Samuel Smiths Old Brewery Bitter (Cask)

Cask, The Oyster Bar, Manchester. Amber/brown with a cream head. Aromas are dry, light malts with melon fruitiness. Not a great deal going on. Flavours are biscuit malts with chocolate and fruit notes. Quite light in character with no great finish. Easy to drink.

Come to London to sample the delights of the nation’s best beers and it is fairly standard fare on offer. My local pubs in Norwich offer greater choice and better quality than the capital’s pubs. Anyway - we stopped off at the Louise and had the Sam Smith cask bitter. It is an enjoyable drop, served cool and fresh in an attractive pub. But like all of Sammy’s products it lacks character. There’s an honest to goodness Yorkshire good value feel about Sam Smiths. The beers are made from wholesome but cheap ingredients and delivered in the blandest manner so as not to offend anyone and therefore maximise profit. The appalling lack of choice in a Sam Smith’s pub should be a case for the monopolies commission. Sam Smith’s wine, whiskey, rum, cider, German lager, cola, lemonade, crisps, etc. None of it is great, but then none of it is actually bad either. Just bland, bland, bland!

(Cask at Princess Louise, London) Clear amber body with a creamy small off-white head that leaves nice lacing. Aroma is medium sweet, spiced apple, some herbal, light wood. Taste is medium sweet, earthy/herbal, apple, some caramel, with a bit of wood in the finish. Watery light body.

[cask at the bay horse] Pours a clear yellow colour with a moderate creamy head. Sweet fruity nose, light body, light bitterness in the finish. A little bland, but not offensive. a bit of a disapointment.

Only casked ale they do, and it ain’t great, but it ain’t as bad as some say here. Good drinkable bitter with a nice bitter-tasting profile. This is easily drank, but did have me looking towards the bottled offerings at Ye Old Cheshire Cheese.

This was one of the better bitters that I had on my trip to london. A little bit more depth.

Light musty nose, pale amber-gold color, creamy sparkling nitro-head. Dull grainy and caramel malt body. Weak and quick profile.

Amber with a beige nitro head. Nothing in aroma. Sweet old woody hops. Slightly metallic bitterness. Shit.