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

[ROBCamra]

Mobyduck: Hopback GFB
rpadam: Larkins Porter
Aqualung: Salopian The Bends
Bucking Fastard: Roosters Baby Faced Assassin IPA
london calling: Oakham Blue Skies IPA
aleandhearty: Acorn Old Moor Porter
oldboots: Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild
ROBCamra: Neptune Shifting Sands

[Mobyduck]

Serious man flu has not helped in the slightest this week.
Purity Pure Gold
Hopback GFB

BOTW GFB.

[rpadam]

Larkins Porter in the Ragged Trousers (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/59135/), Tunbridge Wells - just the job!

[Aqualung]

A small list mostly from local hostelries so it cost an arm and a leg :-

Hammerton Blank Slate 3.2%
Crate Red 4.6%
Greene King Abbot 5.0%
Kent Brewers Reserve 5.0%
Salopian The Bends 5.2%
Electric Bear Livewire 5.4%
Southwark Harvard APA 5.5%
Enefield Chocolate Vanilla Porter 5.5%
Theakston's Old Peculier 5.6%
Signature Brew Wild Winter Smoke Fairies 6.8%

The winner is Salopian The Bends which was a close contender last week. Honourable mention must be given to Kent Special Reserve and the Enefield porter. The Bends was tried at the E17 Rose and Crown for £3.80. Incidentally, it was tried in the Wolverhampton JDW the week before for £2.29 and was just as good.


BOTW Salopian The Bends

[Mobyduck]

The winner is Salopian The Bends which was a close contender last week. Honourable mention must be given to Kent Special Reserve and the Enefield porter. The Bends was tried at the E17 Rose and Crown for £3.80. Incidentally, it was tried in the Wolverhampton JDW the week before for £2.29 and was just as good.


BOTW Salopian The Bends
I would gladly pay the extra £1.51 for a pint in a seemingly proper proper pub rather than sit in a soulless drinking barn, but then that's just me. :D I have to say £3.80 sounds relatively reasonable for a 5.2% beer in London.

[Aqualung]

I would gladly pay the extra £1.51 for a pint in a seemingly proper proper pub rather than sit in a soulless drinking barn.

To me the soulless barns are the places showing sport. Notice I left out the word drinking as it always seems that people who go to a pub to watch sport spend very little money and leave as soon as the event ends.


I have to say £3.80 sounds relatively reasonable for a 5.2% beer in London.
So it would seem after a week drinking locally in mostly "proper" pubs.
The only highlight was the Little Green Dragon micropub in N21. Two Leytonstone pubs had table tennis tables in them. What's that all about?
Re the Wolverhampton Moon Under Water, it was good to see it slowly getting back to form after a very poor few years. The Bends was on as a a Locale beer and there were a few other reasonable options. As for the two local Spoons visited last week I was cornered into drinking Abbot in the George by a poor choice of beers and also in the Walnut Tree where the Truman's beer was totally rank vinegar. Given that the E4 one had the manager resign and refuse to serve his notice a few weeks ago, the local Spoons outlets seem to be in a state of crisis. The two E11 ones have also reduced the standard guest price recently which is usually a sign of problems. I wonder if they've got an idiot area manager doing all the damage.

[Bucking Fastard]

Hertford,Euston and Sherborne

Enefeld -- Chocolate and Vanilla Porter
Enefeld -- Honey Porter
Roosters -- Baby Faced Assassin IPA*
Hackney -- American Pale Ale
Hawkeshead -- Lakeland IPA *
Five Points -- Railway Porter *
Lacon's -- Saint Nick
Plain Ales -- Wreck the Halls
Ringwood -- Fortyniner

Good mix of styles and an outstanding BOTW in the shape of Roosters Baby Faced Assassin IPA ,wonderous and dangerously drinkable at 6.1% from the excellent Euston Tap. (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/71412/)For me value at £3.80,and it was flying down until it ran out.

Next week footie and Craft Beer action should prove productive.

[Wittenden]

Kent;two crackers to get me into the Christmas mood.

Harveys-Sussex xxxx Old Ale 4.3%abv.Just the stuff for a frosty night.Hedgerow berries,gentle hops.£4.50 a pint, alas.
Kent-Session Pale Ale 3.7% abv. Sublime, in tiptop nick.Floral hops. Magic.

In view of the Session PA being in the frame for BOTY, my BOTW is Harvey's Old, despite the exorbitant price for a rural pub.

[london calling]

These were all great beers
marco Paulo -cream stout
marco Paulo -winter mild
arbor -Shangri-li
acorn -Gorlovka
animal (xt)-London porter
and two great ipa,s
marco Paulo -ipa
and beer of the week
Oakham -blue skies ipa which only confirms to me that Oakham are my cask brewer of the year.

[aleandhearty]

Very late, this week. Managed to squeeze in an enjoyable wander round Shipley and Saltaire, before all the madness began in earnest.

Saltaire - South Island Pale.
Horbury - JFB Citra.
Acorn - Old Moor Porter.*
Dark Star - Hophead.
Thornbridge - Jaipur.
Bridgehouse - Porter.
Bingley - Centennial.
Bosuns - Tell No Tales.*
Bridgehouse - Tequila Blonde.
Bosuns - Maiden Voyage.
Bowland - Mullered Monk.
Stancill - Black Gold.
Mallinsons - Eureka.
Prospect - Pioneer.
Salamander - Periwinkle Porter.
Weird Beard - Black Perle.*
Thornbridge - Kipling.
Blue Bee - Waimea IPA.
Shiny - Affinity.
Ossett - Silver King.
Timothy Taylor - Landlord.
Camerons - Three Kings.

Unfortunately, quite a few of the brews were underwhelming, for one reason, or another. Easy winner was the OMP, sampled in The Hop (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/56371/), Saltaire.

[oldboots]

Many dark beers this week and a great many bottles as I was avoiding the amateur drinkers, however a very enjoyable trip to York for Christmas shopping was made better by a visit to the Blue Bell in Fossgate. Like A&H I also had an excellent Acorn Old Moor Porter this week (in the Blue Bell) but it was just edged out of top spot by old favourite Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby MILD which passed the three pint test :nishelypished:

[ROBCamra]

Neptune Shifting Sands. A 4.5%, very tasty pint of Scouser Murky. Tried in The Baum. :cheers: