Beer of the Week (w/e 10th July 2016)

[ROBCamra]

london calling: Mad Cat Golden India Pale Ale
Aqualung: Oakham Citra
Wittenden: East London Brewery (ELB) Maya
Bucking Fastard: Aylesbury Brewing Red Citra
Mobyduck: Weird Beard Five O Clock Shadow
Thuck Phat: Wild Weather Skadoosh DIPA
aleandhearty: Fernandes Session IPA
Real Ale Ray: Black Iris Kilpin
gillhalfpint: Track Santium
ROBCamra: Spire Dark

[london calling]

Was at the Ealing beer fest, the Aeronaught brewpub, the Dragonfly brewpub and Brewdog this week but little stood out.
best two beers were from a new to me Kent brewery at Ealing and beer of the week was
Mad Cat- golden india pale ale.

[Aqualung]

A short list disrupted by the JDW cider fest which started early in some outlets. As I've had 21 of the 30 it should be better next week and the following week.


ELB Pale Ale 4.0%
Redemption Rock The Kazbek 4.0%
Titanic Iceberg 4.1%*
Adnam's Juniper Saison 4.1%
Oakham Citra 4.2%*
Truman's Lazarus 4.2%
Dancing Duck Dark Drake 4.5%*
Moorhouse Blond Witch 4.5%
Acorn Hoptathlon 4.5%
Titanic Plum Porter 4.9%*
Bingham Hot Dog Stout 5.0%*
Fuggle Bunny Russian Rare-Bit 5.0%
Brewster's Rutterkin 5.0%
Prescott Grand Prix 5.0%
Banks's Alpha 5 Pale Ale 5.0%*


All of the above had some merit although the Prescott one was probably the dullest. I was pleased that the Titanic Iceberg was as good as I remembered unlike their White Star. The award must go to the Oakham Citra as tried in the Wellington in Brum. It really was outstanding. I noticed on the way out that there was an empty 18 of it so I guess it's a permanent one and they sell shed loads of it.

Spoons cider of the week is the Garden Vintage which surprisingly is from Surrey.
Many are way too sweet especially the perry and the low ABV ones which I suspect are just standard ciders watered down with sweet fruit juice.

BOTW Oakham Citra

[Wittenden]

Kent again.
East London Brewery (ELB)-Maya 2.8%abv. A session pale ale.Fashionably hazy.Grassy, summer fruit. Very complex for the low ABV.Incredibly moreish. Only the second 5star rating given this year.(The other being Kent Brewery's Session Pale Ale-both taken at Black Dog (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/81509/))
Westerham-Grasshopper 2.8%abv.In good nick.Brown and malty with peppery hops.
My BOTW-ELB's Maya.

[Bucking Fastard]

A monster week along the full length of the Kennet & Avon.

Box Steam -- Soul Train
Box Steam -- Summer Buzz
Ringwood -- Boon Doggle
Cheddar Ales -- Potholer
Arbor -- Hoploader * (3PT)
Oakham -- Green Devil IPA (keg)
Wadworth -- Swordfish
Wadworth -- Horizon
Arbor -- Summitt IPA*
Stonehenge --Eye Opener
Honey Street Brewery -- Croppie
Honey Street Brewery -- 1810 *
Hop Back -- Yakima Blonde *
Hop Back -- Groovy Moover *
Worlds End -- Artic Blonde
Tring -- Pale + Four * (3PT)
Kennet & Avon -- Dundas *
Animal -- Roadrunner
Vibrant Forest -- Oat & Coffee Stout *
Aylesbury Brewing -- Red Citra * (3PT)
Timothy Taylor -- Landlord *
Fullers -- Olivers Island
Wild Weather -- Skadoosh DPA *
Animal -- Manta Rey
Gadds -- Summers Day *(3PT)
Dancing Duck -- Ginger Ninja
Binghams -- Williamette Extra Pale Ale *
Mallinsons -- New World Pale *
Hopcraft -- New Dawn Folds *
Tempest Brewing -- White Light *
Siren Craft -- Tidal Wave *

Almost impossible to chose BOTW and the last four mentioned were all excellent in the Nags Head,Reading,but by a very short nose BOTW goes to Aylesbury Brewing Red Citra on top form in The John O' Gaunt,Hungerford .Great beer ,great pub.

[Mobyduck]

Dark Star Hophead
Vocation Heart And Soul*
Hop Back Hop Medley*
Adnams Mosaic*
Oakham Citra*
West Berks Good Old Boy
Zero Degrees IPL
Bridgestone Smoked Porter
Brakespeare Bitter
Fyne Ales Jarl*
Oakleaf Whole Hearted
Indiginous Double Warp
Weird Beard Five O Clock Shadow*
Windsor And Eton Pepper Tree
Hopcraft Gallows Tree
Siren Pompemocello*
Siren Tidal Wave*

Some good beers last week and the front runners were both the Siren beers enjoyed in The Nags Head Reading but by a whisker Weird Beard Five O Clock Shadow at 7.0% takes the prize, very much enjoyed in The Greyfriar (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/1685/) in the good company of PUG's boating fraternity.

