Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby - gone downhill?

[Quinno]

Over the last couple of years I've had a number of these that were...poor. Served in pubs I trust. Happened again tonight...my companion felt moved to take his back. Tart. It only went on yesterday so was fresh.

I used to love this beer - it was a key factor in getting me drinking real ale after having some at the Ship & Castle (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43746/) beer festival back in 2000.

Have others had the same issue? I know when I visited their brewery upstairs at the Beacon a few years back the brewer said he hadn't banked the yeast (http://www.ncyc.co.uk/)(we urged him to!). I wonder if something's infected it...

Or does it just not travel well?

[gillhalfpint]

Dark Ruby travels well enough as most big fests want it, and it does tend to sell well at them. Can't comment on recent quality as I haven't had one since the Cock at Leek October 2013 where it was as good as ever.

[Soup Dragon]

Hi Quinno,

I tend to stay off it due to its strength when on a bit of a crawl, but saying that I had a pint at the Greyhound in Stafford the other week and it was perfectly fine. Also, it is on at a local mini beer festival at the moment, where i have sampled it every day! I can happily confirm that it has been spot-on. The furthest i have sampled it from the Beacon that i can remember has only been Coventry, so I can't really comment on its ability to travel.