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06-04-2024, 23:50
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/samuel-smthss-legendary-yorkshire-stingo.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9asZ0CfS7ABFQZ9B9qA9-jojxd7nuXn-m0_XdduyPa5O4IBz_ZkTrFvRN5oIe5GSuF26S6DEdmp4MtXL7T HdDVTG_AmayyMtak55SreAmEcgPENrQgx5O6crCaZnpM8OK44g-SxOPmyrzyAmX2gkUsh2ZsVw4kIF4_34lWCdKBKyl1ARUTLH2Z2 yJZQ/w219-h400/Sam%20Smiths%20Stingo.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9asZ0CfS7ABFQZ9B9qA9-jojxd7nuXn-m0_XdduyPa5O4IBz_ZkTrFvRN5oIe5GSuF26S6DEdmp4MtXL7T HdDVTG_AmayyMtak55SreAmEcgPENrQgx5O6crCaZnpM8OK44g-SxOPmyrzyAmX2gkUsh2ZsVw4kIF4_34lWCdKBKyl1ARUTLH2Z2 yJZQ/s3801/Sam%20Smiths%20Stingo.jpg)
What I’m going to write about now is a very special beer, infact it’s so special that it’s the stuff of legends. Named after an 18th century slang word forstrong or old ale, Samuel Smith’s Yorkshire Stingo (https://samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/shop/bottles/ale/yorkshire-stingo/)is a bottleconditioned ale that is fermented in Yorkshire stone squares, and then aged inoak casks for over a year, in Sam Smith's underground cellars. Yeast and sugarare added when the ale is bottled to induce a second fermentation in thebottle.Samuel Smith’s are Yorkshire’s oldest brewery, and can racetheir history back to 1758, a date that features prominently on the label forthe company’s Yorkshire Stingo. This strong ale isbrewed to a strength of 8.0% abv, before being aged in oak ale casks, as describesabove, and unlike some strong ales, this classic and highly sought after beer, reallydoes live up to its reputation. It is also rather hard to come by, although Idid notice the other day that it is available on Amazon. It is normallyavailable in bottled form only, but back in November 2019, Sam’s announced thatfor the first time ever, Yorkshire Stingo the beer would be servedstraight from an oak cask at a limited number of their London pubs. This wouldbe from the end of November until Christmas.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjged_5Lz7c8H2jb-bTDXABbIObN_BSEi31cjZy4A4gyR83nTOX-4k_opUlQCk60WM3j9O0BJrV0C2P1Csxo8vzHA_3ZIRMuQ1Opqy 6B7ktlnQvBruzVqzrl-NbpKfj1WCK3QwRgAmNjFH1sHkqAAHau-qiV_iH_hFTccHLBgXhPMNYWoieHVoUGoHAsp0/w300-h400/Yorkshire%20Stingo.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjged_5Lz7c8H2jb-bTDXABbIObN_BSEi31cjZy4A4gyR83nTOX-4k_opUlQCk60WM3j9O0BJrV0C2P1Csxo8vzHA_3ZIRMuQ1Opqy 6B7ktlnQvBruzVqzrl-NbpKfj1WCK3QwRgAmNjFH1sHkqAAHau-qiV_iH_hFTccHLBgXhPMNYWoieHVoUGoHAsp0/s1555/Yorkshire%20Stingo.jpg)
Same of you might recall my attempts to track this legendarybeer down, when I visited the PrincessLouise (http://princesslouisepub.co.uk/), a beautifully restored, Victorian masterpiece in Holborn,and one of the jewels of Sam Smith’s tied, London estate. I wrote at the time (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2019/11/wot-no-yorkshire-stingo.html)how my excitement had mounted when, after entering the pub, I noticed a pump,advertising “Oak barrel-aged” Yorkshire Stingo. That joy quicklyturned to gloom, when the barman informed me, stocks had run out. To makematters worse, he didn’t know when the pub would be getting more in. Disappointed or what?? Word had obviously been passed aroundon the beer bush telegraph, although as a few lucky enthusiasts had revealed, thiswasn’t a just a publicity stunt, and the beer had actually been on sale. Iwrote at the time that I was unlikely to be visiting the capital this side of Christmas,not knowing that the worst pandemic in just over a century was slowly making itwas from central China, and out across the entire globe. There would be no furtherattempts to track down Yorkshire Stingo, for a couple of years, and it wasn’tuntil yesterday, in fact, that I finally managed to sample this legendary beerfor the first time.