Best Bitter - Picaroons Brewing Co.

markaberrant

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewing as an English ESB/Pale, it's certainly no APA.

A - reddy bronze, big tan head, great retention and sheets of lacing. Looks great.

S - toasty sweet pale malt, pleasant english esters and some floral english hops. Very classic, and very good!

T - Good bit of hops smack you first, then some chewy caramel malt. Lingering toasty malt, with a hint of chocolate, mingles with a decent amount of hop bitterness long into the finish. Damn fine.

M - med full body, low carbonation, dry finish. Good for style.

D - Very sessionable, and very good!

I love when a relatively "boring" style of beer ends up exciting me, it's almost like a rediscovery. This beer flat out kicks butt - I would put this in front of any stubborn "new school" or "extreme" beer drinker and dare them not to like it. Right up there with Fullers ESB, maybe even better.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2008 22:26:30 | More by markaberrant

lgmol

Nova Scotia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

04-20-2013 12:20:04 | More by lgmol

IanSpindler

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev 0%

04-05-2013 22:53:37 | More by IanSpindler

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev 0%

02-11-2013 15:46:18 | More by ericj551

randylangford

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

02-11-2013 04:17:18 | More by randylangford

polloenfuego

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

01-26-2013 14:01:10 | More by polloenfuego

TimeLincoln

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

01-09-2013 17:13:22 | More by TimeLincoln

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -20%

11-06-2012 19:49:05 | More by cfalovo97

CurtisD

New Brunswick (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

09-29-2012 02:09:19 | More by CurtisD

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Another east coast treat...

A - Pours a nice dark amber colour, finger of head with some retention, and some sporadic lacing.

S - Dominated by toasted bread, musty caramel and toffee, some earthy greens and a nutty finish.

T - Much like the nose with the nutty notes coming through nicely alongside a bitter earthy hop flavour, the toffee and caramel lingers with a hint of sour citrus.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and dry.

O - The finish is a tad chalky and dry, but the flavors are nice for the style and the nuttiness adds a uniqueness that stands out. Glad I was able to try this one and certainly recommended to any fan of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 16:59:57 | More by andrenaline

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Rocky, slightly off white head; slow to dissipate. Plenty of lace on the glass as it settles. Surprisingly clear (given the yeasty smell) with dirty copper amber color.

Earthy aroma with a solid dollop of brewers' yeast. Not my style, but it is like a good homebrew.

Caramel and crystal malts start the taste off. Good hop bite in the swallow that creates a decent aftertaste. Rich, almost oily, body. Low carbonation. Much better on the tongue than on a nose.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 00:55:41 | More by smcolw

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picaroons Best Bitter has a kind of tan that's hard to get in New Brunswick, but it does looks like a drink they'd like on the East Coast (rum). Its orange-brown body is clear but toasty, hosting a select few bubbles that manage to amass a thin and spotty (but unexpectedly durable) set of lining and lacing. It makes a good first impression!

The brewery promotes the fact that they brew their ales in "traditional British style" but - the tonic water-like minerals and toffee sweetness aside - this bouquet has more than a little bit of New World hoppiness to it. While it's tame by American standards, it might be enough to ruffle some feathers among the older regulars at the pub.

The biggest planet in this flavour constellation is definitely one of caramelly malt, but it has moons of bitter herbals and floral resins that rotate it round and round. The bitterness is earthy and highly noticeable, even with the distraction of a fruity ester-spewing yeast and slicing sharp water minerals. Those resiny bitters ooze like sap from a maple tree.

The beer may be of average strength, but it's density is far from moderate. This chewy, thick maltiness sure tips out the scale at an impressive weight. Despite being tremendously drinkable, it is a deceitfully filling beer. It's easy to want more, mind you, given all the pecan nuttiness and toffee sweetness that seeps into the gums.

Best Bitter is a straightforward-enough style, but it's simplicity is deceptive. True, this is both nutty-sweet and approachable, but it's also a considerably heavy ale with a very appreciable bitterness. To brew this style with any degree of success requires not only negotiating the balance between hops and malt, but also treating your water and employing the right yeast. Picaroons puts all the right steps into this and it pays off.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 00:33:46 | More by biegaman

graybayou

Nova Scotia (Canada)

2.75/5  rDev -26.7%

07-07-2012 22:01:14 | More by graybayou

TylerD420

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

06-27-2012 00:51:16 | More by TylerD420

skellock

4/5  rDev +6.7%

06-11-2012 13:41:43 | More by skellock

Ivanhoes_Backpack

New Brunswick (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.7%

03-15-2012 15:14:14 | More by Ivanhoes_Backpack

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500ml Bottle - thanks to frenchy for this one

Appearance - Clear reddish-copper colour with a large size fizzy beige coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for 5 minutes.

