Old Dairy Brewery - AK 1911

AK 1911, AKA Historic Kentish Bitter, AAKA a throwback to a time long long ago where the local pub was not going out of business, when hops were the ONLY crop grown in Kent, when your local policeman would join you for a pint before giving you a clip around the ear for apple scrumping. AK 1911 looks exactly how bitter SHOULD look, I'm not sure I even care what it tastes like anymore because the pour is just picture perfect, the head is frothy enough to write your name in and it's that kind of translucent dark brown that happens to be that exact shade of brown that beer bottle sweets used to be before the idiots in charge decided that beer bottle sweets were sending the wrong message. Oh yeah, people in charge?! I bet chocolate cigarettes were a bad idea too?! Now who looks ridiculous?!

Anyway! It smells mellow yet hoppy and yeasty... You know, Those things you need to make beer! It may sound obvious but it's sometimes hard to get a beer smelling like hops and yeast in a pleasurable way, there are so many variations within the brewing process now that I would claim that it's harder to make a pint like this than it is to make something that tastes like honey. I recently made a pilsner that tastes like biscuits. Did I mean to do that? Heck no! But it happened! Point proven!

Now that is a smooth and heart warming bitter, a true reminder of how bitter can be. I like mine slightly chilled and I think that's definitely helped this along though I imagine this would be gorgeous at room temperature in winter too. Right now it's soft and refreshing with hints of beer bottle sweets I mentioned earlier, which is helped along by that trademark milky body but in the winter I can imagine sitting down with this and being comforted by its warming hop fizz.

This county was built on 3 things: Chaucer, Fuggles and Goldings and no-one really gives a fig about that first one because hops are the only things that matter. I sit here and drink AK 1911 and I feel proud to be Kentish. I don't think any beer has made me feel like that before.

Warning: Contains sediment like real beer.

Food suggestion: Pork scratchings would be my first port of call but any other example of pub grub would be acceptable. Best consumed whilst surrounded by exposed wooden beams, hanging hops and old bearded men telling tales about shaggy dogs.

Drink this if you like: Nostalgia.