CoConspirators Brewing The Butcher

As the name and artwork colourfully allude, The Butcher is beer that’s as red as they come, and one that goes to work pitting aromatic American hops against a complex mix of specialty malts.

On the hop front, those fruit flavours that cut through are mango, peach and apricot, all mixed in with some resinous piney characteristics. Those are then sliced against a backbone of hearty toasted malt and toffee flavours, with raisin like qualities to be discovered too. Unsurprisingly for a red ale, there’s a richness to The Butcher, but one that's balanced by an assertive bitterness and a slightly dry finish.

Will Ziebell