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Conrad
18-01-2011, 15:46
:twigs:

gillhalfpint: Milestone Dancer the Prancer (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26683#post26683)
Millay: Northern Brewing Soul Rider (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26707#post26707)
Oggwyn Trench: Loddon Razzle Dazzle (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26742#post26742)
runningdog: White Horses' Black Horse Porter
(http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26753#post26753)Wittenden: Late Red (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26760#post26760)
Pubsignman: Blue Monkey 99 Red Baboons (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26765#post26765)
Bucking Fastard: William Brothers Brewing Ginger Beer (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26773#post26773)
RogerB: Rudgate Jorvik Blonde (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26774#post26774)
Alesonly: Harviestoun Haggis Hunter
(http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26775#post26775)ROBCamra: Dow Bridge Praetorian Porter (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26784#post26784)
Thuck Phat: Everards Old Original (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26787#post26787)
aleandhearty: Dark Star Hophead (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26874#post26874)
oldboots: Buttcombe Old Vic Porter (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5445-Beer-of-the-Week-%28w-e-23-January-2011%29&p=26922#post26922)

aleandhearty
20-01-2011, 16:28
Having attended the National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester yesterday and been shown round several city-centre hostelries by ROBCamra, there were some strong contenders. However, two beers really stood out for me. Marble '3.9' and Dark Star 'Hophead'. I can't see anything else coming close this week . The hard part's going to be choosing between them.

trainman
21-01-2011, 08:43
Having attended the National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester yesterday and been shown round several city-centre hostelries by ROBCamra, two beers really stood out for me. Marble '3.9' and Dark Star 'Hophead'.

Presume these were found at pub, rather than 'fest? Which hostelries did you stumble into?

ROBCamra
21-01-2011, 09:25
Presume these were found at pub, rather than 'fest? Which hostelries did you stumble into?

I decided to show the guys some alternative real ale venues rather than the usual Marble Arch, Angel, City Arms etc so we visited.......

Bulls Head, Mother Macs & Kro Piccadilly before the fest and Fringe, 57 Thomas Street & Odd afterwards. :cheers:

trainman
21-01-2011, 09:38
I decided to show the guys some alternative real ale venues rather than the usual Marble Arch, Angel, City Arms etc so we visited.......

Bulls Head, Mother Macs & Kro Piccadilly before the fest and Fringe, 57 Thomas Street & Odd afterwards. :cheers:

Odd. "There is only 1 handpump on the bar..." RC
Kro. "This place isn't really a pub, it's not really a wine bar either. It's like being in a cafe in Ikea." RC
MM's. "Only one handpump which was serving Hydes Original. The pint I had was OK but not top class, almost everyone else was drinking lager." RC

A geographical choice, or had someone upset you?

oldboots
21-01-2011, 09:40
Presume these were found at pub, rather than 'fest? Which hostelries did you stumble into?

These were both festival ales, we had Ringwood Porter at Bulls Head, Hydes at Mother Macs and a variety of Old Toms at KRO. The full list of festival ales is on the web site it includes some not very winter ales.

ROBCamra
21-01-2011, 09:51
Odd. "There is only 1 handpump on the bar..." RC
Kro. "This place isn't really a pub, it's not really a wine bar either. It's like being in a cafe in Ikea." RC
MM's. "Only one handpump which was serving Hydes Original. The pint I had was OK but not top class, almost everyone else was drinking lager." RC

A geographical choice, or had someone upset you?

Partially geographical. Offer any better bars between Piccadilly Station and Piccadilly Gardens if you can.

Just because a place only has one handpump it doesn't mean that the beer isn't good. In fact the Northern Two Tone Special at Odd was excellent (although OB had a bottle of Trashy Blonde, well he looked at it for about 40 minutes then left most of it ;))

KRO sells good beer it's just not my sort of place, but it is almost facing the bus stop we needed.

Mother Macs is a Manchester institution (In fact go in at the wrong time and quite a lot of the clientele could be on day release from one :D)

57 Thomas Street only had 2 beers on rather than the usual 4, so you can never guarantee a massive choice even in a Marble pub.

Fringe was, well Fringe. Same old slightly weirdness that it's always been.:cheers:

You can't keep doing the same old places, even great beer houses get a bit samey if you always go in the same ones. :eek:

trainman
21-01-2011, 10:51
You can't keep doing the same old places,

Agreed, don't take umbrage. I just didn't know whether the Yorkshire contingent had yet been to those old places...

ROBCamra
21-01-2011, 11:14
don't take umbrage. I just didn't know whether the Yorkshire contingent had yet been to those old places...

None taken.;) OB has done some A&H hasn't.

But the NWAF week is not the right time to be sampling the well known beer houses of Manchester. They're all rammed.

Dave M
21-01-2011, 18:12
I'm just enjoying my first beer this week. It is a pretty special one though in that I have finally got myself a Jaipur and better still it was a free one. :cheers:

I'm pleased to report that the Three Tuns is absolutely packed and will hopefully do alright from giving away a barrel of beer.

gillhalfpint
21-01-2011, 21:09
I had thought with losing my taste buds with this rotten cold I can't pass on to anyone that I wouldn't have a beer to put on here this week, but I had an excellent beer in the Smithfield on my way to NWAF this lunchtime.

BOTW is Milestone Dancer the Prancer. I enjoyed the flavour of it, and it was while enjoying it that I realised I was actually tasting the flavout of a beer.

The beers at the NWAF were ok - that's all I can say because nothing was outstanding and by the same token I didn't find anything distasteful either. That's what a cold does for you. Brilliant festival though in a super venue, and good food too. I love these events as great social gatherings and meeting folk from all over the country.

rpadam
21-01-2011, 21:22
Did a quick bit of no-frills European travel this week, with two outstanding pints (well, half litres to be accurate) encountered - the Černý (dark beer) at the Pegas Hotel micro-brewery in Brno and the 7% Winterbock at the first-rate 7 Stern Bräu brewpub in Vienna.

trainman
22-01-2011, 10:33
http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?5485-a-swift-one-Try-it-while-you-can&p=26691#post26691

Could be a mission for those in striking distance, & a pub on my (long) target list.
Let's hope the change of line-up doesn't affect Marble quality.

Millay
22-01-2011, 11:13
There have been a few good one's for me this week as I found two of my favourites, Old Hookey and Fortyniner. Also had a nice half of the 7% Buntingford Imperial Baltic Stout and both Inferno and Citra from the ever reliable Oakham Brewery. However my BoTW is going to one from a brewery I hadn't encountered before, Northern Brewing. In the Mermaid in St Albans yesterday they'd just put on a cask of Soul Rider and everyone was raving about it. Very nice beer that reminded me a bit of the Caledonian beers.

Oggwyn Trench
23-01-2011, 13:52
Just about recovered from the lurgy so took it steady this week
Holdens - Golden
Cambrinus - Yardstick
Cambrinus - Deliverance
Teme Valley - Cold Comfort
Everards - Beacon
Loddon - Razzle Dazzle

BOTW Loddon - Razzle Dazzle

aleandhearty
23-01-2011, 16:22
However my BoTW is going to one from a brewery I hadn't encountered before, Northern Brewing. In the Mermaid in St Albans yesterday they'd just put on a cask of Soul Rider and everyone was raving about it. Very nice beer that reminded me a bit of the Caledonian beers.

Funnily enough, I'd not heard of Northern Brewing either until Wednesday, when trying a pint of their TwoTone Chocolate Stout, in Manchester, when out with 'ROBCamra' and 'oldboots'. As it was the last one of a heavy day I can't be too objective, but I seem to remember it being rather tasty.

runningdog
23-01-2011, 18:58
Same beer as last week for me, White Horses' Black Horse Porter.:D
Woodforde's Nelson's Revenge and Abbot Special Reseve pushed it close though.
:drinkup::drinkup::nishelypished:

Wittenden
23-01-2011, 22:45
Couple of quick visits to' The Flier'-Sheps master Brew and Late Red on good to excellent form:my BOTW is Late Red. I'm hoping for something a little more exciting next weekend.

