Beer of the Weekend #349: Cain's Finest Bitter
Tonight I took BotW on the road to chez Bobblehead. He said he had a beer for me to try. When I arrived he disappeared into his kitchen and returned with a can of Cain’s Finest Bitter, brewed by the Robert Cain Brewery of Liverpool, England.
For whatever reason it is refer to on BA as “Cain’s Best Bitter.”
Cain’s has been hanging around the IC area for about a year now. Mervgotti and his old man distribute it and I remember having Cain’s Dark Mild while camping last July. (Or maybe it was Finest Bitter. I do not remember.) I have actually been meaning to sample it, but have obviously chosen otherwise.
Bobblehead and his parents are English. His parents found Cain’s somewhere (probably John’s) and gave a few cans to Bobblehead to try. They all hated it. Bobblehead wisely chose to keep his opinion from me as I tried it, so without further ado here are my tasting notes.
(Also noteworthy: I used a heavy-duty paper sack, like the kind given at clothing stores, as an impromptu backdrop for the picture. I think it turned out pretty well.)
Serving type: 14.9-ounce (440 ml) can. “4 MAY 12” is printed on the bottom so I assume it is a best by date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is medium caramel brown. Two fingers of buttery, light tan head dissipated slowly to leave an even skim.
Smell: At first it smelled like corn adjunct, but then I thought otherwise: lots of pale and lightly toasted malts. There is a lot of caramel. Buttery biscuit, toffee, and grassy hops. Smells very British.
Taste: Hybrid of adjunct and pale malts and lightly toasted caramel. It is thin but does have taste. Grassy hops give it a little bitterness. It is also sweet and fruity with flavors of apple.
Drinkability: Bobblehead thinks it is “a crime against British beer” and “an abortion.” He suggests using it “for killing grass and weeds.” I think it is a decent, canned British beer. It is not much but it is drinkable.
Fun facts about CFB:
-Style: BA classifies it as “English Bitter.”
-Price: Free-ninety-nine — at least it was for me tonight. I have no clue what it costs.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: All BA recommends is tangy cheese.
-Interestingly, CFB was The Daily Iowan’s “Beer of the Week” on June 30, 2011. I found a link to the article when searching for CFB on Google. I never realized I have local competition for beer recommendations. It is painfully evident from the story that the author did not drink the beer.
-According to the beer’s webpage, CFB was the “Champion Beer of Britain” in 1991.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
For whatever reason it is refer to on BA as “Cain’s Best Bitter.”
Cain’s has been hanging around the IC area for about a year now. Mervgotti and his old man distribute it and I remember having Cain’s Dark Mild while camping last July. (Or maybe it was Finest Bitter. I do not remember.) I have actually been meaning to sample it, but have obviously chosen otherwise.
Bobblehead and his parents are English. His parents found Cain’s somewhere (probably John’s) and gave a few cans to Bobblehead to try. They all hated it. Bobblehead wisely chose to keep his opinion from me as I tried it, so without further ado here are my tasting notes.
(Also noteworthy: I used a heavy-duty paper sack, like the kind given at clothing stores, as an impromptu backdrop for the picture. I think it turned out pretty well.)
Serving type: 14.9-ounce (440 ml) can. “4 MAY 12” is printed on the bottom so I assume it is a best by date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is medium caramel brown. Two fingers of buttery, light tan head dissipated slowly to leave an even skim.
Smell: At first it smelled like corn adjunct, but then I thought otherwise: lots of pale and lightly toasted malts. There is a lot of caramel. Buttery biscuit, toffee, and grassy hops. Smells very British.
Taste: Hybrid of adjunct and pale malts and lightly toasted caramel. It is thin but does have taste. Grassy hops give it a little bitterness. It is also sweet and fruity with flavors of apple.
Drinkability: Bobblehead thinks it is “a crime against British beer” and “an abortion.” He suggests using it “for killing grass and weeds.” I think it is a decent, canned British beer. It is not much but it is drinkable.
Fun facts about CFB:
-Style: BA classifies it as “English Bitter.”
-Price: Free-ninety-nine — at least it was for me tonight. I have no clue what it costs.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: All BA recommends is tangy cheese.
-Interestingly, CFB was The Daily Iowan’s “Beer of the Week” on June 30, 2011. I found a link to the article when searching for CFB on Google. I never realized I have local competition for beer recommendations. It is painfully evident from the story that the author did not drink the beer.
-According to the beer’s webpage, CFB was the “Champion Beer of Britain” in 1991.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
