Butcombe: Adam Henson’s Rare Breed (England: Bitter: 4.2% ABV)
Visual: Clear gold still body, small dash of white head that leaves white sud trails.
Nose: Light lemon and slightly fresh. Lime jelly.
Body: Lime jelly. Light hop bitterness and a touch of raspberry ripple ice cream. Wheaty hops. Dry feel and taste. Toffee.
Finish: Lime jelly. Smooth thick feel left. Light bitterness. Some wheatiness. Toffee.
Conclusion: Back to real ale, and back to Butcombe, which I never can work out how to correctly pronounce. Anyway, if you have had a Butcombe beer already then you should have a rough idea what to expect here texture wise. It is slightly slick and syrup touched with wheaty hops. Here the beers twist it to match it with light bitterness and lime jelly like flavours.
Pretty inoffensive. The light bitterness and toffee character makes for a beer that does not push any elements that will put people off. There’s an unusual raspberry ripple like element that is quite sweet mid body which is the biggest swerve from style expectations. Over time the lime jelly can get a bit strong and overly sickly, but for the most part it works fine and the beer isn’t bad.
It’s one of those beers that it is hard to get excited or annoyed about. It is pleasant enough and not hard to drink, but doesn’t quite balance the flavours right. I can enjoy unbalanced beer but usually they bring a wow factor with them, which this one does not.
So, you know, it’s a beer and not the best or worst one that exists.
Background: So who is Adam Henson I asked. Some rugby player I was told and then mocked for my lack of pop culture knowledge. Well I looked it up and Adam Henson is actually a farmer and TV presenter. Which makes sense, and just goes to show that just because someone is a smart arse doesn’t mean they are right. Also don’t trust people, they are lying liars who don’t like to admit they don’t know. Joking aside this is a beer that was tried at the Pig and Fiddle, an ok bar but not one of my favourites. Also one tied to the Butcombe brewery so tends to have their stuff on tap. Not done much real ale recently, will have to rectify that.
