Warming Up With A Cleric’s Cure

Well, despite some brief rays of English sunshine a few days back, it would seem that there’s still time for those ‘winter warmers’ to serve a purpose, beer-wise. Which is what I found myself craving after a particularly cold commute from work last week.

Three Tuns Brewery have been brewing in Shropshire since the mid 1600’s in one way or another, according to their excellent website. This is some achievement, and by their reckoning makes them the oldest brewery in the UK. It certainly looks the part; tower brewery, lots of brick and a bucolic, rural feel about the place. It looks like the ideal place to spend a long summer’s afternoon, watching the light slowly fade beyond the fields….ahem. Sorry.

Cleric’s Cure (5% abv) pours golden and with an aroma that’s deep and rich; toffee apple, cereal and a hint of pear-drops float about to give you an inkling that this is no pushover of a beer. The body is sweetly smooth and undeniably robust as it finishes with more of those interesting, Duvel-esque pear notes and a rising, assertive bitterness. The whole package comes wrapped in alcoholic warmth, which is what made it such a perfect beer for such a cold night.

A classic strong Golden Ale – if you ask me (although the site says it found inspiration in IPA’s) – it’s probably one of the best strong beers I’ve tasted. Robust,  excellently balanced and well-brewed, Cleric’s Cure is a pleasure to drink – and a cure I could really get used to.