Brewery: Black Sheep
Location: Masham, North Yorkshire
Style: Session Bitter
ABV: 4.4%
Version: Bottled

It’s odd: I must have had a couple of dozen bottles of Black Sheep Ale over the past couple of years – probably more than any other beer variety I’ve drunk during that time – and yet I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here on Blogobeer at all. I think that’s because it’s one of those seemingly ubiquitous bottled ales that turn up pretty much wherever bottled ales are sold and maybe that always-available impression makes it seem a little unremarkable. Although of course that ubiquity could just be because the supermarket stock-buyers know a good thing when they taste it.

The reason I’ve had so many bottles of Black Sheep Ale is because our local and very favourite curry house, the Lime Tree in Prestwich, offers it alongside the more predictable Cobra and Carling lagers. So whenever Jo and I are out for a curry, we get through at least three or four bottles between us (and we usually keep a couple of bottles in the cupboard for session purposes as well). The Lime Tree serves all its beers from the fridge (although I’m sure they’d find a warmer one for me if I asked nicely) and over the course of downing a couple of well-chilled bottles with my Balti Murghi Makhani last Saturday night, I realised something about Black Sheep Ale: it keeps its flavour remarkably well, even when served “too cold”.

Predominantly malty with a biscuity, raisin-fruit sweetness chased along by a dry, hoppy finish, Black Sheep Ale is very well balanced indeed. Cooled down, the sweetness takes on a spicier edge and beer also benefits from that ability to hit that back-of-the-throat-sweet-spot just right. Admittedly I’m not going to convert to drinking ale from the fridge, because not every beer would hold up as well, but I don’t think I’ll be objecting to a Black Sheep with my onion bhaji any time soon.

Have a word with your local and / or very favourite curry house if they don’t have a bottled ale on the drinks menu; they should be able to find the stuff without too much difficulty.