Gritty McDuffs Best Bitter

Brewed by Gritty McDuffs
Style: Bitter
Portland, Maine USA

Clear amber with small, off-white head. Aroma is light-medium sweet, floral, some herbal. Taste is medium sweet, herbal/floral/earthy, some toasty. Light-medium body.

An average bitter. Nothing special there. A bit thin, aroma lacks of hops and the flavor is a little too sweet.

Bright amber. Aroma is of earthy, vaguely fruity hops, and caramel. Flavour shows toasty notes alongside the standard diacetyl and vague esters of the Ringwood yeast.

[Cask conditioned] Mildly hopped and not very bitter. Slightly thin finish.

Amber appearance with a moderate head. Malty aroma with a hint of fruit. Some nice hop taste early on that was offset by a dominant malt flavor as it warmed. Finish was a bit sweet.

Clear pumpkin shade. Sticky, rocky, dense off-white foam. Faint solvent-like aroma with notes of pecans, Ringwood yeast, and cedar. Faint metallic and leafy hop undertones. Soft, slightly fizzy mouthfeel. Standard bitter flavors alongside notes of butter-coated nuts, Ringwood yeast, and dates. Tingly notes of apple skin and earth. Hints of cinnamon and bread. Long nutty flavors are cut by a lightly salty, substantially bitter finish. It's certainly loaded with English character, but lacks the chewy malt depth of Rogue Younger’s, and the like.

Bottle: Nice dark orange with decent head. Nose is malty, syrup sweet, and some citrus notes. Medium bodied and a bit sweet on the palate throwing things slightly out of balance. Finishes a bit mealy as it warms. Quaffable, not great.

Gravity Cask, GBBF 2003 Sulphur in nose. Dark, slightly murky amber. Pleasant taste - which sums up this beer - pleasant without being special. Sweet pale malt with some citric hops - the whole seeming to work against itself to clash in opposing directions rather than working in harmony.