Beer of the Week (w/e 21st October 2012)

[ROBCamra]

Aqualung: Brodie's Dalston Black IPA
london calling: Magic Rock Craft Magic
Bucking Fastard: Dark Star Green Hopped IPA
Mobyduck: Dark Star Green Hopped IPA
Oggwyn Trench: Green Duck Duck Dastardly
Wittenden: Goacher's Silver Star
aleandhearty: Acorn Yorkshire Pride
Real Ale Ray: Bowland Hen Harrier
hondo: Oakham Ales Endless Summer
oldboots: Roosters Wild Mule
Alesonly: Colchester Red Diesel
Thuck Phat: Shugborough Jasper
Pubsignman: Buxton Dark Nights
sheffield hatter: B&T Shefford Bitter
ROBCamra: Fernandes Green Gold

[Spinko]

Trip to Blackpool this weekend so not expecting too much..maybe I can go via Preston and Wigan on the way back to salvage something.

[Aqualung]

On a thoroughly miserable Friday Afternoon I was cheered and warmed by the following :-

Brentwood Weald Porter 5.0%
Marston's Old Empire 5.7%
Old Bear Goldilocks 4.5%
Brodies's White IPA 5.0%
Brodie's Ice Saison 8.0%
Brodie's Dalston Black IPA 7.0%
Brodie's Big Mofo Stout 10.5%

The last two were Keykeg but none the worse for that. The White IPA is a cloudy wheat beer but with the usual big hop flavour you expect from Brodie's. The Ice Saison is an attempt at one of those sour Belgium beers. Sour it was, it tasted like a very rough scrumpy to me. The three non Brodie beers were unexceptional but all well kept so the three contenders are White IPA, Dalston Black and Big Mofo.

BOTW Brodie's Dalston Black IPA

[london calling]

lots of good hoppy beers again this week in central London inc
mallinsons -topaz
mallinsons -eye pea ay
bristol -bitter kiwi
darkstar -belgian ipa
harbour -double ipa
but it doesnt have to be strong or overloaded with hops so
magic rock-craft magic 3.2
was very drinkable and my beer of the week

[Bucking Fastard]

A few decent pints in Staffordshire but eclipsed by Dark Star Green Hopped IPA for BOTW.Moby pointed the way,so when I spotted the pump clip in The George,Croydon I just had to give it a go.The initial hit let you know that you were drinking a 6.5%er ,the rich complex taste and strong hop character sustained,but it got easier to drink as the pint went down,a very good sign.I had to wash it down with two quick Hopheads but the IPA taste still lingered on the train ride home.Excellent.

Annual pilgrimage to The Harp next week,should produce another winner.

[Mobyduck]

Not to many different beers to choose from this week,
Skinner's Betty Stogs
White Horse Brewery Bitter
Darkstar Hophead
Darkstar American Pale Ale
Darkstar Greenhopped IPA

At the risk of being predictable,BOTW is for the third week running(the last time this year ,I promise) Darkstar Greenhopped IPA

[Oggwyn Trench]

Friday i had some decent if unspectacular beers , Saturday was better despite the shock of seeing Brew X1 on the bar at the Station :eek:

Mallinsons - Galaxy
Kelham Island -Riverfront Collisuem
Slaters - Top Totty
Pictish - Pacific Jade
Accorn - Quantum
Bath Ales - Forest Hare
Ironbridge - A,NZ Bitter 48 Special
Phoenix - Skellington
Thornbridge - Jaipur
Green Duck - Duck Dasterdly

BOTW Green Duck - Duck Dasterdly , a very pleasant Porter

[Wittenden]

LocAle in two Kentish pubs:

Goody Ales-Bleangate Brewery: Good Heavens. A new brewery for me.A mid amber ale long bitter finish after initial sweetness.Roast chestnuts.
Goacher's: Silver Star (greenhop version).As pale as something from Yorkshire.A lot of hops, a lot of aroma, and that lovely Goacher's earthiness.
Goacher's-Real MILD ale.One of my desert island beers, a proper sustaining dark MILD. I should really have drank this before the Silver Star.
My BOTW-Goacher's Silver Star.

[aleandhearty]

Pretty decent week for choice, this week. Sampled the following:

Fernandes - Octohop.
Idle - Black Abbott.
Green Jack - Golden Best.
Atomic - First Lightning.
Revolutions - Severin Dark.
Acorn - Yorkshire Pride.
Great Heck - Golden Mane.
Leeds - Gathering Storm.
Brown Cow - Captain Oates.
Abbeydale - Fargate S.1.
Nottingham - Centurion ND.
Abbeydale - Moonshine.
Rudgate - Viking.
Bob's - Autumn Glory.
Ossett - Three Ridings.
Fullers - Red Fox.
Moorhouses - Blonde Witch.
Ossett - Yorkshire Blonde.

Really enjoyed the Octohop and the Gathering Storm. Unfortunately, the Captain Oates was a little below par, otherwise it would have been in the running. However, the Yorkshire Pride blew my socks off once again. I'd not heard of it until Wittenden mentioned it, but it's now a definite favourite. Bags of flavour for a 3.7% beer, from the Cascade and Northdown hops.

[Real Ale Ray]

Bowland - Hen Harrier

[hondo]

Oakham Ales - Endless Summer

[oldboots]

Roosters Wild Mule

[Alesonly]

Loads of good Ales this week for a change as I was on a weeks leave so Top Five only. :D

1) Colchester Brewery Red Diesel
2) Mauldons Brewery Silver Adder
3) Moles Brewery Rucking Moles
4) Summerskills Bunker Hill Bitter
5) Blindmans Brewery Blindmans Icarus

All so good its a hard call But I will go for the Red Diesel Colchester Brewery as Ale of the week. :glass:

[Thuck Phat]

A few tried whilst boating with Mr Fastard:
Oakham Bishops Farewell
Shugborough Jasper
Theakstons Olde Peculiar
Holdens Golden Glow
Pedigree
Ossett Big Red
TT Landlord

Tricky to call but BOTW was the Shugborough Jasper which was then taken off due to being hazy. A fair call but the pint I had was an excellent 4.5% amber ale with all the bitterness you'd expect from a beer which Titanic have had a hand in brewing.

[Pubsignman]

Had a quiet week - just two real contenders:

Whitstable Oyster Stout and Buxton Dark Nights, with the latter sneaking it. It's described as a US style Winter Porter, but I thought it was a straightforward winter warmer.

[sheffield hatter]

Had a week's walking in the South Pennines and Yorkshire Dales, so sampled a lot more ales than would usually be the case. Those that stand out in the memory are:
Goose Eye Bitter at The Turkey Inn (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/40896/), Goose Eye.
Bank Top Flat Cap at The Red Lion (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/17127/), Earby.
[I wish I could have had a drink at The Pendle Inn (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/59238/), Barley, but it was before opening time when I passed that way.]
Moorhouse's Blond Witch at the Hark To Bounty Inn (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/19053/), Slaidburn.
Thwaites Nutty Black (MILD) at the Three Horseshoes (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/18923/), Ingleton.
[I didn't have the energy to walk the extra yards on a cold dark night to the Masons Arms (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/18907/) outside Ingleton, and was gutted when I took a photo the next morning to see that they were selling their own Nine Standards beers for £2 a pint.]
Nine Standards Silver Standard, Naylor's Pinnacle Bitter and Goose Eye Poulters Pride all at The Talbot Arms (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/55447/), Settle (my pub of the week - would have stayed to try the other three beers but had to walk to Malham for a bed).
Black Sheep Bitter at the Rose & Crown (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/63615/), Bainbridge (especially memorable as I had to run half a mile to the pub - ok, it was downhill - to have time for a drink before my bus to Hawes).
Black Sheep Riggwelter at The Fountain (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/29228/), Hawes.
Wall's Brewing Company's Katzenjammer at The Bolton Arms (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/58507/), Redmire.
Copper Dragon Best Bitter at the Buck Hotel (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/58526/), Reeth.
Truefitt North Riding Bitter at The Bishop Blaize (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/36102/), Richmond.
Cameron's Strongarm at The Pennyweight (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/5465/), Darlington.
Bristol Beer Factory Seven at the York Tap (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/75525/).

Beer of the week, though, was my last pint of the week after I got back to Sheffield:
B&T Shefford Bitter, an awful long way from home but in very good nick, and only £2.30 a pint at The Blake Hotel (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43068/).

[ROBCamra]

Quite a few decent pints over the week but right at the death on Sunday night we visited The Hop (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/75761/) in Sheffield.

They were having a green hop festival.

I'd love to have chosen Irwell Works Green Manilishi with the Two Hopped Crown just for the name.

(Almost) named after my favourite Fleetwood Mac track when Peter Green was king.

Unluckily for them Fernandes Green Gold was a much better beer, if not as good a name. So it's my BOTW. :cheers:

[Aqualung]

I'd love to have chosen Irwell Works Green Manilishi with the Two Hopped Crown just for the name.



Oh well!!