These beers from Ellenberg form a sort of counterpoint to the Beavertown ones from earlier this week. These are more straightforward, the artwork is simpler. Ale No. 1 is a decent ESB. Nicely malty but not mind blowing.
Their Black Ale on the other hand was very nice indeed, once it calmed down, for once the ridiculous head wasn’t the result of my heavy pour. I even broke out a couple of squares of chocolate to go with it as suggested on the label. Yum. Unfortunately it looks like this brewery has shut up shop. Dire predictions have been made of a ‘bloodbath’ in the craft beer industry. That’s capitalism I suppose, making a decent beer isn’t enough by itself, you need to stand out from the crowd, be original, have a point of difference or just be the best in the field in order to survive. I hate to see any good business going under as it limits our choices but that’s not the way accountants think! Grab a bottle of the Black Ale while it’s still on shelves. Sláinte!