Perhaps “XB hits the spot” might be better. This is Theakston XB (4.5%). It’s a ruby coloured beer, quite a rich and full-bodied. A very hoppy smell, and a bitter, slightly caramel taste – very nice.
A couple of interesting points about this beer – the first concerns the beer’s name. Apparently, at the time when the brewery were deciding what to call their new beer, they used to stencil the side of the casks – Best Bitter was stencilled with “BBB” and Old Peculier was stencilled with “XXXX”. Being Yorkshiremen, and not wanting to have to acquire a new stencil, they decided it would be either “BX” or “XB” – and “XB” it became! Note – being a Yorkshireman myself, I’m allowed to use the stereotype of Yorkshire folk being mean! Anyone who is not from Yorkshire – well, who cares what they think anyway?
The other point is more about the brewery. The XB bottle proudly states “under old management”. The brewery was, for a few years, out of the hands of the Theakston family – it was taken over in 1984 by Matthew Brown of Blackburn, and in 1987 they, themselves, were taken over by Scottish & Newcastle. In 2003 control of the brewery was regained by 4 Theakston brothers – a rare instance of a brewery going from being owned by one of the big brewers to being family-owned. Details of the brewery’s history are on the Theakston website.