Backhouse Bitter
The Liberal Cup Public House & Brewery

 

 

 

 

Out of a cask-conditioned tap this beer was a copper color with one-finger of slightly reddish head. The retention was good and the lacing not bad at all. The aroma was a soft blend of herbal hops, pale malt and floral hops. The flavors were tight and astringent at first but then faded to sweet malt and some leathery notes. Hints of caramel malt, wood and nuts that then ended on a bitter note. More like a brown ale. The mouthfeel was smooth but very watery, the carbonation soft and the body medium/light. Not hoppy enough to be a good ESB in my opinion and too light to be cask-worthy.

20 oz "pint" drawn from cask at the brewpub is Hallowell, Maine, the hip neighbor of the capitol city Augusta.

Enticing, clear copper, thick foamy head that hangs around and leaves thick lacing.

Grassy, floral, and citrusy hop aromas. Not much else. Not bad, not complex either.

Subtle, grainy flavor fades into a sharper hop bitterness, following the nose, than I had expected. Bitters aren't really supposed to be this bitter, but it's good. Though there is a modest sharpness to the bite, it doesn't linger, finishes clean, and is supported, if not balanced, by a restrained maltiness. Not really any sweetness at all, though I could sense some malty body.

On the thin side of medium bodied, light creamy texture, light carbonation.

20 oz pour (gotta love that) for just $3.75, didn't last long. Menu says beers over 5%abv get 16oz pour, so it is implied that this one is under that threshold. I detect nothing to conflict with that. Overall, not bad and worth a try.

Relatively dark for bitter, I would guess somewhere around 15 - 17 SRM but that is just a guess. Little head and carbonation but that is to be expected for cask ale. Served in a proper imperial pint glass at cellar temp (maybe a hair on the too cool side).

Virtually no nose, faint malt

This is not a complex beer. It has moderate malt sweetness that is somewhat overpowered by rather coarse and aggressive hops bitterness. No floral or fruity presence and very little in the way of secondary malt character.

The mouthfeel is medium with style appropriate low carbonation.

I felt that this was relatively poor expression of the style. I kept hoping that as it warmed up that it would start to show more complexity but no such luck. Lack of finesse makes drinkability low.

Light amber color with a thin white head. Hoppy smell. Tastes sweet and hoppy, well balanced. Medium in body. Not a ton of carbonation to speak of... Tasty and enjoyable. Reminded me in some ways of a Samuel Smith beer. Not the best of the six I tried, but very good nonetheless.

This was not impressive at all, or maybe that's the way it was supposed to be, this was my first true bitter beer.

Cloudy orange color, from top to bottom it was cloudy to clear color. Head was about an inch and a half thick and froathy.

Smell was hard to pick up, some malts and lemon or citrus feel to it.

Nothing in the first taste, the bitters and malts come together nicely. The taste was decent, made it easy going down. Didn't taste much else except the bitters, malts, and a hint of citrus.

Probably won't have again, their Cream Stout was better.

Cask Ale. The final frontier.

Served to me in a rather odd 20oz. Shaker Pint. A liberal cup? I think so. Poured a deep and crystal clear amber with a thick frothy head typical of cask ales. The nose reveals some earthy hops, typical of British Bitters. The taste is, well, while quite good, it lacks a malt backbone. It's ever just a touch too bitter, and that lasts until the end. Okay, perhaps it doesn't need a malt backbone because it *is* supposed to be a bitter, but it is just a touch too bitter. My tongue is wanting more caramel. Mouthfeel is smooth and light on the palate, typical of a cask ale. It's a nice session beer. Goes down well, except for the high hops, but I suppose one could get used to that, no?

Served on cask at the brewpub. Poured into a 20oz “liberal” cup for the price of a 16 oz pint!

Dark red, almost brown body, with a thin head that left layers of lace to the very end of the pint. Smell is hoppy and the mouthfeel is light and smooth. The taste profile seems a bit unusual, I detected the hops up front and it balanced with a malty sweetness in the finish. This is a very drinkable bitter, very well balanced, and well suited for a cask-conditioned ale.

In a big 20oz glass!

Pours a clear coppery red with a cremy thick light tan head. Smell is citrusy and lightly hoppy.

Taste is smooth malt with some assertive hops taking over after. Fruity and lightly nutty? Quite bitter and creamy. Nice body for a bitter. Very tasty and smooth. Served at true cellar temperature and was really really good on the cask.

Nice and tasty, on cask...what more can you want? Plus, they serve it in real 20 oz. glasses...Anyway, deep amber when served, and it was also very clear. Slightly tan and very creamy head. Smell was awesome, husky floral hops with a hint of citrus fruit. Taste was also rather husky, but very smooth. With a medium body, the finish was slightly dry and bitter. Nice creamy rings left on that big old glass. Very good. pat