(UPDATE: For the full Session roundup, check out the Brookston Beer Bulletin)
It was tough finding a beer for this month’s Session. This is my first time participating in Beer Blog Friday, so I really wanted to knock it out of the park and find something obscure and interesting. But finding an English Mild in LA is like finding an honest mechanic.
I searched everywhere; Whole Foods on Wilshire, Fireside Cellars on Montana, the Co-Op on Broadway, Star Liquor and Surf Liquor on Main, even BevMo! in West Hollywood. I couldn’t even find a good English Brown Ale (besides the obvious Newcastle). I resigned myself to play it safe and go with Lost Coast’s Downtown Brown, which is widely available, even at the local grocery.
I felt a little lame choosing an English Brown that’s made in Northern California. Sam Smith’s Nut Brown would be solid, why not go with that? No, still too easy. I want to try something I’ve never had before. The days ticked down as I begrudginly prepared my Downtown Brown review.
But yesterday, by sheer chance, I drove past Lucky Stop Liquor, on Abbot Kinney. Hmm, never been here before. I’ll just pop in for a quick second.
Lucky Stop indeed. This cavernous liquor store has a fantastic selection of bombers and premium 6-packs. Sitting in the last cooler at the end of the row was a .5L bottle of Black Sheep’s Riggwelter.
I’ve tried their Black Sheep Pale Ale, and it was more than decent, so I knew this would be a great choice for Misunderstood May Milds. At 5.7%, the alcohol content isn’t exactly mild, but luckily there aren’t any Style Nazis out there.
The name of the beer comes from Old Norse. Rygg means back and velte means to overturn, so when sheep get stuck on their backs and can’t get up, they are riggwelted. I didn’t even know this happened to sheep. Cows and horses, sure, and turtles, that’s basically what they’re known for, so why not put a turtle on the label? Dumb question, nevermind.
I dumped it out into a freshly handwashed mug. I love my pair of mugs, they must have a 26oz capacity or so, because a 22 oz bomber pours out perfectly with about 2 fingers left for the head.
Riggwelter is a little smaller than a bomber, but I had to pour the second half slowly because I was already looking at 4 or 5 fingers of thick, foamy head ready to spill down the side. Awesome.
The beer is black, with a little dark brown showing around the edges, and the head is a soapy tan.
Aromas are interesting, roasted coffee with a hint of butterscotch. After a couple minutes, the head died down to about one centimeter. Meh, I had higher hopes.
Flavor was unique. I was a bit put off at first, but as I drank, it grew on me. Tastes of roasted malt, with a subtle bitterness throughout, with the tiniest hint of sourness in the finish.
Texture was thick, almost sticking to the inside of my mouth. Very little carbonation.
Overall, I’m glad I picked this up. A complex beer that reminds me there’s more to Browns besides my faithful Newcastle. Definitely not going to go for it on a monthly basis, but a good beer to file away in the back of my head for the right occasion (or to pair with the right food).
As for the true Milds: I’ll drink you next time I’m in England, buddies. I’ll probably enjoy you more there anyway. Lets face it, you’re practically a dead style in the US. With a little help from Stonch, I will track you down the very afternoon I arrive.
- Appearance: 1.5/3
- Aroma: 9/12
- Palate: 4/5
- Flavor: 15/20
- Overall: 7/10
Rating: 3.65
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on May 4th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
[...] we skip back to the west coast again to Dave’s blog about the L.A. beer scene, “Hair of the Dog Dave.” Dave also had some difficulty finding a mild, likening his search to trying to find an [...]
on May 6th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Riggwelter from the cask is sublime.
on Jun 18th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
[...] bought this bottle at Lucky Stop Liquor on Abbot Kinney and California, the same place I picked up Black Sheep’s Riggwelter for last month’s Session. I don’t really see Alleycat too often, maybe at the [...]
on Aug 17th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Riggwelter was my favorite when we visited Black Sheep brewery in Masham. Glad to see that maybe we can find it here in town. My daughter liked the Emmerdale. I highly recommend their tour if you’re in the area- but it’s not free. Theakston’s brewery is practically next door. If you do go to England, I highly recommend looking at the CAMRA website when you start planning to look for beer festivals. We went to the Devizes beer fest–WHAT A OVERWHELMING PALATAL BLAST!!!!
on May 9th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Riggwelter is one of my favourite beers– I didn’t even know you could get it in LA. I get some satisfaction that in your search for a mild you turn up this dark, intoxicating Black Sheep beer!
I have been digging on Harvey’s mild here in London. If you come to England the first round is on me.
on Sep 25th, 2008 at 1:05 am
good site
on Dec 10th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
[...] we skip back to the west coast again to Dave’s blog about the L.A. beer scene, “Hair of the Dog Dave.” Dave also had some difficulty finding a mild, likening his search to trying to find an [...]