BREWER: Theakston, North Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle 

TWITTER: @Theakston1827

INSTAGRAM: theakstonbrewery

DATE OF POST: 31.07.2020

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Well, from my day’s on holiday in the Channel Islands I seem to remember after a busy day at the beach me and me Pop heading to grab a take away but somehow being sidetracked by a boozer en route… and on the way back too, to be fair. Options were limited over there and as a bitter drinker in the early 90s he pretty much was faced with the choice of Theakston Best or Bass. I however was impressing the chicks and swigging Fosters Ice!!! Wow.

Now when he opted for Theakston I always asked for a sly sip because that beautiful black label that their Best did don just seemed so inviting and to me, as a wee boy summed up what Northern British Bitter should taste like. Because I was well versed in British brewing at a very young age

Once faced with this Theakston Pale to review I have to be honest I began to panic a little. Firstly it wasn’t the Best Bitter I remembered from day’s gone by (that isn’t the beer’s fault) and the label and packaging generally was nowhere near the genius that I remembered from my youth. Why oh why was that incredible Black and yellow label nowhere to be seen?

Upon entering the bottle the nose instantly disappointed. Dull, faint and uninspiring. I then revisited the bottle label to remind myself what I should have been expecting from this brew. Hefty zing is mentioned but not found in nose or mouth. There is no zing whatsoever. There is a malty backbone to this Pale but it really is nothing to get excited about. The faint bitter aftertaste to be fair was pretty good but other than that I can’t help but feel disappointed by this offering from this North Yorkshire household name.

Jymi’s Rating: 46%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

It strikes me that some things in life are middle of the road. And, if we all really thinking about it, it’s the way it’s got to be. Not everything could be exceptional because if it were, then exceptional would cease to exist and middle of the road would just be a higher standard. And of course, then you’d have nothing that was below par either. A bit of a ramble I know, but, you see, Theakston’s Pale Ale is just that. It’s middle of the road. It has no USP. It doesn’t do much – in any department. But it doesn’t offend either. It’s just a non-event.

Now, I think that this is a deliberate ploy by Theakston’s. I think they wanted this pale ale to be middle of the road. Because, middle of the road sells. It doesn’t divide the crowd. It’s easy to drink and people settle for it for that reason.

But me, I like beer to have more of a personality. I like it to be a little different. It doesn’t have to be out there. It just needs to have something about it. Watery might wash me but it doesn’t wash with me. And that’s what this is. It’s bland. Old school, but in a bad way. Not in a hip, trendy revival way.

I bet you can all imagine what this pale ale might be right? And I’d say that most of you would be spot on. So, if you want that vibe go for it. But not me, I want something more.

Sammy’s Rating: 63%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 54.5%

 

MOB review next weekend: NO.3 by TETLEY’S

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