All Hail to the Ale : 'spoons beer festival
By way of a change to the famous Red Dragon in Penderyn ( and I think we’ve all heard of Penderyn now!) , My friend and I went to the ‘spoons in Abedare ,Yr Ieuan ap Iago.Getting the negatives out of the way first, I have to say that three ales does not make a beer festival. First up was Mr.G’s Lunchtime Ale,3.7%.My rating 6/10.Derived from New Zealand, but I fancy brewed in the UK, this had the generic ‘spoons ale taste, but my friend quite liked it.
Next up was Caledonian Double Dark Oatmeal Stout, 4.6%, my rating 7/10.A splendid stout with an excellent aroma, and a pleasing bitterness.
Saving the best till last I then tried Moorhouse’s Black Panther, 4.8%. My rating 8/10.Brewed in Burnley Lancashire, I’m sure Soup Dragon would approve of this superior ale.The colour is what Dylan Thomas would have described as ... sloe black, slow, black, crow black , if you see what I mean. Perhaps a difficult ale to categorise, laying somewhere in that tantalising void between a stout and a strong ale. Nevertheless it was a delight to savour,plus I benefited from saving 50p with a CAMRA voucher!