Beer of the Week (w/e 3rd April 2016)

[ROBCamra]

ROBCamra: Ambar Especial
Mobyduck: Oakham Dreamcatcher
Aqualung: Brodie's Apple And Stem Ginger Porter
Bucking Fastard: Purity Mad Goose
Komakino: Beavertown Quelle Saison
Wittenden: FILO Crofters Best Bitter
Thuck Phat: Mutzig Old Lager
aleandhearty: Five Towns Lazarus
oldboots: Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby
Real Ale Ray: Blue Monkey Infinity

[Mobyduck]

A rather stunted list,
Darkstar Hophead 3.7%
Oakham Dreamcatcher 6.9%*
Oakham JHB 3.8%*
Triple FFF Moondance 4.2%
BOTW is the Dreamcatcher by some stretch.

[Aqualung]

A fair week with several Spoons festival ales still cropping up :-

Prescott Hill Climb 3.8%
Hogs Back Fresh Spring 4.0%
Inveralmond Amber Bead 4.1%
Lancaster Admiral Archer 4.2%
Triple fff Moondance 4.2%*
Truman's Blindside 4.3%
Salopian Darwin's Origin 4.3%
Triple fff Citra Sonic 4.4%
Wild Card King Of Hearts Pale 4.5%*
Mordue Wheat 4.5%
Titanic Blackberry Gold 4.5%*
Sadler's Peaky Blinder 4.6%
Long Dog Lamplight Porter 5.0%*
Hawkshead Vienna Lager 5.0%
Brodie's Pilsner (keg) 5.0%
Clouded Minds Elisir IPA 5.3%*
Brodie's Apple And Stem Ginger Porter 5.8%*
Triple fff I Can't Remember 6.0%*
Red Cat Feral Vienna IPA 6.2%*
Wadworth Bibock 6.2%
Tempest Red Eye Flight (Keg) 7.4%*


A tricky choice here but I'll go for the Brodie's Apple And Stem Ginger Porter which was superb in their brewery tap last Thursday at £2.75. It's dry for a porter this strength and the flavouring is very subtle making it very drinkable for a beer that strong. I suspect it may have been a one off for their Easter beer festival.


BOTW Brodie's Apple And Stem Ginger Porter

[Bucking Fastard]

A few beers while boating.

Adnams -- Ghost Ship *
Marston's -- Pedigree
St Austell -- Proper Job
Purity -- Mad Goose *
Timothy Taylor -- Landlord
Greene King -- Abbott

BOTW goes to Purity Mad Goose on very good form in The Green Man,Long Itchington.



Next week lunchtime in Hitchin and some footie to provide the contenders.

[Komakino]

Bit of Banbury and some Cheltenham plus surrounds:

North Cotswold Shagweaver (3.8%)
XT 4 (3.8%)
Butcombe Bitter (4.0%)
Charles Wells The Dog is Back (4.0%)
GK East Coast IPA (4.0%) (keg)
Jennings Cumberland Ale (4.0%)
Bath Gem (4.1%)
Beavertown Quelle Saison (4.1%) (can) BOTW
Charles Wells Glorious English (4.1%)
Purity Mad Goose (4.2%)
Bridestone Pennine Gold (4.3%)
XT 13 (4.5%)
Titanic Plum Porter (4.9%)
Bristol Bitter Kiwi (5.0%)
Simcoe Pale Ale (5.3%)
Thwaites Crafty Dan 13 Guns (5.5%) (can)

Did the Beavertown as didn't want to give Titanic's PP the same kudos a week in a row...

[Wittenden]

Unplanned in East Sussex
FILO Brewery-Crofters Best Bitter 3.8%abv. A dry spicily hopped version of a traditional if unfashionable style.Very drinkable.
Tonbridge-Rustic 4%abv Roast earth.Using the scarce Epic hop.
My BOTW- FILO-Crofters Best Bitter.

[Thuck Phat]

BOTW Mutzig Old Lager. A lager but with more flavour than most and a hefty punch at 7%.

[aleandhearty]

After a pub free week, last week, I particularly enjoyed my Sunday afternoon wander, yesterday.

Bridestones - Clustaic.*
Hophurst - Cosmati.*
Blue Bee - Columbus IPA.
Empire - Big Brother Stout.
Thornbridge - Jaipur X (keg) 10%
Wentworth - Hop & Glory.
Mallinsons - Mosaic.*
Franklins - Pudding Stout*
Gadds - No.7.
Five Towns - Lazarus.*
Wantsum - Black Pig.
Bad Co. - Wild Gravity.
Fernandes - Triple OOO.
Saltaire - Cascadian Black.*
Fernandes - Black Cherry Porter.
Rat - Rat Against the Machine.*

Luckily, there was barely a duff one amongst that lot. However, the easy winner was the Lazarus, a smooth, powerful amber ale, brewed in tribute to David Bowie. Couldn't find much info about it, although it apparently contains a mix of English, German and New World hops. It certainly knocked spots off the Jaipur X, which was frankly disappointing, especially at £3.55 a half. The expected intensity just wasn't there.

[oldboots]

A quiet week with fairly mundane even if mostly pleasant beers, so obviously my BOTW (again) is Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby

Pennine Hair of the Dog
Theakstons Vanilla Stout
Pennine Winter Warmer
Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby
Yorkshire Heart JRT Bitter
Black Sheep Bitter
Thwaites Wainwright
Banks's Bitter

[Real Ale Ray]

Blue Monkey - Infinity

[ROBCamra]

Ambar Especial. A Spanish amber lager beer from Zaragoza that actually tastes of something.

Tried on draft in a couple of places, but mainly in the http://www.temperleycafe.com/galer%C3%ADa-de-im%C3%A1genes/

A back street Spanish bar with a very eclectic decor.:cheers: