Monty Python’s Holy Ale — I thought British humor was supposed to be subtle
A beer from Monty Python’s comedy crew, brewed (I envision) by stiffly-moving british police in a hand-cranked meat grinder. I of course picked this up purely for the label, as being a card-carrying geek I would proudly drink any beer brewed by Monty Python, Dread Zeppelin, They Might Be Giants, rock tumblers, graphing calculators, 24-sided dice, etc. (I could go on…) I know I’m being suckered by niche-marketing, and I know the true beer snobs will complain this is the wrong way to pick a brew. But let’s face it, you’re not reading Walt Liquor’s beer reviews on this site for my nuanced palate, are you? (If you are, I urge you to read my Grammy-award-winning series of reviews on Beers Whose Artwork Can Kick Your Ass.)
The joke of the label itself is a little broad, given the off-kilter Monty Python humor — the beer artwork says “Holy Grail”, with the “GR” crossed out and “ALE” written in below. Yes, thanks, I got the joke — broadcasting your joke that loudly I’d expect instead from something Jay Leno pasted to a black card, not from the folks at Monty Python. And yet, the beer is actually really tasty… it’s got a nice thick ale taste to it, something you might imagine enjoying with a bratwurst or salt & vinegar chips in a British pub somewhere. I had figured that an essentially gag one-off beer would show the signs of a lack of priority on taste, but it’s the real deal. Of course after five straight reviews of the very worst in beer (again, see my Stanley-Cup-winning series on Beer Whose Artwork Can Kick Your Ass), Formula 409 might get three out of six from me at this point. For that reason I give myself a handicap of one off my first impression of 5 out of 6 for this beer. I heartily recommend it. And I wear high heels. And I like to press wildflowers…