Beer of the Week (w/e 28 November 2010)

:glass:......:whistle:

Dear God, how did I miss this, long week last week, thanks for kicking it off a&h.

gillhalfpint: Hardknott Infra Red
Spinko: Jaipur
Millay: Salopian Choir Porter
aleandhearty: Mallinson's Oliver Duckets
Oggwyn Trench: Lymestone Stone the Crows
Gann: Golden Pippin
oldboots: Hadrian & Border Gladiator
Bucking Fastard: Marble Pint
Pubsignman: Vale Brewery Black Beauty
Thuck Phat: Elland Brewery's Diablo
RogerB: Brakspear Oxford Gold
ROBCamra: Ossett Treacle Stout
Alesonly: Wychwood Hobgoblin
Wittenden: Sheps Late Red
rpadam: Sheps Late Red

Well now, after a brilliant supply of beers at the Dudley fest,( did I really have 9 beers over 6%, 5 of them over 7%?) Wibblers Wobbly Wabbit at 11% was a good choice but was just a little cloudy. Maybe the one with the roast parsnips in.... Yes that was the one. Hardknott Infra Red 6.2%. Deep ruby red. Earthy orange and caramel nose. Sweet toffee start, peppery roast parsnips and a long bitter finish.

Yes that was BOTW. I didn't find it too sweet and it was certainly an interesting flavour.

I'll be honest, I've not had that many decent pints this week. friday I had a Paulaner dark wheat beer up at the Leeds German Christmas market, the barmaid was utterly clueless so i had it served in two glasses because the first had frothed up so badly. Later we went to a new Leeds bar called the Bierkeller, a German styled bar, or alternatively, a gentleman's bar - because all the waitresses were very busty with everything hanging out. Nice if you like that kind of thing. Then popped along to he Adelphi and tried a Jaipur. This time it was actually a Jaipur (see previous story) although a bit cold. Saturday I tucked myself away to the Grove in Huddersfield and had a Jaipur (much better, but too cold) and then a Thornbridge Green Hopped Vintage 2010 which was utterly abysmal. Imagine shaking up a can of Tennents Super Extra. Too strong, too much pushing of boundaries, not enough taste. Popped back to Leeds and had a great Ilkley Best in Shooters while watching Man Utd vs Blackburn while trying to avoid the fat men chasing around the egg. I like my rugby league but why is it the rigby union players do not find it in themselves to get fit? Sorry, I've veered off topic..

Finally, I have to give it to the jaipur in the Adelphi

This week it's going to be Ossett Brewery Silver King :drinkup:

Ignore this, see later post

My beer moment of the week also involved an Ossett beer - an excellent pint of their Treacle Stout next to a roaring log fire, on Friday night. Marvellous. However, two late challengers last night pipped it for BOTW. Five Towns 'Gale Force2' was delicious but I loved Mallinson's 'Oliver Duckets' and that's this weeks choice.

Intresting weekend beerwise , the Station was having a Pictish weekend , then off to Chester with the Mrs .
Pictish - Citra
Pictish - Pacific Jade
Pictish - Marynka
Pictish - Crystal
Pictish - Z Rod
Pictish - La Soothe Tint
Hook Norton - Hooky Bitter
Springhead - Liberty
Conwy - Rampart
Okells - Dr Okells IPA
Sam Smiths - OBB
Lymestone - Stone the Crows
Conwy - Welsh Pride
Jennings - Cock a Hoop
Ringwood - Huffkin
Spitting Feathers - Thirst Quencher
Phoenix - Arizona
Cottage - Atom Gold
Okells - Bitter

Bit of a difficult choice this week :D but i think the Lymestone - Stone the Crows just shades it , and at 5.4% just right for a chilly(OK bloody freezing) evening

Bit of a thin week in that after making the Falcon on monday night, the rest of the week was spent trying to get rid of the lurgy.
That was until last night when after watching my particular favourite fat blokes from England and Saracens not chasing the Oval ball paricularily well, got fed up and went down the local.
Salopian Darwin Origin was my favourite from the Falcon, but was pleased to find a brew from Copper Dragon on as one of the guests last night and the Golden Pippin was a very pleasant drinkable blonde ale and three of those dissapeared in quick succession, so I'll go with this as the BOTW.

Hadrian & Border Gladiator at a surprisingly light 3.8% given its name, 3 pints drunk while waiting for the snow to slacken is the one, in spite of some stiff competition in the same pub (Abbeydale, Salamander, Slaters). Honourable mention for Leeds "Gathering Storm" which just hits the spot this weather - drinking it in the superb Grove in Leeds helped of course:D.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Millay

This week it's going to be Ossett Brewery Silver King :drinkup:

---

I went a bit too early with this. Hadn't really intended to go drinking on Sunday but went to St Albans and called in to one of my regular haunts and they had a mini festival on - Any Porter in a Storm. Faced with five porter pumps as I entered so took that as a bit of a challenge. The Buntingford Porter at 5.9% was excellent with tasting notes that said "A strangely drinkable beer .... after the 3rd or 4th pint various limbs start failing or indeed go home on their own". But I am now declaring my BoTW as the Salopian Choir Porter, gorgeous stuff.