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj-oc0T2v2FppGTJpWP8hX62OGR5TibZBQoB28UjytDFqwvW3hDrL vYNRRnKl9vAjyjRGw7QeB0NTnJVRe5Ji4nJ319KM_0yY4tXCis Mu3NjlI5BRK6HxB97poG1bvr4f5nLoRMZF7s27_ys2I_LOJdNS OUwAdTHDOaB8pP2vQnMgZJ2jL-GaX11iaiE/w275-h400/Armstrongs.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj-oc0T2v2FppGTJpWP8hX62OGR5TibZBQoB28UjytDFqwvW3hDrL vYNRRnKl9vAjyjRGw7QeB0NTnJVRe5Ji4nJ319KM_0yY4tXCis Mu3NjlI5BRK6HxB97poG1bvr4f5nLoRMZF7s27_ys2I_LOJdNS OUwAdTHDOaB8pP2vQnMgZJ2jL-GaX11iaiE/s2962/Armstrongs.jpg)
If Yorkshire Stingo is only available in cask, on special occasions,it is almost as rare in bottled form as well. The Christmas before last (2022),I was fortunate to pick up a bottle at Armstrong’s – an independent,family-owned business in East Grinstead. I fully intended on drinking thisbottler over the festive season but after noticing the BBE date of Dec 23, onthe neck of the bottle, I decided to give it another year. I noticed the bottlethe other day, so thought that I’d better crack it open, but fortunately the contentsproved none the worse for being 3 months passed that date.Before opening the bottle, I read the back label whichdescribed how some of the oak casks at Samuel Smith’s (https://samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/)date back more than acentury, with the individual oak staves being replaced by the Old Brewerycoopers, as and when necessary. Yorkshire Stingo is matured in these well-usedoak casks, which over the years will have absorbed more and more of thecharacter of the ale that began its life by being fermented in stone Yorkshiresquares. As this strong, special ale slowly matures in the brewery cellar, itpicks up flavours of vine fruit, raisins, treacle toffee, Christmas pudding andslight oaky tones.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTqCzMlcRHwM8ZzBNlK7IdLw5OUppGOiBA1GlFF3_dI i_qLGRDG1JcIGFDADtrUDzpj8PE1oMWCr8QG5GCw3mGgvr75s0 deR_oGVipAZvYr1leEakxt4YmG031OPAtpxScw_xJiO4a7mBBA tTXL1f9SEdXqVi1t37kP1NQW47feUqpvBvOn8zC8Fyliw/w400-h225/Sam%20Smiths%203%20bottles.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTqCzMlcRHwM8ZzBNlK7IdLw5OUppGOiBA1GlFF3_dI i_qLGRDG1JcIGFDADtrUDzpj8PE1oMWCr8QG5GCw3mGgvr75s0 deR_oGVipAZvYr1leEakxt4YmG031OPAtpxScw_xJiO4a7mBBA tTXL1f9SEdXqVi1t37kP1NQW47feUqpvBvOn8zC8Fyliw/s3900/Sam%20Smiths%203%20bottles.jpg)
These aromas were apparent as soon as I cracked open thecrown cap, and when I first tasted the beer, I discovered a slight vinous tastethat enhanced the flavour of the beer, rather than detracting from it. The beeritself, poured with a tight, fluffy head, which subsided very slowly. Despitebeing bottle conditioned, the beer was wonderfully clear, with a deep amber colour,that contrasted well with the dense, white head. Due to its strength, I have consumedthe bottle over the course of two evenings – partially re-capped it, and placedit in the fridge, until earlier this evening.I can therefore thoroughly recommend Yorkshire Stingo,should you be lucky enough to come across a bottle. Samuel Smith’s, of course,produce a wide range of bottled beers, as you can see from the photo, and Istill have a few other interesting ones to try. I purchased them from the aforementionedArmstrong’s of East Grinstead, which appears to be the nearest Sam Smith’sstockist to here, and I shall be writing about a few of them, in a subsequent post.
