Beer of the Week (w/e 1st May 2016)

[ROBCamra]

Bucking Fastard: Dark Star Revelation
Wittenden: Goacher's Special House Ale
Aqualung: Butcombe Simcoe
oldboots: Timothy Taylors Landlord
Thuck Phat: Oakham Bishops Farewell
Komakino: Ossett Maypole
hondo: Bristol Beer Factory Acer
london calling: Stewart First World Problem
aleandhearty: Neepsend Solaris
Real Ale Ray: Exit 33 Thirst Aid
Mobyduck: Stod Fold Blonde
ROBCamra: Pig & Porter Skylarking Session IPA

[Bucking Fastard]

Couple of decent sessions.

Dark Star -- Revelation *
Tring -- Drop Bar
Lytham -- Twilight
Marble -- Chocolate Marble *
Stod Fold -- Amber
Dark Star -- American Pale Ale
Stod Fold -- Uncle Sam
Dark Star -- Hophead *

BOTW goes to Dark Star Revelation on very fine form in the Old Cross Tavern,Hertford.


Next week boating down to Stratford on Avon,more in search of beer culture rather than appreciation of the bard.

[Wittenden]

Kent;a better week.
Whitstable-Native 3.7%abv
Old Dairy-Spring Top 4%abv OK
Goacher's- Special House Ale 3.8%. In tiptop condition:intriguing and earthy.
Westerham-British Bulldog "BB" 4.1% abv . Barely drinkable.In perfect condition, but Mr Sarson was on his way.

My BOTW-Goacher's Special House Ale, badged as Dering Ale. Enjoyed in baronial splendour at The Dering Arms (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/58979/)

[Aqualung]

Only a steady week :-

Mobberley Brewhouse Road Runner 3.8%
Mad Cat Mild Disobedience 4.0%
Brentwood (Elephant School) White Elephant 4.0%
Gadd's Dr Sunshine's Wheat Beer 4.2%*
Black Hole Cosmic 4.2%
Robinson's Unicorn 4.2%
Truman's Scorcher 4.2%
Mauldon's Cuckoo 4.3%
Butcombe Simcoe 4.5%*
Greene King George And Flagon 4.5%
Hook Norton Old Hooky 4.6%
Brew Buddies George's Buddy 4.6%
Beer Studio Sharp Motueka 4.7%
Ringwood 49'er 4.9%
Ascot Anastasia's Exile Stout 5.0%*
Redwillow Faithless 53 5.0%*
Everards Oriiginal 5.2%*
Brodie's Jamaican Stout 5.4%*
Brodie's Belgian Coffee Brown (keg) 6.0%
Phoenix Wobbly Bob 6.0%
Brodie's Superior London Porter 7.5%

Nothing truly outstanding this week so I'm going for the Butcombe Simcoe which was £2.19 in my local Spoons. It's not a classic but is a highly enjoyable golden ale with plenty of hop aroma and flavour. This is a brewery that seems to have picked itself up in recent years.

BOTW Butcombe Simcoe

[oldboots]

Only a dozen pints this week, mostly local favourites but the outstanding beer was Timothy Taylors Landlord, not sampled in the Boltmakers in Keighley but in a fairly foody pub in Nidderdale, It was just as it should be and reminded me what a great beer it can be when handled correctly.

[Thuck Phat]

BOTW Oakham Bishops Farewell

[Komakino]

Decent enough week with Towcaster now ticked off the 'to-do' list:

Jennings Queen Bee (3.6%)
XT 4 (3.8%)
North Cotswold Jumping Jack (3.9%)
Cottage Pacific (4.0%)
Sharp's Doom Bar (4.0%)
Fuller's London Pride (4.1%)
Nobby's Swift Nick (4.2%)
Ossett Maypole (4.2%) BOTW
Towcester Mill Bell Ringer (4.4%)
Purity Pure UBU (4.5%)
Animal Newt (4.6%) (bottled)
Rebellion Zebedee (4.7%)

Going for the Ossett, which was hoppy as hell. I felt like one of those cartoon characters that had just ingested some alum after sip or two. Sampled at the bar at Chinnor's (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/areas/chinnor-town/oxfordshire/) Community Pavilion.

[hondo]

Bristol Beer Factory- Acer

[london calling]

A lot of good tasting beers this week
dragonfly -blighty best
dragonfly -late doors
Windsor and eton-90 glorious years
tim taylor -le champion
oakham -chemical syndrome
little beer-little smooth
Gloucester -spring deity
hawkshead-windermere pale
west berks -maggs mild
great newsome -Holderness dark was very good
but Stewarts -first world problem 6.2 was BOTW (at the ridiculous price of £4.90 a can in the Drapers Arms Ealing )
cheers john

[aleandhearty]

Titanic - Plum Porter.*
Neepsend - Solaris.*
Bridestones - YSB.
Brass Castle - Sunshine.
Kelham Island - Dunke lDevastator.
First Chop - Hop.
Fernandes - Two Brewers.*
Fernandes - Great Northern.*

Quite close this week, with not a great deal in it between the top four. However, I've not nominated a Neepsend beer before and the Solaris was a very refreshing APA made with Sorachi, Equinox and Calypso hops. Tried at Wakefield Beer Exchange.

[Real Ale Ray]

Exit 33 Brewing - Thirst Aid

[Mobyduck]

Darkstar Hophead
Vibrant Forest Cydonia*
Youngs Bitter
ELB Quadrant Oatmeal Stout*
Tintagel Harbour Special
Signature Pale
Hardknott Brownian Motion*
Robinsons Dizzy Blonde
Adnams Mosaic*
Stod Fold Blonde*
Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay
Shepherd Neame Master Brew*
New River London Tap*
Redemption Rock The Kazbek
Woodefordes Wherry*
Titanic Plum Porter
Weird Beard Little Things That Kill*
Ripple Pale Ale

A mixed bag quality wise, the best was Stod Fold Blonde.

[ROBCamra]

Pig & Porter Brewery Skylarking Session IPA. A 4%, easy drinking hoppy ale.

Tried quite a lot in the whole 9 hours or so it managed to stay on the bar in The Baum. :cheers: