Beer of the Week (w/e 11th December 2016)

[ROBCamra]

Mobyduck: Roosters Cogburn
Aqualung: Oakham Bishop's Farewell
Wittenden: Gadds Dark Conspiracy
Real Ale Ray: Big Hand Panettone Pale
Thuck Phat: Salopian Snow Leopard
Bucking Fastard: New River Five Inch Drop
aleandhearty: Wild Beer Bibble
ROBCamra: Great Heck Mercy

[Mobyduck]

Red Cat Scratch
Roosters Cogburn
Binghams V Old Ale
Fullers Seafarers
Timothy Taylor Landlord

A short list but an improvment in Quality from last week, Roosters Cogburn BOTW

[Aqualung]

A smaller list for me this week partly due to attempting to avoid any Xmas badged beers. There's still three on here, The Arkell's and Caledonian ones are dreadful while the Hook Norton one is decent.

Oakham JHB 3.8%
Oakham Citra 4.2%
Everard's Tiger 4.2%
Belvoir Beaver Bitter 4.3%
Belvoir White Knuckle Ride 4.3%
Caledonian Cold Comfort 4.5%
Oakham Bishop's Farewell 4.6%
Arkell's Sir Noel 5.0%
Bespoke Over A Barrel 5.0%
Elland Chocolate Porter 5.2%
Oakham Black Hole Porter 5.5%
Hook Norton Twelve Days 5.5%
Wadworth Old Timer 5.8%
Black Sheep Riggwelter 5.9%
Oakham Green Devil IPA (Keg) 6.0%
Greene King Abbot Reserve 6.5%

The winner is the Oakham Bishop's Farewell as tried for £3.40 in their Brewery Tap. I've no complaints about their other beers but don't recall giving this one a gong before.
Next week hopefully some real Xmas beers in the Black Country, like Sarah Hughes Snowflake, Holden's Old Ale and Batham's XXX.


BOTW Oakham Bishop's Farewell

[Wittenden]

Kent:quiet.

Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds)-Dark Conspiracy 4.9abv Described as a Brooding Porter.Dark brown, earthy berries. Intriguing and grown up beer. My BOTW, taken at The Milk House (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/59023/)

[Real Ale Ray]

Big Hand - Panettone Pale

[Thuck Phat]

Not bad:

Salopian Snow Leopard*
Oakham Bishops Farewell*
Charnwood Vixen
Potbelly Captain Pigwash
Flying Monk Birdman
Everards Tiger*
Grainstore 1050*

Bishops aside there wasn't anything exceptional in there but a couple of decent beers and well kept. Slightly disappointed by the Captain Pigwash, a decent porter but with a distinct tang at the end which didn't suit me.

BOTW Salopian Snow Leopard

[Bucking Fastard]

Rather a conservative week.

New River -- Five Inch Drop *
Sharps -- Doom Bar
Harviestoun -- Bitter & Twisted *
Timothy Taylor -- Landlord
St Austell -- Tribute
Hop Back -- Summer Lightening
Five Points -- Pale Ale (keg)
Trumans -- Gunboat Smith

BOTW goes to New River Five Inch Drop,a decent triple hopped IPA taken in the newly refurbished Blackbirds,Hertford.

Next week a double dose of footie and the annual Hertford Pub Crawl,there should be a decent selection of ales:pray:

[aleandhearty]

Decent week for me, with most of the beers sampled on a mini-crawl of Ilkley.

Leeds - Reindeer Porter.
Wild Beer - Bibble.*
Bradfield - Belgian Blue.
Salamander - SkullCracker.
Rat - Regal Rodent.*
Wilde Child - Galaxy.
Ilkley - Crossroads.
Summer Wine - Teleporter.*
Brass Castle - Bad Kitty.*
Atom - IPA.
Goose Eye - Bitter.
Saltaire - Winter Ale
Roosters - Red State.
Ilkley - Pale.*
Vocation - Heart & Soul.
Kirkstall - Black Band Porter.

A close call between Bibble and Bad Kitty. I'll give it to the former as it's a new beer (and brewery) to me. It's a pale ale flavoured with Mosaic and Amarillo and slipped down very nicely at The Crowd of Favours (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/80347/), Leeds.

[ROBCamra]

Great Heck Mercy. A 4% hopbomb, which was ideal for a couple of pints.

Very hoppy though, so I'm not sure I could do an extended session on it. In The Baum of course. :cheers: