Ocho Beer Born In Burton

Style
English IPA
ABV
6.6%

Years ago, when The Crafty Pint was yet to crystallise into something real, I was sat in a warehouse in Boronia with a bunch of homebrewers preparing for a BJCP exam while looking to improve my knowledge of beer and brewing. The term "Burtonisation" came up in a session on water.

"Did you just say 'Burtonisation'?" (Yes, I knew what I liked to drink but little else about the subject back then – it's been a steep and slippery descent since...).

"Does it refer to the place in England? Really? I was born in Burton!"

As "Eureka!" moments go, it's hardly up there with Archimedes in his bathroom but, with hindsight, it certainly provides some context to the subsequent life path. And the fact the pretty drab Midlands market town of Burton-upon-Trent where I was born (albeit never lived – The Crafty Kegs had just relocated from Edinburgh to the marvellously named Ashby-de-la-Zouch nearby) is globally famous for the manner in which its hard water helped create and define a beer style is one I rather enjoy.

All of which is a rather long-winded way of getting to this: one of two new beers from Tasmania's Ocho. Born In Burton is a tribute to the "grandfather of IPAs", a 6.6 percent ABV strong English bitter crammed with East Kent Goldings, Bramling Cross and Pilgrim hops. It's a far cry from the IPAs of today, a celebration of what you might term workmanlike hops as opposed to the showstoppers of today.

Sure, you'll find some Earl Grey like floral aromas and stewed fruits, not to mention some sticky sweet malts, in there but it's the old school hop derived bitterness that dominates. It's gnarly – not in the contemporary slang sense, but in the gnarly old tree sense. It's a bitterness that lies in wait on the fringes, waits for the sweetness and jammy fruits to make an appearance, then reaches up and drags them slowly, remorselessly away, replacing them with a drying, grippy, twiggy, earthy blanket instead, one that's enhanced with a touch of the tannic thanks to the addition of oak cubes during the brewing process.

If you've grown up on contemporary IPAs, you'll wonder what the hell is going on. But, equally, you'll understand why English Bitters got their name. And, if you'd like to take things further, Burton's football (soccer) team, Burton Albion, is nicknamed The Brewers, they play in an wattle-esque bright yellow and are in the highest league they've ever reached in their history, providing a pleasant counterpoint to the bloated corporate excesses of football's upper echelons. They also had Jackson Irvine in the team until he was pilfered by Hull City but, even without that Aussie connection, would no doubt appreciate any new fans, even from afar and no matter how tenuous the reasons...

Published September 29, 2017

Name
Ocho
Address

7/31a Churchill Park Drive (OFFICE)
Invermay
TAS 7248

Phone
0435 836 387
Pickled OnMarket
Black Bad Boy Bao 2024 B

More from Ocho

Ocho Lusty Winter
Baltic Porter
7.5%
Ocho Winter IPA 2020
Hazy IPA
6.5%
Ocho & Deeds Woolly Mammoth Double IPA
Double IPA
8.0%
Ocho Autumn IPA 2020
Red IPA
6.5%
Ocho Rainbow Hills Double IPA
Double IPA
8.0%
Ocho Imaginary Ale Blend 2
Barrel Aged Saison
6.7%
Ocho Happy Place
Mid-Strength Farmhouse Ale
3.5%
Ocho Eucalyptus
Spiced Dark Lager
6.0%
Ocho Green – Spring IPA 2018
IPA
6.5%
Ocho Beer Winter 2018
IPL
6.5%
Ocho Beer Reserve Bière de Garde
Bière de Garde
8.2%
Ocho Beer Reserve Imaginary Ale
Barrel Aged Saison
7.8%
Ocho Beer Lusty Winter
Baltic Porter
7.2%
Ocho Shy Lad & Golden Double IPA
Mild & Double IPA
2.9% & 8.3%
Ocho Beer Papá Noel
English Strong Ale
8.5%
Ocho Beer Primavera
Saison
6.3%
Ocho Beer A Fox In The Cellar
Bière de Garde
6.8%
Ocho Beer The Haze
New England IPA
6.3%
Ocho Beer Wilderness
Barrel-Aged Wild IPA
7.2%
Ocho Beer Black Forest
Blended Stout
5.0%