No proper picture for this one because my camera phone decided to make everything blurry by this point in the evening (nothing to do with what I’d had to drink I’m sure). Darwin’s Origin is a Copper/Gold coloured ale from Shropshire brewers Salopian. Darwin was of course born in Shrewsbury, where the beer is brewed, and it was rather neat that I was drinking it in Lichfield, the city where is grandfather, the scientist and physician Erasmus Darwin, lived and worked.
It’s a tasty enough ale, fairly light for a copper beer but with plenty of fruity flavour. Bitter sweet rather than dry and I have to say something of a relief amongst a number of rather rubbish beers that we had while in Lichfield.
Perhaps more interesting than the beer was the pub we had it in, The Samuels, described on the Marston’s website as having a “wonderful atmosphere”. It had an atmosphere alright. It was full of loud, boorish and above all very drunken bastards, one of whom stood next to me in the toilet shouting “c**t” repeatedly and to no one in particular while he took a slash.
The whole place looked run down, and the walls were covered in bizarre Las Vegas casino wallpaper. I don’t mean like the wallpaper from a casino – the images on it were of casinos. In black and white. Very weird.
I realise I’m being a snob but the place was a dive. Still, three stars for the beer.
Posted by tembury | Filed under Three Star