After spending the better part of the last seven months traveling the world, and occasionally stopping during my excursions to sample the local brews, I am delighted to be back at Bowdoin for my senior year.
Being back in Brunswick, I feel the need to find a reliable beer?and one that doesn't stoop to the levels of the keg beer offered at social house parties. Heeding the suggestion of my brother, I recently tried a certain English brown ale called Newcastle. Though the flavor was initially off-putting, my second swig of the beer intrigued and refreshed my taste buds. I drank on.
Newcastle is a smooth beer?so smooth, in fact, it could easily be mistaken for a beer several shades lighter. And like many brown ales, the beer wasn't heavily carbonated, so it didn't fill me up. (a quality that is often referred to by other, lesser beers as "drinkability.") Newcastle's taste hardly overpowers like an Indian Pale Ale which tastes bitter from the first sip. Nor does it possess the backlash of a traditionally heavy, dark beer like Guinness?brewed from roasted malt. Although Newcastle maintains some mild bitterness, it tends to feature a smooth, delicate flavor.
It was only when I cracked my second (note: Newcastle bottles are NOT twist-off) that I realized I was drinking the beer too cold. The label told me to "drink cool," but my initial bottle was ice cold?in retrospect, probably a mistake. This is not an ale I would recommend pulling out the frosted mugs for. Instead, Newcastle works well as a Saturday night "social enabler" or a Sunday afternoon "watching the game, having a drink" drink. Plus, it tastes great with pizza.
If you're like me and are returning to campus of age, you've probably realized by now that it's time to ditch the cost-effective 30-rack of Natty for something more pleasurable and tasty. I highly recommend spending the extra couple of bucks for a six or twelve pack of Newcastle. On Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, with that someone special or all by yourself, Newcastle is a versatile beer that will never steer you wrong.