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ROBCamra
07-04-2012, 11:36
Spinko: Ridgeside Rushmore
Thuck Phat: Titanic Plum Porter
Oggwyn Trench: Imperial Bunny Boiler
Bucking Fastard: Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde
Quinno: Magic Rock Dark Arts Surreal Stout
Pubsignman: Buxton Axe Edge Double IPA
aleandhearty: Saltaire Cascade
oldboots: Thornbridge Kipling
Wittenden: Foundry Torpedo
ROBCamra: Fyne Jarl
Alesonly: Box Steam Broad Gauge
rpadam: Pelforth de Printemps

Spinko
13-04-2012, 20:47
Quick one as thr weekend aint finished yet! A lovely Spring Zing by Hopback in the Swan in Leeds. I deem this a "new pub" despite it being open for ages - it has been taken over by Leeds Brewery recently and completely sorted itself out. Well worth a visit on a crawl of Leeds now.

Ridgeside - Rushmore was very tasty in the Grove, again in Leeds, and it seems they are actually getting around to countering their aversion to hops.

In the Hop, there was a really good Spring Sprinter by Fuller's.

Of equal mention, as usual, is the Laguna Seca in the Fox and Newt Brewhouse on Burley Street. This is truly an exceptional beer and well worth the 15 minute walk from the station to sample. Wonderfully balanced. The food there also goes from strength to strength. It is not always that busy, and I do worry about it not getting enough throughput to keep viable. I am not one to start protestations or demonstrations about pubs that ought to close. The market determines that. However I think recommendations about pubs like do need airing in order to allow other punters an opportunity to keep that pub viable.

Kirkstall Brewery - Pale Ale. Well on form recently, and sampled in the Cross Keys in Leeds. Hoppy.

North York Brewery - Friars Ale. First pint I was a bit unmoved. However like most session beers it came alive on its 2nd pint. Fruity and a lovely back of the tongue taste to it. Rather weak for my palate at 3.6 but a good contender.

I think the Rushmore wins.

Thuck Phat
15-04-2012, 10:17
Some good beer this week:
Oakham Bishops Farewell, The Hare and The Hedgehog
Great Newsome Holderness Dark
Titanic 1912, Plum Porter, Chocolate and Vanilla Stout
Brakespears Oxford Gold

Both Oakham ales were excellent with The Hare and The Hedgehog packing a real hoppy flavour punch for only a 3.9% beer. All the Titanic beers were also tremendous, those boys in Stoke are clever brewers. BOTW was Titanic Plum Porter. Does what it says on the tin but without cloying sweetness and is bitter enough such that it keeps demanding to be drunk. If I had to choose beer of the year today this would be it.

Oggwyn Trench
15-04-2012, 13:10
OK week again

Imperial - Bunny Boiler
Empire - Close Quarters
Purple Moose - Dark Side of the Moose
Montys - Sunshine
Green Duck - Duck Blond
Star - Stargazer
Blackwater - Bulls Eye
Tydd Steam - Amnesiac

Hard not to choose the Purple Moose but i think Imperial just shades it

BOTW Imperial - Bunny Boiler

Bucking Fastard
15-04-2012, 16:01
I am always suspicious about CAMRA Beer of the Year from the GBBF,there seems to be a bias against pokey ales and some curious past winners such as GK IPA and Deuchars IPA but having said that,my Oscar Wilde from Mighty Oak was an excellent BOTW from The Lytton Arms ,Old Knebworth.A very distinguished MILD with that roasted ,nutty start yet with a subtle bitter finish which just demands another pint.One of the best MILDs I've ever had.:notworthy:

Quinno
16-04-2012, 11:32
The Magic Rock brewed Dark Arts: Surreal Stout was a fine pint at the Old Fountain (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/23350/) before myself, Mrs Quinno and RogerB went off to see Ultrasound.

Pubsignman
16-04-2012, 13:50
Had a few good stouts this week - Whitstable Oyster Stout, Buxton Kinder Stout, Tunnel Shadowweaver & O'Hanlons Port Stout - all very enjoyable.

But BOTW goes Buxton Axe Edge Double IPA which I was very pleased to find in the Craft Beer Co on Saturday. This was one of the best beers I tried last year and it will probably be a BOTY contender this time around as well.

aleandhearty
16-04-2012, 14:38
Very quiet week for me, with only four beers tried:

Phoenix - White Monk.
Copper Dragon - 1816.
Saltaire - Cascade.
Saltaire - Triple Chocoholic.

