Yeah......it's been a long g.d. time since I've written on here. I'd like to attribute it to a growing number of hours at work, but I'm not sure that would really work. I've just been a bit lazy. I've been drinking a ton of beer, as per usual.....but I just have been too lazy to write about it. Oh well. I'm sure your hearts were unmercifully broken for the last few months.
All that crap aside, I've decided to write a post or two tonight and am starting with a beer I have never really liked. Well, when I initially drank it 6-7 years ago, I though I was cool and hip because people would see the Guinness-like consistency of it (it's generally served with Nitrogen as opposed to CO2) and be all "WTF?!?!"...and I guess the taste wasn't too much one way or another. Soon thereafter I began drinking bigger beers and found this to be a very bland brew. Now, I'm trying to reconsider the place that some of the more old-fashioned session brews have in my life and have decided to give this another go. A few sips recently from the tap at work have made me think maybe Boddington's isn't THAT bad. So let's see.
Now, as this is being enjoyed in my living room, I'm serving this out of a can poured into a glass. The can has one of those nitrogen plastic balls in it to help mimic what you get out of the draught, although it never does justice to the real thing. So take this with a grain of salt.
Poured the beer from a cold (not super-cold, though....the can recommends 41 degrees F) can into a simple pint. Opened the can.....and the sumbitch done exploded all over the place. I was able to salvage it with some quick thinking and got to pouring. Super tan, with tiny bubbles all over the place. There is a bit of cascading action, but it clears up much quicker than a nitro stout like Beamish/Murphy's/Guinness. Color settles to a really deep golden/yellow/brown. Very white head remains, although only about half a finger. Usually if it's a fresh pour off a good keg you'll get at least twice as much. Carbonation is non-existent as there is no added carbonation to this beer (only nitrogen), and no bubbles messing around outside of the remaining head. Not much to say about the look, but the average beer drinker might think it's flat. And that person would be an idiot.
Smell actually resembles that of a low hopped, mild, English ale with a touch of sweetness, and a grainy smell you get from when you're brewing or visiting a brewery and you smell real, un-milled barely. A bit of a metallic note is there as well. Not sure if that is from the beer or the can. I think I usually get that same smell when I have this on tap, so I'm going to assume it's probably the beer. Either way, it's negligible. Not gonna lie though, this smells like a cheap beer.
Taste is....ehh. There is a little hop bitterness on the tongue, but not much. It's not floral, piney, fruity, resinous, or any other way you want to describe hops, it's just flat out bitter. Not saying that's a bad thing, but just that it is there. Definitely more bitter than what you smell. It's almost as if there is bitterness coming from somewhere else, as the sweetness doesn't play any more role than that of a balance from the malt. As it warms, that metallic note becomes a bit more present, and unfortunately lingers a bit with the bitter. I'm not sure what one taste people are seeking out when they order/buy one of these. Nothing about it is overly pleasant. It's palatable and not "horrible", at best.
Mouthfeel is what people probably dig about this beer, and I'm ok with that. The fact that it's a nitro-brew and that it's a bit flattened out makes this fairly creamy on the tongue. No harsh carbonation at ALL to speak of makes it really easy to put down, and sometimes not even notice the flavor of the beer. (this may be a good thing)
Drinkability, as alluded to in the mouthfeel comment is very high. It's really creamy/smooth and easy to put down. Most traditional brews from the British isles are meant for sessioning (aka: drinking for a long period of time with ease) and this one certainly meets that criteria. I imagine after a couple of these that beers # 4,5,6 would be unnoticeable. (once again, maybe a good thing)
So like I said before, I can dig the drinkability aspect and the mouthfeel to this beer. Only problem is that there are other beers that meet this criteria and taste light years better. This simply is not a very good tasting beer no matter how you put it. I don't need to be drop-kicked with flavor, but what flavor this does have isn't great. I'm putting it into the Budweiser heavy category where I most likely won't order one unless it is the only non-light beer available, but I won't be all that perturbed if someone buys a round and that's what I get stuck with. It's extremely easy to put down, smooth from the first sip all the way down to where it reaches your belly. For that I give it props, but I'm pretty sure that drinkability has more to do with the fact that the beer is served with nitro, and has not much to do with the actual flavor of the product.....which is ultimately sub-par.
Oh well, cheers.
Verdict: 4/10
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