PDA

View Full Version : Beer of the Week (w/e 23 May 2010)



Conrad
16-05-2010, 23:12
Another week of the ever popular Beer of the Week

ETA: Orkney Dark Island (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13165#post13165)
Oggwyn Trench: Shropshire Brewerys Salop Gold (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13168#post13168)
Conrad: Snecklifter (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13181#post13181)
Wittenden: Rudgate Ruby Mild (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13184#post13184)
RogerB: Nethergate Lemon Head (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13187#post13187)
oldboots: Acorn Barnsley Bitter (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13195#post13195)
Bucking Fastard: Hop Back Summer Lightning (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13199#post13199)
ROBCamra: Northern Brewery's Jewel (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13200#post13200)
Pubsignman: Dark Star Victorian Ruby Mild (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13203#post13203)
HTM69: Marston's Merry Monk (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13205#post13205) (Munk?)
aleandhearty: Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13210#post13210)
Millay: Ringwood Fortyniner (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13229#post13229)
Gann: Jaipur IPA (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?2439-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-May-2010%29&p=13236#post13236)

RogerB
17-05-2010, 09:15
After last week's drought and this morning's minging head after a pint of Hogs Back A Over T coupled with an unhealthy blast of Dio on the i-pod this morning, I am hoping to pay my first ever visit to Brighton's Evening Star tonight to catch the legend that is John Otway who will be giving a lecture based on his new book. Hopefully a few BotW front ruinners as well.

Note to self. Be nice to Mrs"driving"B when I get home.

oldboots
17-05-2010, 12:34
I am hoping to pay my first ever visit to Brighton's Evening Star tonight to catch the legend that is John Otway who will be giving a lecture based on his new book.


John Otway and the Evening Star! ....lucky, lucky barsteward

trainman
17-05-2010, 13:50
Bloody 'ell, and Brighton's only 35mins from Croydon, but all my avenues of credit are exhausted.
Not sure the Evening Star is big enough for Mr Otway, even if he's only talking! Sounds great tho Roger, enjoy, astonishingly, your first visit to the birthplace of Darkstar.

RogerB
17-05-2010, 14:48
It's not 100% I will be going. The Mrs has gone out for the day and will probably have one of her amnesia moments and have a few drinks not realising she will have to drive. I've met Otway a few times and he's a top bloke.:notworthy: We were signed up to go on his World Tour a few years ago (he hired a plane and planned to take 300 fans around the world with him) but it all went pear shaped (as do most things he is involved with). He's the sort of bloke who will need a lift home afterwards!

RogerB
18-05-2010, 08:48
Good start to the week - the Evening Star + 7 assorted ales ticked off and a fantastic evening all round with the big O (and Atilla the Stockbroker popped in as well - he knows his ales!) :notworthy::). Just need to decide which beer was the best - it seems a waste of 6 good ales to nominate one but they may all take a back seat after the Old Fountain festival later in the week.

Gann
18-05-2010, 11:54
Also good start to the week for me..
Popped into my local on the way home last night for a quick one to find the landlord had got a couple of barrels in from the new Redemption Brewery in Tottenham as the guest.
So first time for one of the Redemption Urban Dusk, which was quite a strong flavoured dark beer and not what I was expecting at all....

gillhalfpint
19-05-2010, 19:00
Went to the Bird in Hand pub in Hayle today and had their own brewery Paradise Artist's Ale 5.1%.

My BOTW so far.

aleandhearty
20-05-2010, 00:47
After last week's trough of despair, this week's off to a flyer. Had some crackers tonight: Crouch Vale 'Brewer's Gold, Bob's Brewing Co. 'Hopfever', Fernandes 'Maya Mild', Ossett 'Millbridge Mild' and the sublime George Wright 'Black Swan' mild. Can't see anything beating the 'Brewer's Gold or 'Black Swan' for BOTW, although I live in hope!

Bucking Fastard
20-05-2010, 16:17
Drew a bit of a blank for BOTW contenders in the pubs of Thorne and Goole although the Thorne Brewery Pale Ale was the pick.However doing a crawl by train in Sherborne,Gillingham,Tisbury and Salisbury this Saturday lunchtime so hopefully a more worthy BOTW nomination will emerge from that excursion.

trainman
20-05-2010, 17:05
doing a crawl by train in Sherborne,Gillingham,Tisbury and Salisbury this Saturday lunchtime

I was just about to opine that that's a heck of a lot of ground to cover on a Sat lunchtime!!, then realised that it's the Gillingham on that same Dorset line, and not the one where you may have been looking for the Man of Kent. Dear oh dear, I need beer.

RogerB
21-05-2010, 08:55
I was just about to opine that that's a heck of a lot of ground to cover on a Sat lunchtime!!, then realised that it's the Gillingham on that same Dorset line, and not the one where you may have been looking for the Man of Kent. Dear oh dear, I need beer.

