Beer of the Week – Brakspear Bitter

As I've noted in this column before, the pub and brewery culture of the United Kingdom has a tradition of lower-alcohol ales that seems foreign to many beer drinkers who are accustomed to the 5% lagers that have become the standard throughout much of the world. The most obviously named of these less potent quaffs are Mild Ales, which are usually brewed to an alcohol level between 3% to 4%, but other ale styles - particularly those brewed primarily as cask ales - are often in that range as well.

When brewing both cask and bottle versions of a beer, many UK brewers will create a stronger version for the bottle trade, with some varying 1% or more in strength. In the case of this week's beer, though, there's no variance between the two, and the result is a 3.4% ale which may be light in alcohol, but certainly not in flavour.

Brakspear Bitter (LCBO 909531 - #3.35/500 mL) comes from a brewery group that has had plenty of success in Ontario, not only with other Brakspear brands, and also with beers from associated breweries Marston's and Wychwood. The roots of Brakspear extend back to 1711, when W.H. Brakspear purchased a brewery in Henley, the town where the Brakspear beers continued to be brewed until 2002 when the brands were purchased by holding company Refresh UK and the Henley brewery was closed.

Initially, Refresh had the Brakspear beers contract brewed on newer equipment than that used at the Henley location, leading to many complaints from drinkers who felt that the quality suffered greatly. Eventually, the equipment from Henley was moved to the Refresh-owned Wychwood Brewery in Witney, Oxfordshire, where Brakspear's "double drop" fermenting system was reconstructed. This unique process involves an initial fermentation which occurs on an upper level, after which the beer is "dropped" to a lower level for further fermentation. This process leaves dead yeast and other protein solids behind in the upper tanks, and is said to lead to a cleaner and more efficient second fermentation.

Process aside, though, what's most important is the quality of the finished product, and in this case, it's quite good. The beer pours a relatively clear orange-amber with a small white head, and has an aroma of fruity malt with some nice mineral notes in the background, and a hint of wood. The flavour has soft malts off the top with hints of butterscotch, a nice earthy/mineral character in the middle, and a surprisingly well-hopped finish. Combining this with a medium body and a mild carbonation level, it adds up to an ideal session ale - i.e. a beer that you can drink a few of during an evening, preferably down at the pub with a few friends, and not end up feeling like your head has gone through it's own version of a double drop fermentation the next morning.