Buckleys Bitter Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A very interesting experience, I believe the bottle has undergone some lacto secondary... opening the bottle gave a whiff of pungeant cheese.... not promising. My mate reckoned it was off... I thought "yeah maybe" but pressed on anyway... After a couple of minutes to let the offness aromas dissipate, it poured amber with a good frothy head... Faint notes of stinky cheese / off milk... but supplanted with pineapple, herbs (sage ?), cedar tones... I don't care what's happened to it in-bottle... the nose is very interesting, and worth pondering.... The flavour is a complex mix.... subtle buttermilk and acid tang gives support to the lacto theory.... but this is more than balanced by the strong essential oil elements... Cineol/eucalyptol.... tea tree oil.... some green weed notes, and an overall effect of Swedish/Campari bitters. Plus some good malt profile.... More bitter than your classic English bitter... a beer for hop lovers... and also for "wild" beer lovers, depending on bottle condition.