537. Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout

Another beer from Samuel Smith’s. But when the beer is this easy and smooth going down, who could possibly say no? Certainly not any rational person. Then again, if rationality is going to be my benchmark, I’ve just cut out a good 85% percent of the population. 90% if I’m feeling mean and cantankerous. What with all the sputtering of vindictive bile, sentence fragments, and dire political prognostications being trotted out in Ohio these last few months, we need beer like this to rein in the rampant jingoism and self-serving congratulatory rhetoric that represents our current election cycle. Because that is certainly not rational. Or useful. Or even interesting. Although, my friends, that may be asking just a bit too much from this beer. It is, after all, British. This is our third beer from Samuel Smith’s, including Imperial Stout and Organically Produced Lager. Mercifully, it won’t be our last.

Organic Chocolate Stout pours a rich, deep chocolate with a tan head that offers fair retention; the beer is crystal clear, and has pleasant ruby red highlights when held to the light. Not surprisingly, the nose is redolent with chocolate and cocoa—both creamy milk chocolate and cocoa—mixed with just a hint of alkaline chalkiness. It almost smells like chocolate milk, albeit with a bit more of that hint of coconut and tropical cocoa butter that darker chocolate can provide, and milk would tend to cover over (and this tropical dimension comes out more as it warms). Flavors follow suit: it opens with sweet chocolate and a hint of caramel, giving way to a drier cocoa in the middle. There is a touch of roast in the finish, but the sweetness of the chocolate and caramel keeps it at bay, as does the slight brown sugar and alkaline sweetness that borders on but never quite achieves dark fruit sweetness. As well, there is a final uptick of cocoa after these flavors pass. The carbonation lightens the beer on the palate, but light enough to be unobtrusive otherwise, while the mouthfeel is medium and slightly chewy—basically, both are vehicles for the flavors of this beer, and serve mainly as backdrop. There is a slight residual residue on the palate as the flavor disappears—I’d describe it as mineral-like or the slight grit of cocoa, but nothing distracting. All in all, a clean and enjoyable beer—this is certainly something you could spend the night drinking, enjoying the bright, refreshing flavors and the subtle depth of character. In many ways, this is a lighter and more drinkable version of Southern Tier’s Choklat, which, while delicious, is too big a beer for regular drinking. Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout, on the other hand, goes down easy and clean. Well made and well done.

From the bottle: “Brewed with water from the original brewery well sunk in 1758, the gently roasted organic chocolate malt and real organic cocoa used in this ale impart a delicious, smooth and creamy character, with inviting deep flavors and a delightful finish—this is the perfect marriage of satisfying stout and luxurious chocolate that will lead to smiles and refills. Samuel Smith’s brews in traditional coppers, uses stone ‘Yorkshire Squares’ for fermentation, and ships every bottle from the brewery with great pride.”

ABV: 5.0%

(11/5/2012)

536. Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout

It feels like we should have already sampled and discussed this beer, but a careful examination of the records indicates that we have not. After all, this beer is one of Elli’s favorites—it is well nigh impossible to keep any in the basement, even if it is carefully hidden. But I digress. We haven’t, and thus here we are: our second Samuel Smith’s beer. Our previous victim was their Organically Produced Lager. So here we are again: we’re bringing sexy back like it was our job.

Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout pours a rich, dark chocolate with a creamy cocoa-colored head that offers respectable retention. The beer itself initially appears almost black in the glass until tilted to see the light through the sparkling clear fluid, and there are pleasant garnet highlights from the light passing through the beer. Smelling this beer is a pleasure; up front is sweet cocoa and milk chocolate, followed by caramel and a hint of toffee. There is also a slight minty herbal character that I’m attributing to the hops. As it warms roasted malt and coffee starts to creep out, along with a hint of nuttiness, but it is still in the background. All in all, quite beguiling. Flavors open with chocolate with underlying coffee and roasted hints, albeit balanced much more towards the chocolate. The middle is cocoa and hints of both milk and mint; the coffee and roast reassert themselves in the finish, accompanied by sweet milky caramel. The mouthfeel is chewy, rounded, and full; the lighter carbonation helps round the beer, but also allows it to sit enjoyably on the tongue. While the beer has a hint of alcohol flavor and warmth, it plays well with the sweet chocolate flavors. Overall, I’d call it easy-drinking deliciousness. As well, it is always a little different every time we have it. In this one, the slight minty hop character was more pronounced than in previous bottles; it added to the overall character of the beer nicely. Elli initially thought the mint was from the tea she had been drinking.