If you ever want to upset anyone from Dorset simply pronounce their Gillingham the same as Kent's Gillingham. Gets them mad every time! I've tried it. :D

Bucking Fastard
21-05-2010, 09:33
If you ever want to upset anyone from Dorset simply pronounce their Gillingham the same as Kent's Gillingham. Gets them mad every time! I've tried it. :D
Thanks for the advice,I'll make sure I've been served a pint and taken a snap of The Phoenix before enquiring about any connections with the Jewel of the Medway;)

Millay
22-05-2010, 11:07
This week has been a bit of a blur to be honest which is perhaps not surprising given the beers I have encountered. The stars being, Jaipur IPA at 5.9%, Pale Rider 5.2% (?), Brewdog Punk IPA 6% and then yesterday after a day on Ringwood Fortyniner 4.9% I found the shockingly tasty Brewdog Hardcore IPA at 9.2% :eek: . Well you can’t let a beer like that pass by without trying one can you ;)

Obviously the week is not over yet but I suspect I’ll be picking from the above.

ETA
22-05-2010, 21:18
Thanks to the high quality of beer in Edinburgh (5 pints of which I have just finished) I feel enthused to nominate again this week - my nomination is the Orkney's Dark Island.

Oggwyn Trench
23-05-2010, 09:00
Well after an 8 pub tour around Shrewsbury on Saturday afternoon , lots of good beer and plenty of attractive young ladies not wearing a lot :D , i am going to go for Shropshire Brewerys Salop Gold , just right for a nice summer afternoon

Conrad
23-05-2010, 22:51
Think my beer of the weeks is going to have to go to the nice bottle of Snecklifter I tried last night which edges out the Bristol Stout I had earlier in the week.

Wittenden
23-05-2010, 23:28
Rudgate Ruby Mild in the Salehurst halt, East Sussex. Not really my idea of a MILD, but a classic nonetheless.

RogerB
23-05-2010, 23:52
After last weeks drought, this week has been a monsoon. 2 pubs long on the radar finally chalked off and some seriously good ales. The Dark Star Hophead at the Evening Star in Brighton would normally win without being questioned but there is a likelihood that it will pop up somewhere else so I’ll save that one for a rainy day. Several of the Old Fountain Festival beers were worthy of a mention with the Saltaire Raspberry Blonde just pipping the Dunham Massey Choc Cherry Mild on the night but everything was eclipsed on Friday with my first trip to the Deptford Dog & Bell for a couple of years. With the trains up the spout I was forced to walk from New Cross to Greenwich and then back to Deptford on a baking hot evening. The Nethergate Lemon Head was the perfect antidote, a refreshing burst of ginger and lemon perfectly poured in a super pub by a real Landlord.

oldboots
24-05-2010, 09:31
Lots of pubs but very little outstanding beer:mad:, BOTW for me the ever reliable Acorn Barnsley Bitter drunk in
the equally reliable Blind Jacks in Knaresborough.

Bucking Fastard
24-05-2010, 10:17
After a disappointing start to the week,I appreciated my BOTW which was Hop Back Summer Lightning in Deacons,Salisbury and a fine way to top off a pub crawl.On a hot Saturday afternoon,glad to report that Summer Lightning was as refreshing as ever.A finished pint always demands another...

ROBCamra
24-05-2010, 10:27
Poor end to the week by spending Saturday night in Thirsk. This town must have one of the worst selections of real ale available anywhere in Yorkshire. John Smiths Cask, Tetleys Bitter, Black Sheep bitter and one solitary offering of Copper Dragon Golden Pippin. If it wasn't for the JDW which still only offered the not very interesting selection of Hobgoblin, Old Hookey and Daleside Blonde it would have been a disaster. :(

By the way OB, is Thirsk the obese women capital of Yorkshire? Or was it just that they were all wearing crop tops and shorts and bulging out of them in all directions. :sick::sick::sick:

Is it also the ignorant, obnoxious, coach touring pensioner capital, or where we just unlucky? :mad:

Anyway, back to beer of the week.

I think it's going to have to be Northern Brewery's Jewel tried in the Regal Moon in Rochdale on Friday night.

Pubsignman
24-05-2010, 11:33
I enjoyed a good selection of mild this week thanks to the festival at the Hope in Carshalton. The Rother Valley Smild and Ramsbury Hells Highway were both a little unusual yet very tasty, but it's hard to look past the excellent Dark Star Victorian Ruby Mild for my BOTW. Very drinkable at 6% and a great way to round off the festival.

The only other credible contender this week was the Brew Dog Punk IPA, which went down very well in the sun at the Evening Star in Brighton this weekend.

HTM69
24-05-2010, 11:42
17 pints this week, over a 3-day period.

