Neustadt Springs Decade Bitter

On tap at The Black Tomato in Ottawa. The color is amber with hardly any head. The taste is of sweet malt and a good amount of bitterness. You can also taste some citrus fruits. A very pleasant bitter to have again.

Bottle fresh from the brewery. Decants a lightly hazed amber-gold ale with a tight 2 finger white cap, fair retention and lacing. Soft carbonation. Aromas are distinct but almost subtle...floral-fruityness with a ample malt baked biscuitiness, some musty earthyness. Big gob-full of malts in the front is instantly balanced by the musty-earthy-herbaceous fuggles, mid palate some demure complexity as the hops go to bittering-herbs and sweetish malts play off against the fruity yeast esters. Finishes moderately with a very slow but not exuberant bittering...lightly sweet malt aftertaste. If this is "bitter" make all my beers "bitter" like this...I found it to be in perfect balance with a nice fruity-earthy character that is quite unique...but very drinkable...I could session this quite easily...the best specialty brew I have sampled from this brewer.

Draught at C’est What. Glad to see they brought this back for C’est What’s 20th anniversary party, as I missed its first appearance back in December. Reddish-gold with a small white head. Light aroma of sweet malt, slightly grainy, with light floral hops. Light body. Flavour follows the aroma very closely - sweet malt, a hint of grain, floral and herbal hops, all very well balanced. A pleasant and sessionable ale.

[990-20071217] Cask @ C’est What (Toronto, ON). Doughy yeast aroma. Slightly hazy, orange amber body with a long-lasting creamy off-white head and thick lacing. Flavour has some hoppy doughy yeast with a hint of lemon. Medium body. Nice, repeatable.