Vindolanda Spelta
Milton Brewery

Tasted by a pint at the Pembury Tavern, Hackney, N. London. I secured the first pint poured from the fresh barrel--actually I begged the landlord Steve to put the fresh barrel on for me~~ Steve also mentioned that the spelt-wheats used in this brew are cultivated nr. Cambridge from ancient seeds excavated nr. the Hadrian's Wall!! How interesting~~

A: tranlucent dark yellowish hue, with a thin white foamy head sustaining pretty well. Looking very solid for a Wheat Ale.
S: very fruity--green mango, unripe banana plus a more assertive edge of sour lemon, on top of a very soft base of wheat malts; a lightly sour tinge of spiciness and plenty of grapefruit-zesty hops both sustain well in the background, added with a touch of sour-ish yeastiness. Refreshing.
T: mildly sour-sweet and thin-bodied malts followed by a profound aftertaste of (unsweet) toasted breads, sour and mildly savoury grainy flavour like maize/corn; the palate turns rapidly dry and bitter towards the end of tasting, full of tangy and dryish grapfefruit peels at the back of the tongue.
M&D: softly fizzy, very light-bodied, refreshing, yet the spelt-wheat flavour and character are somehow clouded by heavy entry of hops, plus little addition of spiciness, making it a very different example from both Belgian witbier and German weizen. The dryish citric-zesty finish ensures pretty good quaffability though~~ An intriguing, "concept-beer" this is.