"Together We Are The Knights of All Bostonia!"


Brewery and Country of Origin: Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project of PO Box 426037, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA

Date Reviewed: 10-23-12

Born in the 7th century, Botwulf of Thorney (St. Botolph), was a Saint and Abbot from England. Before his death in 680, it is believed that he established churches in England, including the Church at Ikanho, Icanho (ox hill, or now: Iken) in Suffolk. He was regarded as "man of remarkable life and learning, full of the grace of the Holy Spirit". He was revered as such a great person that many other churches and some towns were renamed or dedicated to his life, including St. Botolph's Town in Lincolnshire, home to the Boston Stump of the St. Botolph's Church. The Boston Stump is church's tall tower, which at 272 feet, is the fourteenth tallest in England. And perhaps more notable, the town's name evolved from St. Botolph's Town to Boston, which was the birthplace of many immigrants who helped establish what is known today as Boston, Massachusetts. And yet, despite all of this goodness and glory, not much is known about the life and legacy of St. Botolph. What we can say is, there is an excellent beer dedicated to his work as a Saint, produced by one of the lesser known breweries of the Boston area. Hopefully more people will be familiar with the character and legacy of St. Botolph's Town beer, an English style brown ale which brings you back to the old country in the form of traditional brewing practice. In a way, this beer shares many similarities with its namesake. It is highly regarded, refined, respected, and yet, modest. St. Botolph's doesn't scream bold beer at you, it lets you assess quality for yourself. And we'd be surprised if you weren't thankful for it.
Date Sampled: 9-15-12 At: Lord Hobo, 92 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
Beer Style: English Style Brown Ale
Alcohol by Volume: 5.90%
Serving Type: Keg, 16 oz Oversized Wine Glass
Rating: 4.12

Look

This brew pours fairly smooth with a medium low level of carbonation action, resulting in a half inch tall, dense foam head with very good retention. This beer exhibits full lacing on the glass for the entirety of consumption. In even only moderate amounts of light, this beer has a very nice dark ruby color with a clear appearance.

Aroma

This beer has a very dark roasted malt driven aroma with prominent coffee and toasted notes. The aroma is only moderately noticeable although this beer's foam head is much more robust than the average brown ale. There is a modest amount of hops present as well.

Feel

This is a full bodied, heavy beer with a low amount of carbonation, making this a sort of smooth, syrupy like beer with a creamy feel. This brown ale has a medium viscosity with a dry, and long lasting bitter finish, closing this beer on a more crisp and bitey ending.

Taste

St. Botolph's has a very strong, complex and bold set of flavors, primarily characterized by a dark malt mixture of strong coffee, some dark chocolate, and a very subtle addition of caramel sweetness. This beer starts off overwhelmingly malty and mellows out to a balanced malty and bitter taste, then finishing with a very bitter, lingering aftertaste at the close.

Our Take

For those of you who enjoy hearty and refined brown ales, your search ends here. If you're in the market for a old world experience without paying for a BA flight, then ask your craft beer pub bartender for a pint of St. Botolph's, if you're lucky to find it on tap. As this is a local brew from a small brewery, its unfortunately unlikely you'll ever see it on draught outside of Massachusetts, but if you ever venture up to Bean Town, we'd highly recommend this malty, yet well balanced, full bodied, and robust masterpiece. This is a good cold weather brew with a full, cozy feeling, a bold and bitter close, and an aroma which can incite some powerful cravings. This beer is a thing of beauty, too (just look at the picture). Though we're not sure what St. Botolph would think of a brown ale dedicated to him (rather than a street, town, or church), we can be sure that there is a quirky yet traditional, and most certainly exquisite brew which can match his mysterious, yet revered legacy.