McMullen Country Best Bitter

Brewed by McMullen
Style: Bitter
Hertford,, England

Cask, The Millsteam, Hitchin. A knock out beer. Had a full pint, then went back for another. Amber colour. Complex and gradually changing aroma - starts off with caramel, oak and vanilla, then banana comes in about halfway through slowly merging with wine, then - most exquisite of all - near the end some strong whiffs of whiskey. The flavour is initially soft toffee leading into darker tones with a dry, tangy finish. Sweetness develops into banana. My two drinking companions also picked up vanilla in the finish, but I never found that. A thoroughly enjoyable drink that needs a full pint to savour the gradually shifting flavours and aromas. [4.1]
And again... Cask Fresh @ McMullen's Millstream, Herts. This is a spanking bitter.

Cask at the nags head. Aroma is excellent fresh leafy hop, citrus and earthy green flavour. Taste has a good balancing pale malt sweetness, quite clean and refreshing.

cask at the nags head: loved that name reminds me of the old ball and chain. nice easy drinking cask beer with mod hoppablity. some fruit notes and bitterness, grapefruit. nice bitter....i had two!

[cask in London] Clear orangish-dark amber. Guinness-like blanket on top that makes for thick lacing. Strong hoppy aroma with some butterscotch and subtle toffee. English hops dominate the beginning of the taste, followed by a nice toffee malt flavour and a hint of butterscotch. Fruity notes: cherry, coffee. Good bittering at the end. Perfectly balanced. Light to medium body, mouth coating, very low carbonation.

Cask Conditioned. Dark appearance. Rather hoppy aroma, with pleasantly bitter flavours

(cask at Nag’s Head, London) Off-white head with good retention, clear amber body. Aroma is medium sweet, pine, some floral, a light earthy that is more pronounced in the finish. Watery light body that makes it quite drinkable.

Quite a surprise as I was not expecting too much. A very enjoyable best bitter. Good balance of malt and hops. Medium bodied. Good clean finish. Very moreish. A well made beer, well kept and well served (something of a surprise for a busy pub in Covent Garden, where cask ale is not the focus of attention). And lets hope McMullens continue to brew beer and resist the urge to become property speculators. Handpump, Nags head, Covent Garden, London

Hand pulled at the Nags Head: Light brown color with a nice frothy head on top that leaves laces. Very smooth taste - nice meidum bitterness with some caramel in the flavor. Light malt and apple nose. I liked it.