Marston's Merry Monk x 4
Morgan's Spiced Rum (Single Measure) x 1
Crouch Vale Brewers Gold x 1
Saltaire Raspberry Blonde x 2
Crouch Vale Fountain Apollo x 1
Marble Chocolate x 1
Dunhan Massey Choc Cherry Mild x 1
Nethergate Brewery Red Poll x 1
Titanic White Star x 1
Bombardier x 1
Sharps Doombar x 4

BOTW: Marston's Merry Munk

Bucking Fastard
24-05-2010, 11:58
This town must have one of the worst selections of real ale available anywhere in Yorkshire.

Rob you may want to pay a visit to Goole ,which I can assure you was dire.Most pubs dont stock real ale and those that do leave a lot to be desired.My pint of draught Cobra in the curry house was the most acceptable drink I supped all evening:(

I wont even mention the young and not so young ladies who "hang out" in the pubs:eek:

aleandhearty
24-05-2010, 12:03
After a very promising start on Wednesday night, I developed a heavy summer cold which put the kibosh on tasting anything else this week. Therefore, my BOTW is Crouch Vale 'Brewer's Gold, with an honourable mention to George Wright's 'Black Swan Mild'.

ROBCamra
24-05-2010, 12:09
Rob you may want to pay a visit to Goole ,which I can assure you was dire.Most pubs dont stock real ale and those that do leave a lot to be desired.My pint of draught Cobra in the curry house was the most acceptable drink I supped all evening:(

I wont even mention the young and not so young ladies who "hang out" in the pubs:eek:

I think I mentioned on another thread that we came off the tidal Trent at Goole on a narrowboat a few years ago. We stopped for lunch in Goole and that was the last time I visited. Doesn't sound like I've missed much since. :)

aleandhearty
24-05-2010, 12:23
By the way OB, is Thirsk the obese women capital of Yorkshire? Or was it just that they were all wearing crop tops and shorts and bulging out of them in all directions. :sick::sick::sick:


Rob you may want to pay a visit to Goole ,which I can assure you was dire
I wont even mention the young and not so young ladies who "hang out" in the pubs:eek:

I think the unwritten rule is based on inverse proportion. The larger and lumpier the lass, the less their clothes actually cover up. I've just got back from the Asda run and there was a huge woman there wearing linen effect trousers and a thong. The traumatic effect was similar to looking at a large truckle of cheddar with its own cheese wire. :eek:

RogerB
24-05-2010, 12:59
I think the unwritten rule is based on inverse proportion. The larger and lumpier the lass, the less their clothes actually cover up. I've just got back from the Asda run and there was a huge woman there wearing linen effect trousers and a thong. The traumatic effect was similar to looking at a large truckle of cheddar with its own cheese wire. :eek:
These are not welcome images prior to lunch. :sick:

oldboots
24-05-2010, 19:19
This town must have one of the worst selections of real ale available anywhere in Yorkshire. John Smiths Cask, Tetleys Bitter, Black Sheep bitter and one solitary offering of Copper Dragon Golden Pippin. If it wasn't for the JDW which still only offered the not very interesting selection of Hobgoblin, Old Hookey and Daleside Blonde it would have been a disaster. :(

Is it also the ignorant, obnoxious, coach touring pensioner capital, or where we just unlucky? :mad:


You have my sympathy, it's dreadful isn't it? As you say almost wall to wall Smiths Cask :sick:. Other than the JDW, the Frankland is a better pub and maybe the Blacksmiths is worth while but forget the rest except for curiosity value. The Black Lion is allegedly "good for food" but 'tain't a pub. It's Herriottisis that brings out the wrinklies, the town is also a good toilet stop between the Moors and the A1. :D I'd rather not comment on the women especially as my wife works with some of them.:eek:

Did you manage the "Royal" - once seen never forgot!

Millay
25-05-2010, 05:57
This week has been a bit of a blur to be honest which is perhaps not surprising given the beers I have encountered. The stars being, Jaipur IPA at 5.9%, Pale Rider 5.2% (?), Brewdog Punk IPA 6% and then yesterday after a day on Ringwood Fortyniner 4.9% I found the shockingly tasty Brewdog Hardcore IPA at 9.2% :eek: . Well you can’t let a beer like that pass by without trying one can you ;)

Obviously the week is not over yet but I suspect I’ll be picking from the above.
On Saturday I did find a 5.5% beer from the Pot Belly Brewery called Crazy Daze that had been the champion strong beer of something sometime, but my BotW goes to Ringwood Fortyniner

ROBCamra
25-05-2010, 07:58
Did you manage the "Royal" - once seen never forgot!

We didn't go in, but we did watch 4 coppers trying to keep the warring factions outside the pub apart.

Visited the Frankland amongst others, but they served me a pint of vinegar.

I'm in the process of writing up the reviews. As OB says this is .................................................. . etc :)

Gann
25-05-2010, 12:03
For me the Redemption Urban Dusk encountered on the first day of the week took some beating.

But finally managed it on Sunday whilst on a mini crawl around Carnaby Street, where I also came across Jaipur IPA in The Clachan.

And thats my vote for last week...