First Draft 1812 Butler's Bitter
Niagara College Teaching Brewery
- From:
- Niagara College Teaching Brewery
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- English Bitter
- ABV:
- 4.4%
- Score:
- 81
- Avg:
- 3.45 | pDev: 12.46%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 8
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 12, 2019
- Added:
- Jun 27, 2012
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
81
Good
81
Good
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by beersareonme from Canada (ON)
3.11/5 rDev -9.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.11/5 rDev -9.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Not really sure what this is supposed to be. It's not an amber. It's not a bitter. It's not a stout. I'd call it close to a red ale? It's good, and a great effort from college brewers (it's from a teaching college for culinary, brewers & vintners).
Feb 01, 2016
Reviewed by TheHammer from Canada (ON)
3.62/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.62/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: The beer poured with a mere finger of head that quickly retreated and produced barely any lacing at all. The body is a hazy walnut brown, almost too dark for the style with low carbonation.
Smell: Toffee, caramel malt and tea dominate the nose with hints of cherries and currants. Warming helps out the beer, but not tremendously.
Taste: It's like a milder full on English brown ale, which I guess isn't quite right for the lighter bitter style, but it's quite good. A strong toffee and carmel malt presence with a fruity mild berry note with a dry nut touch and mild hopping.
Mouthfeel: The carbonation on this beer is lax. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but it's a bit of a bummer. The dry nut twang seems to do a good job of keeping the aftertaste in check as only it and some light malt carries over.
Drinkability: It's got a heavy sweet malt presence, but reigned in well enough to keep you drinking. Medium bodied though, which really isn't appropriate for what should be a lighter style as this stuff fills you up.
FInal Thoughts: I think this beer is a great English Brown but a heavier, merely good English Bitter. Really, given that most of my point deductions here are mainly for out of style issues, I'd say this beer actually fares better then my score would suggest. Certainly give this one a shot.
Nov 06, 2014Smell: Toffee, caramel malt and tea dominate the nose with hints of cherries and currants. Warming helps out the beer, but not tremendously.
Taste: It's like a milder full on English brown ale, which I guess isn't quite right for the lighter bitter style, but it's quite good. A strong toffee and carmel malt presence with a fruity mild berry note with a dry nut touch and mild hopping.
Mouthfeel: The carbonation on this beer is lax. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but it's a bit of a bummer. The dry nut twang seems to do a good job of keeping the aftertaste in check as only it and some light malt carries over.
Drinkability: It's got a heavy sweet malt presence, but reigned in well enough to keep you drinking. Medium bodied though, which really isn't appropriate for what should be a lighter style as this stuff fills you up.
FInal Thoughts: I think this beer is a great English Brown but a heavier, merely good English Bitter. Really, given that most of my point deductions here are mainly for out of style issues, I'd say this beer actually fares better then my score would suggest. Certainly give this one a shot.
Reviewed by Jeffo from Netherlands
2.79/5 rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
2.79/5 rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Got this at the LCBO this past summer.
From a bomber into a snifter
Bottled on 28 June 2014
APPEARANCE: Pours a two finger, medium looking, fluffy, off-white head with excellent retention. Hazy burnt umber with medium levels of carbonation. Head slowly fades to a faint wisp. A slight wisp and ring remain until the end and leave some dots of lacing down the glass. Good looking brew.
SMELL: A milder nose of caramel, red fruits and lightly grainy malts. Okay, but a little grainy for an English bitter.
TASTE: Caramel and some grainy sweetness up front, then touches of toffee at the swallow. A milder but lingering finish of red fruits, caramel and floral bitterness. A nice floral finish with some rye spice and sweetness. No roast or black coffee like the label says, which would have been odd for the style anyways.
PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down fine and finishes slightly dry. Enough weight for the style. Good feel.
OVERALL: This is an oddity. The label announces roast and black coffee flavors, but those are nowhere to be found. Luckily they’re nowhere to be found, as those characteristics would be rather out of place in an English bitter. What actually is here is rather grainy as well. I would much rather more toffee and butterscotch flavors in an English bitter, and was rather disappointed I didn’t get that. Not a bad beer, but not something I’d need to re-visit.
Oct 16, 2014From a bomber into a snifter
Bottled on 28 June 2014
APPEARANCE: Pours a two finger, medium looking, fluffy, off-white head with excellent retention. Hazy burnt umber with medium levels of carbonation. Head slowly fades to a faint wisp. A slight wisp and ring remain until the end and leave some dots of lacing down the glass. Good looking brew.
SMELL: A milder nose of caramel, red fruits and lightly grainy malts. Okay, but a little grainy for an English bitter.
TASTE: Caramel and some grainy sweetness up front, then touches of toffee at the swallow. A milder but lingering finish of red fruits, caramel and floral bitterness. A nice floral finish with some rye spice and sweetness. No roast or black coffee like the label says, which would have been odd for the style anyways.
PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down fine and finishes slightly dry. Enough weight for the style. Good feel.
OVERALL: This is an oddity. The label announces roast and black coffee flavors, but those are nowhere to be found. Luckily they’re nowhere to be found, as those characteristics would be rather out of place in an English bitter. What actually is here is rather grainy as well. I would much rather more toffee and butterscotch flavors in an English bitter, and was rather disappointed I didn’t get that. Not a bad beer, but not something I’d need to re-visit.
Reviewed by ppoitras from Massachusetts
3.82/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.82/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
650ml bottle purchased as a single from the LCBO booth at the Toronto Royal Winter Fair.
Poured into a glass stein, formed a 1/4" beige head over the slightly cloudy dark copper brew. Head skims and lasts, with sticky lacing. Aroma is balanced, malty with lightly floral hops.
Taste starts nutty, citrus in the middle, with a tea-flavored close. Mouthfeel is smooth, and drinkability is good. Interesting flavor profile, but works for me. Would buy again.
Dec 24, 2013Poured into a glass stein, formed a 1/4" beige head over the slightly cloudy dark copper brew. Head skims and lasts, with sticky lacing. Aroma is balanced, malty with lightly floral hops.
Taste starts nutty, citrus in the middle, with a tea-flavored close. Mouthfeel is smooth, and drinkability is good. Interesting flavor profile, but works for me. Would buy again.
Reviewed by SebD from Canada (ON)
3.33/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.33/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: It has a nice clear deep orange color to it. It has a nice light beige head that dies down moderately fast and leaves some nice lacing.
Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of faint caramel and toasty malts. Not a whole lot going on.
Taste: Like the aromas, it has some toasty/biscuity malts, some caramel and some grainy malts.
Mouthfeel: It has a low/medium carbonation with a somewhat light overall balance and feel.
Drinkability: It's a smooth drinkable beer accompanied with decent flavors and aromas.
Oct 24, 2013Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of faint caramel and toasty malts. Not a whole lot going on.
Taste: Like the aromas, it has some toasty/biscuity malts, some caramel and some grainy malts.
Mouthfeel: It has a low/medium carbonation with a somewhat light overall balance and feel.
Drinkability: It's a smooth drinkable beer accompanied with decent flavors and aromas.
Reviewed by TerryW from Canada (ON)
3.33/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.33/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Big head settling to a cap, lots of lace. Crystal clear copper colour. Striking looking beer.
Malty sweet nose with a whiff of alcohol. Thin bodied, slightly metallic. Malt up front, caramel, followed by grain. Bitter throughout, metal a little off-putting. Drying finish.
Okay.
Sep 21, 2013Malty sweet nose with a whiff of alcohol. Thin bodied, slightly metallic. Malt up front, caramel, followed by grain. Bitter throughout, metal a little off-putting. Drying finish.
Okay.
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