From the bottle: “Brewed at Samuel Smith’s small, traditional British brewery with well water (the original well sunk in 1758 is still in use), best barley malt, roasted barley, yeast and hops to create a rich flavourful ale; deep chocolate in colour with a roasted barley nose and flavour that is a complexity of malt, hops and yeast. Fermented in ‘stone Yorkshire squares.’ This distinctive type of ale was originally shipped to Imperial Russia; it was a favourite of Russian nobility.”

ABV: 7.0%

This beer is also registered with the Vegan Society: it is safe and suitable for vegans and vegetarians alike. Take that, Meat-Lover’s Guiness!®

(10/30/2012)

534. Timothy Taylor’s Landlord

Timothy Taylor has been producing “prize-winning Yorkshire Beers and Ales” since 1858 at the Knowle Spring Brewery in Keighly. Timothy Taylor’s Landlord—not to be confused with Chris Wyatt’s Landlord—is something of a staple in England, and, well, I can see why. Here’s to British beer!

Landlord pours a crisp, clear toffee caramel with a creamy and slightly off-white head that has stupendous retention. Visually, the beer is a pretty one—in addition to the clarity, it features small streaming bubbles that light up the beer. The nose is malt mixed with huskiness and light buttery toast. As well, there are hints of floral, musty, and earthy hop aromas. Flavors start with caramel malt sweetness mixed with creamy toffee; there is a floral earthy hop flavor in the front, although some of the floral components could be from the yeast. The middle features a gentle bitterness along with a slight creamy spiciness that tastes and feels hop-derived. It almost comes across as a light herbal mintiness—bright and crisp on the tongue. A touch of graininess comes out in the finish, along with gentle lingering bitterness. The beer is bright and clean; the medium body and prickly, restrained carbonation keeps the beer light on the tongue. It is smooth and even from start to finish. It is certainly a classic. I’m happy to finally taste the original: while it is a bit darker than the one we brewed for the Rockit Cup, the flavors are similar, although this beer has more body and depth. The hint of herbal mintiness is a nice touch in the beer. Landlord is a standard-bearer for the easy-drinking session beer that American craft brewing should be aspiring to replicate: nothing flashy, nothing showy, just straight pure quality. I’d drink pints of this all night long. And so would you.

From the bottle: “Landlord is the classic pale ale, brewed in the traditional way from the famous Knowle Spring water, using only the finest malt and leaf hops. This full-flavoured brew has been crowned Supreme Champion Beer of Britain four times at the Great British Beer Festival; no other beer in the U.K. has won as many awards. Timothy Taylor started brewing at Keighley in 1858, and his business continues as a family company at the original brewery, maintaining the tradition of excellence he established.”

From the Timothy Taylor website: “A Classic Strong Pale Ale, Landlord has won more awards nationally than any other beer: This includes four times as Champion at the Brewers’ International Exhibition and four times as CAMRA’s beer of the year. Refreshingly reliable, nationally renowned, this full drinking Pale Ale with a complex and hoppy aroma has real ‘Pulling Power’ and stands out in any bar as the ideal regular.”

They also have an entry for Bottled Landlord: “The bottled version of the Classic Pale Ale that commands its own loyal following. Bottled Landlord boasts six national awards in recent years and is a natural selection for those who wish to enjoy beer at home.”

