Matt's Marathon Mild
Great Lakes Brewery

sampled on cask at volo as part of cask days '09, oct 31/09.

pours deep brown with a touch of haze. a big off-white head forms, quickly dropping to a ring around the glass. plenty of spotty lace.

aroma is good. big fruity english profile. caramel. light butterscotch. toasted multi-grain bread. earthy. bit floral. hints of smoke.

taste is great. fruit is more subdued. light smoke. big malt profile. lightly toasted multi-grain bread. biscuit. cracker. hint of alcohol. earthy. light caramel and butterscotch, but with almost no sweetness.

mouthfeel is good. just under medium body with a nice dry finish. low carbonation level.

drinkability is great. excellent balance. great malt profile. nice depth. i could easily drink this all day, an excellent english session ale.

A sad story indeed.

A: Deep chestnut, light tan head, thin ring of retention but little lace from the cask.

S: A mild, earthy aroma with orange, roasted nut & caramel.

T: Roasted nut & cocoa, with fresh, earthy-orange hop flavour. The bitterness is a little high for the style, which is actually more to my taste!

M: A good body for its weight, off-dry finish.

D: A great drinker.

This dark mild is certainly boardering on a sessionable bitter... and I like it. I look forward to more of Ralph's creations when Volo becomes a brewpub!

There's a story behind this beer, which was created for Volo's 5th Annual Cask Days.

Matt used to be a regular at the bar, and he gave some of the hops he grew to Ralph (who owns the place) so that he could brew a beer with them. Sadly, Matt passed away the following week while running in a marathon. Ralph has brewed this beer in his memory using those hops.

Pours a dark brown, with a light tan head, which dies gown to a collar and leaves some spots of lace on the way. Light roast aroma, with nut and caramel. Light cocoa flavour, with toasted nuts and a touch of earth. Slightly higher hopping than usual for a mild, and this comes through with a leafy bitter character, which I thought worked quite well. Medium-light body and low carbonation is to par for the style, and it avoids becoming watery, which would be fatal in a mild.

This has a good amount of flavour for a mild and reminded me of one of my favourites from back home. Its certainly a fitting tribute, and Ralph should be proud of this offering.

25 IBU, had at Volo Cask Days 2009. Collaboration between Volo and the brewery, Ralph's receipe, brewed of course at the brewery. Some roast, dark colour with a nice head. A little acidic, yet bold. Fairly flavourful mild, like a stout. Average mouthfeel.