Smell - Malts, hops, caramel, toffee, reminded me a bit of a creme brule

Taste & Mouth - There is an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel/toffee, light hops, and malts. There is also a bit of a roasted nut flavour and a woodiness. It ends with a malty and light bitter hopped aftertaste.

Overall - A solid ESB that might benefit from a touch less carbonation. The taste is pleasant and it's quite drinkable. Don't go out of your way to track down, but if you see it pick one up.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 18:23:01 | More by spinrsx

Skizem

New Brunswick (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.7%

12-23-2011 22:27:48 | More by Skizem

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +20%

12-21-2011 00:04:57 | More by schnarr84

abust

New Brunswick (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.7%

11-14-2011 12:15:34 | More by abust

mmmbeer

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Half-liter brown bottle, packaged 27/04/11. Pours auburn, with good carbonation and an inch of light tan head. The Ringwood yeast leads off in the nose with earthy and nutty notes, followed by a bit of malt and spicy/herbal hops. On the palate, it's the same yeast and hop profile as on the nose, and the malts are lighter than expected, but they do give notes of caramel and toast. Its fullish, moderately-carbonated body is creamy and chewy, with lingering bitterness. I think the Ringwood could turn some people off, but the beer is solid and quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 01:23:24 | More by mmmbeer

fostachild

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

clear copper brown/amber colour. inch of light beige head, decent retention.

smell has a bit of hops, sweet malt.

taste also sweet and malty, nice bitter aftertaste and goes down fairly smooth.

overall, it was a decent beer - has that weird taste in all picaroons but somewhat tolerable in this case.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 02:48:20 | More by fostachild

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My boss brought this back from Halifax.

A - Pours a hazy dark orange with good carbonation and a three finger, fluffy off white head. Great lacing with a coating along the inside of the glasa and a full finger of thick head remaining.

S - Fair amount of smoke and tobacco, dropping off to some citrus and earth with breadiness and a little caramel. The smokey and tobacco notes were odd but gone when the beer was able to open up more. A little soapy.

T - Caramel and breainess with lot's of smoke which is gone when the beer opens up. Earthy hops and a little fruitiness.

M - Good carbonation with a body just barely making it to medium. Slight tobacco type finish.

O/D - Tasted OK and went down smooth. But I don't think I could drink alot of this. I just isn't all that interesting and lacks the great flavours of better ESBs.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 23:23:09 | More by tbeckett

eat

Quebec (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Picked up from the brewery store in downtown Fredericton. Clear dark copper body with ruby highlights and a good cover of cream-white head. Some lacing left as the head dissipates.

The nose is of slightly-burnt caramel, light earthy hops and minerals, graham cracker and a touch of diacetyl, though it's nothing extreme. I seem to be catching a whiff of cigarette ash now and then, but not when I go looking for it. Strange.

Quite well-balanced, with lightly-smoky caramel and moderately-bitter earthy hops meeting equally. Minerals, toasted nuts and a subtle chocolate note round it out. A touch of grapefruit pith lingers on the palate.

Acceptable feel: medium-light body with moderate carbonation. This is probably the lesser aspect of this brew; the body could be a little fuller and the carbonation toned down.

Based on this brewery's reviews here I can't say I was expecting much but this one far exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations. Reviews seem to be all over the place, looks like I got a lucky good bottle. I'm picky when it comes to bitters as it's not one of my favourite styles but I think I'd honestly drink this one pretty often if I lived in Fredericton. I sampled three of their other offerings at the store and this one easily ends up as the highlight of the four Picaroons I've tried. I'm now wishing I picked up a few more of these...

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 03:48:07 | More by eat

spree92

New Brunswick (Canada)

2.65/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A heavy cooper color with red highlights. The head was heavily carbonated and sank into the glass rather quickly. A coating of foam and yeast lingered on the surface. A pungent smelling toffee nose, maybe some dried fruit as well. The hops were first on the scene but were quickly erased but malts, that are just not right. Burnt malt flavor make this bitter in the wrong sense. I need to say it just feels like the ingredients have been dirtied. Leaves a bad trace in the mouth, also dry and sticky.

Overall, I usually like what comes from the Picaroons Brewery, but this was a total miss.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 13:14:47 | More by spree92