Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted Ale

...Bitter & Twisted from the Harviestoun Brewery.

This blind tasting is very different to how we do tasting for the Good Beer Guide. For that we know which beers and breweries we are sampling because we have to provide descriptions for those in our CAMRA branch region.

~~~THE BREWERY.

Harviestoun began brewing back in the early Eighties (some sources say it was 1984 and some 1985) in Dollar, Clackmannanshire ...
...you are searching for a Harviestoun beer you can now find them lurking around the country and not just in their native Scotland. I’ve tried their beers at Wetherspoons pubs, in local pubs around my area and at a number of Beer Festivals. It’s easier to get hold of them now that they are winning so many awards too. It’s also possible to get Bitter & Twisted bottled in supermarkets and some other of their beers via beer suppliers on the Net.
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It took me ages to write about last year’s Champion Beer of Britain. In fact its successor had been elected by the time I got round to it! This time I’m a bit more up to date and am even writing about Bitter and Twisted during the same YEAR that it was voted as the Champion Beer of Britain at the Great British Beer Festival.

~~~A BIT OF BACKGROUND.

Every year, at Olympia in London, a blind tasting panel taste and choose their favourite beer. They aren’t told which beer is which in the hope that they won’t be tempted to pick a beer from their favourite brewery, or that they have any preconceived notion of what the “best” beer should be. This year the panel chose a Scottish beer (for the second year running as it happens) and picked Bitter & Twisted from the Harviestoun Brewery.

This blind tasting is very different to how we do tasting for the Good Beer Guide. For that we know which beers and breweries we are sampling because we have to provide descriptions for those in our CAMRA branch region.

~~~THE BREWERY.

Harviestoun began brewing back in the early Eighties (some sources say it was 1984 and some 1985) in Dollar, Clackmannanshire ~ by a man called Ken Brooker. Mr Brooker began brewing as a hobby, but has since progressed to become a major award winning producer of beers that are famous throughout the UK (and well known around the world). The brewery can be found in an old dairy in the shadow of the Ochil Hills, not far from Stirling in Scotland.

If you are searching for a Harviestoun beer you can now find them lurking around the country and not just in their native Scotland. I’ve tried their beers at Wetherspoons pubs, in local pubs around my area and at a number of Beer Festivals. It’s easier to get hold of them now that they are winning so many awards too. It’s also possible to get Bitter & Twisted bottled in supermarkets and some other of their beers via beer suppliers on the Net.

The beers you will probably see most often include Schiehallion (a wonderful cask lager at 4.8% ABV), Old Engine Oil (a smooth chocolaty beer at 6% ABV) and Ptarmigan (an unusual 85 shilling beer at 4.5% ABV).

~~~THE AWARDS.

It’s not just me who likes this beer! As well as the 2003 Champion Beer of Britain, Bitter & Twisted has also been made Champion Beer of Scotland in both 1999 and 2003 and has won many awards at Beer Festivals around the Country.

~~~THE BEER.

***The vital statistics***

Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted weighs in at a modest 3.8% ABV and is brewed using Hersbrucker (from New Zealand and Germany), Challenger and Styrian Goldings (from Slovenia) hops. The Goldings hops are adding late into the brewing process to give the beer that lemon citrus twang that gives it the name “Twisted” ~ implying a “twist of lemon”!

****Aroma & Texture***

Bitter & Twisted is a golden coloured beer with a well defined light cream head. It is a clear crisp brew that is quite smooth in your mouth. For a beer of this low alcohol content it is surprisingly creamy and rich. The aroma is pleasantly hoppy and slightly bitter, with a good balance of maltiness and a little fruit. There is a hint of citrus too, giving you a hint of the lemon twist that is to come!

***The Taste***

Bitter & Twisted is, not surprisingly, predominantly bitter! There is, however, much more to it than that. You will find a mix of maltiness, hops and a slight flowery flavour, together with a mild fruitiness and a caramel sweetness. This leads on to a finish that has a bitter lemon kick and a sharp dry aftertaste. There is a good balance of flavours in Bitter & Twisted that is refreshing and crisp.

***Tange’s Ponderings***

I can see why Bitter & Twisted is as well received as it is. It’s not often that a “Session Ale” has such complexity and texture. It is bitter without being overpowering and there is a light fruitiness that makes it easy and pleasing to drink. I love the fact that it isn’t too strong and find that it is a good choice to have with food while out during a lunchtime.

There is a nice sharpness to Bitter & Twisted that is often lacking in weaker beers, as is the medium body. I am really pleased that it’s working its way into pubs throughout the UK and I hope that it will continue to remain popular even when a new Champion Beer has been crowned in 2004.

We have had Bitter & Twisted at Beer Festivals (this year at Chesterfield, Burton and Cromford) and at several of the pubs around Chesterfield and the surrounding area. At Beer Festivals we usually have paid £2.00 a pint (it usually comes in halves though) and anything from £1.80 a pint to £2.15 a pint (at The Star on Chatsworth Road, Brampton, Chesterfield). As with anything the quality can vary from pub to pub, but generally it seems to be a beer that travels well and keeps in good condition (providing the cellar person knows how to keep Cask Ales).

I do hope you get a chance to try Bitter & Twisted! It’s well worth seeking out and is a fine example of a bitter beer. It is a beer that will suit a variety of tastes and even impressed me as a person who tends to favour darker beers like Milds and Stouts. It may even be a beer that those who generally go for lager because it isn’t too heavy and has a lighter dry flavour.

Go on, give it try…you’ll be all Bitter if you don’t!

Brewery details:

Harviestoun Brewery Ltd,
Devon Road,
Dollar,
Clackmannanshire,
FK14 7LX
Scotland

Tel : 01259 742141, Fax : 01259 743141

(I can’t get access to any details of a website, but beers can be bought via several websites.)

***The title is in honour of a friend of mine who tried to order a pint of this at the end of a rather long night in a pub…you should have seen the mess he got into trying to order a pint of Schiehallion!****
 

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