I have been lucky enough to snare a couple of the “old Beers” made by Pretty Things and was impressed not only by the history and scholarship behind the beers but by the taste too! And now a 1939 Scottish ale. I will be on the lookout for it.
Others in the series are East India Pale Ale from 1879, KK from 1901, East India Porter from 1855 an XXXX Mild from 1832 and two XX ales one 1838 and the other 1945.
Sean,
You make a good point about the sense of history that breweries like Pretty Things (and Dogfish Head) bring to their beers. How important do you think the story and history associated with a particular beer is to enjoyment? That might be a theme worth exploring in a future Brew & You column, or on Beer Search Party.
Looking back is important, especially when you are overlooking the lean years of no craft beer but also to keep the diversity of beer styles alive. That way you can be in a bar in LA and get a gruit and a roggenbier alongside your IPA.