Simply The Best by ClubGonzo, Best Bitter, 4.6% ABV, 39 IBU.
I find it hard to rate beer styles that I don’t like that much. One thing is to rate complex and demanding beers that give we that I’m-not-worthy feeling, e.g. sour ales or smoked. Then at least I understand that this this might be a high quality beer, it’s just that I haven’t acquired the taste yet. A completely different thing is to rate styles that I tend to find plain boring, e.g. most pale lagers and bitters. With that in mind, here’s my opinion on the best bitter that entered to the Vestbrygg summer beer competition last year.
ClubGonzo’s Simply The Best, batch 22.
In the glass it’s pretty good-looking, with a clear copper body and an average-sized, creamy, off-white head. The head reduces quite quickly to a very thin layer, but the lacing is excellent.
The aroma is as expected from a bitter: not that strong and not that exciting. However it has a nice hoppy touch with traces of citrus on a caramel background. It’s plain, simple but not unpleasant in any way. Just a bit boring.
The taste is light sweet with a watery, moderate bitter finish. The flavours are rather faint, with yeast being the strongest element. There are also some hoppy notes with floral hints, in addition to a touch of caramel.
The carbonation is very soft, far too soft for my liking. It’s very dry and yeasty, and just doesn’t feel right.
Conclusion: Boring and yeasty with hints of pleasant hoppy notes.
Aroma: 5/10 Appearance: 4/5 Taste: 4/10 Palate: 2/5 Overall: 7/20 Ratebeer score: 2.2/5.0
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