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More... (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/samuel-smthss-legendary-yorkshire-stingo.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9asZ0CfS7ABFQZ9B9qA9-jojxd7nuXn-m0_XdduyPa5O4IBz_ZkTrFvRN5oIe5GSuF26S6DEdmp4MtXL7T HdDVTG_AmayyMtak55SreAmEcgPENrQgx5O6crCaZnpM8OK44g-SxOPmyrzyAmX2gkUsh2ZsVw4kIF4_34lWCdKBKyl1ARUTLH2Z2 yJZQ/w219-h400/Sam%20Smiths%20Stingo.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9asZ0CfS7ABFQZ9B9qA9-jojxd7nuXn-m0_XdduyPa5O4IBz_ZkTrFvRN5oIe5GSuF26S6DEdmp4MtXL7T HdDVTG_AmayyMtak55SreAmEcgPENrQgx5O6crCaZnpM8OK44g-SxOPmyrzyAmX2gkUsh2ZsVw4kIF4_34lWCdKBKyl1ARUTLH2Z2 yJZQ/s3801/Sam%20Smiths%20Stingo.jpg)
What I’m going to write about now is a very special beer, infact it’s so special that it’s the stuff of legends. Named after an 18th century slang word forstrong or old ale, Samuel Smith’s Yorkshire Stingo (https://samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/shop/bottles/ale/yorkshire-stingo/)is a bottleconditioned ale that is fermented in Yorkshire stone squares, and then aged inoak casks for over a year, in Sam Smith's underground cellars. Yeast and sugarare added when the ale is bottled to induce a second fermentation in thebottle.Samuel Smith’s are Yorkshire’s oldest brewery, and can racetheir history back to 1758, a date that features prominently on the label forthe company’s Yorkshire Stingo. This strong ale isbrewed to a strength of 8.0% abv, before being aged in oak ale casks, as describesabove, and unlike some strong ales, this classic and highly sought after beer, reallydoes live up to its reputation. It is also rather hard to come by, although Idid notice the other day that it is available on Amazon. It is normallyavailable in bottled form only, but back in November 2019, Sam’s announced thatfor the first time ever, Yorkshire Stingo the beer would be servedstraight from an oak cask at a limited number of their London pubs. This wouldbe from the end of November until Christmas.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjged_5Lz7c8H2jb-bTDXABbIObN_BSEi31cjZy4A4gyR83nTOX-4k_opUlQCk60WM3j9O0BJrV0C2P1Csxo8vzHA_3ZIRMuQ1Opqy 6B7ktlnQvBruzVqzrl-NbpKfj1WCK3QwRgAmNjFH1sHkqAAHau-qiV_iH_hFTccHLBgXhPMNYWoieHVoUGoHAsp0/w300-h400/Yorkshire%20Stingo.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjged_5Lz7c8H2jb-bTDXABbIObN_BSEi31cjZy4A4gyR83nTOX-4k_opUlQCk60WM3j9O0BJrV0C2P1Csxo8vzHA_3ZIRMuQ1Opqy 6B7ktlnQvBruzVqzrl-NbpKfj1WCK3QwRgAmNjFH1sHkqAAHau-qiV_iH_hFTccHLBgXhPMNYWoieHVoUGoHAsp0/s1555/Yorkshire%20Stingo.jpg)
Same of you might recall my attempts to track this legendarybeer down, when I visited the PrincessLouise (http://princesslouisepub.co.uk/), a beautifully restored, Victorian masterpiece in Holborn,and one of the jewels of Sam Smith’s tied, London estate. I wrote at the time (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2019/11/wot-no-yorkshire-stingo.html)how my excitement had mounted when, after entering the pub, I noticed a pump,advertising “Oak barrel-aged” Yorkshire Stingo. That joy quicklyturned to gloom, when the barman informed me, stocks had run out. To makematters worse, he didn’t know when the pub would be getting more in. Disappointed or what?? Word had obviously been passed aroundon the beer bush telegraph, although as a few lucky enthusiasts had revealed, thiswasn’t a just a publicity stunt, and the beer had actually been on sale. Iwrote at the time that I was unlikely to be visiting the capital this side of Christmas,not knowing that the worst pandemic in just over a century was slowly making itwas from central China, and out across the entire globe. There would be no furtherattempts to track down Yorkshire Stingo, for a couple of years, and it wasn’tuntil yesterday, in fact, that I finally managed to sample this legendary beerfor the first time.