BamfBeer Blog

I had occasion to spend some time in New England recently, and my father-in-law Mike found this beer called “St. Peter’s”. He had bought their cream stout, porter, and english ale, and we tried all of them.

I liked the english ale the best. It had a hop flavor to it that I liked, but was kind of annoying to me because I couldn’t place the hops to save my life. They certainly weren’t cascade hops (which I wouldn’t really expect from a UK-brewed english ale), but I didn’t think they were fuggles or goldings or any of the more predictable hops either. It still bugs me that I couldn’t figure out what they were, but I’ve never touted my skills as a beer connoiseuer anyway. I can’t even spell the word. I’m a beer enthusiast, and I can pick out certain hops and some of the more popular grain bill ingredients, but that’s it so far.

Anyway, aside from the hoppiness, the beer is marked by a rather long-lasting, somewhat astringent aftertaste. The only way I know to describe it is that it tastes a lot like a brand new tennis ball smells. It wasn’t a strong enough aftertaste to keep me from drinking several 16.9oz bottles of the stuff, but again, it was the fact that I had no idea what accounted for the flavor that bothered me.

The first porter I tried had absolutely zero carbonation and the flavor and mouthfeel both suffered, presumably as a result of the flatness. I concluded that after trying another one, which had not lost its fizz, and it was pretty good. It’s unusual for me to like a beer that has such a small hop presence, and this isn’t a beer I’d seek out in a liquor store, but it’s not bad.

Cream stouts are not my favorite beers, and the St. Peter’s offering is a well made cream stout that I don’t like for no other reason than because it’s a cream stout, and I don’t really like cream stouts. Occasionally, a well-timed cream stout can make for a nice substitute for “death by chocolate mousse”, and the few times where that substitution has been made in my life, I’ve enjoyed it, and would enjoy this beer in that role. Summertime in New England, however, is not the best time for any cream stout.

In short, I think St. Peter’s brewery makes good beers, and I think that the three covered here are not only excellent representatives of their respective styles, I think they all offer something interesting to the beer enthusiast while still managing not to offend.

That said, I’d like to try some of the more interesting brews they have shown on their website (http://www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk). Grapegruit, Lemon Ginger and Spiced Ale sound particularly interesting.