As well as being a right clever bloke, Ein Stein is also the name for 'one beer' in German. Or near enough. Which makes him alright in our book and someone we can relate to.
In this German/English fusion pale ale, Lymestone Brewery have combined the finest English Maris Otter malt with German Hersbrucker hops to create an ale that tastes like a cross between a pilsner and a bitter. All of the refreshment of a crisp, light pilsner with the spiced fruity maltiness of an English bitter.
The beer smells fresh and is very alluring on the nose, it pours well too with a deep golden colour that is very similar to a German lager, but without any of the fizziness or white, fluffiness in the head. The body is smooth with a medium texture, enough to feel a little dense in the mouth which helps bring out the spiciness from the malt but not too much to overpower the hop flavour.
Biscuity yet a little resinous and piney, it's a very unusual flavour but it's one that I kept coming back to as I tried to pin it down, thoroughly enjoying every essential sip. The aftertaste is just as slippery to grasp, with a crisp finish that plays off the bitterness from the hops and the bready malt flavours wonderfully.
The Olde English lettering on the label for the name is a nod to the traditional English ingredients in the Maris Otter malts; but there isn't much German input in the label if you don't count the name itself. But then, even Einstein was Austrian.
The label is a Lymestone standard style with the colours and the layout not generating much excitement, but when what's inside is this good it sells itself.
You can get this on tap in some of Time Martin's 'pubs' in and around London and Stoke areas, apparently, but if you'd prefer it in a bottle then you can get a pack of 12 from Lymestone themselves, which comes in at £2.29 a bottle.
