The Swill: Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale
The Still: Black Sheep Brewery
Masham, Yorkshire, England
http://www.blacksheep.co.uk
The Drill: English-style Ale, 16.9oz bottle, 4.7% ABV
The Spill: Specially commissioned to celebrate Monty Pyhton's 30th anniversary, the creators thankfully put a decent beer behind the novel label. It has a solid malt backbone underneath a noticeable, fruity hop character. Not strong enough for serious ale drinkers, but not weak enough to make you resent buying it for the name, either.
Says Bill: I held my breath when I ordered this in September 2007, but I was thirsty after playing a gig with my harmonica, and it was on tap, which made me somewhat hopeful. I was pleasantly surprised that it was more than just a bad beer with fun clothes on (see the entry just below this one), and in fact I found it quite enjoyable. A second pint may have run thin on me, but I moved on to a different brew before finding out, so my memory of this one remains untainted.
Refill?: You have to try a beer at least once that claims to be "tempered over burning witches": 2 taps out of 5.