Beer of the Week (w/e 29th January 2017)

[ROBCamra]

Wittenden: Old Dairy AK1911
Mobyduck: West Berks Maggs Mild
Bucking Fastard: Weird Beard Mariana Trench
london calling: Dark Star Hophead Mosaic
Aqualung: Kent Brewer's Reserve
Thuck Phat: Oakham Bishops Farewell
oldboots: Brass Castle Black Russian
Spinko: Thornbridge Jaipur
Komakino: Redemption Fellowship Porter
ROBCamra: Brass Castle Cliffhanger

[Wittenden]

Kent
Old Dairy -AK1911 4.1%abv. I'm very fond of the bottled version, but this was the first time I'd seen this on handpump.Hazel,ardent,peppery.Enjoyed it.

[Mobyduck]

Slim pickens....
West Berks Mr Swifts Pale
West Berks Maggs Mild
Red Cat Scratch
Wild Weather Big Muddy

BOTW Maggs Mild.

[london calling]

The new version of
Darkstar-hophead (mosaic) was stunning and gets a Camra score of 5

[Bucking Fastard]

A very good week; Peterborough,Pimlico,Hertford and Enfield.

Grainstore -- Ten Fifty.
Weird Beard -- Mariana Trench *(key keg)
Oakham -- New World Order *
Oakham -- Citra *
Fullers -- Bengal Lancer
Hopshackle -- ESB
Mc Mullens -- Country
Mc Mullens -- AK
St Austell -- Nicholsons Pale Ale
Adnams -- Southwold Bitter
Fullers -- London Pride
BrewDog -- Punk IPA (keg)
Siren -- Undercurrent *
Pig & Porter -- American Amber
Vocation -- Chop & Change *
Pig & Porter -- Coffee Stout *
Vocation -- Heart & Soul *
Everards -- Sly Fox
New River -- London Tap
St Austell -- Tribute *

BOTW goes to Weird Beard Mariana Trench on key keg and top drawer in The Stoneworks ,Peterborough on a short crawl of the city centre pubs.The Vocations beers sampled were also very close to the award.

Next week looks quiet,but there will be a visit to some old haunts in Old Street.

[Mobyduck]

The new version of
Darkstar-hophead (mosaic) was stunning and gets a Camra score of 5
Haven't seen that anywhere down here, hoping the Nags Head in Reading would have some but none currently on their cellar list as far I can see.

[Aqualung]

Not much of a list this week but high in ABV


Holden's Black Country Bitter 3.8%
Vibrant Forest Six Bells (Rebadged Flying Saucer?) 4.3%
Hop Back Summer Lightning 5.0%
Kent Brewer's Reserve 5.0%
Truman's Captain Lockwood 5.0%
Dorset Durdle Door 5.0%
Holden's Special 5.1%
Derby Quintessential 5.8%
Five Points Hook Island Red 6.0%
Black Horse Nicholas De Luda 6.0%
Vibrant Forest Kaleidoscope (keg) 6.5%
Holden's Old Ale 7.2%

It's a choice between the Holden's Old and the Kent Brewer's Reserve but the one from my favourite Kent brewery gets it. It was £3.51 (with CAMRA discount) in the local Bell.


BOTW Kent Brewer's Reserve

[Thuck Phat]

Very quiet week with just the one cask ale, albeit a very good one.
BOTW Oakham Bishops Farewell

[ROBCamra]

Dark Star Hophead Mosaic. Haven't seen that anywhere down here, hoping the Nags Head in Reading would have some but none currently on their cellar list as far I can see.

On its way to the cellar in The Baum as I type. :evilgrin:

[oldboots]

A decent week, bolstered by a long weekend in Edinburgh, but it's a Yorkshire BOTW Brass Castle Black Russian with Sulwath Black Galloway a very very close second.

Kirkstall - Three Swords
Taylors - Boltmaker
Acorn - Barnsley Bitter
Hawkshead - Windermere Pale (bottle)
Ringwood - Circadian (bottle)
Oakham - Citra
Inveralmond - Lia Fail
Strathaven - Culverhouse
Broughton - Dark Dunter
Belhaven - Robert Burns Brown Ale
Adnams - Longboat
Cobra - Lager (bottle)
Stewart - Jack Black
Allendale - GFPA
Brass Castle - Black Russian
Strathbraan - Due South
Orkney - Dark Island
Fyne Ales - Vital Spark
Kelburn - Royal Mile
Sulwath - Black Galloway
Waen - Snowball

[Spinko]

Thornbridge Jaipur. An old favourite at Port St Beer House!

[Mobyduck]

On its way to the cellar in The Baum as I type. :evilgrin:

:moremad:

[Komakino]

Here there and everywhere in a bumper week which included plenty of take-outs, takeaways and take-on-me':s

Adnam's Southwold Bitter (3.7%)
Harvey's Sussex Best (3.7%)
Rebellion IPA (3.7%)
Shotover Prospect (3.7%)
Vale Fitzroy (4.0%)
Caledonian Edinburgh Castle (4.1%)
Charles Wells Bombardier (4.1%)
Fuller's London Pride (4.1%)
Shepherd Neame Spitfire Gold (4.1%)
Westerham British Bulldog (4.1%)
Acorn Old Moor Porter (4.4%)*
Haresfoot Conqueror (4.4%)
VOG Dark Matter Blackcurrant Porter (4.4%)*
Caveman Kits Coty (4.5%)
GK Old Speckled Hen (4.5%)
Knops Musselburgh Broke (4.5%)
Sam Smith's Extra Stout (4.5%) (keg)
Stardust APA (4.5%)
Camden Hells Lager (4.6%)
Flack Manor Black Jack (4.6%)
Tiny Rebel Cwtch (4.6%) (keg)
Mad Squirrel APA (4.7%) (keg)
Wiper & True Milk Shake (4.7%) (bottle)
Binghams Space Hoppy IPA (5.0%) (bottle)
Darklands Resolution (5.0%)
Fourpure American Pale (5.0%) (can)
Tiny Rebel Dirty Stop Out (5.0%) (keg)
Vale Good King Senseless (5.0%)
Fourpure Oatmeal Stout (5.1%) (can)
Redemption Fellowship Porter (5.1%)*
Magic Rock Common Grounds (5.4%)
XT Squid Ink (5.5%) (keg)
Siren Craft Broken Dream (6.5%)
Wild Beer Madness IPA (6.8%) (can)
Siren Craft Ryesing Tides (7.0%)
Magic Rock Cannonball (7.4%) (can)

The dark beers were the stars this week, and it was a toss-up between the VOG Dark Matter - a blackcurrant porter tried at Rickmansworth's Pennsylvanian (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/56895/) - and the Redemption, but this week's banner is handed to the latter: a dry, roasty porter with a succinct bitter finish, sampled at the always-excellent Land of Liberty, Peace & Plenty (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14734/).

BOTW: Redemption Fellowship Porter

[ROBCamra]

Brass Castle Cliffhanger, a light 3.8% session ale. Several pints tested in The Baum.:cheers: