I know I am supposed to post about smoked beer tonight - and I may yet - but I may have discovered a Burton, perhaps unintentional, in upstate New York. Here is the scene. This afternoon, I am over at North Country Public Radio, answering phones, hanging out with my radio pals like a cheese eating fanboy... and, you know, eating cheese and other volunteer focused snacks brought by cheese people (and other people of the craft snacks) for we the phone people. After all, I was one of the people of the phone if only for an afternoon. And then, out of nowhere, Radio Bob, the only other man I know who likes first wave ska, says he has a growler that I could and really should try a splash from. This was turning out to be quite good.

Well, it is a fresh jug of Davidson Brothers fourth-generation Adirondacker Duncan Kincaid's Authentic Adirondack Ale, a 6.2% pale ale. I didn't twig to the possibility that this was potentially a Burton until the beer poured thick out of the growler giving me the yips that I was facing something like an 11% when I think I am facing something around 4%. Been there, been told I done that. But we check it out on line and it is 6.2%, plenty of rich sweet pale malt, not a lot of crystal, plenty of residual unfermentables with a got twiggy hop that is nudging rather than cutting the cloy with a nice touch of pale ale husky graininess. It is lighter in colour than the Ontario's candidate for the title of Burtoncy, 666 Devil's Pale Ale but in the ball park that is set out in Martyn Cornell's definitive statement on the much ignored style. Loved it. Big BAer respect.