Brewery: Black Sheep
Location: Ripon, England
ABV: 4.7%
Version: 500ml bottle
Source: The Vineyard, Belfast

As soon as I saw this on my recent visit to The Vineyard I just knew I had to try it. Stick Monty Python on the label and it’s bound to get my attention. It’s a properly endorsed product, specially commissioned to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Pythons in 1999, and they get royalties from the sales. As you can see from the label, it even features the characteristic Terry Gilliam style artwork, complete with the Black Sheep logo on the back being squashed by a giant foot.

With a dark golden copper colour the Grail has a light hoppy aroma, with a hint of elderflower. Flavour is very hoppy, bitter but not too much so; the bitterness no doubt tempered by those burning witches (or maybe it’s the elderflower). It’s an interesting flavour, but not quite as off-beat as an epsiode of Python. The finish is dry and hangs about, making the beer very moreish. Like the Pythons, it’s oddy captivating (Tim the Enchanter at work perhaps?) but I doubt it’ll do for the brewing industry what Monty Python did for comedy, or have the same lasting appeal. But like Python comedy, it’s better to just get on with drinking it and not analyse what’s going on. Having said all that, once past the novelty aspect it’s a beer I’d probably revisit now and again if I saw it but wouldn’t go out of my way to source more.

Brewery: The Black Sheep Brewery
Location: Masham, North Yorkshire
ABV: 5.7%
Version: bottled
Source: Asda

Father Christmas was there when I bought this.  Not shopping – I don’t think he shops in Asda – but sitting around in a shed charging little kids to go and see him.  I wonder if my kids have ever noticed that … the fact that Santa charges for them to go and chat with him for two minutes then get a present?  I doubt it, and that’s nice.  Oh to be a kid again.

This is a lovely drop.  I’ve sampled it many times, but I don’t think anyone has blogged about it here, so I thought it was about time.  It pours a lovely golden brown, maintaining a generous head all the way down the glass.  It’s a very smooth ale-perhaps too creamy? – but the taste more than makes up for that.  Rich, complex, beginning banana-sweet and ending with a definite coffee aftertase, though not too cloying.  You can taste the strength of this one too, and after a couple of bottles you can feel it.

Santa noticed that I’d bought a couple of bottles of this, and he made admiring noises.  But his nose was red enough already.  It was only 2pm, and he had hours to go, so I promised him – in front of my kids – that I’d leave him a nice glass of single malt on Christmas Eve.  He didn’t seem as pleased as I’d hoped.