Beer of the Week (w/e 19th October 2014)

[ROBCamra]

Bucking Fastard: Buntingford Twitchell
Aqualung: Redwillow Ageless IPA
Mobyduck: Dark Star Hophead
london calling: Alecraft Sonoma IPA
hondo: Hawkshead Windermere Pale
Thuck Phat: Itchen Valley IPA
aleandhearty: Rat Ratsputin Imperial Stout
oldboots: Elland 1872 Porter
Wittenden: Brown Cow Green Piece
ROBCamra: Malmesbury Burnivale Hop

[Bucking Fastard]

A fair week.

Buntingford -- Twitchell*
Harviestoun -- Old Engine Oil
Sixpoints -- Brooklyn Bitter
Hook Norton -- Chinook Gold
Surrey Hills -- Greensand IPA*
Moorhouse's -- Black Cat Reserve

The International Real Ale Festival was in full swing in The George,but the specially brewed ales I tried were very so so.BOTW goes to Buntingford Twitchell in excellent shape in the White Hart Tap,St Albans.Traditional,flavoursome and wont knock your head off.

Next week boating to Beeston and Loughborough where there will be some (blue) monkey business :drinkup::drinkup::drinkup:

[Aqualung]

An extended stop at the Great Western in Wolverhampton last Monday boosted the list :-

Holden's Black Country Mild 3.7%
Holden's Black Country Bitter 3.8%
Hook Norton Brew Moon Antipodean Ale 4.0%
Holden's Scary Face 4.2%
Hopstuff Fusilier 4.2%
Liberation American Brown 4.2%
Bateman's Colonel's Whiskers 4.3%
Batham's Best 4.3%
Holden's Golden Glow 4.3%
Wild Card King Of Hearts Pale 4.5%
Caledonian Brouerwij't IJ ISA 4.6%
Otter Ale 4.5%
Wild Card Porter 4.7%
Millstone True Grit 5.0%
Holden's Special 5.1%
Jenning's Snecklifter 5.1%
Welton's Old Chestnut 5.2%
Adnam's Sixpoint Brooklyn Bitter 5.5%
Marston's Old Empire 5.7%
Shepherd Neame Abbaye Blonde 6.0%
Wychwood Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale 6.5%
Redwillow Ageless IPA 7.2%


The easy winner is the Redwillow Ageless IPA at £3.50 in the Great Western. It's a classic high ABV new world hop beer. Why did I waste time with the rather dull Holden's Scary Face?

BOTW Redwillow Ageless IPA

[Mobyduck]

A relatively barren week
Darkstar Hophead
Darkstar American Pale Ale
Flying Monk Elmers

Best of the bunch - Hophead.

[london calling]

I was out tonight but of the dozen new beers I tried none would be Botw more like duds of the week.It amazes me how much imo bad beer is around.But all is not lost as my future son in law gave me 5 bottled beers about 3 weeks ago from Alecraft who are a brand brewed by Verulam at the Farmers boy St Albans.He gave me the beers then about 3 hours later asked for my daughters hand in marriage.A dowry or a bribe I don't know but it worked.Anyway back to the beer .All were very good but the -Sonoma IPA 8.0 was something else and BOTW

[hondo]

Hawkshead - Windermere Pale

[Thuck Phat]

Quiet week:
Oakham Bishops Farewell*
Itchen Valley IPA*
Beacon Red Beacon*

The Red Beacon was ideal for an autumnal day but BOTW Itchen Valley IPA was excellent and just topped it.

[aleandhearty]

Another fairly quiet week, but the standard of the beers was pretty high.

Oakham - Citra.*
Rat - King Rat.
Rat - Ratsputin Imperial Stout (7.4%)*
Fyne - Jarl.*
Fyne - Vital Spark.
Bobs - Yakima Chief.
Elland - Diablo.*
Townhouse - Audley Gold.

Easy winner was the Ratsputin, a rich warming Impy. It would have passed the three pint with ease. However, I suspect I wouldn't have!

Highlight of the week was undoubtedly meeting one of my brewing heroes, Malcolm Bastow of Five Towns Brewery*, in Harry's Bar Wakefield. In the usual Friday teatime rush, a moment of serendipity, saw him and his wife being forced to sit on our table. After the initial suspicions of being recognised by a complete stranger were dealt with, we had a great conversation about all things beery, for well over an hour. I learnt a few gems, such as if he's brewing a pale, hoppy beer, he tests it on the wife first. If she screws her face up in dislike, he knows he's on the right lines! Both he and his wife came across as really nice people.

*Responsible for such beers as Peculiar Blue, Niamh's Nemesis, Monster Mash etc and several BOTWs.

[oldboots]

Rudgate - Asgard Legend
Gt Newsome - Pricky Back Octhan
Taylors - Boltmaker
Young Henry/Banks's - Young Henry's Real Ale
Elland - Beyond the Pale
Elland - 1872 Porter
BAD - Dazed & Confused
Ilkley - The Man from D.U.N.K.L.E
Wentworth - Challenge
Village - White Boar
Ian Ramsey / Everards - Village Elder
Two Birds/Banks's - Two Birds Golden Ale
Moorhouses - Black Cat Reserve
10 Barrel - OG IPA
Ardenes - McChouffe
Thwaites - Wainwright
Black Sheep - Golden Sheep
Butcombe - Bitter
Taylors - Havercake
Robinsons - Dizzy Blonde
Arbor - Triple Hop
York - Terrier
St Austell - Tribute
Stone - IPA
Sonnet43 - Blonde

Not as good a list as it looks due to a disappointing visit to Skipton, a toss up between two dark beers; 1872 and Black Cat Reserve, but Elland 1872 just gets it.

[Wittenden]

Yorkshire North, West and former North Riding
Thornbridge Hall-Jaipur IPA 5.9%abv. The daddy:so popular here The Cover Bridge Inn (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/58503/)
the guv sends 40 odd texts when it is coming on. Very moreish for a strong 'un.*
Bad Co.-Comfortably Numb 3.8%abv. Prize winning fruity 'n' earthy hops.*
Salamander-Great Scott 4%abv. Workmanlike hoppy pale ale.Good malt base balancing the hops.*
Wensleydale-Session Bitter 3.7%.Pale Yorkshire bitter:smooth hops.
Dent-Aviator 4%abv. I've been waiting to try this beer for ages: a really intriguing amber best bitter.Seville marmalade-I'd rather have this than croissants for Sunday breakfast.*Taken here The Old Hill Inn (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/65697/)
Dent-Ewe Juice (House beer at Tan Hill Inn) 5%abv. Rather sweet mid brown strong 'un.Not really to my taste.
Black Sheep-Reaper 4.1%abv. Red ale,enthusiastically packed with Yankee hops,including Summit, which apparently has to be hand picked as there aren't (or weren't) any machines for picking dwarf hops in the US.What larks.
Black Sheep-Best Bitter 3.8%abv. I often overlook this,but on form it is a fairly flavoursome Yorkshire bitter,the gritty side of malty.
Black Sheep-Riggwelter 5.9%.A good mid brown dryish strong'un, not often seen on my travels.
Rudgate-Jorvik Blonde 3.8%abv.Pale but not expansive.
Brown Cow-Simpson and Simpson Ledsham Sessions 3.6%abv. Pale and hoppy:earthy and stone fruit.*
Brown Cow-A Green Hop Beer using Yorkshire grown hops-First Gold. Crisply herbaceous. *
A cracking week for me,marred by the prospect of few if any forthcoming pub visits in the next few days. In a normal week, any of the starred beers would be BOTW worthy, but after due consideration, my BOTW is Brown Cow Green Piece,if only as consolation for missing the Kent Green Hop beers. In fact, I really enjoyed this, even though on a mere half pint’s acquaintance as I was driving.

[ROBCamra]

Malmesbury Burnivale Hop. A light 3.8%, easy drinking session beer tried in The Baum.

Perfect for a Tuesday evening. Sadly it went after two, again! :(