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Bass is supposedly the best-known British ale in the world. I wouldn't know about that as I only live in a little part of it. However, it's hard to not come across it in pubs and off-licenses hereabouts, and when I came across it in the pub a couple of weeks ago (not literally of course), I promptly ordered myself a pint, and even promptlier, drunk the bast...bass.

You can always tell a Bass beer by its distinctive red triangle symbol (the first registered trade-mark in the UK apparently), that and the fact BASS is scrolled in gold lettering slap bang across the middle of the black label.

Bass has been brewed in Burton-on-Trent, England, since 1777...so if they haven't got it right by now, they never will. Nowadays though, like so many other beers, Bass is under the control of the giant multi-national Interbrew conglomerate.

THEY SAY:
"It is brewed with two strains of yeast to produce a complex nutty, malty taste with subtle hop undertones, which has widespread appeal to repertoire drinkers."

BASS pours a bright, reddish-amber colour which is topped by tight, off-white, foamy head that lasts all day and deposits a hefty amount of lace on the glass.

The aroma is buttery, malty - with a prominent flavour of caramel - with a good floral hop tone and some earthiness. There's also the slightest metallic edge to the aroma.

As for taste, it's medium-to-full bodied, with a pleasantly smooth mouth feel and just enough carbonation to keep it interesting. The malt doesn't transfer from the nose to the palate all that well, mainly some caramel and toasted grain notes. It's quite hoppy, with lots of earthy and flowery tones, but the malt stages a bit of a comeback towards the end with a slight nuttiness before it finishes on the dry side, with a hint of mustiness in the aftertaste.
All in all, pretty well balanced.



At 4.4% ABV, this is a classic session ale from perhaps the capital of session ale brewing cites.
This is a very good beer which is both delicate and complex, but doesn't have any pretensions about being anything other than what it is. That being so, this is an excellent beer for washing down traditional British pub grub - fish-n-chips, steak pie, bangers-n-mash or chicken tikka masala. But, I wouldn't worry if you're not too hungry, it's also a great beer for just knocking back and enjoying good company down the pub.


Would I drink it again? - I'd be a stupid Bass not to.

Learn more about this author, Andrew H Brown.
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