Burton Snatch is a term, now somewhat antiquated, for the whiff of sulfur on a freshly poured beer. The aroma is particularly associated with beers originally brewed in Burton-on-Trent, England.
The characteristic of Burton’s water is a happy accident, but a well-suited water supply was once one of the main considerations for situating a brewery, a clear example of “terroir” in beer. In the 19th century, Burton’s brewing heyday, sulfate hardness made the water perfect for brewing crisp, clear pale beers. Burton eventually specialized in pale beers, whereas London, where water was naturally hardened by calcium carbonate, specialized in dark porter beer.
The practice of Burtonizing water became widespread in the British Isles and has now spread worldwide. That said, brewers rarely add enough salts to emulate the sulfurous “Burton snatch” aromatic, which remains part of the aroma profile of Burton-brewed Marston’s Pedigree, though some aficionados say it is not nearly so pungent as it once was.
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