Gold Rush (Ringwood Fortyniner)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Ringwood Fortyniner
Date:	27/02/06 (396 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wonderful taste and aroma

Disadvantages: Not widely enough available

So, what did you get for Christmas? Or, more especially, when your kids asked you what you wanted, what did you say? I suppose, like most Dads, you had no idea what to say. Fortunately, my kids are all grown up now and have learned that, as a beer aficionado and a member of CAMRA, a few bottles of beers that might have escaped my attention or haven’t been tried for some time will always keep me happy. So it was that a bottle of Ringwood Fortyniner came into my collection this year.

I must admit that Ringwood Brewery had slipped out of my focus for some time. I really had forgotten quite how good Ringwood beers are. My fault I suppose. A shame really because they brew some of the most enjoyable beers around.

Mind you, Ringwood beers are often difficult to find so if they haven’t come to your attention it that probably is no surprise. Ringwood is not a brewery that would first come to most people's minds when asked to name some of the most important in English brewing history. And yet that's exactly what Ringwood is. It's all to do with Peter Austin.

The town of Ringwood actually has a long history of brewing. As an important town in the region and stop-over point for travellers, Ringwood inevitably produced inns and, of course, inns require beer. With the rise of towns like Bournemouth and the consolidation of breweries and decline of small brewers, the end result was inevitable. Brewing finally ended in Ringwood in the early 20th century.

That was, until Peter Austin came along.

You may remember the 70s, if you're old enough. Watney's Red Barrel, Whitbread Trophy, all “beers” “brewed” by accountants, as cheaply as possible, pasteurised and filtered to death and served under pressure by publicans who needed to know nothing about what they were selling or how to ensure that the customer received a pint to remember (in the best possible way). Some may consider the modern equivalent to be Bud.

This was the beginning of CAMRA and at the same time people like Peter Austin, who believed that it was possible to do better. However, that meant doing it yourself. Home brewing but on a much bigger scale. Peter has rightly been called “The Father of British Microbrewing”. Without his determination (and that of CAMRA) it is unlikely that wonderful brews like Timothy Taylor's Landlord or Hook Norton Best Bitter would still be around.

There were no experts in creating a microbrewery in the 80s. Peter had to design and build it all himself. So successful was he that soon others with similar ambitions were asking him to design breweries for them. Whilst acting as a self-made expert and consultant, Peter's Ringwood Brewery went from strength to strength. Today it has outgrown its original location and now, ironically, occupies the site of one of the former breweries that died back in the 19th century.

Ringwood has a portfolio of seven magnificent beers. Fortyniner is one of the beers that has survived from the very beginning of Peter's career. The origin of the name is very simple. The beer weighs in at 4.9% abv. It's nothing more complicated than that. However, I like to feel that there is also a sub-concious connection between the Fortyniners of the California Gold Rush and the beautiful golden colour of the beer.

Fortyniner should be poured carefully. It is an example of what is becoming once again more and more popular, a Bottle Conditioned Ale or BCA. I like to think of it as Real Ale in a bottle though there are those who would dispute this definition. Traditional “wisdom” says that Real Ale can only come in a barrel. I stop well short of this dogma. Whatever, what it means is that there is a live yeast in the bottle. Left undisturbed for a day it will settle to the bottom of the bottle. If you like the yeast then pour out the beer to the last drop. Otherwise, tip the bottle carefully and decant all but the last drop containing the yeast. The choice is yours.

Fortyniner has just about the most perfect balance of taste and aroma that is also demonstrated by very few other beers. Landlord and Hook Norton BB are a couple of examples, as was Brakspears before the brewery died . The aroma is not overpowering as it can be in some beers such as Greene King IPA. There is clearly a strong hop presence but just sufficient to match the sweetness of the malt. There is a slight citric fruity flavour that is not immediately evident but which adds a complexity and only serves to enhance the experience. The live yeast also imparts a slight bready aroma. It all goes to produce a beer that can be savoured , that lasts long on the tongue and in the memory.

Fortyniner has won many awards over the years and will probably go on to do so again in future, just as the great beers always do. In the meantime you should also make sure that you have at least one bottle in your cellar and preferably a few.

Summary: One of the World's great beers