Review – Yorkshire Stingo from Samuel Smith

I recently had the Winter Welcome from Samuel Smith and then I saw their Yorkshire Stingo (with a super classy logo) which I have not had in many moons and decided it was high time to review to see if I get the same notes of “fruit, raisin, treacle toffee, Christmas pudding and slight oaky flavours”.

The last item on that list certainly comes through but the rest, not so much but despite that adjective failure, this is a real classic of a beer. There is a slight hint of future souring in the taste in the amber coloured ale. I taste grass and wheat and pea shoots myself. Complex and strange for sure.

Yorkshire Stingo

Since the beer dinner featured beers from across the pond, here is another notable export that you can find here now.

Stingo071

“Stingo, traditional strong ale originating in the north of England, is mentioned in literature before 1700. Samuel Smith’s Stingo melds the fine history of this style with the signature elegance of the brewery. Brewed from British malt and multiple hop varieties, Stingo is fermented in open-topped stone “Yorkshire Squares,” with the Samuel Smith ale yeast strain. It is then aged for over a year in oak barrels that previously held cask-conditioned ale, gaining complexity and depth from the wood. Bottle conditioning – bottling the beer with live yeast for carbonation – produces soft conditioning as well as a fruity aroma and finish; it also allows Stingo to age and develop in the bottle for many months.”