Beer of the Week (w/e 20th November 2016)

[ROBCamra]

Real Ale Ray: Brewster's Decadence
Bucking Fastard: Mallinsons Serious Blending
Aqualung: Tiny Rebel Random Name Generator Pale Black IPA
Wittenden: Old Dairy Red Top
Mobyduck: Brewdog Elvis Juice
Thuck Phat: St. Andrews Tombland Porter
hondo: Cromarty Whiteout
Komakino: Yubberton Yawnie
Spinko: Bootleg Chorlton Pale Ale
aleandhearty: Mallinsons Kiwi Classic
ROBCamra: Mallinsons Kiwi Classic

[Real Ale Ray]

Brewster's - Decadence in The Plumbers Arms (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/56806/)

[Bucking Fastard]

A very big week.

McMullens -- Hopping Mad (BABOTW)
Elland -- 1872 Porter *
Saltaire -- Pacifica IPA *
Naylors -- Velvet
True North -- Blonde
Magic Rock -- Inhaler *
Magic Rock -- Common Grounds *
Great Heck -- Patrick
Settle -- Attermine IPA
Mallinsons -- Serious Blending *
Rat -- Nosfer Ratu *
Rat -- Roster Nui *
Oakham -- Study in Scarlet
Mallinsons -- Centennial *
Marble -- Carefully Planned *
Mallinsons -- Kiwi Classic *
Mallinsons -- Doukan Duck *
Brewsters -- Decadence
Dark Star -- Sunburst
Thornbridge -- Kipling
Thornbridge -- Seaforth *
Mighty Oak -- Tawny T'ale *

Trying to pick a BOTW out of some top quality ale is a difficult task ,but by the shortest of heads Mallinsons Serious Blending gets the nod,in The Corner,Huddersfield.I even got the chance to congratulate the brewster who made it,thanks to ROB Camra for asking the Mallinsons team to pop into their tap for a chat with the PuG crawlers.

Next week boating in The Chilterns,good ale options abound.

[Aqualung]

A fair week for me starting with a local pub festival and then a challenging time rampaging around South Wales Valley Spoons in foul weather which affected the infrequent trains but not the rubbish bus services bar one which was taking on water driving through flooded roads :-

Rhymney Hobby Horse 3.8%
Oakham JHB 3.8%
Baa Best Bitter 4.0%
Brain's Bread Of Heaven 4.0%
Oakham Citra 4.2%
Brain's Rev James 4.5%
Kelburn Jaguar 4.5%
Three Sods Mud Puddler 4.5%
Glamorgan Thunderbird 4.5%
Tiny Rebel Cwtch 4.6%
Green Jack Trawlerboy 4.6%
Hook Norton Old Hooky 4.6%
Rhymney King's Ale 4.7%
Saltaire Triple Chocoholic 4.8%
Tiny Rebel Random Name Generator Pale Black IPA 4.8%
Ringwood 49'er 4.9%
Cold Black Crib Goch 5.0%
Brain's Barry Island IPA (keg) 5.0%
Mole's Molecatcher 5.0%
Mumbles India Pale Ale 5.3%
Shepherd Neame Todd The Axeman 5.5%
Boss Brave 5.5%
Exmoor Gold Export 5.5%
Bullmastiff Son Of A Bitch 6.0%
Cropton Monkman's Slaughter 6.0%
Old Dairy Snow Top 6.0%


The winner is the Tiny Rebel Random Name Generator Pale Black IPA and if you find this confusing then you are not alone! It was on sale in the Newport Urban Tap House at £3.60.

BOTW Tiny Rebel Random Name Generator Pale Black IPA

[Wittenden]

Very quiet in Kent:
Old Dairy-Red Top 3.8%abv:Really good old school bitter.Straightforward and uncomplicated.
Tonbridge-Rustic 4%abv: Dark brown 'country ale',gently hopped with Epic and Fuggles. Consumed at home via one of those 5 litre mini casks,in great condition.
My BOTW-Red Top.

[Mobyduck]

A Meagre week pubwise,
Red Cat Scratch
Triple fff Citra Sonic
Robinsons Dizzy Blonde
Purity UBU

Quality was ok or average and no stars,
on that basis a bottle drank at home is the clear winner.
BOTW Brewdog Elvis Juice, a rather moreish Grapefruit infused IPA at 6.5%.

[Thuck Phat]

Interesting week with a trip to Norwich:

Hop Monster Banshee Stout
Lacons Oatmeal Stout*
Dark Star Creme Brulee*
Redwell Extra Pale Ale*
Fat Cat Upryze
Fat Cat Marmalade
Marble Earl Grey IPA*
St Andrews Tombland Porter*
Hop Back Summer Lightening
Boudicca's Prasto Porter
Wolf's Whiskers
Track/Bad Seed Troika Pale*
Abbeydale/Brewdog Iced Tea Dead People
Ilkley Crossroads*

Some very good beers in there with St. Andrews Tombland Porter just edging BOTW.
A very palatable 4.8% porter which hit the spot in the St Andrews Brew House (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/63891/) on a chilly day.

[hondo]

Cromarty brewing co - whiteout

[Komakino]

Headington and some Oxfordshire odds and sods (the latter visited for photos for the site):

Shotover Prospect (3.7%)
Yubberton Yubby (3.8%)
Brunswick First Brew (3.9%)
North Cotswold Cotswold Best (4.0%)
Yubberton Goldie (4.0%) *
Loose Cannon Abingdon Bridge (4.1%)
Hook Norton Greedy Goose (4.2%)
Yubberton Yawnie (4.3%) *
Titanic Plum Porter (4.9%)
Everards Black Annis (5.0%)
BrewDog Punk IPA (5.6%) (keg)

The Yubberton brews were a nice surprise at Wootton's Killingworth Castle (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/31972/), and I liked the drum & bass reference on the Goldie's pump clip ("timeless real ale"). The tried-and-tested Titanic Plum Porter was well ahead in the BOTW stakes until I tried the Yawnie yesterday - loads going on in what is ostensibly a brown ale, and enough for me to earn it this week's gong:

BOTW: Yubberton Yawnie

[Spinko]

A close call but Bootleg-Chorlton Pale Ale. Just inched it from Tiny Rebel-Fubar.

[aleandhearty]

Good week for me, largely based on the excellent meet-up, in Huddersfield, on Friday.

Saltaire - South Island Pale.*
Vocation - Bread and Butter.*
Fernandes - American Pale.
Acorn - Gorlovka.*
Empire - Forbidden.
Pictish - Opal.
Mallinsons - Kiwi Classic.*
Dark Star - Winter Solstice.
Magic Rock - Inhaler*
Magic Rock - Common Grounds.*
Settle - Attermire.
Three Fiends - Bad Uncle Barry.
Revolutions - Disintegration.
Torrside - Late to the Party.*
Rat - Rata Nui.*
Rat - Nosfer Ratu.*
Oakham - Study in Scarlet.
Acorn - Singularity.
Mallinsons - Centennial.
Siren - Proteus.
Anarchy - Citra Star.
Mallinsons - Doukan Duck.*
Brewsters - Decadence.*

Some fantastic beers in that list, with many worthy of BOTW on a quiet week. However, the one that truly hit the spot, when my palate was still truly discerning, was the excellent Kiwi Classic. Sampled at The Sportsman, Huddersfield.

[ROBCamra]

I'll go with a&h on this one with Mallinsons Kiwi Classic.

However I had mine in The Grove Huddersfield when my palate probably wasn't as discerning, but it still stood out. :cheers: