Day 61, Beer 61 - Wadworth's "Farmers Glory"

Today's Beer

Name – Farmers Glory

Brewer – Wadworth

Classification – Premium ale

Strength – 4.7% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Deep, sumptuous rosewood.

On the nose – Cereals like never before. Cereal-zilla!

On the tongue – Traditional bitter with an emphasis those wonderfully rich cereals.

On the subject – "Locally sourced (Wiltshire) barley" sets the tone for this bold and characterful beer.  Well, wherever the barley came from, it certainly makes the difference.

On the market – The Wadworth message is growing beyond that of just their mighty 6X. Even so, the brewery's own shop is a perfect place to buy.

On the whole – 7.5/10

Full Review

Sometimes, in moments of divine inspiration, breweries give their beers exactly the right name.

This is one of those beers.

Firstly, the word 'glory' is used, and that is the proverbial 'nail-on-head' use of the term.

Secondly, and perhaps even more apt, is the use of the word 'farmer', because this ale takes you right onto the farmer's land, among the rows of swaying crops, which border wildflower meadows rimmed with hawthorn and blackberry bushes.

There's no hiding from it - this drink is simply packed with cereals in a way only Kellogg's could compete with.

There's a citrus sweetness, too, to lift the malt up from the earth and into the trees, and a fulsome bitterness from the hops completes the nature-infused appeal of the brew.

There's something knowingly traditional about what Wadworth bring to the marketplace – and I can sense the many generations of farmers (as well as all the other varieties of working folk) savouring this beer at the end of the long day's grind.

There's a spiced orange/aniseed twang to the finish, and a trace of oriental black bean sauce on the nose, but these are the only real hints of any modern-day tinkering. These extra character features work wonderfully, without ever taking centre stage.

Centre stage is taken by those swaying crops and those wildflower meadows...this beer evokes these images as clearly as a liquid ever could.

Halfway through the glass, I felt like I was actually there. I could almost detect those barley ears tapping softly together in the warm summer breeze...

Clever little beer!