The Crown-St. Austell Proper Job

Yesterday, while back in Belfast for the Black Cab Tours, which show you around the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods at the epicenter of the Troubles back in the later half of the 20th century, I had the pleasure of making it to one of the most famous pubs in Northern Ireland. It dates back to Victorian Times and has one of the most beautifully decorated interiors of any pub I have seen. It boasted a wide selection of beers and specializes in gin based drinks too, but as you can probably guess I opted for a nice cask-conditioned brew.

St. Austell's beer, poured on cask, is a nice golden color with a half finger, dense, white head. It has a decently strong aroma of hay, grass, mango, and sweet marshmallow, which combine to make an interesting mix of old school and newer hops. Like the other cask brews I've tried it enters the mouth very softly with the standard low carbonation. The taste is very piney, but does have a hint of tropical flavors like mango. Soon the resiny pine character takes over completely, but a hint of maltiness finds its place at the end before a decently bitter, medium dry finish. It left a beautiful lacing on the glass and was a nice enjoyable pint, fairly similar to some of the other IPAs I've had recently.