This beer definitely garnished a chuckle as I spotted it sitting on the shelf. I immediately stuck it under my arm, as I've enjoyed some of the other creative offerings from BBC so far. The only problem was I didn't switch on to what sort of beer it was. After a few hours of drinking and gambling on cup day, I strolled up to the local fish n chip shop to grab a burger. I really just wanted something basic to wash it down with, and assumed this might just be a nice Aussie bitter lager. Hovering over the fridge with burger in hand there was no time for label reading, so I just yanked it off the shelf.
Fail.
I later reeled as a dark burnt toffee coloured stream leaped from the bottle into my glass. Behold a bitter English Ale. Completely not what I wanted. There are some well flavoured English Ales out there, but they often just feel flat and dreary. Perhaps mirroring their makers.
With this one, we get much of the same. Biscuits and toffee, with relatively low carbonation, but admittedly enough to do the job. The anticipated bitter finish is tamer than one would expect, given the title of the beer. Maybe the brewer's wife is bitter, but he certainly doesn't seem to be in the doghouse. Yet.
I don't really think these type of beers have a huge place in Australia. They aren't the greatest served cold and they aren't overly refreshing. Decent winter beer perhaps, but once the sun comes out I can hardly think of a style of beer I would avoid more. An encouraged take on the genre though.
6/10
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