Judge’s Review: 91 Rating – What The F$@! Is A Kilometer Special Bitter by Moniker Brewery

Best Bitter | Limited Release | USA

By Joseph Formanek

Judges Rating: 91
Aroma: 22
Appearance: 6
Flavor: 37
Mouthfeel: 9
Overall Impression: 17

What The F$@! Is A Kilometer Special Bitter by Moniker Brewery is a quaffable rendition of the Best Bitter style. This brew represents the style rather well, but could stand a few tweaks to make it stand out from the rest. This is being evaluated as a Category 11B, Best Bitter, per the 2021 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines.
Woody and earthy hop character is quite apparent in the aroma, with a background of a light caramel malt sweetness along with a moderate level of light floral esters and sharper woody fermentation notes as would be expected through the use of traditional English bitter yeast strains. The color is amber, which is also proper for the style, the beer is quite clear, and it has a white, small-bubble head with fantastic retention. This is a beautiful beer and matches the style quite well in this respect.
The flavor features a moderate level of fruity esters and malt sweetness. The bitterness is a bit low to balance this out, giving a somewhat under-attenuated perception for the brew. There is also a moderate level of astringency that comes through in the middle and the finish, which does help to dry out the end of the drink a bit. The malt character does have a caramel component, which carries through into the finish, but it is somewhat one-dimensional. The body is a light-medium, as appropriate for the style, and the carbonation is at a moderate level.
Overall, this is a respectable special bitter that does bear many hallmarks of the style, but it could benefit from a few improvements in the malt and hop bill. Even with it being a very small beer, it could be possible to increase the layers of malt complexity, and a slight boost in hop bitterness would also be appreciated. The apparent astringency in the finish is also a bit distracting but could also be easily addressed.