Challenger Special Bitter
Selin's Grove Brewing Company

Poured at SGB's Firkin Friday event on 8/1/08.

A - Hazy golden/amber body with some orange tint. Head had already disappeared by the time I got around to drinking this (thanks Deuane for holding one for me until I arrived).

S - Very sweet malty presence with an interesting woody aroma and a bit of a spicy kick. I picked up on hints of spicy fruit, oak barrel notes, caramel malt and sugar sweetness.

T - Aromas really come out in the flavor with a very prevalent oak quality with a spicy flair and fruity sweetness. I can assume with some certainty that they use the Challenger hop variety in their IPA, because this brew reminds me a bit of their wonderful IPA.

M - Medium body with smooth, silky cask mouthfeel with a mild bitterness and some residual sweetness on the palate. Finish is bittersweet.

D - Nice addition to the single hop bitter roster at SGB. The Challenger hop imparts a spicy, woody aspect to this English bitter. Would like to try this on tap as well as hand pump eventually.

Via gravity from a firkin at the the brewpub on 8/1/08 for a "First Firkin Friday" event.

A-Slighty hazy golden copper with a thin white head that reduces to a ring. No lacing at all.

S-Oak and some light bourbon notes. A bit of sweet caramel malt and spicy/light floral hops.

T-Smooth malt gives way to nice spicy bitterness. Bourbon notes kick in with light vanilla and weak alcohol heat. LIngering oak astringency finishing things off.

M-Medium body with a silky smooth feel that is beyond easy drinking. Pleasant lingering hop bitterness and malty sweetness.

D-Interesting, smooth, bitter, bourbon....all rolled into one. Quite quaffable. I enjoyed this and really would like to try this on the hand pump.

****8/13/08 edit****

Had this beer on the hand pull today....much like the firkin version of course but the apperance improved to a 4 with the addition of a medium, light tan, long lasting head. In addition the tatse was a bit different with the hop bitterness bursting out right up front. I wouldn't say it "improved" it but it was a change from the firkin where one had to wait for the hops to come thru.

All in all, Challenger Special Bitter on the hand pull is another nice addition to the line of single hop bitters in the SGB arsenal.

Served via gravity fed firkin at the the brewpub on 8/1/08 during one of their "Firkin Friday" events.

Pours a hazy golden orange with a thin head of foamy brite-white head that mostly just sticks around the edges of the glass. Not much lacing at all and the overall appearance has a bit of a flat look to it. The aroma right off the bat is oak and some light bourbon notes? What the heck is going on here? Underneath is the scent of floral hops and a fairly thick smelling mix of caramel and vanilla sweetness.

The taste is silky caramel malts that float above a subtle underpining of hop bitterness, which lasts well throughout the profile. The real story though is once again those fairly prominent accents of oakiness, vanilla, and bourbon that come out. This has to be from sitting in a pin that's been used for lord knows whatever else and managed to pick up some extra character along the way. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with an easygoing, yet relatively flat feel at times. Ends with a lingering mix of light bitterness and vanilla sweetness.

Whether the way this ended up coming out was intended or not (like an oak aged English Bitter), I still found it to be quite the unique creation and am glad that I got to try a bit of something that probably won't be recreated anytime soon. Still, I'd love to get this guy on the beer engine and see how it could cut loose on there, as the other Special Bitters on the hand pump here have been great.