Oh crud. This is going to get complex now...
As some will know, I've recently been seeking help of the
illuminati to get a better bitter recipe and method; having self-diagnosed my first couple of expeditions into full-grain territory (the Timmy Taylor Landlord recipe from the CAMRA book) as 'drinkable, but a but lacking in body and character'.
So...
I've just been down the local for the first time since it re-opened, and they happened to have the 'proper' Timmy Taylor Landlord on. Brilliant! Time for a chance to taste what it should
really be like.
OK on the first sip I was saying to myself -
"OK yes, actually I'm not displeased: my homebrew version isn't a million miles away from this..."
Then I had proper mouthful and tasted it properly. Then I was saying
"Oh... Ah... fair enough, the mouthfeel of this is a ton better, it just feels thicker and there are flavour notes that mine just doesn't have."
But...
After having enjoyed the first pint, I thought I'd have another. But I really couldn't bring myself to finish it. What on the first pint had seemed like a mouth-filling softness now felt like I was trying to dink liquid gelatine. Worse, on the way home those 'extra' flavours not present in my own version started to taste a bit like I'd been sucking on an old firework rocket... suddenly (no kidding) I was thinking that what I'd previously labelled about my home brewed version as 'thin' and 'lacking in character' was now something was craving as
'clean' and
'refreshing'
Aaaaargh! What's happening!! Is this just a sign of badly-kept pub ale, or is that elusive pub pint better in the imagination than in the glass...
