BREWER: Lyme Regis Brewery, Dorset, England

STYLE: Best Bitter

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle 

TWITTER: @LymeRegisBrew 

INSTAGRAM: lymeregisbrewery

DATE OF POST: 13th February 2023

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Without naming any names (Great Yarmouth, Bournemouth), some British seasides are a bit shit. I was speaking to someone from eastern Europe the other day and they mentioned that until recently they thought British seaside towns were just a bit shabby… until they visited the west country. The tucked away bays of Devon and Cornwall blew her away.

Now our beer today is brewed out that way. More specifically, Lyme Regis in Dorset (I know Bournemouth is in Dorset as well but the West and East are very different beasts).

Lyme Regis is pretty idyllic. Epic views due to the steep decent down to the coastline as well as a lot of the trading being fairly independent and local.

And so we come to Town Mill Best. Instantly I was in two minds over the packaging. I like the colour. I really like the art. But all coming together as a label for a bottle of beer… I wasn’t so sure.

This brew is very smooth indeed, and tastes great to be fair with flashes of caramel and berries, but is lacking a touch of body and length towards the end. Don’t get me wrong, the ultimate aftertaste is pretty nice but the thinning out on the tongue prior does let TMB down.

In no way will you ever be disappointed by this beer but the chances of you rushing home to wake your sleeping partner to tell them about it are… slim.

Jymi’s Rating: 70%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

A best bitter should be, as promised, best. It’s in the name. 

So, it goes without saying, whenever one’s on the menu, I quite look forward to it. 

They should speak of the quality of the brew from a brewery. They’re a representative if you like. They’re a diplomat. They stand for what the brewery is aspiring to. 

We can sum up, then, that a best bitter best be good. 

Town Mill Best, I’m pleased to say, delivers. 

While it has nothing that’s original or gimmicky, it’s just all round good. Or as you might like to say, it’s best (but not quite). 

You see, while it ticks all the boxes, TMB has no USP. That doesn’t bother me. Not in the slightest. 

Why doesn’t it?

Well, it’s a damn good beer. It doesn’t need to have a USP. It just needs to be enjoyed whenever you want to enjoy a beer. 

And, therefore, my friends, TMB is a success. 

Sammy’s Rating: 82%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 76%

MOB review next weekend: ANCIENT LANDS by LEFT HANDED GIANT

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

Twitter: @museonbooze

Instagram: muse.on.booze

museonbooze.com