Bumpy Lane

I have once mentioned our pub's special beer in this blog way back on Christmas Eve in 2007, but I think it is the only time I have done so. The Landlady pestered Lees for another beer to enhance her cask offering. The result was a dry hopped version of Lees Bitter which was named after the rutted lane which leads to the pub, hence Bumpy Lane. As an aside it was named after a competition for a name for the new beer, some of which had particular local meanings and allusions and were exceeded in their inappropriateness, only by their libellousness.

We had wondered if a change of licensee would bring an end to this unique little feature - and it is unique to our pub - I confirmed this with the Head Brewer yesterday - but no, it is still there and is selling well. I have never been a total convert to it, but I do enjoy a pint of it now and then. My way on a Sunday is to start slowly with a couple of pints of mild then move on to Bitter and I did so this Sunday too, but detected that tell tale taste that the bitter is nearing the end. Not enough to complain, but that slight loss in condition and very faint, but recognisable taste of "bottoms" where the beer is picking up a slight touch of the sedimented detritus of the cask conditioning process. So I switched to Bumpy Lane and this was a very good sample of it, with a distinct dry hoppiness which lifted the beer considerably. If you ever come to the THT, do try a side by side comparison.

So, things are shaping up nicely at the pub and a return of in form Bumpy is another good thing, as is the reappearance of the seasonal beer. Nice to see my local and new landlady Sarah, doing so well.

Bottoms refers to the lees at the bottom of the cask as a result of the secondary fermentation. It has no other connotation.