Monday, March 5, 2012

American Bitter Tasting

I tasted the Pantry Clearing Bitter this weekend and I'm quite happy with it.

Appearance: Little head with large bubble which fades quickly. Not a lot of carbonation in this yet, but it shouldn't have too much being a bitter. The color is a light amber and slightly cloudy.


Aroma: The aroma is light due to the low carbonation but there's some floral and spice notes from the hops. No real malt or strong yeast aromas.


Flavor: It's more hoppy and bitter up front than a British ordinary bitter should have. Let's call this one an American bitter, yea, that's it. It's certainly not overpowering or unbalanced and is quite pleasant. The bitterness makes up for a lighter body. After the initial hop fades there's a strong breadiness. There's no Maris Otter in here but you'd never know from the flavor. There's some faint spice to accompany the bready malt leaning more to black pepper then coriander.


Mouthfeel: Thin but not unexpectedly so since it is a low alcohol session ale. A little wheat might have been nice to help with head retention and a small amount of body.


Overall: I like this beer quite a bit. Much better than the previous couple of batches and quite good given the mishmash of ingredients.