Our Indiehouse Reviews to Date
When I first saw this beer I tried to determine what brewery it came from. You may have noticed that breweries tend to have a theme or a brand to their can artwork. The crazy meanderings of the Flying Monkeys or the New Ontario bear for example. But when I saw Indie Alehouse on the can I said to myself (in my head of course, I don’t talk to myself usually) that I have had a few Indie’s before. So I checked and I was right for once. But what I did notice was every can/bottle was completely different, as opposed to our Editor, who is completely indifferent.
Then I got thinking about Monty Python’s intro “And Now For Something Completely Different”*. When the show first got to Canada there was always some kid who came to school the next day and just had to perform one of the skits for you because it was soooo funny, and they would butcher it with a terrible British accent, no timing, no props and no other Pythoners to interact with. It was a classic case of “I guess you had to be there”.**
I’m a Lumberjack and I’m Okay. Monty Python’s tribute to Canada.
But I am here now reviewing Indie Alehouse and their ESB. A beer of the month club selection so it’s special already, but is it extra special? An Extra Special Bitter is an English style Pale Ale introduced by the London based brewery Fuller, Smith & Turner in 1971.
This ESB pours a downtown dark dark brown with a slim special sliver of a head. Malt amber aroma, malt and nut and nothing but. Tasting yields a full malt flavour reminiscent of a good tasty brown ale (as opposed to the other kind of brown ale). Smooth but flavourful, malt body and malt finish with slightly harsh hops on the first finish. A nice big swig goes down smooth, the finish is mellowing with age unlike some of us. What emerges is a full flavour malt, no hops, smooth with a slightly sweet lager finish appearing on occasion.
Isn’t that special.***
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