Anchor Porter, Liberty Ale, Anchor Steam and Christmas Ale 2009.

Anchor Small Beer pours a clear caramel copper with a creamy ivory head that leaves abundant lacing on the glass; the nose is creamy and grainy with a touch of malty sweetness in the background. Not surprisingly, the flavors in body match those in the nose, opening grainy with some malt sweetness before giving way to a gently bitter middle. The finish is dry with a touch of sharpness (not from the carbonation, but possibly from grain or the hops) and some lingering bitterness, although not much. At the same time, the mouthfeel has substance and some chewiness, with less corresponding flavor than one would expect—flavor is light while the chewiness is more pronounced, although the body is still medium. There is also some creaminess that lingers on the palate, accentuated by the soft, gentle carbonation. Anchor Small Beer is a deliciously easy-drinking beer that goes down crisp and smooth, and leaves you wanting more. I’ve loved this beer for a long time; I only wish it was more readily accessible in Ohio.

From the bottle: “The tradition of brewing two distinct beers from one mash has existed for thousands of years, and for centuries the term ‘small beer’ was used in English to describe the lighter and weaker second beer. By association, the term came to mean something of little importance. We make our Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale from the rich first runnings of an all-malt mash, and Anchor Small Beer is our attempt to duplicate the ‘small beers’ of old by sparging that same mash: sprinkling warm water over the Old Foghorn mash after the first wort has run off, thereby creating a second, lighter brew from the resulting thinner wort. Technically, both beers are ‘ales’ because they are made with top fermenting yeast. We believe you will find Anchor Small Beer delicious—similar to what modern brewers call a ‘bitter’—and we hope you will also enjoy the idea of reviving an ancient brewing tradition, which is something of great importance.”

ABV: 3.3%

Malt: 2-row

(9/18/2010)

377. 21st Amendment Bitter American

Gotta love the name on this one. The only thing that could be better would be to name it the Ugly American, but that has less brewing panache than the Bitter American. So bitter it is. This is our third beer from 21st Amendment, and our first beer out of the keg (we’ve tried Monk’s Blood and Brew Free or Die IPA in the can). This beer is part of the Big Can series, which is their specialty draft series: “Each quarter, we offer a new small batch, hand-crafted, draft only selection. Each of the beers in our draft-only series are favorites at our San Francisco brewpub and many are award winning brews. Available in limited supply in half and sixth barrels.” This beer, not coincidentally, happens to be the Summer Seasonal of the series, although I will say that I like the sound of the Spring Seasonal, Golden Doom Belgian Ale. We had this on tap at South Park Tavern, which probably surprises no one. Sadly, however, we lost our notes after drinking the beer. Which means is all that you get is the comment that we liked this beer. So until we find our missing notes (and that also assumes that we will—who knows?), you’ll have to placate yourself with the brewery’s description of the beer. Mea culpa.

From the 21st Amendment website: “Like our founding fathers, arguing over a few pints of ale, this summertime session ale provides the perfect forum to air all your grievances. Our extra pale ale has lower alcohol but al the flavor and hop aroma you expect from a much bigger beer. Give one, or three, a try.”

ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 42
Malts: Rahr Pale, Simpsons Golden Promise, Global Munich, Crisp Crystal 43, & Crisp Crystal 15 Hops: Warrior & Cascade
Dry Hops: Simcoe & Centennial

(7/12/2010)

339. Two Brothers Long Haul Session Ale

More from Two Brothers, which is all good with us. This marks our seventh beer from Two Brothers—Resistance IPA, Domaine DuPage, Bitter End, Heavier-Handed, Moaten, and Cane & Ebel make up the list of beers we’ve sampled from Two Brothers. As well, Long Haul is the second in the J Series from Two Brothers.

Light and lightly nutty at the start, Long Haul pours a clear reddish-brown, or about the Crayola definition of burnt sienna. The head is white and clings to the edge of glass, leaving behind small amounts of lacing; there are low levels of biscuit malt aroma in the nose, which follow in the opening flavor of the beer, and it is also lightly oaky and tannic. Beginning with a combination of biscuit and nuttiness, Long Haul is smooth and oaky in the middle, along with a light brown malt flavor; the finish is bready with a slight rise in sweetness and a bit of sharpness that tastes tannic. The body is medium to light with a low to medium carbonation; the main bite in the body comes from the oak—the mouthfeel is clean with an almost sour-like quality that comes from the oak flavors present in the beer, ending smooth on the palate, but not as clean as it could. Pretty tasty, although Long Haul seems to be between styles—it’s not quite a red, it’s not quite a brown, although it does have some of the characteristics of each. We do appreciate the effort on Two Brothers’ part to make a smaller, session oriented beer, one that has complexity, nuance, and flavor. And for that, we are thankful.

From the bottle: “An incredibly drinkable ale, light in body but full of flavor. Oaky notes blend with the complex balance of malt and hops. This is a beer you can enjoy for the long haul.”

From the Two Brothers website: “Another offering from the J Series. Long Haul is ages a minimum of four weeks in our oak foudres. This incredibly drinkable ale is light in body but full of the complex balance of malt and hops. This is a beer you can enjoy for the long haul.”

Somewhere, far in the distance, I hear a rim shot sounding...

ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 27

(6/4/10)

267. Boddingtons Draught Style Pub Ale vs. Tetley’s Draught Style English Ale vs. Belhaven Draught Style Scottish Ale

Today we’re having our Second Annual Widget Draught Can Drink Off. Yes, we know annual means once a year, and we did the Murphy’s and Guinness Drink Off less than a year ago, but too bad. It’s our website, so don’t get all semantical on us. Today’s contestants are Boddingtons Draught Style Pub Ale, Tetley’s Draught Style English Ale, and Belhaven Draught Style Scottish Ale. Boddingtons is made in Luton, England, Tetley’s is made in Leeds, England, and Belhaven is made in Dunbar, Scotland.

Boddingtons has a dry, slightly chalky, and slightly fruity nose mixed with some sweetness; it pours a crystal clear gold (well, once it settles out), and has a rich creamy lingering white head—got to love those widget draught cans! The beer opens with creamy sweet front; the middle is a bit thin, but has pleasant bitterness. While there is no hop flavor in the middle, the bitterness does come through nicely in the middle, and lingers on into the end, which is dry and clean. Boddingtons is medium to light bodied with a creamy thick mouthfeel; the carbonation, while present, is rather light on the palate—it helps build the creaminess, and rounds the beer across the palate, creating more of a consistent evenness than any sort of bite.

From the can: “Since 1778 when it was first brewed at the Strangeways Brewery in Manchester, Boddingtons has been renowned as a unique, pale-gold ale. In English pubs, Boddingtons is served using the traditional hand pulled method which mixes the air with the ale as it pours, producing a distinctive creamy head and smooth body, with little gassiness. Ordinary packaged ale cannot match this quality, but the new Draughtflow System does. By releasing millions of tiny bubbles when opened, Draughtflow cans give the creamy head and authentic fresh taste of Boddingtons Pub Ale. ”

ABV: 4.7%

Tetley’s pours a clear copper with a thick thick ivory head that laces the glass profusely. It took a little sucking to break through that head when we were sipping on it. The nose is a malty caramel—kinda hard to get to it through the head. Opening with some caramel malt and a touch of toffee in the front, Tetley’s moves into a soft and lightly bitter middle with more of the toffee and caramel before finishing dry and with a bit of corn flavor—it mostly just fades away. Much like the Boddingtons, the body is medium to light with a creamy thick mouthfeel that is also dry on the palate. The carbonation is similar to Boddingtons—dry and even, although creamy. Tetley’s has more caramel flavor and less hop bitterness than Boddingtons, leaving it a bit less balanced as a whole.

From the can: “A uniquely smooth taste. For best results; serve cold from the fridge, pull the tab, listen to the surge & pour down the side of the can in one smooth movement.”

ABV: 3.6%

Belhaven pour a hazy brownish copper—there’s a bunch of small bits floating in it—with a creamy and thick ivory head. Elli wanted to know if the small bits were from “widget-conditioning.” Starting malty sweet with caramel and some biscuit and roasted flavors, Belhaven Scottish Ale shifts into light roasted chocolate in the middle, which is also accompanied by nutty and fruity flavors. The finish is creamy, malty, and lightly roasty, with a touch of smokiness to close things out. Belhaven is medium bodied with a creamy but also dry mouthfell, and a bit more carbonation presence in the mouth than the other two beers

From the can: “The Belhaven Brewery is Scotland’s oldest surviving independent brewery dating back to 1719. Belhaven Scottish Ale is a fully rounded ale, a complex mix of malt and hop producing Belhaven’s easily recognised malty and nutty flavor.”

ABV: 5.2%

Aroma Advantage: Belhaven gets the nod here; while it is a bit bigger of a beer, the complex aromas are able to cut through the thick creamy head and make their presence felt.

Appearance Advantage: Tetley’s comes out on top here; the slighter darker color with a touch of red in it made it stand out, and the thick head was impressive. Tetley’s does also have some sort of larger widget inside the can than the other two beers—it is attached to the bottom, and as the can tells us, “listen to the surge.” We did, and the results were good.

Flavor Advantage: We have a split decision here: Elli likes Boddingtons, while I like Belhaven. Since we’re crossing beer styles, the arbitrary factor is on the upswing. Elli favored Boddingtons because it was the only one with any real hop presence, even if it was only in the bitterness, and because it has a clean and simple malt profile. I like the darker, richer malt profile of Belhaven, and the nuance as it ran across the palate.

Mouthfeel Advantage: Elli favors Boddingtons; I see it as something of a toss-up—since all three are draught cans, there is a certain similarity in the mouthfeel that is a bit homogeneous. While the flavors are more distinct, the mouthfeel seems less so here.

Label Art Advantage: Tetley gets last place here—the little dude holding a beer and the multiple fonts leaves this can a bit busy overall. The Belhaven is nice and simple—the color arrangement is good, and the use of the natural aluminum color is clever. But we’ve got to go with the classic bees on barrel of Boddingtons. Classic design and packaging.

Overall Advantage: We’re again split down the middle: Elli goes with Boddingtons, and I go with Belhaven, so I guess we’ll have to call it a draw. But Tetley’s doesn’t get to be in on it.

(3/24/2010)

227. Goose Island Honker’s Ale

Our first beer from Goose Island in Chicago, IL. Honker’s Ale has a bready and lightly roasty nose; the color is a dull copper with a light white head that quickly reduces to a ring, but laces the glass quite nicely. Opening with a bready and slightly toasted malt profile, Honker’s Ale moves into a rounded malt middle with low levels of bitterness peeking through. The finish is soft and malty and is reached through a light carbonation bite in the second third of the beer, and there is a bit of lingering bitterness. The body is light to medium with a bit of dryness that strikes the palate as a bit flat. A well crafted beer, but not terribly exciting, although very drinkable.

From the bottle: “Inspired by visits to English country pubs, Honker’s is the perfect blend of hops and malt. A smooth, drinkable English-style Bitter for drinkers who want more from their beer.”

From the Goose Island website: “Inspired by visits to English country pubs, Honker’s Ale combines a fruity hop aroma with a rich malt middle to create a perfectly balanced beer. Immensely drinkable, Honker’s Ale is not only the beer you can trust but one you’ll look forward to time and again.”

ABV: 4.2%

IBU: 30

Malts: 2-row, Caramel, Wheat, & Roasted Barley

Hops: Styrian Golding

(2/12/2010)