Charlottes Gift
The Crafty Squire

new brew on tap at the portland, and geez its been a long time coming. id gone off this place for some months as they were even struggling to get their standard house brews going. this newy is a nice addition to the range, and far better than their previous attempt at the style, the speculator.

lovely cloudy orange appearance with a rich white head that sticks. feirce carbonation puts in a good performance next to the searing hops which are to appear later. this beer is definately in the style of classic yorkshire bitters. its got a great nose. fruity, malty presence with plenty of nostril opening hops to get the mind on the job. taste even better. its got a nice malt flavor, plenty of stonefruits, but the hop taste is really good. its full, its bitter, its dry, and extremely palate cleansing. knocked back on of these and totally wanted another. in the great yorkshire bitter style, its all about great use of hops backed by a flavoursome but not too complex beer. and this beer does a fair job of it. its along the lines of landlord pale, but just a little fuller in flavor, the hops arent quite as good, but not too far away. nevertheless a top notch drinking bitter.

at last a beer that makes the portland worth going to again. while its not the best light colored beer in the country, this could be the best beer for hop fanatics going around in melbourne. ill be having several more cracks at this one rest assured.