[Thuck Phat]

Some great beers enjoyed in excellent company, including some estimable members of this parish, this week:

Wadworths 6X
Arbor Summit IPA*
Stonehenge Eye Opener
Kronenberg 1664
Honeystreet Croppie
Honeystreet Cider Company Area 51*
Hop Back Yakima Blonde*
Hop Back Groovy Mover*
Kennet & Avon Dundas Bitter*
World's End Arctic Blonde
Tring Pale + Four*
Animal Brewing Roadrunner
XT15*
Vibrant Forest Oat & Coffee Stout*
Aylesbury Brewing Company Red Citra*
Blackwolf ROK
TT Landlord*
Fullers Wild River (keg)
Wild Weather Skadoosh DIPA*
Animal Manta Ray
Gadds Summer's Day*
Dancing Duck Wot The Duck
Binghams Williamette
Hopcraft New Dawn Fades*
Tempest White Light*
Siren Craft Tidal Wave*
Bad Seed White Stout*
Blue Monkey Simian Summer*
Blue Monkey Ape Ale*

A very tricky choice with all starred genuine contenders.
BOTW Wild Weather Skadoosh DIPA. A surprisingly drinkable 11% DIPA which invites a second for the brave.

[aleandhearty]

Reasonable week for me, with quite a few new beers tried.

Fernandes - Session IPA.*
Fernandes - Simcoe.
Fernandess - Malt Shovel Mild.*
North Riding - Mosaic Pale.*
Slaters - Premium.
Rat - Mother Rat.*
Wimbledon - Tower.
First Chop - Sun.
Yates - Bitter.
Great Heck - Voodoo Mild.*
Great Heck - Yakima IPA.
Liverpool Organic - Honey Blonde.
Great Heck - Christopher.*
Fernandes - Morse.
XT - 3.

My favourite was the Session IPA, actually more of an APA. Lots of aroma and flavour for a 3.8% beer. Did exactly what it said on the tin. A special mention for the First Chop Sun, which is the worst beer I've had in ages. Not off, but with a really synthetic, unpleasant taste.

[london calling]

A monster week along the full length of the Kennet & Avon.

Box Steam -- Soul Train
Box Steam -- Summer Buzz
Ringwood -- Boon Doggle
Cheddar Ales -- Potholer
Arbor -- Hoploader * (3PT)
Oakham -- Green Devil IPA (keg)
Wadworth -- Swordfish
Wadworth -- Horizon
Arbor -- Summitt IPA*
Stonehenge --Eye Opener
Honey Street Brewery -- Croppie
Honey Street Brewery -- 1810 *
Hop Back -- Yakima Blonde *
Hop Back -- Groovy Moover *
Worlds End -- Artic Blonde
Tring -- Pale + Four * (3PT)
Kennet & Avon -- Dundas *
Animal -- Roadrunner
Vibrant Forest -- Oat & Coffee Stout *
Aylesbury Brewing -- Red Citra * (3PT)
Timothy Taylor -- Landlord *
Fullers -- Olivers Island
Wild Weather -- Skadoosh DPA *
Animal -- Manta Rey
Gadds -- Summers Day *(3PT)
Dancing Duck -- Ginger Ninja
Binghams -- Williamette Extra Pale Ale *
Mallinsons -- New World Pale *
Hopcraft -- New Dawn Folds *
Tempest Brewing -- White Light *
Siren Craft -- Tidal Wave *

Almost impossible to chose BOTW and the last four mentioned were all excellent in the Nags Head,Reading,but by a very short nose BOTW goes to Aylesbury Brewing Red Citra on top form in The John O' Gaunt,Hungerford .Great beer ,great pub.
As I read your list I could see by the brewers the route you travelled.cheers

[Real Ale Ray]

Black Iris Brewery (Nottingham) - Kilpin sampled here The Herbert Kilpin (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/84222/)

[Bucking Fastard]

As I read your list I could see by the brewers the route you travelled.cheers

We came across a lot of Locale on this trip ,not by intention but were pleasantly surprised how good some of these micro's turned out to be with noteable exceptions Wadworth and Box Steam,although for the latter it may have been more the fault of their tied house rather than the beer.Every Arbor ale I had (some in last week) was top drawer.

[gillhalfpint]

We had a monster week this week attending both Derby beer fest and Hereford beer fest, so got through more new beers in 2 days than we had in 6 weeks in Cornwall!! Not surprising really. We also had a couple of beers in the Beer in Hand in Hereford which calls itself a micropub, but appears to be bigger inside than the Post Office Vaults in Birmingham.

So many great beers to choose from, many from breweries new to us, but reckon Track Santium 6.3% wins.

[Aqualung]

We also had a couple of beers in the Beer in Hand in Hereford which calls itself a micropub, but appears to be bigger inside than the Post Office Vaults in Birmingham.

A very common misconception about micropubs. Other than the fact the PO Vaults doesn't try and claim to be one, if I remember rightly a permanent soundtrack was playing which theoretically would invalidate it. The Beer in Hand breaks one of the guidelines by having a few "craft" keg beers. The guidelines are there to be broken but premises size isn't one of them although a JDW sized micropub would probably result in rapid failure. To coin a phrase "Size Doesn't Matter".

[ROBCamra]

Loads of beer this week with a trip to Chesterfield & Derby with a visit to Derby Beer Festival thrown in.

A close contest, but I'm going to award BOTW to Spire Dark tried in The Neptune Inn (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/6907/) in Chesterfield. :cheers: