A bitter in the classic sense, using English ingredients from around the country to make a beer that's a perfect tribute to this most quintessential of styles.
Made with Styrian Golding and Nugget hops with pale and dark crystal Maris Otter malt, you probably couldn't get a much more English beer than this one. This hop and malt combination has been used for centuries of brewing in this country and Stone Faced is as good as any i've had.
The aroma is sweet and mild, with just a hint of berries and spiced flavours to lure you in to the rest of the bottle. It pours a deep amber colour, verging on ruby red that's synonymous with bitter, and has a medium body that is very smooth.
The flavour is mild, naturally, with the malt flavours bringing a sweetbread flavour to the fore initially that changes to be a bit harsher with the hedgy berries involved to bring out some spiced flavours. It's very drinkable, one that even with 500ml doesn't last anywhere near long enough, with an aftertste that's a little hoppy but by no means overpowering. A gentle giant.
As with all Lymestone Brewery beers, they stick to what they know works and do little to vary the label. Simply sticking with their style and the beer name, with the only major difference to other beers being the blue bottle cap on this one.
There's a brief bio on the side on what to expect within the bottle but i've come to learn that Lymestone let their beer do the talking and don't worry themselves too much about how it will look on the shelf.
If you want to try this for yourself, and why wouldn't you, you can get your hands on a case of 12 from Lymestone's website which works out at £2.29 a bottle. That's enough to share with your friends and have plenty left over for yourself. Bargain.