Beer of the Week (w/e 9th June 2013)

[ROBCamra]

Mobyduck: Darkstar Hophead
Bucking Fastard: Titanic Pier 54
Aqualung: Otter Amber
Oggwyn Trench: Box Steam Golden Bolt
Real Ale Ray: Bowland Sky Dancer
london calling: Marstons Amarillo
Wittenden: Old Dairy Sun Top
hondo: Saltaire Blonde
Thuck Phat: Titanic Pier 54
aleandhearty: Five Towns Davy Jones Locker
oldboots: Old Bear Yorkshire Ale
ROBCamra: First Chop Hop

[Mobyduck]

Darkstar Hophead
Darkstar American Pale Ale
Portobello Pale
Caledonian XPA
Courage Best

Best beer this week has been the Hophead, expecting more variety and challengers next week with a trip to London on Saturday.

[Bucking Fastard]

Lichfield and a crawl around Oxford,somehow missing Oggy and Mrs Oggy judging by the reviews,led to a high rate of consumption.


Marston's - Pedigree
TT - Landlord
Backyard -Gold
Titanic - Pier 54
Shotover - Prospect
Vale - Black Beauty
Skinners - Betty Stogs
Brew Co. -Bitter
Beowulf -English Norseman
Sadlers -Elementis
White Horse -Village Idiot

Oxford didnt produce anything really outstanding and there was only ever going to be one winner of BOTW,Titanic Pier 54 an unexpected bonus for doing a walk through in The Gatehouse,a 'spoons in Lichfield.Dark brown with lots of malt on the nose and a beautifully balanced Titanic bitter finish,it whistled down for a 5.4%er.Another outstanding ale from Burslem ,and I suspect there will be another nomination coming along soon

[Aqualung]

Another modest selection this week :-

Otter Amber 4.0%
Welton's Old Cocky 4.3%
Adnam's Ghost Ship 4.5%
Welton's Sun Oak Clog 4.6%
Brodie's Old Street Pale 5.0%
Ringwood Old Thumper 5.6%
Brentwood Chockwork Orange 6.5%
Brodie's Dalston Black IPA (Keykeg) 7.0%
Brodie's Big Mofo Stout (Keykeg) 10.5%

The winner is the weakest one, Otter Amber in great condition for £2.15 in the King's Ford. It's a pale orange beer with a superb hop flavour.

BOTW Otter Amber

[Oggwyn Trench]

A pretty good week ending up with a weekend in Oxford , i probally missed BF because i was being dragged around bloody Shoe Shops and only managed two pubs on Saturday Lunchtime made up for it later though

Ringway - Best Bitter
Bird Brain - Puffin Ale
Empire - Gone Native
RAT - King Rat
Darkstar - American Pale
Tiny Rebel - CWCTH
Hook Norton - Old Hooky
Isle of Purbeck - Solar Power
Bath - Special
St Peters - Golden Ale
Oxford Ales - Pride of Oxfordshire
Vale - Black Beauty
Box Steam - Golden Bolt
Henley - Jailhouse
Skinners - Betty Stogs
Stonehenge - Eye Opener
White Horse - Village Idiot
Great Orme - Welsh Black
White Horse - Wayland Smithy
Sam Smiths - Sovereign(keg)
Bath - Summer Hare
Potbelly - Bejing Black

BOTW Box Steam - Golden Bolt with Great Orme - Welsh Black a close second

[Real Ale Ray]

Lots of choice this week, but one of my fave breweries gets it again - Bowland - Sky Dancer

[london calling]

A quiet week beer wise
lamb -one in the bush
brains -bragging rights
brains -touch paws engage
great yorkshire-firkin pale
anarchy -smoke bomb
so the best was
marstons -amerillo

[Mobyduck]

Lichfield and a crawl around Oxford,somehow missing Oggy and Mrs Oggy judging by the reviews,led to a high rate of consumption.


Marston's - Pedigree
TT - Landlord
Backyard -Gold
Titanic - Pier 54
Shotover - Prospect
Vale - Black Beauty
Skinners - Betty Stogs
Brew Co. -Bitter
Beowulf -English Norseman
Sadlers -Elementis
White Horse -Village Idiot

Oxford didnt produce anything really outstanding and there was only ever going to be one winner of BOTW,Titanic Pier 54 an unexpected bonus for doing a walk through in The Gatehouse,a 'spoons in Lichfield.Dark brown with lots of malt on the nose and a beautifully balanced Titanic bitter finish,it whistled down for a 5.4%er.Another outstanding ale from Burslem ,and I suspect there will be another nomination coming along soon

B.F. Did you have the Whitehorse Village Idiot in the Royal Blenhim, Oxford If you did I'm surprised you wouldnt have found it outstanding ,as I have every time I've been in there , maybe it was somewhere else or just under par, or maybe it's a beer that just doesn't "float your boat" (pun intended) . I've always found it outstanding where ever I've tried it.

[Bucking Fastard]

B.F. Did you have the Whitehorse Village Idiot in the Royal Blenhim, Oxford If you did I'm surprised you wouldnt have found it outstanding ,as I have every time I've been in there , maybe it was somewhere else or just under par, or maybe it's a beer that just doesn't "float your boat" (pun intended) . I've always found it outstanding where ever I've tried it.

Yes it was in the Royal Blenheim and it was the last pint of the crawl,so my tastebuds may have been shot.However,and this is just a personal opinion,it did taste rather bland despite being clear and crisp.I didn't detect much hop character,it seemed like a standard session bitter.I suppose that I may just have been unlucky. Quoting from Genesis " I know what I like, and I like what I know " ,so a lack of boat floating possibly exposes my personal bias.

[ROBCamra]

A few visits around Salford Central station on Saturday saw us in The Kings Arms

First Chop beers are often available around Manchester now especially in Chorlton and in the Northern Quarter.

However their MIA was on in Gaslamp and HOP in The Kings Arms.

The HOP was a very good pint and did what it said on the pumpclip although not a hop monster.