Beer of the Week (w/e 10th October 2021)

[ROBCamra]

:cheers:

[Mobyduck]

The week is done
Oakham Citra
Flowerpots Perridge Pale
Severn Double Hopped Pale Ale
Brunswick The Big Three*
Brunswick Black Sabbath*
Pennine Backbone *
Pennine Millie George
Wantsum Golgotha
Wantsum Nelson Sauvan*
Disruption People Of The Hop* (keg)
Buxton Blonde*
Triple fff Moondance*

A pretty good week with nothing bad except the Oakham being end of barrel but drinkable, the Buxton Blonde was extremely drinkable but just pipped to the post by a formidable but very good heavyweight 6% Old Ale in Brunswick Black Sabbath.

Next week Birmingham calls.

[sheffield hatter]

Because of difficulties over planning for use of the usual venue in the shorter than expected relaxation period after the Covid lockdown, the Sheffield Steel City Beer Festival was semi-cancelled, and redesignated as "on tour" in some of the city's pubs. When I checked the website ("https://sheffield.camra.org.uk/festival/venues/") last Wednesday I found quite a few pubs listed as being part of the festival but with no beers assigned. So I turned to the beer list (https://sheffield.camra.org.uk/festival/beer/) - my normal strategy at a beer festival is to look at this and try to find up to a dozen beers that I think I might like, or would be interested to try, or have had before but they come from far away. The trouble with doing this when the festival is spread over such a wide geographical area as Sheffield is that the beers I fancied were available in six different pubs:

Wilde Child Tsar Bomba 9% imperial stout - available at the Itchy Pig
Wild Weather Sleepy Joe's 4.2% best bitter - available at the Kelham Island Tavern
Tapped Cannon Best 4.2% best bitter - available at the Sheffield Tap
Siren Memento 3.8% best bitter - available at the Kelham Island Tavern
Neepsend Comus Double IPA 8% - available at the Wellington
Neepsend Piter 8% barrel aged stout - available at the Wellington
Abbeydale Black Mass 6.66% strong ale - available at the Dog & Partridge
Mad Scientist Liquid Cocaine 9% (keg) Double IPA - available at Heist Brewery Tap

In addition to these, the Sheaf View was due to reopen the same day as the festival opened, after being devastated by an arson attack six weeks ago, but had no beers listed. I decided to start there anyway. Neepsend Anka 4.2%, a pale ale, was my first beer of the day, one of I think six Neepsend beers among the eight hand pumps. I'm not sure if it was part of the festival - having eight beers available may be more than a normal Thursday but I don't/didn't go there often enough pre-fire to be sure. Anyway, a very enjoyable beer in terrific condition; must go there more often in future, especially now I've got my bus pass.

Next, to the Dog & Partridge, which had an Abbeydale brewery takeover. They normally have just one Abbeydale beer on, but now there were four hand pumps on the bar and four more in the corner of the front room in casks with insulating jackets to keep them cool. One of these was Black Mass 6.66%, which I used to drink from time to time at the Devonshire Cat, Abbeydale's central Sheffield pub, but since it closed only in cans where it is not as good. I really enjoyed this beer, which is very easy to drink for a 6.7% strong ale (or black IPA, or even "strong bitter").

Next to Kelham Island Tavern, where the Sleepy Joe's was not on yet (a victim of this method of doing a beer festival - its place on the bar being blocked by Acorn Barnsley Bitter, which would never happen in a real festival); The Siren Memento 3.8% was a little odd, and I wondered whether this was down to a brewing fault or perhaps my unfamiliarity with an unusual malt.

From the KIT it's a short walk to the Heist Brewery Tap where they had Mad Scientist Liquid Cocaine DIPA 9%; by this time I'd had enough booze to be relaxed enough to make some stupid jokes about trying cocaine for the first time, to which the bar staff responded in kind by suggesting that this beer needs to be sniffed rather than supped. I was almost impressed by this one, but in the end the orange marmalade flavour was a little too sweet when it could have been more bitter.

My final stop on the first day (just as well) was the Wellington for two strong ones: the Piter, a "breakfast stout" (because it has coffee and porridge oats in it) which had been barrel aged, and the Comus (a double IPA) were both Neepsend beers that I seem to remember having drunk before but they have been tweaked for this festival; the other thing they have in common is 8% alcohol by volume.

Skipping hastily over Friday (when I was on a pub crawl in Stockport), on Saturday I called in at the Itchy Pig for a go at the Wilde Child Tsar Bomba 9% imperial stout. A little like the Liquid Cocaine, I felt this was a little too sweet for my taste, and probably for the style too. I've had some very well made beers from Wilde Child, but I felt they had missed the mark with this one. I followed up with my second visit to the Dog & Partridge for another Black Mass.

Sunday was the day for going to the station to pick up my bike, parked there on Friday when too many beers had been consumed in Stockport to ride home safely. Tapped Cannon Best 4.2% is a new beer brewed specially for the festival, a best bitter as the name implies, and a very good one. All the Tapped beers I have had have been outstandingly well brewed and well kept. The thing I like about this brewery is that they don't look to overwhelm the drinker with new hops or fruity flavours, they just make very good beers very well. I passed on some comments to the barman as I left, which I hope will reach the brewing team, as I would very much like to drink this one again.

Following which I returned to the Dog & Partridge for another Black Mass. The barman had jokingly suggested a pint of this the first time, and when I asked for a half this time too, he gave me a pint anyway. As I pointed out, this would put paid to the rest of my Sunday afternoon. The beer was in just the same condition as it had been on Thursday, which surprised me given that the cooling system was just a jacket. I understand that whatever remains of the festival beers will still be available as long as they are good, and I know the people in this pub well enough to be sure that they will not try to serve it if it's not good.

Beer of the week: I wanted to give it to the newcomer, Tapped Cannon Best, but for continued excellence it has to go to the Abbeydale Black Mass at the Dog & Partridge.

[sheffield hatter]

... just pipped to the post by a formidable but very good heavyweight 6% Old Ale in Brunswick Black Sabbath.

I was in the Brunswick in Derby at the end of September and had the Black Sabbath, which I've enjoyed there several times before. Unfortunately it was not in good condition, so I'm glad you enjoyed yours.

[Wittenden]

Kent: Green Hop Beer at last.

Larkins-Green Hop Best 4%abv. Those hop oils really got my tongue tingling.Gooseberries. Must be the shortest distance between picking machine and brewery.

[sheffield hatter]

Larkins-Green Hop Best 4%abv. Those hop oils really got my tongue tingling.Gooseberries. Must be the shortest distance between picking machine and brewery.

Wow! Sounds great. Perhaps I should try for a one liner, rather than my three page essay...

[Wittenden]

Beer of the week: the Abbeydale Black Mass at the Dog & Partridge.

Is the fabled Abbeydale Black Lurcher of the incredible The Three Stags Heads (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/65760/) a rebadging of this?

[Bucking Fastard]

Romiley,Macclesfield and Gilston....a decent warm up for Birmingham.

Buxton --Lupulus X (c)
Marble -- Cubbio Damage *(c)
RedWillow -- Simcoe Idaho 07
Littleover -- Raj IPA
Tiny Rebel -- Peleton *
Nine Standards -- Porter No. 3
RedWillow -- Wreckless *
RedWillow -- Perceptionless (keg)
RedWillow -- Breakfast Stout (keg)*
Revolutions -- Marquee US IPA
RedWillow -- Feckless *
Mighty Oak -- Captain Bob
Barcelona Beer Co. -- Santa Anita (c)
Wild Card -- Old Dog New Tricks Lager (c)


BOTW goes to RedWillow Wreckless on NBSS 4.5 form in RedWillow (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/80945/).

Next week quiet until the extensive tour of Birmingham which will be a highlight of the year. :drinkup::drinkup::drinkup:

[sheffield hatter]

Is the fabled Abbeydale Black Lurcher of the incredible The Three Stags Heads (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/65760/) a rebadging of this?

No, I can say with some certainty that they are two very different beers, as I was at the Three Stags' Heads only a few days before and had a pint of Black Lurcher 7.4%. Apart from being black, there's nothing similar about the two beers.

[Thuck Phat]

Good week with highlight being Macc:

mbh Juice Machine
Tiny Rebel Peloton Pale
Littleover Taj IPA
Nine Standards Porter*
RedWillow Wreckless*
RedWillow Perceptionless (keg)
Revolutions US IPA
Beartown Polar Eclipse*
Goff's Jester 6 Mango IPA
Oakham Bishops Farewell*
Church End Fallen Angel*

Some good ones there and I enjoyed both the Wreckless and the Mango IPA, which was a nice surprise as I've always found Goff's beers to be a bit indifferent.

BOTW goes to Beartown Polar Eclipse. A 4.8% stout which finished the evening off very nicely from a brewery which really seems to be upping it's game.

[Tris39]

Adnam's - Southwold (c).
Beavertown - Neck Oil (k).
Dark Star - Hophead (c).
Five Points - JUPA (k).
Moor - Revival (c).
Northern Monk - Eternal (c).
Northern Monk - Plateau (c).
Nicholson's - Pale Ale (c).
Redemption - Pale Ale (c).
St. Austell - Proper Job (c).
Sam Smith's - Old Brewery Bitter (c).
Sam Smith's - Taddy Lager (k).
Timothy Taylor - Landlord (c).
Tring - Moongazing (c).
Wainwright's - Golden Ale (c).

BOTW is a tossup between the Eternal drunk at The Cock Tavern (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/25052/) or the Revival, drunk at The White Horse (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/23234/) but BOTW goes to the Eternal, as it was consumed in a (now) superior pub.

[london calling]

Getting some practice in for Birmingham
brewyork -tontonko stout
oakham -citra
bad seed -game plan
deya -astral plane
pig and porter -get the face on
cloudwater - session pale ale
cloudwater -ipa
brewdog -layer cake
wild beer -
buxton -brithop
magic rock -chamel ionic
n monk -faith in the future
8 wired -flat white stout
wild card -stout
fullers -london plague
all these contenders failed to beat Jaipur as BOTW