Heritage Traditional Dark Lager

Pours a dark, translucent cola ruby-brown. The head is substantial, and it remains with good lacing throughout. The aroma is celery and lemon, with musty notes and a touch of sulphur. The mouthfeel is a bit watery with medium carbonation. The taste is where I’m slightly confused: I’m hit with an overwhelming sour, acidic lemon tang, like a cider almost, followed by roasted malt and copper penny bitterness. As a whole, it’s like finally (finally?) experiencing a beer brewed with sour tart candies. Quite unusual. While the beer is not necessarily bad, this is not a beer for me. Far too cidery and not malty enough.

Bottle at RBESG 2007. Amber colour. Pretty normal with thin malts. Not that great to be honest, but it couldn’t have been too bad as I gave it a goodish score.

Bottled at RBESG ’07. Hazy amber. Tart buttery nose. Sweet and medium bodied with soft mouthfeel. Some lemony sour malt and grain. Low bitterness.

(RBESG 2007, Glasgow. Bottle) Brown color, offwhite head. Malty aroma with toffee notes. Malty, somewhat bready rosted flavor, some hops. Hoppy grassy flavor.

A Mes rate: Bottle at RBESG. Dark brown. Roasty and hoppy with some very slight chocolate. Unrefined and thin. Not great.

Bottled thansk to Dan, rbesg07. Alround a pritty standard dark lager, good mix of pale and black malt, but not really my scene.

341ml stubby bottle. Pours an amber colour, with a very minimal head. The aroma is an interesting blend of roasted malts with some odd elements, like chocolate, it kind of reminds me of Wellington’s Dark Ale, oddly enough. The taste is nice actually, mostly malts, almost like a bitter, but with some sour notes, and a very smooth, creamy body. It is kind of chewy and nutty for sure, not much hops to speak of, but with a sticky and sweet malty aftertaste that lasts. I actually am really enjoying this one, I don’t know what all the mediocre to low ratings are about, I guess maybe it’s not a perfect example of the style, but it’s still very tasty and enjoyable (then again it’s my after-work beer for the day so maybe I’m ready to enjoy almost anything). Nicely done Heritage brewing, I just wish I could have more access to your other beers ’round these here parts!

Beautiful dark lager, first sampled at the 2007 London Beer Festival. (341ml bottle)