Easy winner was the Cascade.

aleandhearty
16-04-2012, 17:20
....in the Swan in Leeds. I deem this a "new pub" despite it being open for ages - it has been taken over by Leeds Brewery recently and completely sorted itself out.

Ridgeside - Rushmore was very tasty in the Grove, again in Leeds, and it seems they are actually getting around to countering their aversion to hops.

It's a while since I've been to The White Swan. At the time, I thought the temperature of the beers was way too cold. Hopefully, they've sorted that out. I don't know where you get this idea that The Grove has a downer on hoppy beers. Whenever I call, they always seem to have two or three on the pumps.


Titanic Plum Porter. Does what it says on the tin but without cloying sweetness and is bitter enough such that it keeps demanding to be drunk. If I had to choose beer of the year today this would be it.

Have to say I was quite wary, before I drank it. However, I think they got the level of fruit just right. If I remember rightly, it was a BOTW for me also.

oldboots
16-04-2012, 18:53
Not sure this week

Moorhouses Peat Brown
Gt Heck Dave
Rudgate Ruby Mild
Idle Black & Tan
Ilkley Siberia
Thornbridge Kipling
Elgoods Snake Slayer
Greene King Libertine
Naylors Velvet
Naylors P.A
Copper Dragon Golden Pippin
Lancaster Pearl
Roosters Yankee
Gt Heck YPA
Three Bs Daff Cocker
Greenfield Dobcross
T. Taylors Landlord


Even the GK Libertine was good and Melissa Cole's Rhubarb beer - Siberia was more than pleasant but I'll stick with Thornbridge Kipling.

Spinko
16-04-2012, 20:13
It's a while since I've been to The White Swan. At the time, I thought the temperature of the beers was way too cold. Hopefully, they've sorted that out. I don't know where you get this idea that The Grove has a downer on hoppy beers. Whenever I call, they always seem to have two or three on the pumps.


The Grove has been good for it recently. . However I do notice that when trying beers in there that I've had elsewhere, the hoppiness seems dialled back and more of a thicker texture to the beer. I don't know what to make of that? Maybe they use sparklers less than in places like the Hop and other Ossett houses, which affects the texture.

Wittenden
17-04-2012, 10:44
No pub,again this week,but I had an interesting couple of beers from the new Canterbury Brewers set up at the Foundry in that City. Foundry Torpedo , a hop rasping bruiser, and FoundryMan's Gold, a citrussy Golden ale. I haven't been to the Foundry yet, though I rermeber the premisses as Quine's Diner-that shows my age!
My BOTW-Foundry Torpedo.
http://www.thefoundrycanterbury.co.uk

ROBCamra
19-04-2012, 10:46
Plenty of good beers last week on our saunter round Scarborough, Edinburgh & Durham.

Glentworth Twice Over was very good in The Valley Scarborough.

The Fyne Jarl in Teuchtars Landing in Leith was excellent and I had 5 pints of it over the 2 days we were there.

Tempest Temptation was also very good in the Dagda Bar in Edinburgh.

Durham was a little disappointing as much of the beer was decent but little was excellent.

Pick of the bunch here was probably the rebadged Mordue Radgie Gadgie in The Court Inn.

I think that overall the Fyne Jarl wins it.

After a couple of bottles of red wine and 7 courses of Michelin starred poncey food at Kitchin, I really needed a great pint and it delivered in spades. :cheers:

Quinno
19-04-2012, 12:44
Quinno: Dark Arts Surreal Stout


That's a Magic Rock brew! :whistle:

Alesonly
20-04-2012, 16:10
Nearly forgot last weeks Ale of the week. Top two out of many was Box Steam Broad Gauge & Moorhouse Black Panther both nice strong dark ales so hard choice but I will say Ale of the week is Box Steam Broad Gauge gets this lasts weeks Ale of the week as its more unusual.

rpadam
21-04-2012, 22:15
A bit late, but I'll nominate Pelforth de Printemps - not earth-shattering, but a very rare example of a French seasonal beer offered by a major brewer (owned by Heineken in this case) - sampled in the Brasserie Les Deux Palais in Paris.

RogerB
23-04-2012, 13:17
Another goody from the Kent Brewery topped my list week, Beyond The Pale at the Old Fountain.