Gravity
W.H. Brakspear & Sons plc

Classic English Bitter? Yes please! And, according to the label on this bottle of Brakspear, this is the original taste of Oxfordshire... as if a county in England could have a specific taste... anyway, I’ve got my Bitter and I'm as happy as a Frenchman who has just invented a pair of self-removing trousers. Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t used that Blackadder reference before.

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: Typical English Bitter clear copper body with a thin cream coloured lace instead of a head. 7/10.

S: Toffee and butterscotch, tons of the stuff, suits me fine - I’m a Werther’s man! The hops struggle to add a note of anything under this oppressive malt regime, but it is an English Bitter - an oxymoron style that is hardly bitter at all. 8/10.

T: Bold in its massive buttery Diacetyl content, with again - a strong toffee centre with some hints of yeast fruitiness (think cider apples) and a light earthy hop finish. Impressive overall given the 3.4% ABV, some 5% Ales don’t reach a profile as tasty as this. The balance is quite well done with mild sweetness countered by the light hop bitterness. I’m very interested in trying their Triple now, that should be a tour de force. 7/10.

M: Mid to light bodied with a light English pub carbonation. 8/10.

D: It’s all good with Brakspear then, an impressive, and in two words: Sessionable Ale. This is the stuff that Ye Olde English pub goers cram into their gullets in massive quantities so that they may still be able to hold a decent conversation without mincing their words or dribbling saliva on themselves (a rookie session drinkers mistake). To me the fact that this tastes like a 5% ABV drop and has those classic English Ale flavours, is what typifies that segment of culture, and really makes me miss the UK pint after work, sniff. 8/10.

Food match: I could picture this brew with a light game roast (pheasant or partridge) with a light gravy, a Yorkshire pudding, roast vegetables (potato, carrot, squash) and peas.

 

 

 

 

 

Un dedo de espuma burbujeante que permanece por varios segundos. Ligera y de carbonatación media. Aroma a malta y café. Al beberla tiene un amargo persistente no tan agradable.

L:
-pours a clear amber with a small to medium,frothy,offwhite head
-medium to high carbonation visible
S:
-spicy,malty,slight toffee,nutty
T:
-Follows the nose
F:
-light to medium carbonation
-light body
O:
Very simple, unexciting, but drinkable.

Lovely middle-of-the-road bitter without being boring.

A very comforting ale after a day of touring/working. Classics can comfort.
(My bottle shows a changed label, all blue background, but clearly the same beer, ABV etc.)

Almost a beautiful Looker with a chestnut amber, consistent foam and delicate lace. Smells mostly of malt. Balanced nicely by the bitter hops, mild in the Taste (a great relief for me having to avoid the hop-heavy American palate.). Finishes semi-dry, so I think I'll have a dry cheese from Oxfordshire to go with Brakspear's Bitter. I did and it did.

My first from Brakspear, I went on their website and got lots of history and details about their unique brewing process. Then at the bottom, I find out they are owned by Marston... the brewing brand manager and historic preserver.

Reviewed in Roger Protz' "300 Beers To Try Before You Die!"

 

L- Mid chestnut brown, clear, pours with thin white head.
S- Traditional ale, it reminds me of lying in a barn amongst the bales of straw, something very homely/reassuring.
T- Toasty, bitter, traditional, that I like. A gentle balancing feel comes along after.
F- How it takes flight [as such] on just the sparsest chassis of 3.4% is quite something; and yet it does.
O- This is an interesting beer. I bought it in a 6-bottle box of 'Classic Ales' from Waitrose. I'd usually overlook a 3.4% beer, as a single bottle, as not having much hope/interest, so this is a surprise, it shows things can still be seriously magic'd up down there, I'd put this down as classic old-school bitter. Would make a good session beer if dwelling on the lighter side of things. There is zero, zero, out of place with this beer. Given how light it is, ie 'no place to hide', that's impressive.
BB: 30/9/19

 

 

 

 

Again a low alcohol bitter with Goldings and Fuggles hops brewed with the Double Drop process trademark of Brakespear - which means hopping? Therefore overly bitter?
I'm not familiar with English Bitters but I understand this to be similar to a Session IPA - just the hops are different, bitter.
It is not bad but compared with their American counterpart, a little boring...