In a recent tasting, Zak Avery compared Sharp’s Chalky’s Bite to Koelsch, which spurred us on to open the last bottle of a case we were given as a gift a year ago. In Zak’s honour, we drank it from Koelsch glasses.
We pretty quickly decided that we didn’t really see any similarity although we take Zak’s point about the cold conditioning of top-fermented beer.
What we also noted was that it had aged beautifully. It was nice enough fresh, but after a year mellowing in the ‘cellar’ (garage), it knocked us for six. Without a fresh one for comparison, it’s hard to say what had changed, but our feeling was that it had lost some bitterness, become rounder and less brash — like a classy Belgian blonde.
We’d be interested to hear any suggestions for other British beers, apart from the usual suspects, that age well.
9 replies on “Chalky's Bite Improves with Age”
Excellent news – I’ve got one knocking around my ‘cellar’ too. I’ve not too many British bottles aging, but the Thornbridge Saint Petersburg from 2005 are doing fine and dandy.
I’ve got a thirty-odd year old bottle of Taylor’s Landlord, which still seems to be airtight. I’m dying to taste it.
Summer’s evenings in the Malzmuhle Brauerei…fresh 0.2l glasses of crisp, cool Koelsch brought to the table every ten minutes whether you ask or not…a giant, crisp-skin Schweinehaxe on the plate…a man could give up Steal Pies for this!
…or STEAK pies (sorry: just salivating at the thought of Schweinehaxe!)
When I last tasted Chalky’s Bite, at the brewery (and, incidentally, while sitting next to Zak Avery!) I absolutely loved it. When I first had it a year or so ago I hadn’t really taken to it, but I think you have to take the beer as its intended – as something special, unusual and particularly well suited to pairing with seafood.
Joos – don’t give up steak pie! It’s what makes you who you are.
TIW — I had a thirty year old bottle of bitter at a mates house a few years ago (his nan had cleared out the pantry and found it at the back) and it was disgusting. Despite a tight seal, it sweated down to about two thirds of its original volume, developed a powerful Marmite flavour, and smelled like sweaty socks.
I have some Guinness and Pilsner Urquel from the 40’s . I wont be tasting them though. There are beer that are meant to age and those that are not.
Chalky’s Bite is a very nice beer. Liked it instantly. I found it a nice, warm spring summer drink, although don’t remember when I last had a warm spring summer feeling.
Does anybody know if they will be producing any more Honey Spiced Wheat Beer?
That was the thing they did for the Sainsbury’s beer festival, right? I think we had it but I don’t recall whether we thought it was any good. Either that or its still lurking in the back of a box somewhere.