Sierra Nevada Best Bitter Ale

On tap at BT. Pours a clear orange with a small white head. Aroma of sweet malt, flowery hops. Flavor is bitter initial with lots of wheat. Some flowery hops but quite bitter. Blandish. I’d pass on this next time.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Aroma of toasted malt and wheat. Flavor predominantly just toasty with hints of floral and mildly astringent bitter hops and some citrus way in the background. Weakish body. Ok.

Draft pint at the brewery. Golden amber with an appealing bubbly activity. The aroma is "crystally" for lack of a better discriptor. this drinks with an exceptional smoothness, and almost nothing that would lead one to believe it a bitter, barely elevating itself past the level of a well made macro. Together with their Pale Bock, this aligned with my impression of the brewery ... a place that’s painfully catering to the masses, disguising middle of the road beers with different varietel names, then barley meeting the criteria. Well made and sessionable, but hardly a great example of the style. (#3387, 4/8/2008)

Draught at Hop Leaf, Chicago
Golden color. A cheesy touch in the aroma covers the hops. Medium body, some stale caramel flavor. Wrong.

Tap at blind tiger. Don’t know how authentic this was in terms of style but this was very tasty. Cookie, earthy mushroom aroma. Lightly hoppy, full and smooth. Pine, cola nut flavors. Very clean. I think they still used their own yeast on this though.