This is a special beer. Not least because it was brewed in celebration of a life, but every other aspect of it too. Taking inspiration (and its yeast) from a 1977 bottle of the legendary Bass Jubilee Ale, it was boiled for a full 12 hours to give it incredible concentration and colour. After brewing, it was refermented in oak with wild yeast for another seven months. Tart and funky on the nose, with dried apricot, fig and oak tannins. The palate is sweet and silky smooth, with an amazingly oily viscosity. Hugely intricate malt, more dried fruit, roasted hazelnuts, fresh leather and a streak of balsamic vinegar. Profoundly complex, vital, triumphant.
Vale Paul D Haslett 8/12/1948-25/8/2019.