Gilbert White
Triple fff Brewing Company

 

A - Pours a hazy orange with a gold hue. Almost no head, and what is there disappears almost completely, leaving a thin wispy island. Small bubbles of low carbonation.

S - Smoked/honey-glazed ham aroma dominates, floral hops at the back, some sweet fruitiness. It's quite tough to get past the smoked meat scent, but an interesting smell nonetheless.

T - Initial mouthful of floral fruitiness, with the smokiness deep in the background. Caramel appears in the middle, along with a herbal note. The finish and aftertaste have a restrained floral hop bitterness and a smoky flavour running through it that just seems to last and last. Really good stuff.

M - Light-medium body which becomes increasingly smooth and coating. Soft carbonation.

D - Having been disappointed previously by the bottled offerings from this brewery, I was pleasantly surprised by this excellent beer. Recommended.

Filtered, 500ml brown bottle. BBE May 06, served cool in Fuller’s ESB goblet.

A: dark golden hue with orangey hints, like pale amber; very loosely-formed and bubbly cap, almost like poured straight from the cask by gravity(!); the carbonation is fantastic—microscopic bubbles ever so slo…wly ascends from the bottom. Great!
S: heavy notes of smoked bacon+smoked chestnuts, rich scent of honey-comb, sweet vegetation-edges of boiled sweet potatoes/boiled water-caltrops, plus nougat's creamy-maltiness, a bit like Scottish (pale) ale without the peatiness. Fullsome, very distinctive!
T: sweet smokiness of smoked chestnuts (on shells) hits the palate hard!!... bringing on board an almost meaty texture, like char-grilled bacon, and a round, full-bodied semi-peated maltiness, leaving a strongly burned-hayish flavour of hops, and light phenol hints, plus increasingly dryish earthy and highly woody bitterness in the lingering finish with a light warming alc. touch. Superb, vertical bitter finish…
M&D: the complex flavour rests on a consistently soft but deeply bitter mouthfeel with good support of tiny fizz; this is truly a remarkable and VERY different beer by the standards of English ales. I can’t believe it uses only Maris Otter Barley but not peated or smoked malts. You’ve got to try this to believe how distinctively good it is. Highly recommended!