Best Mates Midsummer Madness

Formerly brewed at Best Mates
Style: Bitter
Wantage, England

Serve in English pint

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On gravity at Swindon Beer Festival, 29/10/09. Deep gold with no head. Intense, savoury malts, with a big, bitter finish and not much hop character evident. Not for me.

Cask at the Jolly Anglers, Reading. Hazy amber with thin white head, and sediment in the glass; herbal aroma - possibly coriander, but I’m not sure; thin and watery body with a herbal malty flavour - and a taste of Belgian style yeast; the finish is dry and peppery. Pleasant enough, but this could have been so much better.

Bottle conditioned, 500ml from Bellingers Garage, Grove, Oxon. Pale clear gold to amber with white head, good sticky yeast. Initially I thought that this was a little too thin and light, there was little body, but as the beer went on there emerged a tangy, light citrusy flavour, nice and lemony with a hint of vanilla. The malt was a little veggy, some cabbage notes, but overall pretty reasonable if a touch undramatic.

Bottle, picked up at Bellingers, Jet Garage, Grove, Nr Wantage, Oxon, consumed 31-07-09 Pours light amber, white rim of bubbles and some light sediment. Touch of hops and malt on nose but also touch of freshly cut veg. Taste is simple, very uncomplicated bitter, slightly tangy, touch of fruit, bitterness, little bit of cardboardyness at edges, its fine. But doesn’t really drag one in. A5 A3 F6 P3 Ov11 2.8