Beer of the Week (w/e 24th September 2017)

[ROBCamra]

oldboots: Thornbridge Baize
Bucking Fastard: Thornbridge Late Star
hondo: Mondo Denis Hopp'r
Thuck Phat: Green Duck Dead on Arrival
Maldenman: Vocation Life and Death
Aqualung: Peerless Knee Buckler IPA
london calling: Beavertown Says Amateur Hour
Real Ale Ray: Fixed Wheel Single Speed Simcoe
Wittenden: Blackedge Pike
Mobyduck: Purity UBU
Komakino: Spey Valley David's Not So Bitter
ROBCamra: Turning Point Disco King

[oldboots]

Easy choice as I've not had much this week (dieting)

1517

[Bucking Fastard]

Modest week ,Hipsterville and Hertford.

Thornbridge -- Late Star *
Dark Star -- American Pale Ale *
Siren -- Undercurrent *
St Austell -- Proper Job *

BOTW goes to Thornbridge Late Star ,a strong best bitter with great balance served on top form in The Commercial Tavern (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/25312/)


Next week after engine repairs ,navigating into Titanic territory.

[hondo]

Mondo - Denis Hopp'r keg

[Thuck Phat]

Gentle week:

Oakham Bishops Farewell*
Tres Bien Porter*
Green Duck Dead on Arrival*

BOTW Green Duck - Dead on Arrival. A very acceptable 5.8% IPA from a brewery new to me.

[Maldenman]

I don't normally contribute here but having sampled Vocation Life and Death (on cask) and Oakham Green Devil IPA, also cask both in The Albion (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/35911/) I have to say both were quite spectacular. Hard to call but Life and Death just sneaks it, tried the canned version since from Tesco, same 6.5%abv and although very drinkable doesn't come close.

[Aqualung]

I've been to six "proper" pubs this week and five JDWs. The "proper" pubs didn't produce anything notable despite all being 2017 or 2018 GBG listed.


New River London Tap 3.8%
Abbeydale Dr Morton's Desert Sand 4.1%
Black Sheep Rye Mild 4.1%
Bexley Bexley's Own Beer 4.2%
Dark Star Hylder Blonde 4.2%
Robinsons Yippee IPA 4.2%
Purity UBU 4.5%
Slaughterhouse Altbier 4.8%
Brewhouse Biggleswade Plum Porter 5.0%
Green King Abbot 5.0%
Phoenix Double Gold 5.0%
Mordue IPA 5.1%
Peerless Knee Buckler IPA 5.2%
Ashover Butts Pale Ale 5.5%
Oakham Green Devil (Bottle) 6.0%
Greene King Abbot Reserve 6.5%


The easy winner is the Peerless Knee Buckler IPA as tried in the GBG listed Sale JDW the J P Joule.

BOTW Peerless Knee Buckler IPA

[london calling]

I've been to six "proper" pubs this week and five JDWs. The "proper" pubs didn't produce anything notable despite all being 2017 or 2018 GBG listed.


New River London Tap 3.8%
Abbeydale Dr Morton's Desert Sand 4.1%
Black Sheep Rye Mild 4.1%
Bexley Bexley's Own Beer 4.2%
Dark Star Hylder Blonde 4.2%
Robinsons Yippee IPA 4.2%
Purity UBU 4.5%
Slaughterhouse Altbier 4.8%
Brewhouse Biggleswade Plum Porter 5.0%
Green King Abbot 5.0%
Phoenix Double Gold 5.0%
Mordue IPA 5.1%
Peerless Knee Buckler IPA 5.2%
Ashover Butts Pale Ale 5.5%
Oakham Green Devil (Bottle) 6.0%
Greene King Abbot Reserve 6.5%


The easy winner is the Peerless Knee Buckler IPA as tried in the GBG listed Sale JDW the J P Joule.

BOTW Peerless Knee Buckler IPA

Had a half of that Peerless beer in the Southwark tavern last Thursday.£2.40 and it was bland and hop less.Same beer different outcome. The problem with cask beer.

