The Session is a chance for beer bloggers to write on a shared topic each month. This month Carla over at The Beer Babe is hosting, with the topic “New Kids on the Block.” From her site:

“With the astounding growth of the number of craft breweries this year, chances are there’s a new one in development, or has just started out in your area… How does their beer compare to the craft beer scene in your area? Are they doing anything in a new/exciting way? What advice, as a beer consumer, would you give to these new breweries?”

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Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project
Grade: B

Saturday, February 27th, 2010 was the 178th anniversary of the brewing of a very special beer by the Truman, Hanbury, Buxton and Co. brewery in London, England. Dann Paquette, owner/brewer of Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project worked with brewing historian Ron Pattinson to reproduce this "mild" ale (meaning "sold young") exactly as it was brewed back then. The result nearly destroyed the brewery, took three days to clean up, and generally was considered to be "a complete and utter disaster."

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Grade: B
Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project

Pours light golden straw, hazy, with a nice white head that is rocky and frothy. The aroma isn't overwhelming in any way, however there is a slight note of Belgian witbier yeast. There is a crisp toast nose, backed by some very slight sweetness and a hint of spicyness. Some fresh fruit as well, but I had to hunt for it. The aroma has some floral qualities to it, and reminds me of some chardonnays and other white wines I've had. Body is medium light, with a very dry finish. There is a little bitterness in the back of the palate, some very slight hop presence but not much. There is a floral, rose petal impression in the flavor. As my glass warms a bit, I'm starting to taste a little of the stone fruit, but I couldn't immediately peg it as cherries. I'm not entirely dissapointed with the lack of cherry flavor here. All too often do cherry beers taste like artificial garbage, and I had a bit of trepidation trying this one due to that prejudice. Although this does indeed finish dry, there is a certain roundness in the body that makes it very interesting. There are certainly parallels here with Belgian hefeweizens and witbiers, but this one doesn't walk that line, in fact it stays resolutely to the left of it.

At first sip many drinkers would dismiss this beer as "bland," or at the very most a "Belgian." Honestly, after Pretty Things' Baby Tree and St. Botolphs Town, Confounded Mr. Sisyphus is a complete 180. Where the other two were robustly flavorful beers, this one takes the much less appreciated subtle route. However if you take your time with this and search out those flavors, you'll find that it has quite a bit to offer. The use of malolactic fermentation (adding a certain bacteria to the beer post-primary ferment) rounds out the acidity quite nicely, and is a technique used almost exclusively by winemakers. The suspension of the yeast into solution, however, I think is absolutely paramount. Without doing that, this beer would fall flat and wouldn't express it's true nature. Like many traditional witbiers and hefeweizens, the yeast play a vital role in the flavor profile here. It's unusual to see so many Belgian inspired ales coming from a British brewer, but then again nothing about Pretty Things is usual.

Grade: B+
Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project

Pours dark brown amber, with a tan head that laces the glass well. It's almost completely opaque, with a decent amount of bubbles in the glass. The nose is a nice example of a Belgian quad, with plum and banana aromas mixing with some of the biscut and bread from the malt. Of course no hop aromas, which is appropriate. Mouthfeel is relatively heavy at first, a bit coating on the tongue, but the carbonation and dryness comes through in the back and aftertaste. Oddly enough, I've never had a beer that starts this full in the mouthfeel and ends so dry. The malt takes a more forward role in the flavor, some caramel and toast coming through with the plum and banana-like yeast esters following. There is a touch of cidery acidity, possibly from the addition of extra sugars, which is typical of the Belgian quadruple style. It would also explain the crisp finish, and the warming sensation as you drink.

One of the things that make Belgian beers what they are is the use of special strains of yeast that produce those plum/banana/clove flavors, without actually adding plums, bananas, or cloves to the beer. The yeast tricks your palate into thinking that those ingredients are there, when in fact nothing was added to the beer at all. Some sub-par brewers, hoping to mimic those Belgian flavors without using the same yeast (which can be difficult to control sometimes) add actual plums, bananas, and spices to their beers. If you put a well brewed Belgian next to one of those beers, you will see the difference immediately.

Pretty Things takes a different approach, by adding an ingredient that accents one of the characteristics of their Belgian yeast, instead of trying to replace it. Not only is the flavor impacted, but the mouthfeel of the beer is as well. I believe that the fullness and roundness I detected in the beginning of my palate when drinking this beer was due to the presence of the plums that were added. The B+ rating is only due to the fact that the bigger, older, and more traditional Belgian breweries do a slightly better job of this style. However they do have centuries of experiance behind them, and Pretty Things started LAST YEAR. I think that's nothing to sneeze at.

Overall I think that Pretty Things is a brewery that everyone should be watching. Their beers are simple yet interesting, traditional yet unique, and generally they just taste damn good. Their freshman lineup of a quadruple with plums, a traditional northern english brown, a sour ale with cherries, and an American saison speak volumes about this brewery. Look for more interesting and solid beers from Pretty Things in the future, because I know I will.