I have become convinced that few appreciate a subtle beer anymore. We are so into the Imperial IPAs, Belgian Strongs and Russian Imperial Stouts that we are likely to dismiss a small beer as boring and watery. The torrent of reviews on ratebeer and beeradovocate demonstrate my point. Small beer get killed, even if they are well made.

Which is why I was intrigued by Paddock Wood’s recent decision to make their summer seasonal an English Bitter. Fruit beer, saisons, hefeweizens and the like have become the standard summer fare for craft brewers (and, to be perfectly clear, I am not dissing that). But Paddock Wood’s Arthur stood out because of its uniqueness. Canadian craft brewers don’t make Bitters. they just don’t.

Let me perfectly clear. When I say Arthur is an English Bitter, I mean it. It is not an ESB, not a pale ale, not a dumbed down IPA. It is meant to be that classic British session beer, made famous by a plethora of tourism guide books.

You see, English Bitters are somewhat mis-named. Their focus is not hop bitterness, but balance and drinkabiliy. I suspect they got that name as a contrast to the brown ales, porters and milds served at the time. A quality Bitter works hard not to offer too much of anything, which is why the beer raters dismiss it.

So, I made the decision to drink Arthur using the perspective that it was a Bitter. That may have been right or wrong, but it seemed fair to me.

It is a medium copper beer that provides a decent, but not impressive, white head that mostly clusters into a ring at the glass’s edge. It has good clarity and even in the appearance shows that it is less carbonated than most ales – which is exactly appropriate. The aroma offers soft toffee, brown sugar and berry jam. There is a strong fruity character, of lighter berries and plums. There is no hop aroma to speak of, but it does seem to sharpen the overall impression of the beer.

In the flavour, I first pick up some fruitiness and a bit of demerara sweetness. The middle draws out a grainy character that reminds me of a pilsner. The finish has a soft, aromatic, earthy hop bitterness that finds a way to linger. There is not a lot of bitterness here, but the hops contribute to building a pleasant, balanced finish. The linger, as it turns out, is a bit harsh, maybe due to the malt choices combined with hops decisions.

If I were judging this beer cold, I might find a number of faults. But I made the decision to sample it as a Bitter. And that makes all the difference. Looking at this beer as a classic British session ale, its subtle aroma and subdued bitterness make complete sense. The only concern that remains is that sharp finish.

But returning to the Bitter categorization, I think this beer fits remarkably well. No flavour dominates. It doesn’t hide its fruitiness nor its commitment to some real hops. It feels like a beer you can drink many of (which is rarely a good thing). The harsh finish is a bit off-putting, but is forgivable knowing the difficulty brewing this style. And that would be my main complaint about the beer.

Arthur is not a perfect beer, but I wouldn’t say no to one when looking for an easy beer that allows me to think. Plus, it gets us thinking about British traditions and the like, and what possibilities lie ahead for craft brewers.