Butternut Bitter
Blue Mountain Brewery

Served in a shaker pint glass at the brewpub.

I don't like squash. That fact has no bearing here, but I figured I'd say something personal to start things off. Anyway, this stuff pours a clear sunset auburn-brass topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises starchy biscuit, mild greens, and a vague sweetness pervading the background. The taste brings in more of the same, with a more standard biscuit backbone and a touch of grass for good measure. It's all measured and subtle. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sleek feel. Overall, a solid bitter, one of the better American versions I've yet had. Makes me wonder how nice this would be from a hand engine...

Butternut Bitter, on tap at the Blue Mountain tasitng room, Afton, VA. Served in a pint glass.

Appearance: An attractive copper orange with two fingers of fluffy, beautiful snow-white head, finely bubbled and crisp looking. The lacing is a little less impressive than the huge, with a few erratic eruptions and splashes of delicate lace sticking and clinging as the drink begins.

Aroma: Sweet simple malts with a slight hint of roast (suggestive of caramel, but barely) mingle with a fair amount of squash sugar, lending a distinctive and not offputting or out-of-place aroma.

Taste: Very faint and delicate, with a mild hop bitterness accompanying a biscuity and slightly roasted but very dry malt base. The combination is almost quenching at places, with the hops contributing a grassy and leafy note that plays well with what I'm interpreting as an almost mineral quality from the water. A traditional bitter.

Mouthfeel: On the low end of things carbonation wise, sort of like a stab at a cask beer but with natural carbonation in a thinner (but not thin) body.

Drinkability: A great stab at a classic English bitter with a uniquely American (Virginian?) twist. Incredibly drinkable, and the quenching nature of this beer really grew on me. I don't know if it'd be the one I was looking to drink when I was outside on a hot summer day (it did seem more suitable for March, when I had it first, than, say, June, when I'm uploading the review - give me the Kolsch on a hot summer's day any time!), but it's a great beer from a great brewery.