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ROBCamra
17-09-2012, 22:13
hondo: Castle Rock Harvest Pale
Aqualung: Brodie's Big Mofo Stout
Spinko: Red Willow Headless
Thuck Phat: Marble Lagonda
MobyDuck: Darkstar Kiwi
Bucking Fastard: Marble Lagonda
london calling: Fyne Cloud Burst
Wittenden: Crouch Vale Brewers Gold
Oggwyn Trench: Cannon Royall Fruiterers Mild
Alesonly: Belhaven Scottish Stout
aleandhearty: Great Heck Yakima IPA
Real Ale Ray: George Wright Brambling Cross
ROBCamra: Arkwrights Inspired
Pubsignman: Oakham Bishop's Farewell
oldboots: Knaresborough Chocolate Cherry Milk Stout

hondo
21-09-2012, 06:44
Castle Rock - Harvest Pale

Aqualung
21-09-2012, 20:13
It's close to the end of September and I suddenly realised I had four Spoons CAMRA vouchers left, so for my Friday afternoon soiree I visited three of the East London Spoons ending up in Brodie's HQ in Leyton.
Perversely, the best selections and brews tasted were in the New Fairlop Oak and the Wanstead George rather than the GBG 2013 listed Walnut Tree in Leytonstone.

Here are my results:-

Welton's Old Harry (5.2%) A lovely orange coloured beer, sweetish but with a bitterness as well.
Kelham Island Pale Rider (5.2%) Magnificent! Crystal clear and sparkling, very drinkable.
Itchen Valley Pure Gold (4.8%) Nothing wrong with it, but a let down compared to the previous two.
Brodie's Saison (8%) Rank, I know the brewer likes to experiment but this one didn't work.
Brodie's Big Mofo Stout (10.5%) Magnificent!!


After the superb Kelham Island Pale Rider I thought that this must be the BOTW, but the Big Mofo beat it by a short head. I am going to create a controversy here by revealing that it was Keykeg not handpulled. Having said that it was NOT gassy at all and the chill on it was not really a problem with such a strong beer with massive flavours. At £3.20 in a lined goblet (no short measure here!) for a 10% beer you could hardly call it a rip off.

BOTW Brodie's Big Mofo Stout on Keykeg.

Spinko
22-09-2012, 19:11
It's close to the end of September and I suddenly realised I had four Spoons CAMRA vouchers left, so for my Friday afternoon soiree I visited three of the East London Spoons ending up in Brodie's HQ in Leyton.
Perversely, the best selections and brews tasted were in the New Fairlop Oak and the Wanstead George rather than the GBG 2013 listed Walnut Tree in Leytonstone.

Here are my results:-

Welton's Old Harry (5.2%) A lovely orange coloured beer, sweetish but with a bitterness as well.
Kelham Island Pale Rider (5.2%) Magnificent! Crystal clear and sparkling, very drinkable.
Itchen Valley Pure Gold (4.8%) Nothing wrong with it, but a let down compared to the previous two.
Brodie's Saison (8%) Rank, I know the brewer likes to experiment but this one didn't work.
Brodie's Big Mofo Stout (10.5%) Magnificent!!


After the superb Kelham Island Pale Rider I thought that this must be the BOTW, but the Big Mofo beat it by a short head. I am going to create a controversy here by revealing that it was Keykeg not handpulled. Having said that it was NOT gassy at all and the chill on it was not really a problem with such a strong beer with massive flavours. At £3.20 in a lined goblet (no short measure here!) for a 10% beer you could hardly call it a rip off.

BOTW Brodie's Big Mofo Stout on Keykeg.

No controversy with me. Good beer is good beer. Unfortunately some in Camra think good beer is bad beer dependent on how it is served.

Red Willow - Headless

Amazing session beer, lovely hoppy fruit and bitter. I had this in 3 different places and all were spot on. Th Mark Addy and 2 Wetherpoons in Manchester.

The Waterhouse (JD Wetherspoon) (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/55842/)
The Paramount (JD Wetherspoon) (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/55829/)
The Mark Addy (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/13147/)

Thuck Phat
23-09-2012, 11:52
Good week aided by some boating in Manchester with Mr Fastard:
Vale VPA
Cross Bay Zenith IPA
Pheonix Hopsack
Tod's Blonde
Marble Lagonda IPA
Marble Chocolate Reserve
Oakham Bishops Farewell
Oakham Carioca
Purity Mad Goose
Hook Norton Double Stout

The VPA and Zenith IPA were good, the Double Stout and Mad Goose very good, the Bishops and Carioca excellent and the Lagonda IPA and Chocolate Reserve outstanding. BOTW was the incomparable Marble Lagonda IPA which also gets my Beer of a Lifetime award.

