Gritty McDuffs Best Bitter

Brewed by Gritty McDuffs
Style: Bitter
Portland, Maine USA

bottle in Boston MA. amber, slightly malty, with citrus hop aroma. well balanced and easy drinking

Fairly pale amber colour with a thin off-white head. Light crackery malts wit a lot of earthy spicy hop aroma. A bit of orange marmalade as well. Lightly fruity cherryish yeasty esters. Good balance, quite an authentic bottled bitter. Unfiltered too, which was a nice surprise.

Smells very bitter, to be expected, with a very strong astringent quality that reminds of sorghum beers, not good...Pours a nice clear amber/copper with a thin white head. Taste is a little watery with strong bitter flavors. That horrible sorghumy flavor is present, making it very difficult to enjoy this beer. Was hoping for something more like an ESB

Clear copper pour with off-white head. Aroma is bready malt, some tannins, perhaps toffee/Bartlett pear, maybe a smidgen of Granny Smith apple, and fresh brewed iced tea. The palate is medium, and I noted very minor apply diacetyl, with the tannins and malt balancing things fairly well for this style. This isn’t one of my favorite styles by any means, but I found this one to be relatively quaffable.

thick white head. orange-copper colored. Grainy/earthy aroma. Enjoyable beer with good palate and just enough butterscotch to work for the style. Only complaint is the grainy aroma and astringent flavor associated with it. very subtle but detracting.

Bottle from Porterhouse and served in my Imperial No-nik glass: Clean golden hue with a lasting frothy white head and left spotty lace upon the glass. The aroma has notes of grassy and herbal EKG hops, bready pale malt, hint of caramel and pear esters, and slight diacetyl (but that works with the style). The taste is grainy and buttered bread with a nice sharp bitter finish, some fruity acidic twang in support. The mouth feel is sprite and refreshing. This beer is very much spot on for the genre, I swear I was in an English pub while drinking this. I wonder if they cask condition this as well?

Gritty’s Best Bitter is a very sparkling and clear, shimmering amber ale with a big, dense, foamy off-white head that leaves some Coptic script on the glass. There are oily bubbles. It is a very grainy and sweet aroma: muscavado sugar and sunflower seed bread are in the nose. It is soft and medium bodied. The finish is a bit sharp and metallic. It tastes very fresh and a bit like... well... a diluted ESB. The flavor is smooth and a touch top-heavy. The aftertaste is quick, faint and a little green. It’s hopped very appropriately. There is a diacetyl quality to it. It’s a pretty non-descript session ale-- smooth and light.

Bottle: Pale amber, hazy, large off-white head, foamy, spotty lacing.   Musty straw/hay nose.   Very slight diacytl.   Buttery straw flavor... moreso straw than buttery.   Seems quite malty for a Bitter.   Body and mouthfeel are full to moderate.   Lingering straw/hay, with a little bit of butter.   Seems like the last few beers I have had are over the hill.   Okay, but likely deserves another shot.