Pubsignman
24-01-2011, 00:52
Had a good pint of the fabled Exmoor Beast this week, but there was one beer that managed to outshine it - Blue Monkey 99 Red Baboons - great name, great beer!

Bucking Fastard
24-01-2011, 10:19
My BOTW should really be called " Unusual Beer of the Week".The Ginger Beer was brewed by William Brothers Brewing,the people who make Fraoch Heather Ale.It tasted like a ginger beer soft drink but with some alcohol thrown in to get to a 3.8%ABV.It was deliberately cloudy and had a strong ginger taste,pleasant enough for a pint with some food but I couldnt contemplate a whole session on it :sick:

The Nicholsons beer festival this week should be a good source for my next BOTW and will be a welcome change from a very abstemious January so far.

RogerB
24-01-2011, 11:04
The White Horse near Carnaby Street had the Ginger on Friday but when I asked for it they said it wasn't available :mad:.

It's a hard choice this week with some good selections - Whitstable Pearl Of Kent, Dark Star Meltdown and even Greene Kings London Glory came close but I my choice was the second option at the White Horse, Rudgate Jorvik Blonde. It has been in the pool of Nicholsons guest beers for a couple of months now and I always enjoy it when I see it so a worthy addition to my list.

Alesonly
24-01-2011, 11:06
I Only had a few Pints of beer again this week due too work commitments this including a pint of Tetleys Smooth in the B/L :eek:. So Beer of the week in was only Harviestoun Haggis Hunter which was A nice pint.
But as I'm on a weeks leave from today I will make up for it over the next week. :whistle:


Haggis Hunter

ROBCamra
24-01-2011, 12:11
Funnily enough, I'd not heard of Northern Brewing either until Wednesday, when trying a pint of their TwoTone Chocolate Stout, in Manchester, when out with 'ROBCamra' and 'oldboots'. As it was the last one of a heavy day I can't be too objective, but I seem to remember it being rather tasty.

We get Northen Beers all the time in The Dale. Most of them used to be based on a Northern Soul theme e.g. Dancer, All Niter, Run For Cover, Out On The Floor, Hit And Run etc.

These days they brew a much wider range of beers and so the theme is much wider. Hence Two Tone Special Stout which as A&H says was in very good nick in Odd last Wednesday.

However, despite its strong claims I'm going to go for Dow Bridge brewery Praetorian Porter tried at NWAF.

Blue Monkey 99 Red Baboons is coming soon at The Baum along with BG Sips & Evolution. Blue Monkey brew some of my favourite beers and 99 Red Baboons was my BOTW a few months ago. :cheers:

Thuck Phat
24-01-2011, 12:33
A decent week with one or two to choose from:

Oakham Bishops Farewell
North Cotswold Winter Solstice
Teignworthy Mad Dog

A spirited bid from Mrs Phat for Oakham Citra has just fallen short as my BOTW goes to an old favourite, Everards Old Original.

gillhalfpint
24-01-2011, 15:47
I find it strange that some are just seeing Northern beers. I have had 25 different Northern beers plus some Blakemere beers that they brew under. Earliest recorded now is in 2004. All have been Birmingham and northwards. None south of the Midlands.

ROBCamra
24-01-2011, 16:09
I find it strange that some are just seeing Northern beers. I have had 25 different Northern beers plus some Blakemere beers that they brew under.

38 different ones for me. :nishelypished:

aleandhearty
25-01-2011, 17:11
However, two beers really stood out for me. Marble '3.9' and Dark Star 'Hophead'. I can't see anything else coming close this week . The hard part's going to be choosing between them.

Didn't manage any other outings after the NWAF, so after much umming and aahing, I'm going for Dark Star 'Hophead'.

oldboots
26-01-2011, 16:34
A bit late (too much choice and too little memory) but in the end it came down to Butcombe Old Vic Porter or Marble 3.9. I'm going dark and nominating Butcombe Old Vic Porter