David Brockington's Tasting Notebook

Wharf Rat Special Bitter

The Wharf Rat Camden Yards Brewpub
206 West Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD
(410) 244-8900

Initial Impressions:

The Wharf Rat brewpub is teasingly located roughly across the street from the beautiful Camden Yards ballpark. Camden Yards is definitely not a stadium; the appellation "park" is far more appropriate in describing this particular cathedral. Seattle may be blessed with an abundance of good beer, but we are several years away, with luck, from having anything remotely close to Camden Yards hosting our nine.

We visited the Wharf Rat immediately following our stop at Baltimore Brewing Company (which has an excellent pilsner). We couldn't have visited two completely different brewpubs while in Baltimore. BBC is a (predominantly) lager brewery serving up a distinctly German fare in a spacious facility with high ceilings. The Wharf Rat features an intimate environment specializing on English ales (and the concomitant food). The Wharf Rat utilizes the controversial Ringwood yeast, which in the hands of a lesser brewer tends to produce an overwhelming amount of diacetyl. The Wharf Rat features several cask-conditioned ales, which is always a treat when done properly. In addition to enjoying a pint of the Special Bitter, I also took notes on the Blackfriar Stout, which was poured under a nitrogen mix.

The Special Bitter, with an original gravity of 1.048, is served as a "cask-conditioned" product. As we were sitting at the bar (I was seated at the corner nearest the ballpark) I took the opportunity to ask the bartender/brewer several questions regarding the procedure employed. This particular ale barely misses conforming to CAMRA guidelines. It was served on a handpump and the secondary ferment was conducted in the serving tank. However, the beer is stored under a blanket of CO2.

The beer itself was a clear amber in my pint glass. Carbonation was expectedly light.

Nose:

The Special Bitter presented a sophisticated bouquet. Diacetyl was the first note I found, and it tended to dominate the aroma. However, I was also able to find a rather unique peach-like ester, which was by no accounts subtle. Fighting for recognition with the buttery peach aroma was a hint of hoppiness. Finally, the aroma is rounded out with a crystal/ caramel note.

Flavor:

My expectations were piqued following the aromatic display in the nose. The flavor was delicate, unlike the impression initiated by the aroma. While subtle, there were several distinct flavors apparent. Crystal notes were encountered first, slipping into a more general maltiness. A distinct (but not overwhelming) diacetyl note followed, with a hoppy finish. A gentle pint, with a nice medium body.

Final Analysis:

A very good session beer. The exciting aroma alone makes for an interesting pint, and the flavor profile nearly meets the aroma head-on. Preventing this from being an "excellent" beer, however, is just too much of a buttery note. This tends to reveal itself more in the nose than the flavor, but ultimately it was a shade too apparent, although a little diacetyl does positively embellish the flavor of a good English pint. Wharf Rat manages the Ringwood yeast with particular skill.

Rating: ***1/2

(5-star scale)

Next Up:

Widmer Berliner Weisse
Leavenworth Dirty Face Stout
Blue Ridge Porter
Blue Ridge Amber Lager
Copyright 1995 by David Brockington, all rights reserved.
Seattle

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