Theakston Grouse Beater (Cask)

Brewed by Theakston
Style: Bitter
Masham, England

Cask. This is what evil must taste like. Hands down the worst beverage that I have ever drunk, and I’m not just talking about beers. If you ever wondered what insecticide must taste like, I can well imagine it tastes like Grouse Beater. Weird blacckurrant and rasperry notes in the smell as well as in the aroma, and thoroughly synthetic otherwise. Yecch! In fairness to Theakston I should mention that I tried the rest of their range during this year’s Great British Beer Festival at Earl’s Court, and with the exception of a similarly peculiar beer named "Old Peculier", they were all perfectly adequate.

Cask @ GBBF 2008. Pours a clear amber color with a small off-white head. Has a sweetish fruity aroma. Sweetish malty fruity berry flavor. Has a sweetish malty fruity finish.

Cask at Wellington Arms, Bedford. Amber with a small white head. Remarkable sweet aroma of boiled sweets and my dad’s hair oil c.1955. Odd ashy cardboard taste with that sweet, fruity blackcurrant or strawberry flavour persisting. Not much bitterness. Very odd. I’m on the fence about this one.

Cask served at a perfect drinking temperature at the Theakston Brewery Bar, GBBF 08. Golden body. No head. Dark fruity smell. Taste of strawberries with additional hints of apricot. Watery texture and a very average bitter (half pint shared with Geir, 007.08.2008).

Cask. Creamy off-white lasting head. Hazy golden body. Fruity flavor that is hard to distinguish. Pineapple peaches raspberries flavor. Low carbonation, short aftertaste. Very sweet overall impression.

pint @ brewery tap wim village. according to the bar staff if has blueberries in it :-) lovely fruit flavours, aniseed, blackcurrant and liquorice but with a slightly too bitter finish

Cask at GBBF. Light amber beer with a lasting white head. Blackcurrant aroma almost to the point of resembling Ribena, with notes of grass and caramel. Ribena also shows up in the sweet flavour with a touch of black tea.

Cask at the Brewery Tap, Wimbledon Village, 11th Sept 2007. Clear amber colour. Aroma of liquorice, fruit cocktails and aniseed sweets. Flavour of aniseed and blackberries. Reasonably clinging mouthfeel but a short finish. An interesting novelty beer - add 0.5 to the score if you love blackberries!