Dirty Tackle Ale
St. Peter's Brewery Co Ltd

RB transfer

 

Pours into a nonic a rich deep ruby red with a thinner but pretty well sustained beige colored head atop.Big fruity esters in the nose along with roasted nuts, and underlying caramel toffee.The body in a little thin like many of the style are but it doesn't take away from the flavor profile thankfully.Fruity with toffee notes up front on the palate lingering into a bit of an earthy finish.A very well made old school bitter,malt driven and very sociable.

Poured from 500 ml bottle into schooner glass. A 1" bubbly tan head falls quickly with moderate lacing. Color is dark reddish-brown. Aroma of rich roasted malt, cocoa, coffee, dark fruit, floral hops. Mouthfeel is medium with a somewhat drying finish. Flavors dominated by dark roasted malt, well toasted bread, cocoa, plums, pear, earthy and floral hops. Overall: a very interesting and complex brew.

 

 

Poured into a Samuel Smith pint glass. Pours a medium to dark chestnut brown with a fine, one finger khaki head with great retention and thick lacing; looks nice. Aroma of biscuit malt with a slight toastiness, hazelnuts and a hint of cocoa and black tea. Flavor is dark biscuit malt with a little roast, brown bread, hazelnuts, mild dates, light grassy hops. Finishes with dark malt, nuts and lingering dry grassy hops. Nice moderate creaminess with a good mouth feel, particularly for a somewhat lightly flavored ale. Tastes like a light brown ale crossed with an English ESB; the body has a good brown ale profile, if a little light in flavor, while there are clear grassy hop notes throughout into the finish. The flavor drops off a bit into the finish, which is too bad, because there are very nice light cocoa and nut flavors in this malt; a little more robust and this would shine. Enjoyable and very English.

 

 

Happy 4-20 Day 2017, part deux! I have to cop to really having an affinity for the St. Peter's Brewery line of beers. It may have something to do with their flask-shaped bottles, but if the contents were no bueno, I would have eschewed their beers long before this. Face it, aesthetics will only get you so far. No, these are good, well-executed beers that are stylistically adherent.

From the (cask-shaped) bottle: "This smooth, moreish, full-bodied, malty ale is red chestnut in colour with a complex fruity and roasted aroma. Medium bitterness."; "Historical Notes [-] St. Peter's Brewery is located in a medieval hall in a remote and beautiful corner of Suffolk. There our beers begin their lives deep below the brewery with water drawn from a pure source - as it has been for over 700 years, essential for the full flavour and pure character of all St. Peter's ales."; "Our beautiful flask-shaped oval bottle is a faithful copy of one produced c. 1770 for Thomas Gerrard of Gibbstown, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. The original is now kept at St. Peter's Hall and is a rare example of an oval Eighteenth Century beer bottle."; [depicted -] St. Peter's Hall, circa 1280 AD".

I have gone away from aggro pours, choosing to be much more gentle with my bottled beers. It is of little consequence since once decanted, I like to perform a vigorous in-glass swirl. This time, I raised two fingers of soapy, foamy, light-tan head with modest retention. Color was Dark Brown to Very Dark Brown (SRM = > 27, < 34) with mahogany highlights. Nose had a malty sweetness, but more towards biscuity with notes of roasted chestnuts and dried, dark fruits. Once more, I found myself wishing that I had drank this seasonally, like during the winter. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach & big for the style. The taste was fruity & nutty as the nose had suggested, but there was also an earthy, grassy bitterness. Fuggles? East Kent Goldings? Other? I liked the way that the hops kept the sweetness in check and lent an edge to the biscuity malts. Finish was semi-dry & very pleasant to drink. At a mere 4%, it definitely qualifies as a "Session/Sessionable Beer" so if you see it available, I suggest tackling one for yourself.

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass. Pleasant reddish brown, thin head but decent lacing. Toasted malt smell and taste. Caramel, toast and a hint of bitterness. Pleasant beer.

 

 

 

Poured from a 500 ML bottle into a pint glass at the World of Beer in Columbia, SC. The appearance was a murky puddle of light brown with a small head. The aroma literally smelled like a drying peat bog. For those who have never experienced one, that is not a complement. The taste was the worst aspect of this hot mess. This beer was straight up terrible.

500 ml bottle into imperial pint glass, bottled on 11/4/2015. Pours crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a thin lace cap for a head, and light spotty lacing clinging on the glass. Good appearance. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark bread, herbal, and pepper; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toffee, nuttiness, fruit, and roast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast notes; with solid strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark bread, herbal, and pepper; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toffee, nuttiness, fruit, and roast/toasted earthiness. Moderate herbal/spicy hop and roast bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark bread, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; with a good malt/bitterness balance; and a bit of lingering hop/roast astringency after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitterness, increasing through the glass. Light carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy/sticky, and lightly chalky/resinous mouthfeel that is good. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.2%. Overall this is a nice Brown ale/ESB style. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink, despite the rough bitterness on the finish. A nicely enjoyable offering.