Sherwood Forest Brewers Ltd. - Archer's Ale

While made famous as a canned beer, our shipping format requires bottles. But we encourage you to seek out canned microbrewed beers so you can see for yourself that canned beer CAN taste great! On the nose, expect a slight whiff of white grapes to mingle with the bigly sweet maltiness. Look for hints of pear and fresh barley grains, sweet bread dough and some toasty caramel notes with very little hop aromatics. The flavor profile is, by contrast, unexpectedly bitter; expect that bitterness to coat the palate and then decay, allowing the sweeter malty notes to develop late. A lightly peppery hop note develops in the finish, with a gin-like berry flavor. Try with Ceviche or Semolina (you can find a recipe for the latter here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/240114).

"…Sherwood Forest has been considered an enchanted place, home to myths, legends and many a story of honor, tradition and loyalty." So reads the website for Sherwood Forest Brewers Ltd.—explaining the meaning behind their choice in name. Since their inception in 1997 and until just recently, they've brewed one beer and one beer alone: Archer's Ale. Taking a cue from Sherwood Forest's number one resident, Robin Hood, the philosophy behind this beer has been to deliver precision accuracy (stylistically) and consistency (quality), while delivering us from the evil of the tyrant Sheriff of Nottingham (macro-brewed swill). And like Robin Hood, this particular archer has earned itself a place in lore: it was only the 3rd beer in the country available in a can (Sherwood Forest was just the 2nd company in the U.S. to can). "Microbrewed beer in a can?!?" you cry with disbelief. "Why would you do that?" Well, if you haven't already taken notice of this trend, it's happening all around the world as microbrewers realize that canning microbrewed beer is a cheaper, more portable, more protective way to package their products. For years, it's been a tough sell, as people reported that canned beers had a metallic flavor. But developments in canning technology have yielded a protective lining that prevents the beer from ever contacting the metal of the can. If you live near a park/beach/river and wanted to bring along some craft brewed beer, you'll have noticed that most prohibit glass bottles—leaving few options for microbrewed beer lovers (or, think back to your last flight; any good canned beer there? Nope.) Other benefits? Turns out canning equipment is actually cheaper than bottling lines, providing a break to start-up microbreweries. But probably the best reason to can is the fact that cans offer superior protection to beer—no oxidation (from air leakage around the bottle cap) and no skunking by light strike! We tip our hats to these guys for having the guts to can when so few would dare, and for putting something worth drinking in those cans! For more information, check out their web site at www.sherwoodbrewers.com.