St. Peter's Brewery
Bungay, Suffolk, England
Independent
Strong Ale 4.2% ABV Green Glass Bottle 500 ml
$4.00 (Canadian) At LCBO
Twitter: @StPetersBrewery
These days is seems as everyone is rushing to put out their own gluten free "beer." I put beer in quotation marks because, the definition of beer does not include sorghum in the accepted ingredients list, it is still a bit of an outlander. This will of course be changed in due course. I outlined in another Gluten free beer post some of the difficulties one American brewer had trying to produce a gluten free drink. Due to strict US law saying there must be a minimum percentage of barley in every beer produced in the US for it to be called beer. Read about how Lakefront Brewery's overcame these issues HERE. Until legislation changes most gluten free "beers" are still being labeled as "Alcoholic Beverages," and tonight's beer is no exception. Plus, once we are allowed to call this product a beer, there will need to be some guidelines on gluten free styles. and it may come down to ingredients (I.E. sorghum, grape must, fruit juices, teff, etc.) and other adjuncts. It will be a process. Then, there will be an inevitable diversification until we get stouts and lagers and Belgian trippels. Until then we have this smattering of gluten free beers.
St. Peter's is an English brewery with a difference. Founded in 1996 It is best known for its bottle shape... reminiscent of a 19th century bottle. The brewery has made s commitment to preserving the "old ways" of brewing beer. Working with flavours that have fallen out of favour, or regular use by brewers, and a few styles that haven't necessarily been seen lately. Tonight's beer was first
introduced in August of 2007 and has won several medals and commendations around the world....
Enough background. .. let's get on with the (gluten free) tasting.
Light gold in colour with a frothy white head of little substance comprised mainly of medium to large bubbles. Head disapears almost completely before first sip. Carbonation is high, bubbles cling to the side of the glass not unlike a carbonated soft drink. Aroma is sweet, apple, citrus, and hops. Light scent of flowers and herbs. First sip gives us jumbo citrus flavour, lots of orange, and zest. There is a light taste of green apple from the sorgham. Slight medicinal orange taste from the amarillo hops, and the aftertaste is bitter orange peel. Aeration brings out the green apple.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 6/5 PASS
Beer Style: N/A
Re-Order: 6/5 PASS
Experience: 6/5 PASS
Final Thoughts
Of all the Gluten free "Beer" (alcoholic beverages), this is by far the one that tastes most like beer. There is hops and good fruity flavour. However I do find it slightly out of balance, and the pithy bitter orange peel at the end can sometimes sour the taste. Good for gin, but not always a good match for beer. Still very high marks from a great brewery, please do try.
Cheers
CJT
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