Exactly how this will fit with my intention of having an early night, getting up to watch the cricket and leaving early for work to beat Bob Crow's latest attempt to screw up London's workers I'm not too sure, but then again these things rarely go to plan. I also had the idea of leaving work early on Monday and having a couple at the Euston Tap, let's see how that one works out, I may even find next week's BoTW.

This week has seen a move from famine to feast with many BOTW contenders.It all started well in The Falcon with BrewDog Punk IPA,then an outstanding seasonal brew from Dark Star namely Green Hopped IPA ,6.5% which slipped down a treat in The Green Dragon ,Croydon.
A visit to the second beer festival organised by The Old Fountain,Old Street produced many great beers,special mention to Oakham's Fountain Citra,but my BOTW was also from the beer festival ,the sublime Marble Pint:drinkup:

After that run,it's back in my kennel for the week ahead:(

The most interesting beer I tried this week was the Dark Star & Thornbridge collaboration ThornStar - an intensely hoppy, Black IPA which uses 6 different types of New Zealand hops but retains some roasted malt background. Unlike any other beer I've tried before, but although I enjoyed it, I don't think I would be able to drink too much in one go, so it doesn't get my BOTW nomination.

There are plenty of other contenders though - Acorn Blonde, Salopian Darwin's Origin, Kissingate Black Cherry Mild and Ascot Vanilla Stout, but BOTW goes to Vale Brewery Black Beauty - a lovely, rich porter and the highlight of the 'Dark Ales Festival' at the Hope, Carshalton.

An extremely good pint from Nethergate called Augustinian deserves a mention for being very quaffable. But to my surprise it's been beaten this week by Elland Brewery's Diablo, a chocolate porter delivering all the comfort needed during this cold spell but with a dry and bitter finish which absolutely demands a second (and third and fourth and ....... hicc!).

A good start to the week with the Falcon session on Monday. Not much around locally through the week and a not very rewarding trip around Woking on Saturday - tried 8 pubs, walked about 6 miles to get them all in and they were all distinctly average with not much in the way of decent beers either. BotW was probably the Brakspear Oxford Gold from the Falcon.

Been on quite a lot of dark beers this week.

Ossett Treacle Stout came close but this weeks winner is Dark Domination from Hornbeam brewery, 6% and very moreish. Dangerous stuff. :cheers:

Best & Only beers of the week was Wychwood Hobgoblin in Bottles my local has started selling it at only £3,10 for a 500ml Bottle. :D Thats cheap for in a Pub.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pubsignman

The most interesting beer I tried this week was the Dark Star & Thornbridge collaboration ThornStar - an intensely hoppy, Black IPA which uses 6 different types of New Zealand hops but retains some roasted malt background. Unlike any other beer I've tried before..

---

Sounds fascinating. I'd definitely be up for a pint of that. The only beer I've tried that is similar is Saltaire's 'Cascadian Black' - a black IPA hopped with Cascade. To be honest it didn't quite work for me either, but I like the idea of these hoppy, dark beers. Be interesting to compare the two.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aleandhearty

Sounds fascinating. I'd definitely be up for a pint of that. The only beer I've tried that is similar is Saltaire's 'Cascadian Black' - a black IPA hopped with Cascade. To be honest it didn't quite work for me either, but I like the idea of these hoppy, dark beers. Be interesting to compare the two.

---

It certainly had the making of a great beer, but I wasn't tempted to try more than one pint. I think this was my first Black IPA - certainly the first with such an intense hit of hops - but I'd like to try some others like the Saltaire you mentioned. At the festival where I tried the ThornStar, there was another Black IPA available (Windsor and Eton Conqueror), which was apparently more balanced, but I didn't get round to trying it.

Unfortunately, I think the ThornStar brew was a one-off, so you may well have to find it now or never.

[QUOTE=Pubsignman;24481]The most interesting beer I tried this week was the Dark Star & Thornbridge collaboration ThornStar - an intensely hoppy, Black IPA which uses 6 different types of New Zealand hops but retains some roasted malt background.

I've been intrigued with the concept,though I'm yet to see or try a Black IPA. My BOTW is Sheps Late Red,drunk at dusk on a bracingly cold Saturday afternoon, in front of the obligatory blazing fire. A lovely mahoganny coloured dark ale, resinous and autumnal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wittenden

My BOTW is Sheps Late Red,drunk at dusk on a bracingly cold Saturday afternoon, in front of the obligatory blazing fire. A lovely mahoganny coloured dark ale, resinous and autumnal.

---

In the absence of anything else oustanding, I'll go along with Late Red which has been going well as the guest beer in the local village club for the last few weeks at a bargain (for the area) £2.25.