Beer of the Week (w/e 25th August 2013)

[ROBCamra]

Hopefully I'll grab a couple of pints of the real stuff in The Baum on the Saturday before this one runs out.

Thuck Phat: Blue Monkey Ape Ale
Aqualung: O' Hanlon's Brewer's Special Reserve
Real Ale Ray: Moorhouses's Pure Witch
Mobyduck: Darkstar Hylder Blonde
Bucking Fastard: Buxton American Rye
Wittenden: Goacher's Special House Ale
hondo: Alechemy Brewery X-366 Burst
Oggwyn Trench: Hand Drawn Monkey Pale Ale
aleandhearty: Marble Ginger
london calling: Veseley IPA
ROBCamra: Penpont Surfer's Pale Ale

[Thuck Phat]

Whoops - defeated by technology. Again.

Try again:
Oakham Bishops Farewell
Abbeydale Profundity
Downton Honey Blonde
Atomic Planet
Dr Morton Angler Management
Salopian Requiem Stout
Acorn Sybilla IPA
Blue Monkey Ape Ale

The Requiem Stout and Sybilla IPA were excellent but BOTW goes to the crack cocaine of the real ale world, Blue Monkey Ape Ale.

[Aqualung]

Some nice beers tried this week :-

Jenning's Cocker Hoop 4.0%
Adnam's Topaz 4.0%
Rebellion Blonde 4.3%
Cairngorm Trade Winds 4.3%
East London Brewing Co Nightwatchman 4.5%
Adnam's Ghost Ship 4.5%
Harviestoun Schiehallion 4.8%
Brewster's Calamity Jane 4.8%
Brodie's Hackney Red 6.1%
Twickenham Daisy Cutter 6.1%
O' Hanlon's Brewer's Special Reserve 12.9%

The choice is between Adnam's Ghost Ship at a refreshing £1.99 in the Chingford King's Ford and the O' Hanlon's Brewer's Special Reserve at a stonking £5 in the Leyton King WIlliam IV. Ghost Ship is an Adnam's beer that tastes like a Brodie's beer, but with just a hint of the Adnam's malty flavour. It must be all down to the hops used.

However, the winner has to be the headbanging O' Hanlon's brew.
I wasn't aware that O' Hanlons went in for this sort of Left Field thing, but looking them up on Ratebeer I realised that earlier in the year I had a strong dark Chilli flavoured beer by them called Diablo which I enjoyed immensely.

The Special Reserve is a barley wine that tastes to me like it has been aged in a rum barrel. The rum flavour takes the edge off the inherent sweetness making it dangerously drinkable.

If you think this is a silly drink because of it's strength then consider two of the Mikkeler beers that were on keykeg, an 18% Black Imperial Stout and an 18.9% American Style Barley Wine. I believe these were £6 a pint.



BOTW O' Hanlon's Brewer's Special Reserve

[Real Ale Ray]

Moorhouses's - Pure Witch

[Mobyduck]

Darkstar Hophead
Darkstar American Pale Ale
Darkstar Hylder Blonde
Aylesbury Chaos theory
Vale Red Kite
Wild Weather Ales Big Muddy
Wild Weather Ales Little Wind
Wild Weather Ales Stormbringer
Sharps Cornish Pilsner
Andwells Red IPA
Blacksheep Best Bitter
Exmoor Fox
Butcombe Bitter

All of the Wild Weather Ales were excellent, not tried a bad beer from them yet.
But BOTW is Darkstar Hylder Blonde I guess its either to your taste or not (Elderflower) but I could drink gallons of it and as it happens I did.

[Bucking Fastard]

Another modest week.

Mc Mullens -- Country Bitter
Buxton -- American Rye
Caledonian -- Golden XPA
Timothy Taylor -- Landlord
Buntingford -- Highwayman


The stand out pint and thereby BOTW was Buxton American Rye well kept in The Pelt Trader,Cannon Street.

[Wittenden]

Interesting week for me:Kent micros old and new.
Tonbridge-Rustic 4%ABV.A solid mid brown best bitter using the unusual Epic hop and Fuggles imported from Alsace.Taken at The Poet, Matfield (formerly Standing's Cross)
Goacher's -Special House Ale 3.8% ABV. Hoppier than before, resinous and earthy. In pluperfect condition at the Dering Arms, Pluckley.
Hop Fuzz-Old American Pale Ale 4.2%ABV Golden ale.Grapefruit hops (an experimental US cultivar) from a new (to me) micro. On gravity at Biddenden Tractor Fest.

Whitstable-East India Pale Ale4.1% ABV Barley straw, nettley hops. On one tasting, a contemporary classic.At Biddenden as before.

All good, if varied, beers, but The Goacher's was, on the day, outstanding . Goacher's House Ale, my BOTW.

[hondo]

Alechemy Brewery > X-366 Burst

[Oggwyn Trench]

Decent week for me , with a few beers from new to me Breweries

Black Jack - New Deck
Empire - Hops in Action
Elland - Goldrush
Hand Drawn Monkey - Pale Ale
Ascot - Aureole
Corvedale - Dark and Delicious
Oakhams - Endless Summer
Black Jack - Gold Coast
Harwich Town - Ganges
By the Horns - Bobby on the Wheat
Ossett - Silver Link
Lymestone - Stonecutter

BOTW Hand Drawn Monkey - Pale Ale

[aleandhearty]

A very sociable week and pretty decent from a variety point of view. Unfortunately, quite a few underwhelming beers in the list.

Five Towns - Corridor of Uncertainty.
Mallinnsons - Mount Pleasant Mild.
Downton - Quadhop.
Flying Fox - Slightly Foxed.
Marble - Ginger.
Oakham - Bishops Farewell.
Whim - Flower Power.
Glentworth - Lightyear.
Acorn - Forester.
Grafters - Harvest Moon.
Fernandes - Nelson IPA.
Liverpool Organic - Kitty Wilkinson (Choc & Vanilla Stout).
Thornbridge - Hopton.
Peak Ales - Swift Nick.
Wincle - Wincle Waller.

Enjoyed the Kitty Wilkinson, but wouldn't want to stay on it all night. Ginger wouldn't have been my first choice of Marble beer, but for sheer depth of flavour it took some beating. Very good.