BEER TALK Black Ram Ale About the beer: Brewed by the Black Sheep Brewery in North Yorshire, using a gravity feed system. Fermented in Yorkshire Stone Squares -- a 200-year-0old mehtod. Malt is from Maris Otter barley, malted as a pale ale malt. Hops are a blend of Fuggles, Golding, Challenger and Progress. Just the facts: 4.4 percent by weight, 33 IBUs, available in the U.K. and Northeast United States.
Beautiful full, solid, finely textured head, with great color, brilliant clarity, and magnificent hop aromatics, bolstered by a dry hint of honey. Malty, almost fruity on the palate, but wonderfully clean and dry on the finish. This is a fine session beer, mild in alcohol content and, best of all, it grows on you as it improves in the glass.	This amber beer raises a fine tan head as it pours from its shapely bottle. The nose is full of voluptuous toffee-ish malt with a light breeze of earthy hops. Full-bodied on the palate with the toffee character following through, gently countered by light hopping. The finish is crisp and dry, with fruity malt lingering. An excellent example of premium bitter; it is no doubt stunning in its cask-conditioned form.	The "Ram" was necessitated by a trademark clash in the U.S. In its native Britain, this known simply as Black Sheep Ale. It is made in a Yorkshire Stone Square system, by Paul Theakston, in his own independent brewery. The ale has a distinctive tan color; a fruity aroma; and a smooth, malty palate. The sweetness of the malt is balanced by the nutty dryness of typical Yorkshire yeast.
This beer was reviewed for the September 1996 issue of All About Beer Magazine. © 1996 Chautauqua Inc.