Courage Best (Keg)

Brewed by John Smiths (S&N, Heineken)
Style: Bitter
Tadcaster, England

I’m afraid it’s back again. Sampled in an Irish pub(?) in Torquay before hitting the Guinness. Wish I hadn’t bothered. Red amber murk with best-a-man-can-get head. Faint curranty fruit, a trace of watery apple peel blandness. Dismal.

IF YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING GOOD THEN DON’T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL. PARTICULARLY ABOUT THE DEAD.

Pretty bland and average. Not the worst beer you’ll get off tap and better than shit like John Smiths, Worthingtons and Tetleys Smooth etc.... but not much.

One of the FIRST beers I legally bought once I came of age and I got hooked on it. Nice webbing in the glass, good colour, no aftertaste. A great beer.

Fizzed and kegged. If it’s kegged then I suppose the best option is to go for a keg lager. At least the flavours wont be disgusting, and the hops foul, and the fuller body confused by all that fizzing.

Had this one with SilkTork in The Old Blue Last, legend has it that this pub was the first place to serve porter. Today this yellow swill (or Guinness) is about the best they can do. The Barmaid doesn’t even know what porter is. Enough about the pub, the beer was shit too, sweet pineapple aroma, flat old tasting malt, sweetness, honey and dust. Dull like British television.

First impressions were of the odd watery, yet mouth-filling, feel. A deep malty richness, with decent complexity. The taste is pretty good on the whole, but otherwise not a lot to say, really, but can’t complain either.

July 21, 2002 (Keg) A pretty average standard bitter. Drinkable, but not great.