Beer of the Week - Boddingtons

So, Boddingtons Pub Ale is this week’s BOTW.  I love this beer.  It has an awesomely smooth flavor with a creamy light finish and after taste.  It’s a traditional English pale ale originally from Manchester UK, owned and operated by a family brewery.  Now sadly after doing a little research about this beer, I found out that it is now owned and distributed by Anheuser-Busch, which is too bad and always seems to happen.  The giant breweries take over the little family-run breweries.  

[Side note:  If you have a chance, you should check out this documentary called Beer Wars that my roommate showed me.  It totally rips on the big, no-flavor breweries in the U.S.  Okay, back to the beer:]

When you’re drinking Boddingtons from the tap, it is served on nitrogen instead of CO2.  That’s what gives it the creamy flavor and thick head.  When you get it in a can, it comes with what’s called a widget.  You know those little balls that come in the cans of Guinness that everyone tries to take out?  It’s the same thing in Boddingtons.  All this little ball does is hold onto the nitrogen in the beer until the pressure is released when you open the can.  It makes for a better smooth first taste and creamy head.  So if you’re in the mood for a good, traditional English ale, go grab one of those 4-packs of Boddingtons and pour quickly into a glass.  Then try and get that little ball out of the can and see what I am talking about.  Enjoy!