Day 48, Beer 48 - Meantime's "London Pale Ale"

Today's Beer

Name – London Pale Ale

Brewer – Meantime

Classification – Pale Ale (Wouldn't you know!)

Strength – 4.3% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Brassy and bright. Vivid, almost luminescent.

On the nose – Quite unique. Rich, buttery and addictive. (To be painfully frank, I couldn't stop sniffing the stuff.)

On the tongue – Faintest caramels, but mostly a lemon dominant citrus/floral theme.

On the subject – The Meantime brand is growing fast. Last year alone they opened two new breweries. 'Greed is good, greed works'.... Well, it certainly does if this beer is anything to go by.

On the market – Due in part to a string of global awards, word is catching on outside of the Big Smoke. However, online is still the best option for most – look no further than the brewery itself.

On the whole – 8/10

Full Review

I would have liked more time with this beer.

The 330ml bottle size put pay to that.

However, the fact is that Meantime Brewery also happen to produce monumental 750ml versions of their London Porter and India Pale Ale (reviews of both are coming soon) so I've decided I'm not going dwell on the old 'size matters' issue on this particular occasion.

I shall dwell on it again, though. Mark my ire-filled words!

Anyhow, the simple truth is that this is a beautiful drink, and any amount of it – however small – will tell you as much in no uncertain terms.

There's an immediacy to almost every aspect of this beer. The liveliness of the richly floral aroma, the almost frenetic intricacy of the citrus/biscuit flavour mix, even the intensity and vibrancy of the colour – there's a palpable urgency and a vividness in pretty much every sense.

I like the idea of various regions of the world – of whatever size or reputation – laying claim to their own version of a pale ale. Apart from anything else, there's something irresistibly competitive about it – and I think it can only be good for beer and its drinkers for there to be a pinch of healthy rivalry plopped into the brewers mix. Competition is nearly always productive and constructive, and it provides creative minds with an extra gear.

Meantime found at least seventh gear when they created this gem.

An ethereal, robust, sharply focussed beer.

A witty blend of beauty and aggression.

Very London.

Very good.