[london calling]

definitely keg rather than cask last week
sambrookes -wandle -bland
peerless -knee buckler ipa -bland
hydes -old indie -bland
hopstuff -mjango unchained-not bland but horrible flavour
alchemy - charisma -bland
ilkley -ruby jane -bland
bluestone -summer rocks -bland
siren -liquid mistress -good
elusive -level up v7 -good
beavertown -says amateur hour -very good
villages -rodeo -good
fourpure -apa -good
plato -salish sea -good
so Beavertown BOTW

[Aqualung]

Had a half of that Peerless beer in the Southwark tavern last Thursday.£2.40 and it was bland and hop less.Same beer different outcome. The problem with cask beer.
It can be a problem with keg as well. Keg isn't a silver bullet. I paid £2.29 for the pint in Sale. Is the Southwark still a Nicholsons? I don't have the same faith in that chain that others have.

[Real Ale Ray]

Fixed Wheel - Single Speed Simcoe

[Wittenden]

Kent and up Lunnon:
Blackedge-Pike Pale Ale 4%abv. Pale chestnut.Citrus hops .Cucumber on the finish.
Ansbach and Hobday-The Summer Blonde 4.1%abv. Pale,thin and over priced.Some hint of melon under all that carbonation.
Both from breweries new to me.My BOTW Blackedge Pike PA, in tiptop form at Black Dog (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/81509/)

[Mobyduck]

Local and a bit of Surbiton.
Purity Pure Gold
Purity Mad Goose
Purity UBU
Red Cat Scratch
Red Cat Prowler Pale
Wild Weather Cry Of Upstarts
Beat Ales Raver
Kelham Island Zombies Of The Stratosphere

A reduced list as I'm currently in a cycle of lots of work and little play, next day off is the 7th of Oct.
The Wild Weather effort was good, I was hoping the Kelham beer would be as interesting as it's name, It wasn't.
BOTW is Purity UBU in absolute sublime condition taken in a pub 10 minutes walk from my doorstep (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/59679/). (half an hour back).

[Komakino]

London and in and around Bicester for the 100% Oxfordshire challenge:

Hook Norton Hooky (3.5%)
Loose Cannon Gunner's Gold (3.5%)
Tring Side Pocket For a Toad (3.6%)
Butcombe Rare Breed (3.8%)*
Marble Pint (3.9%)*
Bank's Blazin' Fury (4.1%)
Fuller's London Pride (4.1%)
Meantime Yakima Red (4.1%)
GK Starry Night (4.2%)
Sharp's Atlantic (4.2%)
Chiltern Beechwood Bitter (4.3%)
Goff's Fallen Knight (4.4%)
Robinson's Dizzy Blonde (4.4%)
Spey Valley David's Not So Bitter (4.4%)*
Adnam's Ghost Ship (4.5%)
London Beer Factory Summer Session Ale (4.6%)
Bespoke Brewing Money For Old Rope (bottle) (4.8%)
Darkstar Sunburst (4.8%)
Five Points Railway Porter (4.8%) (keg)
Sharp's Sea Fury (5.0%)

More well-kept beers than not this week, even amongst the nationals on the list (the GK Starry Night at Bicester's White Horse (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/57973/) was surprisingly good, although the Ghost Ship at the George Tavern (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/25320/) in London was dreadful). This week's rosette goes to something that isn't my go-to style of beer, but again goes to show you what wonders well-kept beer can have on your palate: there was a hint of sweetness within the bitter taste - not sure on the name of the beer though...

BOTW: Spey Valley David's Not So Bitter

[ROBCamra]

Turning Point Disco King. A 5.1% unfined and unfiltered murky grapefruit bomb.

In The Baum of course. :cheers:

[Maldenman]

It can be a problem with keg as well. Keg isn't a silver bullet. I paid £2.29 for the pint in Sale. Is the Southwark still a Nicholsons? I don't have the same faith in that chain that others have.

I was born and bred in Sale, a dreary suburb. Better now for pubs than it was in the 1970s.