Royal Brat

So my two favorite breweries decided to get together and do a collaboration. Three Floyd's came down to Indy during Gencon and got together with Sun King for an English Style Bitter. Since I just got back from the UK, the land of the bitters, I figured I should do a review.

Royal Brat is sold in 4 packs of 16 ounce cans. It's 4.7% ABV and 55 IBUs. It was released the weekend of the CANvitational.

It pours out a nice dark golden color. It smells like English hops and biscuit malts with a hint of caramel. The head is light cream colored and really dissipates quickly, much like UK Bitters. It leaves a nice bit of lacing at the top.

I have a new found appreciation for this beer after running around the UK last week. The beer in the UK is great, but it's all very traditional. Royal Brat has some seriously traditional flavors, but where most of the bitters I had in London left it as is, this one ratchets it all up a bit. The flavors are bolder and more in your face and that's no easy feat with a 4.7 ABV beer. The hop character is very smooth but has a nice bitter back end that sits in the back of your throat after you swallow. With a very light and bready malt character, the hops really have an oppertunity to shine.

I've seen a lot of mixed reviews about this one online. I think people were expecting a really big beer from a creative duo like Sun King and FFF, but this one is relaxed and nuanced. Also, remember its basically a session beer, and the lower alcohol beers tend to have much lighter malt flavor.

Haters gonna hate, but I think its a solid 3.5

O-Dawg:  Some of us didn't get a chance to refine our pallets on UK bitters... From an "unrefined" pallet used to all that is American I dug the hell out of Royal Brat!  Crazy drinkable!  Paired with enough hops and malt to keep me interested in a long drinking session.  The low ABV's will help you out when having to drive  call a cab to get home after that long drinking session. An astonished 3.5!

Picadilly Circus

If you haven't been to the Union Brewing Company in Carmel lately you're missing out big time. Since opening these guys have gone from one house beer to three or four. They have a great selection of some unique bombers in their beer fridge for purchase. They have added a beautiful outdoor seating area that backs up to the Monon Trail and now they are grilling brats and burgers depending on the day.

But the real reason that you're missing out is because you are missing their awesome cask ales. The Picadilly Pale was one of my favorites, that is until they released the Picadilly Circus just recently. Picadilly Circus is an ESB done in the traditional English fashion with EKG, Challenger and Target hops. For those of you who haven't had an ESB, it's a Pale Ale somewhere between a standard pale and an IPA as far as hops go.

Picadilly Circus is just like the Picadilly Pale but they added a metric shit ton of Indiana honey. This jacked its ABV up, it had a 7.2% abv, which is totally more my speed.

The beer comes out a golden straw yellow color with that slow, foamy white head that you get from cask ales. It has a nice herbal earthy aroma and the honey fits in perfectly sweetening the smell. The ESB has tangy hops that have a nice consistant bitterness. The hops are balanced out so well by the sweetness of the extra honey and just a hint of boozy heat. It has some great notes of toffee and honey with a nice bready backbone. The cask gives it that nice silky smooth mouth feel that I love.

The Picadilly Circus is smooth and drinkable for an ESB with an amped up ABV. If you haven't checked out the UBC lately you are missing out.

I give it a 4

Bitter Druid ESB

I have been pretty interested in the Bitter Druid ESB for a while. There is a sign hanging in Sun King Brewery for Wee Mac, Cream Ale, Osiris and Bitter Druid... but Bitter Druid isn't in cans and has not been on tap since I have been checking them out on a regular basis. It was always like some sort of mythical legend.

I love a nice ESB. (extra special bitter) An ESB is a pale ale somewhere between your average pale ale and an IPA. It is hopped up but not to the same intensity as the IPA. It also tends to have English hops used instead of the more citrus flavored American hops. It is a very popular English style, but often overlooked here in the states. The bitter druid exactly what it sets out to be. It is a solid, very drinkable pub beer. It is 5.3% abv, so not quite session-able  but still not a high alcohol content. It has 50 IBUs. This gives it a solid bitterness without being overpowering.

It pours out a dark orangeish brown, (I posted two pictures because it really did lighten up when you looked at it through the window) It is very clear. The beer is light to medium bodied, which works out well when you are trying to finish a growler. It had a light herbal hop aroma with some pretty heavy bready scents... really it smells like beer. It tastes sweet and caramely with bready malt flavors. There is a nice toffee body to it. After all that, it has a wonderful sweet bitterness. It is most likely an English hops, because it more of a herbal earthy flavor instead of the normal Sun King tropical / citrus fruit flavors.

This is a light and easy drinking beer. I think sometimes I overlook beers when they are too classic or a normal abv. I am trying to expose myself to more well done sessionable beers (or almost sessionable beers). I think it is important not to just look at the crazy big beers. I would love it if SK started canning this and selling it on a regular basis.

Great beer, glad I finally got to try it. I give it a 4

O-Dawg:
Slight molasses, spice nose.  Light body, crisp finish.
Solid 3