The new version of bottled Bass is… what’s the phrase? Not quite a triumph, not quite a letdown, it sits somewhere in the middle ground: it’s alright.
When word first came that production had left AB InBev’s brewery at Salmesbury and bottling was returning to Burton, it felt like something close to a homecoming. My first question, naturally, was whether we’d see it bottle conditioned. That was dismissed quickly, too ambitious apparently, but even so the idea of my favourite beer being bottled again in its spiritual home felt like a win. AB InBev had listened, understood and acted.
And to be fair, the first sampling didn’t disappoint. At a blind tasting back in March with fellow members of the Honourable Order of Bass Drinkers, nobody clocked it as anything other than a pasteurised take on Draught Bass. The feedback was positive: good clarity, a solid head, familiar aroma, that reassuringly recognisable character. There was a sense, dare I say it, of celebration. Bottled Bass was back, and it felt good.
Then came the reveal.
The lower ABV.
There was genuine surprise, bordering on disbelief. At first, it felt like we’d been had, but in hindsight, tasting it this way was probably the fairest way to judge it. No preconceptions, no baggage, just the beer itself. And in that context, it held its own.
Compared to the Salmesbury version, this is streets ahead. That stuff barely resembled Bass at all. This, on the other hand, actually tastes like it belongs to the same family. It’s less gassy, pour it properly and you’ll coax a respectable head out of it. The old version just collapsed instantly into fizz and nothingness. I’m told that others have managed to reproduce the lacing, but so far, I’ve fallen short.
Leave it in the fridge for half an hour (no longer mind, treat it with respect), enough to bring it down to cellar temperature and it’s perfectly drinkable. More than that, it’s enjoyable. Close enough to Draught to scratch the itch, though let’s not kid ourselves, once you know it’s weaker, you can’t un-know it. There’s a slight hollowness where that extra one percent alcohol should sit.
That’s really the crux of it; this isn’t a replacement for Draught Bass, and it never could be. Pasteurised beer rarely stands shoulder to shoulder with cask and expecting it to would be optimistic. Even a hypothetical 4.4% bottle-conditioned Burton version might have struggled to truly replicate the magic. Cask is king for a reason.
But judged on its own terms? This is a clear improvement. A decent, reliable way to enjoy Bass at home. No more, no less. Which is why it feels just a little frustrating, because it’s good stuff, however it could have been great stuff.
Still… it’ll do.
Ah, I was working at Samlesbury when they stopped making it there. It did just seem to disappear so I wondered where it was being made now.
Bring back Marston’s Owd Roger.
Still brewed. Tried a bottled version over Christmas
I must be behind. Last time I looked, when Marson’s had been taken over, Owd Roger had been discontinued along with a few other famous beers.
Blind tasting is key. Too many people are reading the label and the alcohol content first which clouds their view on the taste.
In my opinion, a fair and accurate review. I like the new bottled Bass and think the flavour is remarkably good for a weaker brew. As for a bottle conditioned version, then the expertise exists and if AB Inbev ever want to produce a premium bottled classic, that would be be the answer.
This is a very astute and fair review, which encompasses my thoughts pretty much exactly on it. Not sure if it’s just me, but I felt that maybe the weakness makes the new bottled version more sweeter than the cask version as well. Whatever, for its strength it still packs quite a lot of flavour in.
Sadly, I can’t show the picture, but here in Belgium & The Netherlands a bottled Bass is available that’s brewed in Belgium at 5% ABV. It’s decent, maybe a bit more gassy but that’s the way beer goes in these parts. The taste is quite Bass’s IMHO. At the same time 5% sounds like a lot for Bass, but that’s typical too: it’s more or less a standard for many bottled beers over here. A 4,4% beer would not fit AB InBevs strategy for our supermarkets and would probably sell less too. I thought you would like to hear about it, and I can send a picture of course. Cheers, Marco from the Netherlands