Beer O'Clock: Landlord

Whenever I see a 500 ml bottle of ale, I feel some trepidation. If it's an entirely new beer for me—new style or new brewer—I'm a bit hesitant in picking it up and adding it to my shopping cart.

If I don't like it, 500 mils is a lot to pour down the drain.

But when I went shopping for new brews (for me) from my friendly neighbourhood LCBO, I spied one bottle and decided to take the chance. It was a British ale, and I have yet to try one that I didn't like. Or love.

The bottle is simple enough: a typical English landlord (bar keep) pouring a pint, with the name of the brewery and the ale circled around the drawing. And it tells you that inside the bottle is not only a classic pale ale but "the" classic pale ale.

Let's find out, shall we?

Landlord Pale Ale (4.1% ABV)
Timothy Taylor's
Keighley, England

Appearance: pours a clear, deep copper with a dense, foamy head that lays like a thick, beige cap that settles to almost a centimetre in depth.

Nose: fresh-cut grass dominates but there's an underlying buckwheat honey aroma. With some perseverance, light citrus can also be detected.

Palate: a piney bitterness hits first with an overwhelming mouthfeel that screams chemical, like acetone. I suspected a flaw in the bottle so I dumped it and cracked open my second bottle.

This bottle poured with a slightly paler head that settled to a thin but solid cap, so I suspected the first bottle was off. This bottle's nose also wasn't as grassy and the honey stood out more.

This time, the acetone was gone and the piney resin taste was more tempered. There is still a bitterness but it didn't overwhelm me, and there was some honey that also came through. The body is full for a 4.1% brew but not heavy, and the finish lingers with flavours of a strongly brewed tea.

Overall impression: let's forget the first bottle. Landlord reminds me, in ways, of a classic IPA, though it's a bit milder. I find American pale ales are lighter in colour and in body, and are more easy-drinking.

If Landlord is the classic pale ale, it sets a new touchstone for me. But I think I prefer the lightness of an APA: if I want more bitterness, I'd opt for an IPA.

Still, Landlord has won many awards, winning both CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain and the Brewing Industry Awards Gold Medal four times.

Overall, it's an enjoyable ale that I would drink again, as long as it doesn't taste like the first bottle I opened.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺

You can find Timonty Taylor's Landlord in the LCBO.

Cheers!