Beer of the Week (w/e 22nd February 2015)

[ROBCamra]

hondo: Arran Blonde
Real Ale Ray: Kinver Bargees Bitter
Wittenden: Chapel Down/Hepworths Curious IPA
Mobyduck: Adnams/Mateo & Bernabe Birra Armada
Aqualung: Dark Star Revelation
london calling: QHB Stout
Bucking Fastard: Dark Star American Pale Ale
Thuck Phat: Vibrant Forest Flying Saucer
trainman: Shefford Brewery Plum Mild
aleandhearty: Moorhouse's Black Witch
ROBCamra: Track Mazama

[hondo]

Isle of Arran - Blonde

[Real Ale Ray]

Kinver - Bargees Bitter

[Wittenden]

Old School-New School

Woodforde's-Wherry 3.8%abv.A decent pint of Wherry, arable led.
Adnam's-Southwold Bitter 3.7%abv.Best glass of this that I've had in ages: gratifyingly seaweedy.
Chapel Down/Hepworths-Curious IPA 5.6%abv.complex,earthy, berry fruit.
Shepherd Neame-Whitstable Bay PA 3.9%abv.Fused, with sweeter notes predominating.

While my faithfull Adnam's Southwold was in cracking form,I was really excited by Chapel Down's Curious IPA. I'm not sure if it can be nominated because i) it is contract brewed, and ii) because it was served via fizzy keg, and the carbonation was just about intrusive.However, I'll say what the hell, and declare it my BOTW.

[Mobyduck]

Darkstar- Hophead
Darkstar - American Pale Ale
Vibrant Forest - Cydonia
Vibrant Forest - Summit
Adnams/Mateo & Bernabe - Birra Armada
Fullers - Chiswick
San Migel
Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted

BOTW is Birra Armada enjoyed annoyingly in a JDW, but pushed all the way by a very good Bitter & Twisted taken this evening.

[Aqualung]

BOTW is Birra Armada enjoyed annoyingly in a JDW, but pushed all the way by a very good Bitter & Twisted taken this evening.
It would have to be a JDW as it's one of their iinternational specials, in this case brewed by Adnam's who seem to be the masters of producing these beers. The latest Caledonian one is nowhere near as good.

[Aqualung]

The penultimate leg of the Spoons mini London festival and a trip to the South Coast resulted in a fair list :-

Banks's Admiral Herkules 3.6%
King Horsham Best 3.8%
Itchen Valley QED 4.1%
Long Man Copper Hop 4.2%*
Stancill Number 7 4.3%
Truman's Attaboy 4.6%*
Long Man American Pale Ale 4.8%
Westerham Hop Rocket 4.8%*
Portobello APA 5.0%*
Clarence & Frederick's Cascadian Black 5.0%*
Downlands Porter 5.0%
Windsor & Eton Hurricane IPA (Keg) 5.0%*
Brighton Bier IPA 5.0%*
Oakham Mompesson's Gold 5.2%
Caledonian Harpoon The Long Thaw 5.5%
Summerskills Indiana's Bones 5.6%
Dark Star Revelation 5.7%*
Oakleaf India Pale Ale 5.8%
ELB Quadrant Oatmeal Stout 5.8%*
Thornbridge Jaipur IPA 5.9%*
Brewsmith IPA 6.0%*
Triple fff I Can't Remember 6.0%*


The winner is Dark Star Revelation my favourite Dark Star permanent beer for £3.80 in the Shoreham Duke of Wellington. The Brighton Bier IPA runs it very close. The keg Hurricane IPA was an interesting one as it was part of the Spoons mini London Festival and I found it on sale for just 4p dearer than the cask choices (£2.65) at the Wibbas Down in Wimbledon. This is further proof (if it were even needed) what a rip-off most keg offerings are. £2.69 a pint not five quid for a stupid two thirds of a pint measure. It was way too cold but not too gassy and had a huge hop hit. I could really enjoy this on a very hot summer's day rather than on a cold miserable dank day in February.

BOTW Dark Star Revelation

[london calling]

these were good
tryst -vip
gyle 59 -freedom hiker
kubla -saison
bohemia brewpub -stout
copper dragon -golden pippen
shiny -pale ale
punk -ipa
sharps -wolf rock
west berks -grizzle
but the
queens head brewpub served up 2 beauties on keg
qhb -pale ale 4.5
and botw
qhb -stout

[Bucking Fastard]

A mix of pubs and ales in a varied week.

Belhaven -- Grand Slam
Greene King -- St Edmunds
Twickenham -- Naked Ladies *
Dark Star -- American Pale Ale *
Tillingbourne -- Hop Troll *
People's Pint -- Espresso Stout *
People's Pint -- IPA *
People's Pint -- Amber


BOTW goes to the ever reliable Dark Star American Pale Ale in fine nick in The George,Croydon.

Next week end of month action at Williams A&CH and around Hertford should throw up some decent contenders.

[Thuck Phat]

A more interesting week:

Salopian Shropshire Gold
Milk Street Great Uncle Jo's Prohibition Ale
Ringwood Fortyniner*
Vibrant Forest Flying Saucer*
Gales HSB*
Three Castles King Alfred's Gold*
Flack Manor Black Jack*
Oakham Bishops Farewell*

Close runners up were the Black Jack and the King Alfred's Gold, both new to me.
BOTW Vibrant Forest - Flying Saucer. An awful lot of zesty flavour in a 4.3% beer.

[trainman]

Good tour of Cambridge Saturday, incl some pubs for the 'new pubs' schedule (already failing in update duties) and I'm nominating Shefford Brewery Plum Mild.
Not my usual style but deserves the gong for being so, well... plummy! Sort of sweet and bitter at the same time, 3.8% plum juice...

[aleandhearty]

Fairly quiet, but at least I actually made it to the pub, this week.

Fernandes - Rhubarb and Custard.
Acorn - Kohatu IPA.
Kelham Island - Bete Noire.
Moorhouses - Black Witch.
Phoenix - White Monk.
Five Towns - HB.

All much of a muchness, with nothing really setting the pulse racing. The Black Witch probably scrapes it.

[ROBCamra]

Track Brewery Mazama.

Another new brewery to me. This one's a big 5.5% er but doesn't drink like it.

Only managed a couple of pints on a Tuesday night. It had gone by the next time I went in.

Tried in The Baum of course. :cheers: