Beer of the Week (w/e 20th December 2015)

[ROBCamra]

Mobyduck: Elgoods CXXX
Wittenden: Old Dairy Snow Top
Aqualung: Bad Seed India Pale Ale
london calling: Queens Head Stout
aleandhearty: Fernandes Centaur
Thuck Phat: Towcester Mill Brewery Black Fire
Bucking Fastard: Malt IPA
ROBCamra: Freewheelin' All Sorts Blonde

[Mobyduck]

Another quiet week

Darkstar Hophead
Firebrand Cross Pacific Pale Ale
Oakham Citra
Fullers Olivers Island
Elgoods CXXX

Normally the Oakham Citra would take the spoils but the CXXX was excellent , unusually for me a brown bitter(not boring) with English hops , but it was very flavoursome, well balanced and conditioned, enjoyed in the Antelope. (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/53206/)

[Wittenden]

Kent:
Larkins Traditional-3.4%abv:Earthy and toffeeish, grand, if served a bit too cold.
Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale-5%abv:Odd slate grey colour,some undefined spice.Thin and dry. Not to my taste.
Dark Star Hophead-3.8% abv:On good form, a decent pale ale.
Old Dairy Snow Top-6% abv:A grand fruity but austere dark 'un. Blackstrap and liquorice . A proper seasonal,not a Christmas special. My BOTW.

[Aqualung]

A good week for me before at least two not so good weeks :-

Holden's Black Country Mild 3.7%*
Long Man Long Blonde 3.8%*
Sadler's Mellow Yellow 4.1%
Welton's Snow Lay Roundabout 4.2%
Oakham Citra 4.2%*
Batham's Best 4.3%
Celt Experience Lost Antlers 4.4%*
Portobello American Pale Ale 4.8%
Brodie's Black APA 5.0%*
Derby Mercia IPA 5.0%
Backyard Marynka IPA 5.0%*
Hardknott Dark Matter 5.0%*
Everard's Nutcracker 5.0%
Banks's Driftwood 5.0%
Holden's Special 5.1%*
Brodie's Jamaican Stout 5.4%*
Celt Experience Bleddyn 1075 5.6%*
Old Dairy Snow Top 6.0%*
Backyard Bad Santa 6.8%*
Bad Seed India Pale Ale 7.0%*
Brodie's Superior London Porter 7.?%*
Sarah Hughes Snowflake 8.0%*

Plenty of good ones here, the clip for the Superior London Porter is an old one prior to the "Park Bench" tax on beers over 7.5% and said 7.8%. I can't believe they would still be brewing it to that strength. It was Superior whatever the ABV!
The award goes to the Bad Seed India Pale Ale as tried at Fuggles Beer Café in Tunbridge Wells for four quid. It's brewed with lots of New World hops so won't appeal to all but it is extremely drinkable for a 7.0% beer. I don't recall seeing this brewery before let alone trying one of their beers but a little digging revealed that they have mainly concentrated on bottles.

BOTW Bad Seed India Pale Ale

[london calling]

Here are some I tried early this week
weird beard -duke of dank *
ripple steam -bitter
ripple steam -farmhouse ale
magic rock -common ground *
siren -counting vampires *
wibblers -choc porter
Gloucester -blackberry porter
wasn't much between the starred beers but I did enjoy
queens head-stout 4.7 brewed downstairs at the Queens head kingscross.

[aleandhearty]

Quiet-ish week for me.

Fernandes - Malt Shovel Mild.*
Gadds - Dark Conspiracy.
Fernandes - Centaur.*
Revolutions - Fireworks.
Empire - Indiaman.
Titanic - Plum Porter.*
Trinity Brewing Co. - Legacy.
Ossett - Snake Mocha Stout.
Abbeydale - Brimstone.

The Centaur and Plum Porter were both fresh as a daisy and utterly delicious, but as the PP got my BOTW a couple of weeks ago, I'll give it to the Centaur. Yet another pale, hoppy brew from Fernandes, based on Centennial(?). Would easily have passed the three pint test if time hadn't been against us.

[Thuck Phat]

It's between Blue Monkey King Kong Merrily and Towcester Mill Black Fire.

The King Kong Merrily is like a dialled up 99 Red Baboons, dark and Christmassy but with enough bitterness to maintain the interest. A Christmas beer worth finding at 4.5%.
The Black Fire is badged as a black IPA at 5.2% and, as with every black IPA I've tried, if I was drinking it blindfold I'd have labelled it a porter. Labels don't really matter though when the beer is this good.

BOTW Towcester Mill Brewery - Black Fire tried at the brewery tap.

[Bucking Fastard]

Big Week

Hop Stuff -- Fusilier
Truman -- Zephyr
Windsor & Eton -- Guardsman
East London Brewery -- Three Kings
St Austell -- Tribute
Magic Rock -- Hire Wire *
Roosters -- Yankee
Malt -- IPA *
Haresfoot -- Wild Boy Exotic Pale Ale
Tring -- Ridgeway
Oakham -- Citra
Brentwood -- Berry Christmas *
Timothy Taylor -- Landlord *
Red Squirrel -- Mr Squirrel
Maldon -- Silver Surfer *
Oakham -- Frozen Stiff
Fullers -- Seafarers

BOTW was Malt IPA a new brewery to me.Dispite the name this was a very well rounded IPA with very decent hop content and the only strong option from the Red Lion,Marsworth.

Next week a long session in The Old Fountain which normally throws up some excellent contenders.

[ROBCamra]

Freewheelin' All Sorts Blonde another new brewery to me and another very good 3.8% session beer.

Tried several times in The Baum.:cheers: