Beer of the Week (w/e 9th November 2014)

[ROBCamra]

sheffield hatter: Blackjack Odd Autumn
Real Ale Ray: Bowland Headless Peg
Mobyduck: Dark Star American Pale Ale
Aqualung: Roosters Union Gap
hondo: Redemption Rock The Kazbek
Wittenden: Harveys Sussex XXXX Old Ale
Bucking Fastard: Blue Monkey Orang-a-tang
aleandhearty: Tigertops Long Beach IPA
Thuck Phat: Blue Monkey Infinity
ROBCamra: Fuggle Bunny Russian Rare-Bit Imperial Black Stout

[sheffield hatter]

Another good one this week from Blackjack Beers: Odd Autumn 4.1% in The York (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/57739/) in Sheffield. Rather like the same brewery's Flyer Best (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?18935-Beer-of-the-Week-(w-e-12th-October-2014)&highlight=flyer+best), sampled in the Bath Hotel (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43051/), this beer grew from an unpromising beginning to a surprising complexity, with good malty flavours and an increasingly bitter finish. It's one of those bitters that lingers in the mouth after the beer has gone, unlike some of the American and New Zealand hopped beers, that seem to punch you in the nose before grabbing your tongue and giving it a good twist. Odd Autumn has the look and initial taste of what some might term a "boring" brown bitter, but its balance, complexity and lingering bitterness in the finish make it anything but boring in my opinion. Very nice!

[Real Ale Ray]

Bowland - Headless Peg

[Mobyduck]

Nothing really to list
BOTW Darkstar American Pale Ale
Next week will provide much more variety, following the visit to Bristol.

[Aqualung]

Apart from the Elgood's mild it's all Spoons fest ales for me.

Elgood's Black Dog Mild 3.6%
Everard's Village Elder 3.8%
Rooster's Union Gap 4.3%*
Tring Hazy Hoedown 4.4%
Thwaites Hobnobber 4.7%
Marston's Ligera 4.8%
Long Man Golden Tipple 5.0%
Mordue Americana 5.0%*
Titanic Hop Abroad 5.0%
Wadworth Heather and Honey 5.0%
Banks's Sixpoint Brooklyn Bitter 5.5%*
Bateman's Wicked Weed Freak Of Nature 7.5%*

I'll go for the Rooster's Union Gap, a pale beer with abundant New World Hops. It's also
easily the best of the few Rooster's beers I've tried.

BOTW Rooster's Union Gap

[hondo]

redemption brewery - rock the kazbek

[london calling]

Some new breweries this week
loch ness -inverness good pale and hoppy
mantle - moho good pale and hoppy
true north -true pale ale good pale and hoppy
uprising -west coast ipa hoppy but to much crystal malt for me
also couple of newish breweries
orbit -ivo hazy hopped up lager but good
inkspot -west coast ipa very good but with an English hop flavour rather than American

not new
bexar county-sacred -very good stout/porter

[Wittenden]

Goacher's in the rain
Goody Ales-Bleangate Brewery:Good Heavens 4.1%abv-Bit too malt led: never thought I'd write that...
Harveys:Sussex xxxx Old Ale 4.3% abv-Lovely dark 'un. Plums and liquorice. Long dry finish.
Goacher's:Fine Light Ale 3.7%abv-Pale and crisp with that underlying earthiness I love. Inspite of this encomium I won't nominate FLA, as it wasn't taken in a pub but at a friend's 60th.bonfire party.
My BOTW-Harvey's Sussex xxxx Old Ale.

[Bucking Fastard]

Great week topped off with some boating on deserted waterways in Leicestershire.


Evan Evans --Artisan Cluster Nut
Harviestoun -- Old Engine Oil
Elysian Night Owl -- Pumpkin Ale
Blue Monkey -- Scarlet Chimpernel *
Blue Monkey -- Orang-a-tang *
Blue Monkey -- Fat Ape *
Blue Monkey -- Infinity *
Caledonian -- Trojan Horse
Brunswick -- Black Sabbath *
Oakham -- Scarlet Macaw *
Oakham -- Green Devil IPA *
Thomas Guest -- Cobbler
Siren -- Undercurrent
Timothy Taylor -- Landlord * (3PT)
Everards -- Tiger Triple Gold

All the Blue Monkey ales were outstanding and BOTW goes to Blue Monkey Orang-a-tang with destinct seville orange and finely balanced bitterness,another higher ABV winner from these guys.Sampled in the Organ Grinder,Loughborough.

Next week should be large,bring on Bristol.:drinkup:

[aleandhearty]

I'm not normally one for larger beer festivals, but a spontaneous visit to the Wakefield festival over the weekend turned up some real gems. The theme was Scottish and Welsh breweries (plus the city's own), so it was satisfying to come across some rarer offerings.

Brecon Brewing - Three Beacons.
Bad Seed - Oatmeal Stout.*
Cerddin - Cwrw Tri.
Otley - Los Angeles.*
Top Out - Cone IPA*
Chantry Brewery - Diamond Black.*
Five Towns - Raven King Porter.
Five Towns - Grounds for Divorce.
Tigertops - Long Beach IPA.*
Tigertops - Hopauria.*
Sky's Edge - Hop Monster.*
Great Heck - Voodoo Mild.*
Rat - White Rat.*

Some stunning beers amongst that lot. Los Angeles was an impressive American red ale and easily the best thing I've had from Otley. The Cone IPA was double dry hopped with American varieties and was wonderfully intense. However, the winner was much closer to home. The Axeman cometh, once again. The Long Beach was an IPA made with Orval yeast and the flavours were outstanding for 4.4%. Just beautiful.

[Thuck Phat]

A good week with some of the names not dissimilar to Mr Fastard's:

Blue Monkey Scarlet Chimpernel*
Blue Monkey Orang-A-Tang*
Blue Monkey Fat Ape*
Blue Monkey Infinity*
Brunswick Black Sabbath*
Oakham Scarlet Macaw*
Oakham Green Devil IPA*
Lincoln Green Tuck*
Blackwater Expressionist
TT Landlord*
Everards Tiger Triple Gold
Tonya Cornett OG IPA*
Oakham Bishops Farewell*

The number of asterixs tells the story of a high quality week with many BOTW contenders.
All the Blue Monkey beers were excellent with the Fat Ape at 7% standing out. BOTW goes to Blue Monkey Infinity named for the Infinite Monkey Theorem (http://www.bluemonkeybrewery.com/beers/infinity) and pale, gently hoppy and delicious at 4.6%.

[ROBCamra]

Back to The Baum for this weeks BOTW with Fuggle Bunny Russian Rare-Bit an Imperial Black Stout.

Black and smooth and at 5% just the right strength.

I went for it as the final pint of the night and ended up having two. :cheers: