United Nations of Beer

Monty Pythons Holy ale

by Ashley Cotter-Cairns
(UNOB HQ)

Monty Python's Holy ale
Better than a wet haddock in the chops

One of the perks of running a global beer organisation is that your friends never need to ask what to buy you.

Hot on the heels of bringing almost a dozen Quebec beers to my birthday bash, Adele and Ulrich came to visit after taking a Thanksgiving trip to Ontario with two more bottles in tow.

This one had me before I even opened it. I'm a huge Python fan.

Monty Python's Holy ale sneaks into our Halloween special because it claims to be 'tempered over burning witches". Decades after they broke up, the Python team can still bring a smile to people's faces.

So is this beer the Holy Gr-ale of beers? At 4.7% ABV, it has plenty of bite without being obnoxiously strong. Its deep amber colour is the perfect British bitter tone.

There's not too much of an aroma, which I was disappointed about, but the taste more than makes up for that, with a complex tangle of fruity notes in the front, followed swiftly by a feint but pleasant hoppy taste and a long, mellow bitterness.

This could be the perfect example of a good British bitter. It's probably not the best beer in the world, but its fine character and easy to drink attitude make it a winner in my book.

I'd love to know what Michael Palin's favourite beer is. John Cleese probably only drinks wine, but I bet Palin's a real hophead. (Around the world in 80 pubs, anybody?)

Thanks for everything, guys. And this beer is the icing on a magnificent cake.