ABV: 4.1%

(10/23/2012)

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)

463. Samuel Smith’s Organically Produced Lager Beer

From the Old Brewery in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire comes our first Samuel Smith’s beer. Or at least the first one recorded for posterity. That is, unless there is some secret intelligence branch of the government dedicated to surveying my drinking habits. We’ll just say it is the first one recorded by us for posterity, while noting that there will be more, and leave it at that. Go on, check the files.

Pouring a crystal-clear straw, Samuel Smith’s Organically Produced Lager has a thin white head that is well maintained by the prolific carbonation streaming through the beer—lots o’ bright tiny bubbles. The nose is crisp and dry, with a light grainy malt sweetness mixed with low levels of hop bitterness. Overall, the nose is clean and fresh, although as it warms, a slight corn aroma emerges. The body has more malt character than the nose, with sweet grainy maltiness that tastes like Pilsner malt. I’d say I can taste the cleanness and wholesome goodness of the organic malt, but then you might see though my charade of words. The middle dries out, giving way to assertive but restrained hop bitterness. The carbonation bite in the final third wipes the palate clean—it is a bit sharp and bracing with a touch of a carbonic bite, but leaves the palate open to enjoy the dry, clean finish that balances well with the lingering hop bitterness. While this beer is quite comparable to Bell’s Lager in the larger malt body and hop presence, Samuel Smith’s has less sweetness and a wider range of flavor with the same malt substance. As well, the higher carbonation and drier finish allows Samuel Smith’s to better showcase the gentle lingering bitterness at the end. Both, however, make use of the possessive in their respective name. Forced to choose, I’d give the nod to Samuel Smith’s, but this is certainly a win-win choice if ever there was one.

From the bottle: “A full-bodied lager with lots of malty character, a touch hoppier than many lagers yet perfectly balanced. Brewed using lightly kilned organic lager malt from barley grown in the UK, organic hops, yeast and water.”

ABV: 5.0%

(3/13/2011)

380. Fuller’s London Porter

Our first beer from the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, London. London Porter pours a clear tawny chocolate brown with orange hints and a tan head; the nose is creamy toffee and chocolate with a slight bit of buttery aroma in the back. There is a wide range of flavors across the body of the beer—it opens with dry chocolate sweetness, caramel, and brown malt breadiness before moving into coffee and light roasted flavor with a touch of nuttiness in the middle and finishing with a darker, richer chocolate and lingering roastiness that is just this side of burnt. There are no hop flavors evident. London Porter has a medium body with slight chewiness—sweet, but dry—and the carbonation is light. There is a bit of lingering chalkiness or a minerally character on the palate as well, mostly on the roof of the mouth. A good beer, and certainly an exemplar of the style, with excellent flavors for a lighter drinking beer, but it did leave me wanting just a little something more.

From the bottle: “Fuller’s London Porter is an award-winning example of this historic English style; smooth and creamy with delicious chocolate and coffee flavours derived from the roasted malts. The Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, London, has been brewing fine ales since 1654. The Fuller, Smith & Turner partnership, dating back to 1845, brews an excellent range of award-winning ales, many of which are available in the USA, including London Pride pale ale and the world’s original ESB. I hope you will enjoy trying al our fine ales”

From the Fuller’s website: “The origins of Porter date back to London in the early nineteenth century, when it was popular to mix two or three beers, usually an old, well-vatted or ‘stale’ brown ale, with a new brown ale and a pale ale. It was time consuming for the publican to pull from three casks for one pint, and so brewers in London tested and produced a new beer, known as ‘entire,’ to match the tastes of such mixtures. Using high roasted malts, ‘entire’ was dark, cloudy and hoppy. It was also easily produced in bulk and ideally suited to the soft well-water of London. Very quickly, it became popular among the porters working in Billingsgate and Smithfield markets and gradually the beer took on the name ‘Porter,’ in recognition of its main consumers. Fuller’s London Porter, is widely regarded as the World’s Finest Porter: having won awards all over the world, London Porter is regularly voted the number one Porter on beer websites such as www.ratebeer.com, a tremendous accolade to our brewing team. Fuller’s London Porter captures the flavours of those original brews perfectly, although you won’t find a cloudy pint these days! Rich, dark and complex, at 5.4% ABV the beer has an outstanding depth of flavour. It is brewed from a blend of Brown, Crystal and Chocolate malts for a creamy delivery balanced by traditional Fuggles hops. The range of flavours works well with a wide variety of foods, ranging from rich meat dishes, to oysters, and even chocolate puddings.”

