Samuel Smiths Old Brewery Bitter (Cask)

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Bitter
Tadcaster, England

Cask. At Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, Fleet Street, London. Why is this beer rated so low? It’s nothing world-beating, and yeah, they used a sparkler, but it always pleases. Oh well. Poured a hazy pale copper with a lasting creamy beige head (3+). Wheaty/grainy floral aroma, dry, light toasty malt. Taste, same - some green apple, with a pretty lush understated herbal/wildflower hop backbone, the malt is only there for stability, and the light green apple crispness comes further forward as a result - still crisp and refreshing. Chewy, grainy mouthfeel, quite cask-still, very light, very soft astringency, the graininess really sticks around on the back of your tongue - very good session cask pint, I have this whenever I find it.

Cask handpull at Cittie of Yorke, Chancery Lane. Amber with lasting thin beige head. Caramel aroma, no real yeast or hop on aroma. It’s ok in mouth but a bit thin. Bit bland overall. Drinkable. "It’s better when it comes in the mouth than when you swallow," as my Danish companion said. Not as good as I remember but also not terrible. It’s a bitter, some malty fruit towards the finish. Some drying hop on end.

Cask conditioned ("drawn from an oak cask") at The Golden Ball, Scarborough (a Samuel Smith’s pub). Deep golden colour, creamy head. Pleasant aroma of fruity hops. Tolerable hops in the flavour - smooth and easy drinking. Okay.

[CASK: Sinclair’s Oyster Bar, Manchester 12/02/07] A great brewery and amazingly cheap prices. A very tasty bitter and very pleasant drinking.

At the Citte of Yorke. Ambiguous, light aroma of malt and fruit? Very light. Dark amber color with a white head. Starts smooth with floral accents over malt - not a dry finish, but there is light bitter at the end. After a few ounces a woody character was noticeable. Very drinkable.

Pint in the Waterguard, Cardiff. Fruity aroma, amber in colour with a creamy head. fruit and hops in the flavour with a well balanced texture. Lovely pint.

[Cask at The Cock, London] A slightly hazy orange beer served thru a sparkler to give it some off-white head. The aroma is sweet malty with notes of caramel. The flavo ris sweet malty with quite a lot of fruit and toffee, leading to a lightly bitter end. The mouthfeel is very smooth. A solid bitter.

Cask, Cittie of York, Holborn, London. Took a while to settle to a chestnut, thin off-white head. Not much aroma, but that’s because it was a bit too cold. Hops and some sour bitterness as it warmed. Flavour was lacking a little too, quite bitter and hoppy, but finishes balanced. Easy to drink, tasted quite frothy!