Mobyduck
23-09-2012, 18:02
After a poor mid-week,
Sheps Spitfire
Wells and Young's Bombardier
Courage Best and
Sambrooks Wandle,
The weekend was all Darkstar,
American Pale Ale,
Kiwi and
Hophead,
all worthy but purely on a rotation basis BOTW is-
Darkstar Kiwi

Bucking Fastard
23-09-2012, 18:29
I was apprehensive before walking into The Marble Arch,Manchester,could it possibly match up to my last visit over three years ago,would the house brews scales the heights reached before ?I needn't have worried,there was just pure quality on offer.Dobber,Chocolate Reserve and Magic (a 3.3% brown beer collaboration with Magic Rock packed full of hop flavour) slipped down, any of which would have won BOTW if sampled alone,but I have to agree with Mr Phat that Marble Lagonda IPA was the star of the show and the most worthy BOTW.

london calling
23-09-2012, 20:27
lots of good beers this week the pick of the bunch were
ossett -ambler gambler
green jack -viking strong ale
anarchy -sublime chaos
cromarty -happy chappie
hop studios -pilsner
brewwharf -cascadian pale
tripple fff-elder skelter
tyne bank -monument
but the winner is
Fyne -cloud burst

Wittenden
23-09-2012, 22:37
Crouch Vale-Brewers Gold. I'd heard about this beer for years, but hadn't tried it until this Tuesday. Some mention it in the same breath as DarkStar's Hophead: I'm not totally convinced,but it is a fine nettley golden ale, with a good East Anglian malty base.My BOTW

Mobyduck
23-09-2012, 22:47
Crouch Vale-Brewers Gold. I'd heard about this beer for years, but hadn't tried it until this Tuesday. Some mention it in the same breath as DarkStar's Hophead: I'm not totally convinced,but it is a fine nettley golden ale, with a good East Anglian malty base.My BOTW

A good beer,a two time GBBF champion beer, but Hophead is better.

Oggwyn Trench
23-09-2012, 23:10
Decent weekend for me despite getting soaked on the way home tonight :mad:

Greenfield - Thirst Born
Pictish - Doctor Rudi
Ossett - Silver King
Elland - Big Dog IPA
Accorn - Calypso IPA
Liverpool Organic - Simcoe
Cannon Royall - Fruiterers Mild
Purple Moose - Snowdonia Ale
Rowton - Bitter
Everards - Equinox
Cannon Royall - Musket Ale
Green Duck - Duck Doo
Boggart HC - Dark Mild
Cotleigh - Golden Seahawk
Rowton - Comet

BOTW Cannon Royall - Fruiterers Mild

Alesonly
24-09-2012, 00:27
Had some reasonably good Ales this week but One was outstanding Belhaven Scottish Stout nice dark strong Ale my favourite. Its most definitely my Ale of the week. :glass::glass:

aleandhearty
24-09-2012, 09:52
A pretty good week for beer, with several of those tried being excellent.

Wooden Hand - Cornish Gribben.
Naylors - Northern Gold.
Revolutions - Ravenscroft Pale Ale.
Ascot - Alligator Ale.
Rat - Desert Rat.
Abbeydale - Chocolate Stout.
Everards - Tiger.
Wyre Piddle - Piddle Through The Seasons.
Roosters - Yankee.
Elland - Mobius.
Rat - White Rat.
Roosters - Fort Smith.
Coastal - Merry Maidens Mild.
Brew Co - Wishbone.
Great Heck - Navigator.
Dancing Duck - Nice Weather.
Raw - Anubis Porter.
Great Heck - Yakima IPA.
Saltaire - Hazelnut Coffee Porter.
Partners - Ghost.

No need to deliberate this week. Winner, by a country mile, was the Yakima IPA. Weighing in at 7.4% it combines Citra, Chinook, Amarillo, Cascade and Simcoe hops with a juicy malt base. Delicious.

Real Ale Ray
24-09-2012, 19:02
BOTW goes to George Wright Brewery- Brambling Cross

ROBCamra
28-09-2012, 09:39
Despite enjoying Todmorden beer festival none of the beers were in the running for BOTW.

They were all decent, but nothing stood out for me.

BOTW is going to be Arkwrights Inspired a cracking beer that I tried several times last Tuesday in The Baum. :cheers:

Pubsignman
28-09-2012, 09:49
Just realised I forgot to nominate for this week.

Nothing came close to Oakham Bishop's Farewell which has now become a regular in the George, Croydon. This might be getting a few more nominations before the year is out.

oldboots
28-09-2012, 13:50
Just realised I forgot to nominate for this week.

oops me too,

I have to agree with ROBCamra about Tod', York however was a different barrel of beer and that's where I tasted Knaresborough Chocolate Cherry Milk Stout. The brewery won Best Strong Beer and Best Beer of the Festival for their American style Milk Stout.