Travel by the Pint: the Blog

Earlier this week, the BBC reported that UK pubs are closing at the rate of 52 per week.

Brewed by Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England and imported by Shelton Brothers. A note on the label assures us that Santa’s “Butt” refers to a “certain barrel used in brewing — a very large barrel, in fact, holding 108 imperial gallons”. So there you go. As if there were any other explanation. It’s a 6% ABV Winter Porter that we sampled on Christmas Eve 2008. Our thoughts:

SALLY: This porter is as dark and rich as a char-broiled steak cooked to perfection. The head is a creamy off-white with decent but not overly exuberant lacing. The mouth feel is rich with subtle notes of nutmeg and other seasonal spices. It falls a little more on the malty side than I generally go for in a brew, but it is certainly a great choice for a cold winter night. I recommend pairing this with a steaming bowl of chili, and because of that excellent pairing, my rating is a tad higher than it might be on another day.

MICHAEL: Pours a cola-like color with very little head. A malty aroma with hints of coffee. It tastes a little thin and borders on being watery. The carbonation is mild — almost like a nitrogenized beer. Chocolate and some smokey aspects to the flavor. Not as rich as I tend to expect from a porter. Kind of what no-name colas are to Coke or Pepsi, this beer is to a true porter. I seem to keep coming back to that cola reference as there is something that reminds me of a grocery store brand cola in a 2-liter plastic bottle. I guess you’re buying Santa’s Butt for the name and the novelty and, as a novelty, it could be far worse. In fact, I’ll put this just above the average line but (no pun intended) given the name I have to say I was expecting it to fall far below. Not something you’d drink year ’round — but then who would order a Santa’s Butt in July? As a once a year conversation piece, it won’t make you suffer. Not bad… just not great.

Sally’s rating: 7.5
Michael’s rating: 5.5
Ratings are 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest