Beer of the Week (w/e 23rd October 2016)

[ROBCamra]

Mobyduck: 360 Session IPA
Wittenden: Burning Sky Aurora
Aqualung: Grey Trees Diggers Gold
Bucking Fastard: Concrete Cow Cock & Bull
Komakino: Connoisseur Providence Pale
Spinko: Blackjack Gold Coast
hondo: Badger Leaping Legend
Thuck Phat: Blue Monkey Harpers
Real Ale Ray: Bowland Pheasant Plucker
london calling: Howling Hops-double Choc Coffee Toffee Vanilla Milk Porter
ROBCamra: Backyard Americana Pale

[Mobyduck]

Down the local and an afternoon stroll around Soho this afternoon.
Red Cat Scratch
Triple fff Pressed Rat And Warthog*
Dark Star Revelation*
Twickenham Naked Ladies
Hogs Back TEA
360 Session IPA
Sam Smiths Extra Stout
Hop Stuff Session IPA
Windsor & Eton Canberra
Taylor&Walker 1730
Brodies Piccadilly Pale*
Brodies Jamaican Stout*

BOTW is 360 Session IPA in top condition in The Lyric. (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/22307/)

[Wittenden]

Shropshire, Herefordshire,Oxfordshire:
Burning Sky-Aurora 5.5%abv:I'd come halfway across the country only to find this grand beer from Sussex.Really juicy tropical fruit. A classic.
Stonehouse-Station Bitter 3.9%: Earthy session bitter, which held its own against the Aurora.
Hobson's-Best Bitter 3.8%abv- Deliciously earthy.
Ludlow Brewing-The Boiling Well 4.7%-Rich,chewy,autumnal.Blackberries.My favourite from this Brewery.
Hobson's-The Twisted Spire 3.6%abv- Good earthy blond 'un. Bit of resin.Hobson's continues to impress.
Three Tuns-Stout 4.4%abv-Bible black roasty stout, coffee, roast chestnuts.
Three Tuns-1642 Bitter-3.8%avb-Toffeeish session bitter.
Three Tuns-XXX-4.3%abv-Light coloured pale ale. Sweetish. Not very exciting.
Milton-Sparta-4.3%abv-Oatstraw,grassy hops. Harmonious.
Ringwood-Razorback-3.8%abv- Tan coloured best bitter.Berry fruits, bit on the sweet side.
Brakspear (at Marston's Wychwood)-3.4%abv-Old school juicy bitter.Not bad,considering.
Some pretty fair beer this week, with one outstanding: Burning Sky-Aurora.

[Aqualung]

Mostly Spoons visited this week with their mostly dull festival ales :-

Grey Trees Diggers Gold 4.0%*
Nottingham Legend 4.0%
Clearwater Proper Ansome 4.2%
Banks's Gold Ingot 4.3%
Marston's Draught Bass 4.4%
Theakston Vanilla Stout 4.5%*
Tring Warrior Queen 4.6%
Brunswick Rocket 4.7%
Green Jack Lurcher Stout 4.8%
Adnam's Sloe Porter 5.0%
Lincoln Green Gin And Beer It 5.0%*
Arundel Coffee Milk Stout 5.0%
Bingham's Ginger Doodle Stout 5.0%
Shepherd Neame Hot Night At The Village 5.0%
Everard's Black Annis 5.0%
Backyard Hellbound 5.4%
Caledonian Deuchars Imperial 5.5%
Great Heck's Shankar IPA 5.6%*
Banks's Ninkasi Special 5.8%
Brunswick Black Sabbath 6.0%*

The winner is the Grey Trees Diggers Gold as tried for £2.90 in the Derby Alexandra. A really refreshing cooking pale beer with loads of new world hops.

BOTW Grey Trees Diggers Gold

[Bucking Fastard]

Pretty poor week.

Concrete Cow -- Cock & Bull
Windsor & Eton -- Canberra
McMullens -- Country Bitter

BOTW goes to Concrete Cow Cock&Bull,surprisingly good in the Moon under Water in MK Central.

Next week Oakham action in Kennington ,should be positive.

[Komakino]

Bumper week with visits in Warrington, Cheltenham, Bourton-on-the-Water, some Banbury surrounds and Uncle Tom Cobley and all...

Connoisseur Providence Pale (3.6%)*
North Cotswold Windrush (3.6%)
JW Lees Manchester Pale Ale (3.7%)
Battledown Pale Ale (3.8%) (formerly Sunbeam)*
Prescott Hill Climb (3.8%)*
JW Lees Jumbo Star (3.9%)
Brakspear Oxford Gold (4.0%)
Donnington Cotswold Gold (bottle) (4.0%)
Marston's Single Hop East Kent Goldings (4.0%)
Sharp's Doom Bar (4.0%)
Staropramen Prahva (keg) (4.0%)
Box Steam Tunnel Vision (4.2%)
Humpty Dumpty Broadland Sunrise (4.2%)
Prescott Autumn Season's Best (4.2%)
Two Cocks 1643 Roundhead Bitter (4.2%)
Meantime London Pale Ale (keg) (4.3%)
Caledonian Autumn Red (4.4%)
Marston's / Thwaites Lancaster Bomber (4.4%)
Arkells Hoperation IPA (4.5%)
Belhaven Bridge to Nowhere (4.5%)
GK Old Spooky Hen (4.5%)
Stroud Budding (4.5%)
Wychwood Hobgoblin (4.5%)
Animal Flutter (4.6%)
Marston's Resolution (bottle) (4.7%)
Wild Beer Millionaire (keg) (4.7%)*
Charles Wells Courage Directors Bitter (4.8%)
Long Man American Pale Ale (4.8%)
Mad Dog Bohemian Hipster (4.9%)
Wadworth Cooper's Vice (5.0%)
Robinsons Trooper Red N' Black Porter (5.8%)

Disappointingly, no real standouts and even the starred beers above were only 'OK'. I'll give it to the Connoisseur's hoppy insouciance, tried in Warrington's 9 Gallon (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/82021/).

BOTW Connoisseur Providence Pale

[Spinko]

An exceptional Blackjack Gold Coast is my winner this week. Had two pints of it in the great Moorbrook Tavern in Preston. Would have been more but the barrel ran out!

Second place and deserving a mention Sup by First Chop - in good form in Sandbar Manchester.

[hondo]

Badger - leaping legend keg

[Thuck Phat]

Couple of decent pints:

Blue Monkey Harpers*
Magpie Thieving Rogue
Nobby's Plum Porter*
Oakham Bishops Farewell*
Purity Mad Goose

First time I've tried the Nobby's Plum Porter on cask - excellent, a lighter (4.4%) version than Titanic's. None the worse, just different.
BOTW Blue Monkey Harpers by a squeak. A 4.6% green hopped beer which I didn't find as hoppy as some other green hopped beers I've tried but with the same juiciness. Passed the three pint with ease.

[Real Ale Ray]

Bowland - Pheasant Plucker

[london calling]

Lots of good beers at the Royal Albert beer fest.I particularly like green hopped beers and had 2 good uns but botw was
howling hops-double choc coffee toffee vanilla milk porter

[ROBCamra]

Backyard Americana Pale. A lovely, easy drinking 4.3% er tried several times in The Baum. :cheers: