Beer of the Week (w/e 8th October 2017)

[ROBCamra]

Mobyduck: BrewDog Elvis Juice
Wittenden: Three Legs Dark
Aqualung: Abbeydale Black Mass
hondo: Alechemy Secret Citra
Bucking Fastard: Mc Mullens Rivertown Brewing Illustrious
Thuck Phat: Dark Star American Pale Ale
london calling: Downlands Old Ale
Komakino: Truman's Treason
aleandhearty: Wilde Child Opaque Reality
oldboots: Magic Rock Dark Arts
ROBCamra: Almasty El Dorado & Azacca Session IPA

[Mobyduck]

Purity Pure Gold
Purity Bunny Hop
Castle Rock Harvest Pale
Adnams Lighthouse
Bowmans Yumi
Bowmans Pukka Porter*
Shepherd Neame Masterbrew
Rat White Rat
Oakham Citra*
Yorkshire Blackout Porter
Two Towers Demon
Fullers Olivers Island
Manchester Getting Caught In The Rain*
Slaters Haka*
BrewDog Elvis Juice*
Goose Island 312

A comfortable BOTW was the Elvis Juice enjoyed in the Birmingham BrewDog.

[Wittenden]

Kent:
Pig and Porter-Purest Green-5.2%abv: East Kent Goldings Green hop.Barley straw,thin marmalade.I like Pig and Porter; they have even been known to converse with me on Twitter,but I find their pale base beer somewhat...thin.
Three Legs-Dark-4.5%abv:Lovely bible black coffee stout. My BOTW. Both taken at Larkins' Alehouse (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/85780/), a new establishment that I hope will afford much Saturday solace in the months to come.

[Aqualung]

An average sort of list this week :-

Dark Star Hophead 3.8%
Ashover Littlemoor Citra 4.1%
Redwillow Weightless 4.2%
Wibblers Genesis 4.2%
Hawkshead Red 4.2%
NauticAles Green Hop 4.2%
Nauticales Maiden Voyage 4.2%
Odyssey Lotus Eater 4.4%
Sambrooks APA 4.5%
Summerskills Guzzale 4.6%
Welton's US Congress 5.0%
Mordue IPA 5.1%
Lytham IPA 5.6%
Weltons Dreadnought 6.2%
Squawk Mosaic Dr Rudi 6.3%
Abbeydale Black Mass 6.6%


The winner is one I've been trying to pin down for some 20 years since trying it in the Derby Brunswick and finding it was going off. It's Abbeydale Black Mass as tried for £4.00 in the Stalybridge Buffet. It came up like a pint of Guinness and was very drinkable for a strong beer.


BOTW Abbeydale Black Mass

[hondo]

Alechemy - Secret Citra

[Bucking Fastard]

Hadly got out at all.

Sharps -- Cornish Coaster
Mc Mullens -- Country Bitter

and BOTW Mc Mullens Rivertown Brewing Illustrious.As a long term resident of Hertford ,I've had to suffer Mc Mullens ales over the years but now have to admit that their new micro brewery kit is producing some drinkable stuff under the Rivertown Brewing branding.Illustrious is a ruby red ale,and a decent stab at this style which felt right now it's autumn ,taken in The Hare (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/11891/).

Next week south down the T&M,Titanic bekons before the need for a prematch session.

[Aqualung]

and BOTW Mc Mullens Rivertown Brewing Illustrious.As a long term resident of Hertford ,I've had to suffer Mc Mullens ales over the years but now have to admit that their new micro brewery kit is producing some drinkable stuff under the Rivertown Brewing branding.Illustrious is a ruby red ale,and a decent stab at this style which felt right now it's autumn ,taken in The Hare (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/11891/).


McMullens are currently on my avoid list. Do you have any idea as to the proportion of their tied houses that are actually selling this stuff?

[Bucking Fastard]

McMullens are currently on my avoid list. Do you have any idea as to the proportion of their tied houses that are actually selling this stuff?

I pop into The Hare most weeks for a pub quiz and they now always carry a Rivertown "guest",but it's one of the busier of their tied estate and gets decent ale throughput.Walking around Hertford,the less busy Macs pubs dont carry a Rivertown,so I guess it's all about how popular the pub is with ale drinkers.Their community pubs dont seem to bother with much more than AK.

[Thuck Phat]

Very subdued:

Dark Star Green Hopped IPA
Dark Star American Pale Ale*
Oakham Bishops Farewell*

The Green Hopped IPA was a much anticipated first for me which I found to be a touch sweet. BOTW Dark Star American Pale Ale. Ever reliable.

[london calling]

Interesting rather than great beers this week
gun-smash
pig and porter-secrets we share
weird beard-hippy hating hippy
new river -blind poet
Gloucester -west coast red
dark star-hophead extra
eight arch -quarter back
thornbridge -beagle juice
first chop -pod
and this was a goodun
botw
downlands -old ale
cheers john

[london calling]

Hadly got out at all.

Sharps -- Cornish Coaster
Mc Mullens -- Country Bitter

and BOTW Mc Mullens Rivertown Brewing Illustrious.As a long term resident of Hertford ,I've had to suffer Mc Mullens ales over the years but now have to admit that their new micro brewery kit is producing some drinkable stuff under the Rivertown Brewing branding.Illustrious is a ruby red ale,and a decent stab at this style which felt right now it's autumn ,taken in The Hare (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/11891/).

Next week south down the T&M,Titanic bekons before the need for a prematch session.

I was in a Mcmullens pub near Covent Garden that had OC,S bitter brewed by award winning brewer(presumably Mc mullens) Chris Evans rather good it was as well

[Komakino]

London and some minor Bucks bits - and these were the results:

Purity Bunny Hop (3.5%)
Rebellion IPA (3.7%)
Ruddles Best (3.7%)
Crate Golden (3.8%)
Darkstar Hophead (3.8%)
Ringwood Razorback (3.8%)
ABC Rudi (3.9%)
London Brewing Upright (4.0%) (keg)
Mad Squirrel Berkhopsted (4.2%)
Purity Mad Goose (4.2%)
ABC Ivy League (4.3%)
Yeovil Lynx Wildcat (4.3%)
Portobello Autumn Red (4.4%)
Truman's Treason (4.5%)*
Founders All Day IPA (4.7%) (bottle)
One Mile End Tinker's Cuss (5.2%)*
Hook Norton Twelve Days (5.5%) (bottle)
BrewDog Punk IPA (5.6%) (bottle)
Signature Brew Backstage IPA (5.6%)*
Arcobrau Festbier (5.7%)
Thornbridge Jaipur (5.9%)*

Some stronger beers this week which is apt with the nights beginning to draw in. Thornbridge's veritable Jaipur has been well extolled on these pages before and formed a decent double-up with the One Mile End effort at The Lord Tredegar (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/24990/) and it would be easy to plump for an old friend, but I was impressed with a red ale as autumn slowly begins to kick in and although 'experimental' according to Truman's themselves, it had the early onset of a winter warmer, taken at NW5's The Pineapple (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/23784/):

BOTW: Truman's Treason

[aleandhearty]

A bit late on parade, this week.

2 Roses - Mosaic.
Jolly Boys - Jolly YPA.
North Riding - Tiramisu Porter.
Abbeydale - Dreamer.
Thornbridge - Colorado Red.
Wilde Child - Opaque Reality ('Mango & Passion fruit Milkshake IPA')*
North Riding - US Session IPA v26.*
Roosters - California Common.
Stod Fold - Oktoberfest.*
Tres Bien - Porter.
Elland - 1872 Porter.*
Fernandes - Octohop.
Fernandes - Mmm Hop.
Fernandes - Marsh Way Madness.

The Opaque Reality and US Session IPA were the two that really stood out, this week. Having nominated the latter before, albeit an earlier version, I'll give it to the Wilde Child. Ignoring the off-putting 'craft bollocks' description, it proved a tasty, unfined IPA, brewed with Galaxy and Citra, plus, lactose for a creamy mouthfeel.

[oldboots]

A bit late on parade, this week.



Oh that reminds me.....

Magic Rock Dark Arts

[ROBCamra]

Almasty El Dorado & Azacca Session IPA. another lovely 4% hopbomb from Almasty, tried a lot in The Baum.:cheers: