Beer of the Week (w/e 25 July 2010)

[Conrad]

Honestly can't think of anything to say, I want another holiday.

runningdog: Abbott Special Reserve (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16682#post16682)
Bucking Fastard: White Star from Titanic Brewery (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16735#post16735)
Oggwyn Trench: Purple Moose, Snowdonia Ale (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16786#post16786)
trainman: fff Dazed & Confused (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16795#post16795)
Maldenman: Isle of Purbeck IPA (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16808#post16808)
oldboots: Abbeydale Brimstone (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16845#post16845)
Gann: Thornbridge Wild Swan (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16848#post16848)
wittenden: Dark Star's Hophead (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16853#post16853)
aleandhearty: Fernandes ' Malt Shovel Mild' (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16855#post16855)
ETA: Ascot Ale's Alley Cat (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16869#post16869)
RogerB: Triple FFF Altons Pride (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16872#post16872)
ROBCamra: Outstanding Brewery's Outstanding Stout (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16877#post16877)
pubsignman: St Austells Tribute (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16879#post16879)
HTM69: Old Dairy Brewery, Red Top (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=16897#post16897)
Evil Gazebo: Hopbacks Crop Circle (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=17082#post17082)
Millay: Harviestoun's Schiehallion (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?3122-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-25-July-2010%29&p=17115#post17115)

[gillhalfpint]

Of the 6 beers yesterday, Sharps Special at the Pier House Hotel in Charlestown was the best kept beer, so it is BOTW at the moment.

[ROBCamra]

Crappy start to the drinking week with 2 pints of Websters Green Label Best at Spotland Bowling Club on Monday.

Tuesday was rather better though at the Baum.

A decent pint of Williams Bros Summer Sun was followed by a good pint of Jaspers Ale from Anglo-Dutch.

Milk Street Whoops A Daisy wasn't really to my taste as it got very bitter very quickly.

Had to finish off with several pints of Marble Brewery's Pint.

None of these will win this week (I hope), even though Pint is indeed an excellent pint. :cheers:

[runningdog]

I'm gonna vote early. Abbott Special Reserve in the Nightjar. If I come across a better pint of a better beer you'll hear me cheer from wherever you are.:drinkup::drinkup::drinkup::drinkup:
Oh, an the Beast is back. Only in bottles so far, but if the bottles are about, can the casks be far behind.
Long live the Beast..........:cheers::drinkup:

[Bucking Fastard]

Visited some old haunts in Kidsgrove,Stoke and Stone and got plenty of quality ale but the outstanding pint was White Star from the Titanic Brewery,a wonderful golden ale, hoppy ,bitter and strong but easily quaffed in The Royal Exchange ,Stone..Although I may pop out over the weekend ,nothing likely to top the White Star ,so thats my BOTW

[Oggwyn Trench]

Not the best of weeks , Ruddles Best , Tetley Midsummer Madness , Burton Bridge Jules Gold , Hook Norton Haymaker and Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale ,

BOTW is a walkover , Purple Moose , Snowdonia Ale

[trainman]

I enjoyed a few pints of Phoenix Spotland Gold at Croydon's Cricketers on Thursday, but I'll give the gong (again) this week to the hotd at Postal Order (Crystal Palace) - fff Dazed & Confused.

[rpadam]

BOTW is a walkover , Purple Moose , Snowdonia Ale
The avatar says "yes!"

[Maldenman]

I'll put my selection in the correct week this time.......ta tm


Isle of Purbeck IPA, yesterday. Very nice indeed and a little deceptive as it doesn't taste like it's 4.8%.

[oldboots]

I've had lots of beer this week, sadly most has been mediocre but the best I've had by a long way was Abbeydale Brimstone.

[Gann]

Not much for me this week with only one decent session.
Took in a couple of the Nicholson houses around Mayfair and from their guests the best was the Thornbridge Wild Swan which was a good session ale.
I'm beginning to warm to this brewery more and more as I try their beers..., so I'll have this as my BoTW

[Wittenden]

Not too much beer this week, but Beer of the Week is Dark Star's Hophead.

[aleandhearty]

I've had lots of beer this week, sadly most has been mediocre

Same here 'ob'. Can't remember a week like it, waiting for that whack across the face, with a frying pan, by something with a bit of flavour. The best of this week's offerings: Marston Moor 'Moorcock', Fernandes 'Hopmaster' and the ever reliable Fernandes 'Malt Shovel Mild', my BOTW.

[ETA]

My botw - Ascot Ales's Alley Cat at The Queen's Arms, Basingstoke (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/13327/).

Perfectly kept, beautifully refreshing and very enjoyable - best pint I've had in a while. And certainly the best thing I've ever found in Basingstoke.

[RogerB]

A week of many good beers but no great standout ones. Will prompt for the second to last beer consumed all week, Triple FFF Altons Pride at the Park Tavern in Eltham last night.

[ROBCamra]

After all the light and hoppy beers tried this week I've had to move to the dark side for my BOTW.

Outstanding Brewery's Outstanding Stout wins BOTW.

Brewed by Dave Porter ex of Porters brewery and well known setter up of new microbreweries. :notworthy:

Dave sold Porters (now Rossendale brewery) as he said he was a bit tired of brewing and wanted to concentrate on the business of helping people set up microbreweries.

Within 12 months he was back brewing having set up Outstanding brewery in Bury.

It must run through the veins.

Dave is definitely a bloke to look up to, especially as he's about 6ft 7in. :cheers:

http://www.howardtownbrewery.co.uk/photos/startupalbum/pages/themaster.html The maestro doing what he does best.

http://www.pbcbreweryinstallations.com/

[Pubsignman]

Had a major session on Saturday night in a pub with some very well kept St Austells Tribute. I'm not normally the biggest fan but a good six or so pints went down very well and in lieu of any other worthy contender, it gets the nod as my BOTW.

[ETA]

Wow, two beers from fff - one of my favourite breweries. That's a good sign.

Conrad, is there any scope to keep a running tally of botw to see which one ends up being boty (or just the ongoing leader)? Sort of a trend visualisation?

[HTM69]

Variety-wise, last week was probably my best in a good while, with 17 pints supped over a 4-day period, with 3 ales and a bottled Chinese beer that were completely new to me.

Everards, Tiger x 4
Green King, Royal London x 3
Ringwood Best Bitter x 1
TT Landlord x 2
Tsingtao Beer (Bottle) x 1
Singh (Bottle) x 1
Old Dairy Brewery, Red Top x 3
Weltons, Summer Haze x 1
Bishops Finger x 1
Shepherd Neame, 4-4-2 x 1
Whychwood, Hobgoblin x 1

BOTW: Old Dairy Brewery, Red Top

[Conrad]

Wow, two beers from fff - one of my favourite breweries. That's a good sign.

Conrad, is there any scope to keep a running tally of botw to see which one ends up being boty (or just the ongoing leader)? Sort of a trend visualisation?
In the future (the far, far future) I hope to expand Pubs Galore to take into account breweries and beers. At that point this would be very easy.

I can't think of an easy way to do it at the moment, other than just manually keeping a tally. I think the biggest problem for me is I don't know enough about the beers so I wouldn't quickly spot where the same beer is being called different names (or more to the point ). If anyone fancies doing it I am happy to try and sort out anything they want to do it, or if anyone has any ideas of how it might be done more easily just run it by me.

Certainly would be very nice to have though.

[Evil Gazebo]

Another quiet week - Hopback's Crop Circle edges it.

[Millay]

Last week would have been Harviestoun's Schiehallion, I think that's the right spelling!

[ROBCamra]

Another quiet week - Hopback's Crop Circle edges it.

Isn't Crop Circle rather less than 5%? :whistle:

[Evil Gazebo]

Isn't Crop Circle rather less than 5%?

:)

Mr Gazebo would like to clarify that anything contained in his signature does not necessarily reflect the views of Mr Gazebo.

:nishelypished:

[ETA]

In the future (the far, far future) I hope to expand Pubs Galore to take into account breweries and beers. At that point this would be very easy.

I can't think of an easy way to do it at the moment, other than just manually keeping a tally. I think the biggest problem for me is I don't know enough about the beers so I wouldn't quickly spot where the same beer is being called different names (or more to the point ). If anyone fancies doing it I am happy to try and sort out anything they want to do it, or if anyone has any ideas of how it might be done more easily just run it by me.

Certainly would be very nice to have though.

OK, I need to get out more. I had a dull moment while waiting for the doctor, so I did a quick and dirty analysis using Calc. Statistics, based on all the final posts (Conrad's Summaries) for the period 24 Jan - 25 Jul 10 are:

Number of beers nominated: 284

Of which, most popular were Sharps Doombar, Exmoor Beast and Shepherd and Neame Late Red, each nominated 4 times.

Most popluar Brewery: Acorn Brewery, with 14 nominations.

Number of beers with only one nomination: 238

Number of beers I couldn't track down or identify, either by brewery or name (and thus not included in the 276: 1

Most tongue-in-cheek nomination - Carlsberg Lager

Conclusion: there's no easy way to do it without writing a fuzzy logic-based algorithm to cater for the variations in spelling, brewery vagueries and word order. Now that the base data are assembled, though, it would be an easy thing to do to keep it up to date each week, but who would be inteersted anyway?

Does this get an award for Saddest Post of the Week?

[RogerB]

Number of beers I couldn't track down or identify, either by brewery or name (and thus not included in the 276: 1?

What was the 1? I'm bored and need a challenge!

[ETA]

What was the 1? I'm bored and need a challenge!

It was Cough Syrup, nominated by Conrad back in Feb. But now I re-read it, I think he must have literally meant cough syrup.

When Googling it, the closet I came was a Flaming Moe, btu I'm not sure if cocktails or or fictitious characters mean an automatic disqualification from BOTW anyway.

[RogerB]

A-ha! I think it was a spurious entry to gain some sympathy which was presumably ignored!

[Conrad]

I wouldn't dare look for sympathy off you lot, I'd have died by the time you all stopped laughing ;) It was indeed another of my feeble excuses for why I wasn't drinking that week.

Wonderful work ETA, is it in a file I can attach to the current beer of the week thread? Or you can just chuck it on there. I'm fairly certain most of the regular posters on this thread would be interested.

[ETA]

I wouldn't dare look for sympathy off you lot, I'd have died by the time you all stopped laughing ;) It was indeed another of my feeble excuses for why I wasn't drinking that week.

Wonderful work ETA, is it in a file I can attach to the current beer of the week thread? Or you can just chuck it on there. I'm fairly certain most of the regular posters on this thread would be interested.

Conrad, have tried to upload the base file but the forum policy won't lt me upload a .ls or .rtf file, while it is too large as a .doc. I can e-mail it to you if you wish - just let me know where. Failing that, I can wait til I get home tonight and try a OO format (Calc or Write) but I suspect they too would not be permitted by the policy.

God I hate Microsoft!

[Conrad]

zipping it is the simple solution, if I remember rightly the forum is fine with zips.

[ETA]

OK, try this...

Note that it hasn't been checked for errors, I've made no allowances for spelling or punctuation, and there are some guesses and assumptions, but it should be good enough for a bit of fun.

Now, let's see...

[Conrad]

A fantastic piece of work, I would be so out of my depth trying to sort out all the breweries at the moment.