Fuller’s London Pride on a Patio (almost)
Memorial Day weekend found Ms. BeerGeek and I working with friends and relatives (thankfully) to install a patio in our backyard. Saturday, at the conclusion of 10 hours of work, we met for my mother-in-law’s birthday. Since our own patio was as yet unfinished, we searched the city of St. Paul for patio on which to eat… Alas, the search was fruitless (it was a beautiful evening and they were all full), so we ended up inside at W.A. Frost.
My need for refreshment (read: beer) after a long day’s work was only enhanced by the patio quest, so I was delighted by an interesting selection of tap beers. I quickly selected Fuller’s London Pride, as it’s not as readily available as Summit, Surly and others on the list at Frost’s.
London Pride is Fuller’s “best bitter,” so I expected something not quite as hoppy as a pale ale with some English malt and yeast character. My pint was spot on. The maltiness was subtle and well round with lots of caramelly notes. The beer overall balanced toward the hop bitterness, but in a discreet way when compared to US hoppy beers.
Sip by sip and sniff by sniff, the soft English maltiness and fruity English Ale yeast worked to easy my tired muscles. If only I could have been on a patio…
