My 'taste a new beer a week' resolution has been falling behind with this lurgy, today being the first day I've got some tastebuds back since the beginning of the week. Anyway I've been meaning to report on a bottle which I freely admit I bought entirely for the name - Gorge Best from Cheddar Ales in Somerset. It's a typically British bitter, all hefty and malty - not my favourite style, if truth be told* - but a classic of its kind. And even I would like it in - or with - a steak and ale pie or a rarebit.
The name though is ace, a joint allusion, of course, to the Cheddar Gorge and the great Georgie B (who I admire even tho' he played for Man U). Such jokey names are much more popular in beers than wines which leads me to wonder if beerdrinkers have a better sense of humour than winedrinkers? Or just take themselves less seriously?
* For a more sympathetic assessment, or possibly simply one unaffected by cold, read Roger Protz's tasting note here.
It's a democratisation thing. Beer can do this because it's a relatively unpretensious (ie cheap) drink. Wine does it too, with your fun everyday New World labels: Goats Do Roam and whatnot.
ReplyDeleteBut when you're shelling out £30+ for a bottle you don't want cheeky puns with that. And there's a tendency for the cheaper stuff to try and give the impression of being serious and expensive. It's the same in beer, only the top-price-bracket gear is much much rarer, especially in the UK. Long may that continue.
I agree with you about £30+ bottles but it's odd that there aren't more under £10 bottles with witty names and labels (Goats do Roam being one of the notable exceptions) The jokes just seem so much better with beer. I like the fact there aren't too many expensive beers as well although I noticed in NYC recently that bars and restaurants were charging a fair whack for it. They did have much better beer lists than the average British restaurant though.
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