My Wife's Bitter - Burleigh Brewing Co.

rjimlad

Australia

4.18/5  rDev +29.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the great Clarendon Hotel in Newcastle where they were showcasing Burleigh beers. I love bitters so I was keen to try this one.

Poured into a standard schooner glass with a deep tan/bronze colour and a decent fluffy head. Unlike other reviewers, the head on my sample was persistent with fine lacing. Since it was served in an Oz pub, it was a little too cold so aroma was suppressed but hints of caramel and slight hoppiness too faint to identify.

Flavour was very nice but not complex. Caramel nougat predominates with a beautiful hoppy bitterness that is late on the palate giving a clean finish and mouthfeel. I personally found the beer very balanced and drinkable. Sure it is easy to find more complex bitters out there but this one was a perfect drink with some good pub food on a cool Spring night.

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2011 06:04:25 | More by rjimlad

laituegonflable

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark amber colour, slightly mahogany with generous off-white head that sinks to a nice crown of lace with a few clumps around. Nice-looking bitter.

Smells a bit POR-y with earthy, mildly spicy bitterness. Pepper on there, soil with nice malty notes over the top with caramel and vanilla on there. Decent English herbal hops and nice malt balance, but it's still just OK.

Taste is very malt-driven, with lots of caramel, cracked grain and vanilla, then gets nice hoppy bitterness that's quite mild: herbal, grassy and a bit spicy on the back, adds some piquancy but otherwise nice, subtle bitterness. Clean and quite palatable. Not my ideal beer but it's well constructed and able to be quaffed.

Bitty at times but smooth enough, not too bad.

Decent bitter. Clean, drinkable but a nice malty flavour for the most part.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 07:08:52 | More by laituegonflable

Camallan

Australia

3/5  rDev -6.8%

01-03-2013 04:49:24 | More by Camallan

pin

Australia

2.5/5  rDev -22.4%

11-22-2012 03:06:01 | More by pin

heygeebee

Australia

2.43/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Bb 3 13

It's just not British is it?

It pours ok, looks very clear and deep copper. Head dies super quick, but that's ok to stlye

It smells of.... not a lot really, no warmness. Just a little caramel

What is turns into is an APA with English style hops, Not the full quid.

Mf is the worst aspect - apart from it being totally clear - too harsh and astringent. Mineral water elements.

Sad - it could have been so much better.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 02:05:56 | More by heygeebee

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

2.75/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle from Dan's.

A - Reddy brown pour. One finger off white head. Bright. Decent carbonation. Good rings of lace and a film of retention.

S - Lot's of bready and toffee malts with some earthy hop.

T - Some smoke, toffee, strange harsh maltiness, earthy hop, and dark fruit. There is some sort of odd harshness to it.

M - Fairly strong carbonation for the style, light and slightly watery body with a clean finish. Odd for the style.

O/D - Nothing about this, aside from a few flavours, seems to be to style. Body and strange flavours were off. Nothing special here.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 06:46:53 | More by tbeckett

jjkatter

Australia

3.1/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

330ml bottle poured into a goblet...

A- amber and brown with fair carbonation. Head is white and dissipates quickly.

S- toasted barley with some hops and caramel.

T- cinnamon-apple with hops and toasted barley

MF- typical mouth feel of an Aussie microbrew. not too bad, but could use more body.

O- there are other choices out there that I would make before this beer. It was nice to try, but I won't be revisiting this one (on my dime anyway).

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 08:25:26 | More by jjkatter

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours coppery brown with a small quickly fading head.
Nose shows caramel, faint chocolate and nutty malt along with some soft spicy and earthy hops underneath.
Flavours are focussed on the aforementioned malty characters. Finishes quite sweet with a soft bitterness.
Could use more carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 06:32:44 | More by CrazyDavros

danieelol

Australia

3.2/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

interestingly this beer features in six-packs now. Not sure whether it was worth it tbh. Just don't think this beer works well in an Aussie context anyway.

A: brown, red-gold in the light. Good lacing.

Smell is roasted green apple, red delicious apple and marzipan malt-funk.

Taste is roasty with an occasionally intrusive sweet character.

Mouthfeel is somewhat creamy with abrasive carbonation.

Overall this isn't what I was expecting (it's dark with lots of roast). Smell is pleasant enough but I can't really recommend it nor would I buy it again. I would think of it more as a schwarzbier than a bitter.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 13:28:56 | More by danieelol

doktorhops

Australia

2.55/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

We're officially on a bitter streak here; 3 for 3, what can I say, I don't mind a bitter. Burleigh Brewing Co. has been real hit and miss with me, I liked their Hefe and the other one (the Duke Pale Ale), but everything else I've had I could take or leave. So it is with a sense of trepidation that I try this bitter. Good luck and Godspeed, me!

Poured from a puny 330ml bottle into a mighty tulip pint.

A: Very brown for a bitter, like a pair of brown leather shoes. The head is nowhere to be seen but this is no surprise for this style.

S: Slightly burnt caramel malts pervade this bitter affair. There is a candy sweetness to the base and dry aromatic hops round out the nose. Not bad indeed.

T: A little bit bland in the flavour department. The malt is slightly burnt caramel, the expected sweetness is dulled and the hops are quite dry but without any of the fruity characters you get from a Cascade or Nugget hop... dull and unexciting.

M: Much fizzier than a typical English bitter, and in my opinion this is unnecessary and over the top.

D: This one gets a big "MEH". Nothing to write home about and even less interesting to drink. I'm disappointed with Burleigh Brewing Co. as it is a local craft brewer that has lost its way... if you're going to experiment then at least do something different, otherwise the tried and tested method works fine, i.e. "if it aint broke don't fix it".

Food match: I'm eating Chinese for dinner which would be complete overkill for this beer. Perhaps something light and traditional, maybe a classic Italian pizza like a Margherita?

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 09:05:42 | More by doktorhops

Macca

Australia

2.98/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This pours a clear dark amber with a light beige head.

Very basic nose. A little bit of malt and maybe some earthiness from the English hops.

Like the nose a bit of malt, a bit of earthiness.

I would have liked a bit more body on this. A little thin.

Really disappointed with this one as I like their other ones.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 10:55:33 | More by Macca

ADZA

Australia

3.68/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This brew pours a light see through copper hue with average carbonation that leaves behind a one finger head and minimal lacing,the smell is a mix of aromas of doughnuts,caramel candy,candied fruit and some herbal hops,it has a light-medium bodied well carbonated mouthfeel and has tastes of caramel candy,toffee,boiled candy,brown sugar and finished with a herbal/fruity hoppy bitterness but not really bitter at all for a hophead like me and overall i was expecting this brew to be so much better after reviews from mates cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 06:06:45 | More by ADZA

lacqueredmouse

Australia

2.88/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Part of my NYE 2010 celebrations.

Pours a orange-red colour, with a pleasantly fine head of white foam. Minimal lacing, and the body is light, but that's probably to be expected. Looks pretty lacklustre all up, but still in style at least. That's worth something.

Nose very minimal. Hints of roasted grain and a slight tangy acidity that may come from... well, anything. It's a very minimal nose. Not offensive, but neither is it very interesting. Smells like pale grain soaked in seltzer water. Eh.

Taste is a little better, although it's still rather thin and rather insipid. Some pleasant grain characters on the fore, backed with that same carbonic acidity as was on the nose. Light, watered down feel, again like a sessionable English ale, but also like a light watered-down thing.

Wow. Overall, I'm really not impressed with this at all. It's a shame, because otherwise these guys do some decent beers. But for a special release bomber, this is woefully uninspiring. Flat, thin, insipid and very devoid of character. Certainly not a recommendation from me.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 10:58:26 | More by lacqueredmouse

dgilks

Australia

3.4/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Slightly dull, dusty, sulphury aroma. Lightly earthy.

Crystal clear, amber colour with a small, off-white head. Decent.

Crisp malt flavour with a light coffee note. Hint of bitter toffee. Lightly earthy but still somewhat empty.

Medium body with moderate to moderately-high carbonation.

This isn't a bad beer but it certainly isn't an exciting Bitter and it doesn't deserve the price point that it commands.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2010 10:07:46 | More by dgilks

CromDubh

Australia

3.6/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

650ml bottle into straight pint glass. Marketed as an English style bitter. Looks the part if a little lighter than to type, nice head.
Good hoppy smell. Taste is quite nice, if a little wattery, very nice aftertaste. Would be a great session beer - it went down fast and wish there was another.
The label I'm not sure on. Bikini clad girlie holding an English flag. Looks like a tacky novelty beer from somewhere like Margate and I only bought it after reading the blurb. So at a high "boutique" price not too sure who it will attract.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2009 10:01:32 | More by CromDubh

juju7

Australia

4.03/5  rDev +25.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Comes in a 650ml tallie only. A pretty cool looking etched label of a fit looking chick in a bikini. Why not? Pours a vibrant amber, orange with a tight one finger head. The nose is true to form with some caramel, biscuity toffee and soft hop action. On the palate as well, pretty true to style, a good creamy mouth feel, the bitterness doesn't kick in right away but kind of swells up on the finish. The carbonation is just right, medium to low. This is a very good take on the style, not much to fault it on. Drinking this on a bitching hot evening and it tasted great icy cold when first opened and lost nothing as it warmed up. Great balance and good solid finish. Would be happy to have a fridge full of these.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2009 13:19:34 | More by juju7