ABV: 5.4%

(7/15/2010)

273. J. W. Lees Harvest Ale 1999

Coming to us from J. W. Lees & Co. Brewers, located in Manchester, England. They’ve been in business since 1828. Jolly proper for them.

Pouring a rich clear deep caramel copper with a quickly disappearing white head, Harvest Ale 1999 has a malty toffee nose with low levels of alcohol and a subtle clean fruitiness that adds complexity to the nose. When swirled, short alcohol legs are left along the walls of the glass. The flavor begins with a lighter caramel flavor before shifting to the luscious toffee that dominates the beer, front to back. There is a small bit of bitterness and fruitiness in the middle, and alcohol flavor in the final third of the beer, but all the flavors are rounded by the presence of toffee. Harvest Ale 1999 has a medium to heavy body with medium to low carbonation that still leaves the beer full bodied and chewy, with richness and a smooth alcohol warmth. I’ve had other bottles of the same beer that had a delightful oxidized sherry-like finish; this particular bottle has none of that—instead it is slight caramel with loads and loads of toffee. Nonethless, while this bottle is not as complex, it is still an enjoyable and well crafted beer. The smooth blending of maltiness and alcohol creates an enjoyable and pleasant sipping experience, front to back.

From the J. W. Lees website: “Vintage harvest Ale: Released in limited quantities in Decemeber, Harvest Ale gives a rich, strong flavour, beloved by beer connoisseurs. It can be laid down like a vintage wine for enjoying in later years. We also provide Harvest Ales fermented in casks with sherry, port, whisky or calvados. ”

ABV: 11.5%

(3/30/2010)

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)

73. Burton Empire IPA

Burton Bridge Brewery is in Staffordshire, England, right next to the famous bridge over the River Trent: “Burton Bridge Brewery takes its name from the Burton Bridge over the River Trent at Burton-on-Trent. It is situated twenty yards from the end of the present bridge. Built in the late 17th Century as the Fox and Goose Inn, the old bridge finished just outside the front door. Remains of the first two arches are still there but buried under the road.” So there you go. They’ve been in business since 1982.

Burton Empire IPA has a bright malt and hop smell with floral and orange notes; a few sour notes do emerge in the nose as it warms. It is a dusky orange tan that is slightly cloudy with a light creamy head. Empire IPA opens with a soft, sweet and slightly creamy start—the sweetness has light candy notes—and moves into a hoppy middle with citrus, orange, and floral hints from the hops along with a bit of spiciness on the palate, and ending with bitterness and a hint of sourness. It has a light slick mouthfeel, and more carbonation bite than we expected. Overall, a sweeter, smoother, and brighter beer than we expected: crisp and refreshing with none of the butterscotch flavors found in more traditional English IPAs, leaving it more on the light, crisp, and refreshing side than traditioan English IPAs and pale ales. After all, as the Burton in the name, and the Burton-on-Trent location would indicate, we expected something much more English.

From the Burton Bridge website: “Guardian bottled beer of the year at the 1997 Great British Beer festival, followed by runner up the following year. Recently awarded Gold at the Nottingham Beer Festival 2007. Brewed to replicate the India Pale Ales that were brewed in Burton to be sent to the Empire in India, now exported by us in the opposite direction to the USA.”

ABV: 7.5%
Malt: Pale and Invert Sugar No. 2

Hops: Challenger and Styrian

(9/11/2009)