Beer of the Week (w/e 8th May 2016)

[ROBCamra]

Mobyduck: Adnams Mosaic
Wittenden: Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted
Komakino: Loose Cannon Abingdon Bridge
Aqualung: Kennet & Avon Crofton IPA
Bucking Fastard: Clouded Minds Elisir
hondo: Oakham MK.VII
Thuck Phat: Clouded Minds Elisir
aleandhearty: Madness Brewing Co. Absolutely
london calling: Fallen Just the Ticket
Real Ale Ray: Hop & Stagger Golden Wander
ROBCamra: Serious Moonlight

[Mobyduck]

A bit low key in variety ,if not quantity this week.
Darkstar Hophead*
Young's Bitter
Fullers/Gales Seafarers
Skinners Betty Stoggs
Vibrant Forest Amarillo*
Hammerpot Bottle Wreck Porter*
Adnams Mosaic** Splendid and BOTW.

Probably even more low key next week.

[Wittenden]

Unplanned.
Harviestoun-Bitter and Twisted 3.8%abv. This has been around for years, but new to me. Golden:lot of citrus, long bitter finish. Fine on a beautifully hot day, but would I have raved about it last week? My BOTW

[Komakino]

Witney completed on Monday and Tuesday before I had a wisdom tooth out the day after, curtailing any fun whatsoever for the rest of the week and making me look like a latter-day John Merrick (some said it was an improvement...):

Hook Norton Hooky (3.5%)
Otter Bitter (3.6%)
BrewDog Dead Pony Club (3.8%) (can)
Everards Ascalon (4.0%)
Wadworth Horizon (4.0%)
Loose Cannon Abingdon Bridge (4.1%) BOTW
Morland (GK) Old Hoppy Hen (4.2%)
Shepherd Neame Spitfire (4.2%)
Skinner's Lushingtons Sunshine Pale Ale (4.2%)
Trumans Budburst (4.4%)
Vale Black Beauty Porter (4.4%)
Hobgoblin Gold (4.5%)
Wadworth St George and the Dragon (4.5%)
Charles Wells Bombardier (4.7%)
Morland (GK) Abbot Ale (5.0%)
Coors Blue Moon Pale Ale (5.4%) (keg)
Hatherwood Winter Warmer (5.5%) (bottled)
BrewDog Punk IPA (5.6%) (bottled)

I'm yet to have a bad pint of a Loose Cannon beer (touch wood) and this tradition carried on with a half sampled from gravity at the Fawlty Towers-esque Old Court Hotel (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/31924/) in Witney.

[Aqualung]

A fair list this week with several decent ones but hard to see anything outstanding :-

Greene King IPA 3.6%
Twisted Brewery Gaucho 3.6%
Butcombe Twisted Spring 3.8%
Titanic Lifeboat 4.0%
Great Western Maiden Voyage 4.0%
Adnam's Jester 4.1%*
Moonshine Hog Hopper 4.3%*
Butcombe Simcoe 4.5%*
Woodforde's Nelson's Revenge 4.5%
Alphabatum(?) Porter 4.6%*
Ilkley Hanging Stone Oatmeal Stout 5.0%*
Hop Back Summer Lightning 5.0%
Greene King Abbot Ale 5.0%
Brodie's Old Street Pale 5.0%*
Conquest ESB 5.0%
Ascot Anastasia's Exile Stout 5.0%*
Everards Original 5.2%
Kennet & Avon Crofton IPA 5.4%*
Brodie's Jamaican Stout 5.4%*
Ramsbury Belapur IPA 5.5%*
Franklin's North Shore IPA 5.5%*
Otter Head 5.8%

The winner is a new brewery to me Kennet & Avon Crofton IPA as tried for £3.30 in the Devizes Vaults. It's not a classic but is good enough this week.


Kennet & Avon Crofton IPA

[Bucking Fastard]

Decent week with some good sessions.


Purity -- UBU * (3PT)
Wolf -- Golden Jackal
Thwaites -- Wainwright
Purity -- Longhorn IPA (keg)
Rockin' Robin -- Reliant Robin
Clouded Minds -- Elisir *(3PT)
Dark Star -- American Pale Ale
Thornbridge -- Jaipur IPA *
Oakham -- Chemical Syndicate *
Oakham -- Inferno * (3PT)

BOTW goes to Clouded Minds Elisir in excellent condition on stillage in The Stratford Ale House.A very complex amber ale with lots going on and a load of American hops.

Next week looking slow...

[hondo]

Oakham - MK.VII

[Thuck Phat]

Not a bad week:

Wolf Golden Jackal
Purity UBU*
Stratford Stratford Gold
Rocking Robin APA
Purity Longhorn IPA (keg)
Clouded Minds Elisir*
Oakham Bishops Farewell*

Despite Mr. F's nomination above, BOTW goes to Clouded Minds Elisir as the outstanding candidate this week. A lush blend of malt and hops wrapped in a moreish 5.3% package.

[aleandhearty]

Only managed a very rapid couple of pints, this week, in the Victoria, Leeds, before a friend's birthday meal.

Madness Brewing Co. - Absolutely.*
Titanic - Plum Porter.*
Fix - Dark (bottle)
Thornbridge - Kipling. (bottle)
Thornbridge - Jaipur. (bottle)
Rheinbacher - Weissbier. (bottle)

The Plum Porter was slightly below par, so the Absolutely takes the honours.

[london calling]

Bedlam -ipa at Williams ale house was good
Alpha State -vengeance stout at Well and Bucket was very good
3 Sods -mud puddler and leap year were good at their brewery tap
Vibrant Forest -cydonia at the Cock Tavern was good
but BOTW was
Fallen -- Just the Ticket at Mother Kellys

[Real Ale Ray]

Hop & Stagger Brewery - Golden Wander from this excellent pub in Bridgnorth The White Lion (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/32030/)
In fact, all of their beers were fab

[ROBCamra]

Ken & Jenny at Serious Brewing have been specialising in keg beers until recently.

They bought a few casks and sent one to Oldham Beer Festival.

It wasn't too great a step to get them to sell The Baum one as well.

So BOTW is Serious Moonlight Stout. A proper black, slightly bitter, stout and at 4.5% not too heavy for a bit of a session.

They won Beer Of The Festival at Oldham with the same beer.

Next up in cask is Redsmith IPA, currently in the cellar in The Baum. :cheers: