A Pint of Bitter

I’m going to attempt to refrain from being to self indulgent on this blog. In some ways self indulgence is what blogs are about however on the whole I am going to resist the temptation to rant about the beers that I brew, beers that few others can taste. Occasionally I will make an exception and when I do hopefully I will be able to string in some detail that will be of interest.

This morning I put a new keg of my best bitter "Berhampore Best Bitter" or 3 B's on and its tasting fantastic. It clocks in at 4.4% abv, sitting in the middle of the range of session beers that I brew. Its brewed from Maris Otter pale ale malt from Bairds, light crystal and a touch of chocolate malt. The hops are fuggels to bitter, with goldings for flavour and aroma. All the ingredients are imported from the UK creating a beer that tastes very English. The yeast I use is Saf 04, a yeast whose ancestry leads back to the Whitbread Brewery in London once one of the largest Porter Brewers and whose founder Samuel Whitbread was an important member of the 'beerage' or powerful brewers who sat in the house of lords. Saf-04 ferments fast, leaving a fruity malty beer that retains a significant level of malt sweetness. Beers which balance assertive hop characters with malt body appeal to my taste.
Berhampore Best Bitter's name stems from the suburb of Berhampore where I was raised. Berhampore was founded in the days of colonial vigour, taking its name from a place in Bengal India where the 1857 Indian Mutiny began.

Berhampore Best Bitter 4.4%abv

Pours a mid copper, with a white fluffy head. Aromas of earthy hop with a hint of citrus fruit give way to a slight minerally note and with some vine fruit. On the palate there is an initial burst of malt sweetness, tangy hop then nutty malt finally finishing with a firm lasting bitterness.

This is the sort of beer that makes me tick, complex, flavourful yet sessionable, I wish all my brews came out this well.