Driftwood Brewery Naughty Hildegard Premium Bitter / ESB at 6.5% ABV (C$6.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 28-Apr-2015)
Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fingers of loose off-white head diminishing fairly quickly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, pine, caramel malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering leafy hoppy black tea finish. (4/5)
Oh, Hildegard, you have been naughty, haven’t you, putting all those hops in the vicar’s bitter? Time for your spanking, you naughty nun, you! Let’s find out what those stockings are attached to, anyway… (ahem) Where was I? Oh, yes, beer! Not nun-spanking. Not at all. On to the beer! And what a beer! No hesitation in saying this is the best ESB I’ve ever had. I am loving this brewery – their witbier wasn’t anything special, but when it comes time to bring the hops, they bring ‘em in spades. Lots of complexity in the aroma, nicely balanced bitter and malt on the tongue, and a finish that honestly reminds me of nothing so much as unsweetened iced tea. Lovely. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
