REVIEW #59: Olde Expensive Ale (Burton Bridge Brewery)

Pours a deep honey colour with the whitest of white heads. First off... it has the unexpected aroma of a lambic; sour and fruity - I kid you not. The sourness of the aroma is toned down a lot in the taste but still present. Estery and vinous, with strong red currant and cider apple flavours up front. You would be forgiven for thinking this was brewed in Belgium. Yeast in the beer (another bad pour - I get too excited!) probably contributes to this, but that's no bad thing. The malt presence is very good,  helping to balance the herbal, grassy notes from the hops & yeast. It lends the beer biscuit and fresh cream notes that lead into a hoppy, toffee-apple finish. I can honestly say I've never tasted an English ale like this. But it is very drinkable, refreshing and 100% moreish.

I think this is a deliberate attempt by Burton Bridge Brewery to do something a bit novel based around the old ale / barleywine styles but at a strength much below most barley wines. It tastes like its been inoculated with 'Brett' yeast (Brettanomyces lambicus) and may well have been. BBB say they bottle Olde Expensive solely for the US market (some UK booze-merchants get leftovers thankfully) but declined to give out yeast info. To my mind this makes it even more likely 'Brett' was used seeing as its very big amongst craft brewers over there who seek that Belgian touch. Get one if you can for its uniqueness if nothing else; highly recommended!

• MALTS: PALE, CHOCOLATE, INVERT SUGAR (ADJUNCT)

• HOPS: TARGET, CHALLENGER
• IBU: ~55
• YEAST: may include s. Lambicus
• ABV: 6.5%`
• BOTTLE-CONDITIONED.

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