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj-oc0T2v2FppGTJpWP8hX62OGR5TibZBQoB28UjytDFqwvW3hDrL vYNRRnKl9vAjyjRGw7QeB0NTnJVRe5Ji4nJ319KM_0yY4tXCis Mu3NjlI5BRK6HxB97poG1bvr4f5nLoRMZF7s27_ys2I_LOJdNS OUwAdTHDOaB8pP2vQnMgZJ2jL-GaX11iaiE/w275-h400/Armstrongs.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj-oc0T2v2FppGTJpWP8hX62OGR5TibZBQoB28UjytDFqwvW3hDrL vYNRRnKl9vAjyjRGw7QeB0NTnJVRe5Ji4nJ319KM_0yY4tXCis Mu3NjlI5BRK6HxB97poG1bvr4f5nLoRMZF7s27_ys2I_LOJdNS OUwAdTHDOaB8pP2vQnMgZJ2jL-GaX11iaiE/s2962/Armstrongs.jpg)
If Yorkshire Stingo is only available in cask, on special occasions,it is almost as rare in bottled form as well. The Christmas before last (2022),I was fortunate to pick up a bottle at Armstrong’s – an independent,family-owned business in East Grinstead. I fully intended on drinking thisbottler over the festive season but after noticing the BBE date of Dec 23, onthe neck of the bottle, I decided to give it another year. I noticed the bottlethe other day, so thought that I’d better crack it open, but fortunately the contentsproved none the worse for being 3 months passed that date.Before opening the bottle, I read the back label whichdescribed how some of the oak casks at Samuel Smith’s (https://samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/)date back more than acentury, with the individual oak staves being replaced by the Old Brewerycoopers, as and when necessary. Yorkshire Stingo is matured in these well-usedoak casks, which over the years will have absorbed more and more of thecharacter of the ale that began its life by being fermented in stone Yorkshiresquares. As this strong, special ale slowly matures in the brewery cellar, itpicks up flavours of vine fruit, raisins, treacle toffee, Christmas pudding andslight oaky tones.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTqCzMlcRHwM8ZzBNlK7IdLw5OUppGOiBA1GlFF3_dI i_qLGRDG1JcIGFDADtrUDzpj8PE1oMWCr8QG5GCw3mGgvr75s0 deR_oGVipAZvYr1leEakxt4YmG031OPAtpxScw_xJiO4a7mBBA tTXL1f9SEdXqVi1t37kP1NQW47feUqpvBvOn8zC8Fyliw/w400-h225/Sam%20Smiths%203%20bottles.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTqCzMlcRHwM8ZzBNlK7IdLw5OUppGOiBA1GlFF3_dI i_qLGRDG1JcIGFDADtrUDzpj8PE1oMWCr8QG5GCw3mGgvr75s0 deR_oGVipAZvYr1leEakxt4YmG031OPAtpxScw_xJiO4a7mBBA tTXL1f9SEdXqVi1t37kP1NQW47feUqpvBvOn8zC8Fyliw/s3900/Sam%20Smiths%203%20bottles.jpg)
These aromas were apparent as soon as I cracked open thecrown cap, and when I first tasted the beer, I discovered a slight vinous tastethat enhanced the flavour of the beer, rather than detracting from it. The beeritself, poured with a tight, fluffy head, which subsided very slowly. Despitebeing bottle conditioned, the beer was wonderfully clear, with a deep amber colour,that contrasted well with the dense, white head. Due to its strength, I have consumedthe bottle over the course of two evenings – partially re-capped it, and placedit in the fridge, until earlier this evening.I can therefore thoroughly recommend Yorkshire Stingo,should you be lucky enough to come across a bottle. Samuel Smith’s, of course,produce a wide range of bottled beers, as you can see from the photo, and Istill have a few other interesting ones to try. I purchased them from the aforementionedArmstrong’s of East Grinstead, which appears to be the nearest Sam Smith’sstockist to here, and I shall be writing about a few of them, in a subsequent post.
Follow Blog via EmailClick to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
More... (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/samuel-smthss-legendary-yorkshire-stingo.html)