Wapping Baltic Gold

ABV: 3.9%
Origin: Liverpool, Merseyside, England
Website: http://www.wappingbeers.co.uk

Originally published in BEER October 2007 as part of a review of that year’s Champion Bottle Conditioned Beer of Britain winners. For more see previous posts.

Wapping Baltic Gold

One beer bucked the dark trend among this year’s medallists, and from an unfamiliar name that prompted a few puzzled looks among the assembled scribbling experts at the GBBF awards ceremony. Bronze winner Wapping is the modest microbrewery at the historic Baltic Fleet pub on Liverpool’s regenerated dockside which for the past six years has mainly brewed cask for the pub – bottling is a new activity, accomplished by hand straight from the fermenters.

Baltic Gold is a light golden hoppy beer with shades of a US craft-brewed pale, in sharp contrast to the stouts but also of impressive quality. There’s a lovely creamy, slightly floury malt and nettly hop aroma – it’s a single hop, but brewer Stan Shaw prefers not to say which.

The palate is crisp and almost Riesling-like, slightly salty with rich vegetal and resiny hop flavours turning bitter in the mouth, with a gentle condition like a fresh draught pint. A refreshing swallow leads to a lemony finish that turns bitter and peppery over soft, juicy malt.

Stan and owner Simon Holt were as surprised as anyone to see their beer emerging triumphant among such well-known names, but it well deserves its placing. And it’s reassuring too that a blind-tasted competition like the Champion Beer of Britain can turn up talented newcomers regardless of style.

Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/wapping-baltic-gold/71242/