Old Peculier Returns to The US After a 10-Year Gap

Could you update us if you come across in NJ @M-Fox24 ? I had my brother in law, who used to go to London for business, try to find some Theakston but he didn't have any luck, being to busy to search more than a few block radius. Would be neat to try this one.

 

Funny one: drinks more like an overstrength Dark Mild than an Old Ale to me.

Lovely, especially on cask, but definitely an idiosyncratic beer.

 

BA has it as 5.9% abv. How I wish there were more "old ales" with that ABV.

Would love to try this one, especially on cask.

 

The newly approved rear label says 5.6%:

 

I had a cask pint of Old Peculier about a year ago in Dublin at the Silver Penny. A couple of other customers thought I was drinking Beamish. It was a lovely pint.

 

This is really nice news. Thanks @M-Fox24

In some cases there might not be much difference between those two things. Keep in mind that the brewery doesn't claim that it's brewed to any style.

I assume you are saying that it's nice to see the ABV that low compared to US beers, but looking at it in a different context, when you are drinking 3.8% cask bitter and switch to Old Peculier, it hits you like a punch.

 

memo to self: - On Thursday, start lobbying usual bottle shop to get this.

 

I think a lot of us BAs are going to date ourselves by expressing joy at Old Peculier's return. Oh to be young and wishing to experience it for the first time...

 

I’ll do my best to take you along for the ride if it ever shows up around here

 

Yes, I’m excited and it’s been a while since I’ve been excited about beer!

 

I'll give it another shot. I remember "liking" it but never wrote down my take on it so I really don't remember if it stood out as a good one, gooder one, better one, or even the betterest.

 

I have no doubts about that. I typically drink pretty low ABV beers (by BA standards). Then, if I switch to a heartier beer I love, like Smuttynose Robust Porter, which is 6.2%, it's like I'm drinking an imperial stout. It's an enjoyable experience for sure.

Funny, now that I think of it, Sam Smith's Imperial Stout, which I haven't had in ages, is 7% abv. People on this site would think that a session beer. I'm likely in the minority here, but the shift in abv strengh has messed up perceptions and taste buds in the US.

 

On the flip side, someone in the UK who lived through WWI might say the same thing but targeting their low ABV beers.

 

I read that the other way:
Old Peculier is low strength compared to most other Old Ales from the UK, like Marston's Owd Roger or Gale's Prize Old Ale.

The BJCP goes so far as to say it's not particularly representative of Old Ales as a style.

For me it's missing that port wine quality - it just doesn't taste very old!

 

The BJCP entry is wonky. The old 2015 entry stated:
"There are at least two definite types in Britain today, weaker draught ones that are similar aged milds of around 4.5%, and stronger ones that are often 6-8% or more."

Someone might have pointed out their error, so the 2021 entry was edited to (emphasis mine):
"There are at least two definite types in Britain today, weaker, unaged draught ones that are similar to milds of around 4.5%, and stronger aged ones that are often 6-8% or more."

But I suppose they didn't spend much time proofing the entry to reflect this change because much of the text still carried over to 2021 including silly stuff like: "always having an aged quality."

The practice of aging vatted beer for "old ale" is barely hanging on and probably not very representative of many "old ales" today. The various revivals of Gale's Prize Old Ale might be a thing of the past. Last I heard, Dark Star brewed a version. Even when it was around, it was considered a window to the past. I don't know what the status of Greene King's 5X is currently. I think their Strong Suffolk was threatened and I don't know it's current status. You mentioned Owd Roger. I would love to try that beer. That one has been marketed as a strong ale, Burton ale, and barley wine (I don't know of it ever being marketed as an old ale).

Anyway, if you are looking for deliberately aged character, you might have a very hard time finding such things compared to "old ales" in the 4-6% ABV range... so I wouldn't be so quick to characterize Old Peculier as being unusual (compared to beers marketed as old ales) in the way you are describing. I could be way off though.

Oddly enough, @patto1ro and I were just posting about "old ale" in another thread.

 

I think a 5.9% beer still packs a punch. Modern US craft drinkers are likely drinking irresponsibly/don't have an idea of how much stronger than regular beer that is (regular being 5%).

Unless we've magically evolved since around 2000 as human beings to process alcohol differently...

 

I'd love to try this brew, hopefully it sees distribution in Minnesota.

 

I hope its in bottles