First published in BEER September 2006 as part of a page marking the publication of the latest Good Bottled Beer Guide. For more beers featured on this page, see previous post.
ABV: 4.2 per cent
Origin: Horsham, Sussex, England
Website www.suthwykales.com
Contract brewing is sometimes viewed with suspicion, but if it’s honestly done there are many advantages for the would-be bottler, not least of which is finding a well-equipped and experienced contractor who can be relied upon to ensure your brands are bottled at their best. And they don’t come much more reliable than Hepworth & Co, the discreet collaborator in several excellent brands marketed by others.
Hepworth customer Suthwyk Ales may not actually brew the beer bearing its name but still has a special claim to its provenance – the Optic barley used in the grist is grown at its own farm on Portsdown Hill, Southwick (“Suthwyk” is the local pronunciation), overlooking Portsmouth Harbour.
Liberation, another GBBG starred beer, earns its name partly from its status as a single hop brew containing only US Liberty hops, but also nods to Eisenhower and Montgomery, who planned the D-Day landings from nearby Southwick House. Thanks to the wonders of Photoshop, they’re depicted on the label inspecting a Suthwyk bottle.
The beer itself is a rich warm golden with a sparse, sticky sediment, a good white head and a fragrant, slightly sweetish pineapple aroma. The smooth, clean, dry palate has a subtle blackcurrant leaf note and a drying bite of hops.
There’s more blackcurrant in a light, refreshing finish that turns quite bitter and peppery, though staying supremely quaffable. An international compliment in the best possible taste.
For more beers featured in the Good Bottled Beer Guide 2006 see next post.
Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/suthwyk-liberation/38409/
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