Old Peculier

Review Date 6/24/2000  Last Updated 01/07/2024  By John Staradumsky

  Style: Yorkshire Ale   Brewery: Theakston   Country: England   State: N/A   $ Per OZ: $.12 (B)   ABV: 5.6%

Just got in from a night of dining and drinking great beers with a brewer friend from New Hampshire and his charming lady friend. I have always maintained that beer is a great socializer, and it really is when taken in moderation.

Now I'm in the mood for a another great beer, and what better choice than a nightcap of Theakston's Old Peculier? This has been a favorite for a long time, years ago when I worked in a liquor store I would suggest it to customers and take home a fair number of six packs myself. Tonight I'm drinking a half liter bottle of the beer I picked up recently.

On August 29th of 1997 I wrote the following about Old Peculier:

This has always been one of my favorite beers. Theakston's of Masham, England, is the brewer, and they style it as a Yorkshire Ale. It's an extremely idiosyncratic, complex brew, and I was pleasantly surprised recently to see it on store shelves in the big pint-plus bottles, more than enough to fill a foot-of-ale glass. Deep caramel to brownish in color with a foamy tan head and a rich, complex nose, Old Peculier promises much even before you take a sip. It delivers admirably, packed with flavor. Hints of rum, plum pudding, molasses, chocolate, and raisin all combine to make this a special brew indeed. Magnificent!

Old Peculier is described by Theakston's as a Yorkshire ale, a sort of sub style of old ale. The brewery is located in Masham, England, and the beer is very idiosyncratic; even the spelling of the name is peculiar. It has a dark brown color with a rich creamy head and a rich, powerful nose that will grab your attention from across any room. The palate is incredibly complex with powerful notes of raisin, bittersweet chocolate, dark malt, and molasses. The beer is smooth and not highly carbonated. The finish is balanced, there's a subtle bitterness but it's not overpowering.

This is a beer that screams to be served with dessert. The raisin character lends itself well to an apple-raisin strudel, rice pudding with raisins and cinnamon, or an Eckles cake. Or just have it as dessert. Either way, a wonderful beer.

Update 01/07/24: Picked up a can of Theakston’s Old Peculier recently from Half Time Beverage. The beer pours to a dark brownish black color with a thick creamy tan head and a nose of treacle and dark fruity raisin. Taking a sip, the beer is medium in body and dark malty. It’s packed with the dark fruity notes the nose promised, predominantly raisin, but perhaps a slight hint of prune, too, and cherry. The treacle-caramel notes are here, and at the last the beer finishes dry with a soft kiss of gently grassy hops in the finish. Delicious, drinkable, dark fruity, and original. My can was stamped BBE 31/10/2024, and although I have not seen it here in Georgia, Total Wine sells it for $14.49 the 4-pack of 14.9 ounce cans.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??