With beer judging and fresh hop season going on, it’s been a busy couple of months for beer. Time for something a bit more ordinary then…
That said, this self-stated ordinary bitter from Taranaki’s Three Sisters Brewery is anything but ordinary — principally because it’s so good. New Zealand brewed examples across the entire English Bitter spectrum (from straight up Bitter like this, all the way to ESB and even barley wine) have always struggled to perform here. The fault isn’t in the brewing, the barley just doesn’t grow the same here, and a lot of the strains we produce are too modern. However, Three Sisters have gone the extra mile (literally) to make this a good one; using imported Maris Otter malt, plus Bramling Cross and East Kent Goldings Hops.
Dry and subtle on the nose, with some earthy spice aroma alongside dried stone fruit and toasted nuts. The palate is similarly dry and beautifully easy drinking, with a light but sweeping display of malt and hop characters balanced by a crisply bitter finish. For a beer you could just about drink all day (and if I was in range of any given Yorkshire taproom, I would), the satisfaction and palate engagement factor is incredible.