Liberal Cup Backhouse Bitter

Brewed by Liberal Cup Public House and Brewery
Style: Bitter
Hallowell, Maine USA

On cask at the pub... Aroma:citrus,sour,(infected)... A amber,light head.... Flavor:citrus,sour (infected)...

On cask at the brewery (of course where else would i get it :-P) It’s a light amber pour with a foamy white head. Similar to their summer bitter, but I actually think it’s a bit better. Sweet aroma with some hop notes. Flavor is mildly hoppy, almost a piney grassy flavor, but not like in an APA or IPA. There’s a good blend of sweet pale malt flavor and bittering hops. Very smooth on your tongue, and very tastey in general.

Light amber color with a thin white head. Hoppy smell. Tastes sweet and hoppy, well balanced, with medium body. Reminded me in some ways of a Samuel Smith beer. Not the best of the six I tried, but very good nonetheless.

Cask pint at the brewpub on 4/14/06
Red-amber notes throughout a mostly amber body, perhaps a little dull beige in there, with a small off-white head, quite creamy, sitting on top daintily and lasting. Light splotchy lacing forms as the liquid recedes. Settles out to a moderate level of clarity, but it should be completely clear.
Sweet yet earthy nose has a spicy mix of sugary pale malts and perhaps some British crystal malts, while the hops are very spicy, almost ginger-anise like and quite peppery on the nose. Fruity ale yeast notes bounce about as a soft, rich, even caramel sweetness grows in strength. A bit soggy-sweet and watery, but nothing out of style.
The flavor has welcoming, round caramel and pale malts, providing ample sweetness and texture in this warm, minimally carbonated beer. Cherries and apples are interrupted by punchy, grassy and spicey-like (I keep getting ginger and anise) hops. Zesty, peppery and minimally bitter, but still apparent enough to move the focus off of the malts, at least briefly. Live yeast nuttiness dulls the finish and all is consumed in a creamy, but mostly water-flavored finish. Maybe a hint of diacetyl, but it’s barely memorable and certainly not problematic. No alcohol apparency.

(Draft@brewpub, cask-conditioned) Hazy orange/amber pour. Creamy, pillowy biscuit head. Pleasant mild aroma of hops and malt. Sloppy foamy lacing. Smooth full mouthfeel. Flavor: mildly bready upfront along with mild sweet malt, then bitterness on back end. Cask-conditioned state/warmth brings out flavors well. Really pleasant and fresh.

On cask at the brewpub:
Valiant grassy hop bitterness lingering after orangey and peachy fruitiness...A touch of diacetyl bothers the caramel malts, but it remains bearable for now...The round maltiness serves the hoppiness well, this is an apt pint of bitter...

In a big 20oz glass! Pours a clear coppery red with a cremy thick light tan head. Smell is citrusy and lightly hoppy. Taste is smooth malt with some assertive hops taking over after. Fruity and lightly nutty? Quite bitter and creamy. Nice body for a bitter. Very tasty and smooth. Served at true cellar temperature and was really really good on the cask.