Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale
Black Sheep Brewery PLC

LOOK
Dark orange color with a transparent body. The pour produced a frothy three fingers of off-white head
AROMA
Smells woodsy and kind of dank with maybe some grape or honeydew.
TASTE
Lots of sweet fruit on the tongue and citrus. Not much in the way of bitterness up front but it has quite the bang on the finish. Lots of malt here too.
MOUTHFEEL
Considerably dry with medium carbonation. Still relatively smooth-drinking.
OVERALL
Low abv ale with a bitter, dank pop.

 

Monty Python's Holy Grail pours an amber waves of grain, slightly darker than a typical American lager. A Canadian pint sized can (slightly wider, hence larger than a USA pint) creates a three inch head in a pint glass, and leave plenty of brew for a second pour. The nose is slight, and faded... wheat and yeast, a tad toasty, and sweet. A taste is a bit of a surprise... I was expecting an American lager taste, but it is clean and sweet, a very mild hops mingling with the wheat, and the sweetness of the nose amplified. There is not an abundance of flavor. But for the stickiness expected from a beer, you could almost think you were drinking a light mineral water. It is pleasant, it is thirst quenching, at 4.7% it has a light ABV, and it is inoffensive. It is a shy and reclusive amber ale. I'll save the other three cans for summer... this is great for a parched throat in 95 degree heat. The mouthfeel is a bit light, like every other aspect of this brew. However, it does leave generous lacing. If you like to imagine objects when you look at clouds or into a beer glass, your ship just came in! Otherwise, there is nothing to celebrate here, aside from the Python quips that adorn the can, like 'Your Mother Was A Hamster', and 'Tempered Over Burning Witches'. For Serious Monty Python fans, only.

As a big fan of the pythons, I had to review this beer. It’s been a while since I tried it last. Dark reddish brown with minimal head. Sweet aroma: caramel, brown sugar, roasted malt, coffee. Sweet taste of malted grain, chocolate, coffee. Feel is thin with weak carbonation. Not as good as I remembered but as a fan, I have to give it a nice rating.

 

Its not bad, not super flavorful, but makes for an easy drinker

This is a quality English style Ale. While its not at the level of Fullers output, it is a solid beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Draught 4.0% / Bottle 4.7%
Another fine addition to the Black Sheep flock of premium bottle ales. This ale was specially commissioned to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Monty Python in 1999.

Ten years later on the 40th anniversary Holy Grail is still going strong. With more hops than a killer rabbit, it's a full-flavoured golden ale with a distinctively fruity flavour followed by the Black Sheep signature dry finish.

We brew Holy Grail with Maris Otter malt, an old and expensive variety that is renowned for the taste and the quality of the beer it produces.

A mixture of old English Hop varieties including a touch of WGV hops gives Holy Grail its lovely fruity nose.

We use a touch of wheat which helps deliver the lovely creamy head and lacing down the glass - just what you would expect from a proper Yorkshire beer!

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a bronze color with a 1 inch head. Smell is full of bready malts. Taste is bready malts, light hops in the background, somewhat earthy, smooth and easy drinking. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

Can stamped H17751. English pint.

A: pours a dark dull gold, pale amber, with a thick finger and a half of off-white head that fades to a modest cap that lasts. Actively carbonated.some fair lacing.

S: some light English esters and traditional-smelling English hops, but a pretty mild affair; nothing knocking my socks off. I have let it warm for about 20 minutes.

T: that is a pretty solid English ale. Smooth, mild, creamy, malty palate. Mild sweetness, prominent fruity eater character. Mild, understated hops with a vague English blackberry leaf, ripe brown pears, floral, slightly earthy character that disappears quickly. Esters linger; pear-like. Maybe it’s the power of suggestion, but elderberries?

M: mid-bodied, creamy, moderately carbonated. Clean finish. I have blown through this in about four minutes! At only 4% goes down really easily.

O: I love English ales and this is a good one. Perhaps not a great one, but better than most American examples I’ve had. The yeast is just impossible for American brewers to nail. That it is canned instead of in a clear bottle is also great for longevity. This is pretty widely available and despite the gimmicky packaging, is something I would buy again.

 

 

 

 

 

Jan 30 2019

 

 

The pour: Copper colored. The taste: biscuit, cracker, slight caramel, & slight green apple to round things out. Moreover, it's more bland tasting than I expected. If you're looking for an easy drinking English Pale Ale then this would be a good place to start, but it has nothing on Timothy Taylor The Landlord. Cheers! B-

Taste: crisp, slight hop, mild malt flavor. mellow grainy nose. Golden hue, crystal clear, tall white foam head some lace. medium to light body. An ale to go with appetizers. Had several years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amber colour, medium head with short retention. Good lace.
Aroma of cereals, lemon, caramel.
Medium body, creamy texture, good carbonation. Dry finish.
Taste of lemon, caramel, grains.
A good refreshing beer.