Champion Bitter
Brauerei Hofstetten / Krammer

 

Pours golden, a bit hazy, one finger white head, fast to a thin lace.
Not a lot in the smell, some biscuity grainy malts, lemon and faint hops.
Sweet malts in the taste, honey glazed biscuits, cooked apple, a veggie feel and some floral notes. Hops are green and bitter, producing only some lime and some grassy notes. Pinch of salt.
Medium bodied, almost a bit smooth. Hoppy aftertaste, bit of maltiness lingering also.
This was nice, felt very "English", not really like an "Imperial Pilsner". Tasty, packs a decent amount of hops, but doesn't knock you off your feet.

 

Small head leaving good lacing.
Biscuity smell with a touch of caramel. Some faint earthy hops.
Some malt up front in the taste but it is quickly overwhelmed by the hops. Bitter from start to finish.
Maybe a bit too carbonated for the style but it's still OK.

Overall this was a decent bitter but nothing really special.

 

 

 

Beer is orange and has a nice thick head of small white bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass, moderate to low carbonation.

Beer smells malty and hoppy at the same time. Overall it smells good but could have been higher in volume.

Beer is medium to light in body with a mild bitterness to the whole thing. It tastes nice with a good malt profile and a background feeling that is really great. Highly drinkable, enjoyable ESB / English bitter (I don't know which one it's trying to be).

On draft at Churchkey in D.C.

The appears clear and radiant orange, with a thick, whipped white head that leaves ample caked-on lacing throughout the glass. The aroma is quite weak and subdued, with mild scents of hops and malt working together. On to the flavor - hops and malt mingle so well here. This beer is delicious! Creamy and smooth, it would be quite easy to upend a pint of this and immediately order another. Malty, creamy and light at first, the beer finish with fresh hops and a pleasant, light hop bitterness in the finish. The beer drinks more like a 4% brew, as opposed to the 6% that it is. An all around solid beer and excellent example of the style.

Champion Bitter brewed for/with Charles Schiffner, "World Champion Beer Sommelier". Pretty much standard bitter with a golden color and an off-white head. Nose is clean and pure with flavors of mildly toasty malt and an herbal/floral/tea-like hop character. Picking up just a hint of honey-ish sweetness as well. Taste follows suit, and balance is the name of the game. Flavors of sweet lemongrass play with the malt, and harmony is achieved. Medium body that is creamy, yet zipped up just enough with a tiny tingling of bitter hop. Drinks fantastically well, and I would imagine this being a great accompaniment to tons of different foods. Well done, Mr. Sommelier. Go Hofstetten! Just when I was losing interest in that part of the beer world!