Beer of the Week (w/e 15th May 2016)

[ROBCamra]

Real Ale Ray: Blue Monkey British Ape
Mobyduck: Surrey Hills Greensand IPA
Aqualung: Cairngorm Black Gold
Wittenden: Tonbridge Union Pale
hondo: Tapped Brew Co Rodeo
Thuck Phat: Hop Back Summer Lightening
aleandhearty: Salopian Monkey Business
Bucking Fastard: Yeovil Crown Imperial
Komakino: Arbor Motueka
london calling: Alecraft Night On The Tiles
ROBCamra: Thornbridge Black Harry

[Real Ale Ray]

Blue Monkey - British Ape

[Mobyduck]

As predicted a rather threadbare week.

Darkstar Hophead
Hammerpot Pale Ale
Hammerpot Mosaic Pale
Triple fff Alton's Pride
Surrey Hills Greensand IPA
St Austell Tribute

Both Hammerpot beers were surprisingly quite decent and very clean drinking, not a brewery I have rated in the past,
however BOTW is Surrey Hills Greensand IPA

[Aqualung]

A week with plenty of good ales but nothing outstanding.


Sadler's Peaky Blinder Gold 4.3%
Backyard Gold 4.3%
Cairngorm Black Gold 4.4%*
Redemption Urban Dusk 4.6%
Maxim Double Maxim 4.7%
Caledonian Ithaca Nut Brown 5.0%
Long Man Golden Tipple 5.0%
Greene King Abbot Ale 5.0%
Springhead Willy's Wheatbeer 5.2%*
Everards Original 5.2%*
Grainstore Rutland Beast 5.3%*
Sadler's Red IPA 5.7%*
Dark Star Revelation (keg) 5.7%
Magic Rock Dark Arts 6.0%*
Greene King Abbot Reserve 6.5%

I'm going for the Cairngorm Black Gold at my local Spoons which was £2.19 a pint. Scottish brewing has recovered enormously from the complete disaster it was 30 or 40 years ago. It's a dark beer, probably a mid ABV porter and it was really tasty. The Sadler's Red IPA runs it close but the Magic Rock Dark Arts doesn't as the £5 price tag left a sour taste in my mouth.

BOTW Cairngorm Black Gold

[Wittenden]

East Kent
Tonbridge-Union Pale 4.7%abv.Chestnut colour,assertively hopped, with a welcome earthiness that I associate with Tonbridge beers.

[hondo]

Tapped Brew Co - Rodeo

[Thuck Phat]

BOTW Hop Back Summer Lightening

Perhaps it feels a bit old fashioned alongside some of today's beers but, kept well, it is an excellent pint. An oldie but a goldie.

[aleandhearty]

Good week for me, in fact the best I've had for a while.

Fernandes - Jackdaw Mild.
Fernandes - Centaur.*
Salamander - Ashes to Ashes.
Acorn - Cambium.
Bradford - Hockney Pale.*
Yorkshire BC - Waverider.
Revolutions - Manifesto Stout.*
Blue Bee - Ginger Beer.*
Adnams - Ghost Ship.*
Blackjack - Archer.*
Salopian - Monkey Business.
Ilkley - Rombold.
Great Heck - Christopher.*
Revolutions - Clash London Porter.
Ossett - Maypole.*
Fernandes - Polaris.
Great Heck - Dave.

Some fine beers amongst that lot and many on great form. However, the one that blew me away was the Monkey Business. Wonderful aroma and beautiful flavours from the Galaxy hops.

[Bucking Fastard]

As predicted a poor week .
Several 660cl bottles of BrewDog Punk IPA but only one ale which by default was BOTW

Yeovil Crown Imperial,decently hopped and refreshing on a hot day at The Chetnole Inn.

Next week boating through Evesham and Worcester ,the latter normally very good for ale choice but I suspect the main sessions will be on Saturday in The Euston Tap both before and after a certain footie match.:drinkup::drinkup::drinkup:

[Komakino]

Good week, with a visit to Cheltenham on Friday and a few more Banbury surrounds yesterday:

XT Pi (3.141%)
Hook Norton Hooky (3.5%)
Wolf Golden Jackal (3.7%)
Arbor Motueka (3.8%) BOTW
Butcombe Rare Breed (3.8%)
Elgood's Cambridge Bitter (3.8%)
Ringwood Best Bitter (3.8%)
St Austell Trelawny (3.8%)
XT 4 (3.8%)
Bude Porthbud (4.0%)
Donnington Cotswold Gold (4.0%)
HB Clark Merrie City Cascadian (4.0%)
Otter Amber Bitter (4.0%)
Wickwar BOB (4.0%)
Derby Brewing Co. Triple Hop (4.1%)
CW Young's Blonde (4.2%)
GK Purple Reign (4.2%)
Island Yachtsman's Ale (4.2%)
Red Squirrel Redtail Citra (4.2%)
Wye Valley HPA (4.2%)
Beer Studio Dark Odyssey (4.4%)
Hook Norton Amarillo (4.7%)
Adnams Sorachi Saison (6.0%) (bottled)

The Arbor just shaded the Beer Studio offering: an easy-drinking, not too overly hoppy pale session ale, as sampled in The Strand (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/77472/) in Cheltenham.

[london calling]

Lots of outstanding beers this week
alecraft -night on the tiles
bottle cap -honey oat
dark revolution vipa
all drank in St albans

mondo brewtap

aba black ipa
coco loco coconut coffee porter
global heresy ipa

canopy brewtap

journey mans pale ale
brockwell ipa

bullfinch brewtap

south eastern bloc stout
born to be wild mild
blackwolf black ipa
wolf apa
notorious black ipa
difficult but Alecraft beer was lush and BOTW

[ROBCamra]

Thornbridge Black Harry. A very deceptive beer.

Black as night and yet tastes light & fruity and at 3.9% a few got supped in The Baum. :cheers: