As summer began to wind down, a new arrival on Ontario beer shelves brought a wide smile to my face. It was an ale I first tried several years ago when a group of British brewers came to town to explore the export potential of my home marketplace. Back then, I didn't know it had already begun the remarkable winning streak that has garnered it one award after another. I just knew that it was a damn good beer.
Coincidentally, Summer Lightning from the Hop Back Brewery of Wiltshire, England, added yet another pair of awards to its burgeoning arsenal just before its Ontario retail debut - Champion Strong Bitter and runner-up for the Champion Beer of Britain at the 2001 Great British Beer Festival. High praise indeed.
And deserved praise. This bottle-conditioned golden ale -- part of a new wave of pale-hued best bitters -- has a marvellously fragrant aroma derived in the main from the East Kent Goldings that make up the entirety of the beer's hop content. In the body, there is a hint of flowery sweetness preceding a lightly fruity body with notes of orange blossoms, dried leaf, faint caramel and a rising bitterness. The taste concludes with a dry, firm hit of hoppy bitterness and a whisper of alcohol.
Summer Lightening it may well be called, but I have a feeling I'll be drinking this excellent ale well into winter.
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