Beer of the Week (w/e 23rd February 2014)

[ROBCamra]

london calling: Revolutions Kids in America
Mobyduck: Dark Star Revelation
Thuck Phat: Fullers ESB
Real Ale Ray: Brimstage Scarecrow
Bucking Fastard: Titanic Plum Porter
Aqualung: Hopcraft Simcoe Plus
hondo: Loch Lomond Bonnie n Blonde
oldboots: Elland Maximum Darkness
aleandhearty: Magic Rock High Wire
ROBCamra: Mantle Rock Steady
PaulOfHorsham: Brodies Amarilla

[london calling]

Up London last night but no great beer was encountered.All decent but I somehow felt disappointed. Did get a beer from the in-house nano brewery at Hops and Glory Essex Rd so that made the trip well wicked.
best 3 were pale hoppy ones
Kings Evolution-northern lights
Tiny Rebel -billabong
and the best was
Revolution-Kids in America
cheers john

[Mobyduck]

Quiet in the week but some decent beer found in Reading on Saturday.
Hook Norton -Hooky 3.5%
Darkstar - Hophead 3.8%
XT - 2 4.2%
Courage Best 4%
Hopcraft - Permanent Revolution 3.8%
Hopcraft - Cruxshadow 4.9%
Hopcraft-The Black Nag 5.5% (specially brewed for the Nags Head (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/1691/) 7th anniversary,and apparently the only cask in existence. A smoked black IPA)
Steel City - Unholy Trinity 6.6%
Binghams - Coffee Stout 5%
Siren Craft - Undercurrent 4.5%
Darkstar - RevalationBOTW.

[Thuck Phat]

A reasonable week:

Hop Back - Back Row
Oakham - Citra
Oakham - Bishops Farewell
XT - XT 5
Titanic - Plum Porter
Fullers - ESB

Every one of those is a contender but BOTW goes to Fullers ESB due to the speed with which it passed the 3 pint test. Not bad for 5.5%.

[Real Ale Ray]

Brimstage - Scarecrow

[Bucking Fastard]

Good week for me,with some fine brews.

Fullers -- ESB (3PT)
Oakham -- Citra
XT -- XT5
Titanic -- Plum Porter
Portobello -- American Pale Ale
Portobello -- VPA
Dark Star -- American Pale Ale


BOTW goes to Titanic Plum Porter in the terrific Black Lion. (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/61689/)I never thought I would utter the words excellent ale and Leighton Buzzard in the same sentence.


Next week end of month drinking including a trip down Leather Lane to Craft Beer Co.Could be awesome;),more likely messy.:nishelypished:

[Wittenden]

Could do better:
Three beers, none scoring more than 3.5, though no stinkers, so no award given.
Rother Valley-Level Best 4% abv. Tired, slightly hazy
Harveys-Sussex Best Bitter 4%abv.Best of the bunch,not so unimpeacheable this time.
Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay Pale Ale-3.9%abv. Pleasantly hoppy,but followed by metallic tang.

[Aqualung]

A smaller selection this week with only one indifferent beer from Cottage, a brewery who seem to have completely lost the plot.

Hopcraft Tidy Bitter 4.0%
Cottage Duchess 4.2%
Sambrook's Pumphouse Pale Ale 4.2%
Brentwood Gold 4.3%
Prescott Track Record 4.4%
Brodie's American Brown 4.8%
Hopcraft Reign Of Terror 4.8%
Wobbly Welder 4.8%
Brodie's Old Street Pale 5.0%
Hopcraft Simcoe Plus 5.4%
Caledonian / Tyler King Oatmeal Stout 5.5%
Black Flag White Cross IPA 5.7%
Time and Tide Calista IPA 6.1%
Gloucester Black Simcoe 6.2%
Mikkeller It's Alive Mango (Keykeg) 8.0%
Mikkeller Black 18 (Keykeg) 18.0%

The award has to go to Hopcraft for their Simcoe Plus, possibly not one for the brown beer brigade but an absolute classic of the type and the Old Street was in good form this week!

BOTW Hopcraft Simcoe Plus

[hondo]

Loch Lomond - Bonnie n Blonde

[oldboots]

Theakstons - XB
Pennine - Amber Necker
Black Sheep - Big Horn
Kelham Island - Tin Can Avenger
Rebel Brewing - Penryn Pale Ale
Bristol Beer Co - Bitter Kiwi
Naylors - Magnum
Ilkley - Gold
Elland - Maximum Darkness
Roosters - Yankee
Ridgeside - Desert Aire
Rudgate - Ruby Mild
Kirkstall - Dissolution IPA
Draught Bass
Revolutions - Pretender Blonde

Easy choice this week Elland - Maximum Darkness, tasted like a de-tuned Elland 1872 porter from "Saint" Dave Sanders.

[aleandhearty]

Another decent week for me, largely based on a mini crawl round Huddersfield, on Saturday.

Rat - White Rat.
Boggart - Rum Porter.
Concrete Cow - Cloven Hoof.
Roosters - Cream.
Five Towns - POTY.
Ilkley - Lotus IPA.
Hand Drawn Monkey - IPA (2.8%)
Hand Drawn Monkey / Rat - Sumatran Coffee Stout. (7.2%)
Magic Rock - Ringmaster.
Magic Rock - High Wire.
Alechemy - Citra Burst.
Oakham - Monpessoms Gold.
Rat - Ratty Belafonte.
Rat - Anti- Rats.
Mallinsons - Brewers Gold.
Fernandes - Malt Shovel Mild.
Golcar - Guthlacs Porter.

Very hard to choose between the Lotus, Ringmaster and High Wire, but as I hadn't had a pint of the latter in well over a year, it was like welcoming back an old friend.

[ROBCamra]

Mantle Rock Steady tried in The Baum several times last weekend.

A golden session ale at 3.8% from a new brewery to me.

Went down perfectly on a Saturday night when a few peaceful pints were needed rather than a couple of strong ones. :cheers:

Some good competition from Geeves Clear Cut though. Another great brew from the ex Tango Man.

[aleandhearty]

Mantle Rock Steady tried in The Baum several times last weekend...A golden session ale at 3.8% from a new brewery to me.

New to me as well ROB. Will keep an eye out. A little digging found this: www.mantlebrewery.com You might have already seen it, but just passing it on for what it's worth.

[PaulOfHorsham]

A trip to Brighton and I found that Brodies are on good form right now. Bethnal Green Bitter was splendidly hoppy (and brown, too), but was surpassed by Amarilla, which seems to be around again. Beer experts may think it one-dimensional, pale & quasi-American, but it's a dimension I like.

Both rather better than the Hophead which, for the 2nd time recently, was rather underwhelming. Mitigating circumstances both times, but still a worry that this old dependable is below-par.