Bloody Awful Beer Of The Week

[sheffield hatter]

These words could well have described the beer I had at the White Swan in Chesterfield today: "Schrödinger's Cat is Alive / Dead", brewed on the Little Ale Cart plant by Steel City Brewing.

OK, so it's dark and malty, a bit like a mild. And OK, it's brim full of hops, a bit like an IPA, but they all clash horribly with each other and the only sensation on the palate is an overwhelming astringency. There's no balance, and no attempt to make a pleasant drink. The Steel City website reads like a long list of hops, the more obscure the better, and they've clearly been chucked into the brew in vast quantities with no concern as to what the resulting brew might taste like, like undergraduates discovering spices and making a curry for the first time.

If you look at successful dark bitters like Jennings Sneck Lifter or York Centurion's Ghost, they are beautifully balanced, with a quaffable maltiness and a restrained hoppiness that results in a moreish drinking experience. I only had a half of Schrödinger's Cat and I struggled to get that down.

In the Shakespeare tonight they had a new beer from Steel City, based on the Schrödinger's Cat recipe but with more hops. (It's called A.S.C.O.O.H, which apparently stands for "a slight case of over hopping".) On the blackboard the description was "hops, hops, hops, hops, hops, hops, hops, hops" (I may have missed one, but you get the picture). My drinking partner opted for a half. I offered to buy him something else to wash it down, or even a glass of water to take away the taste. He just had to experience it for himself.

I had a taste - to be honest, it wasn't as bad (initially) as the Schrödinger's Cat, but after a few seconds the malty taste goes away and then there's an overwhelming impact of about seventeen different hops. Fortunately, I had the dregs of my Gadds Dogbolter and a fresh half of Bradfield Belgian Blue to restore my palate to normal. Later, a half of Thwaites Nutty Black in the Kelham Island Tavern tasted like the best beer ever, so perhaps there is a point to the Steel City beers after all...

[Mobyduck]

If you're drinking beer in a Spoon's with breakfast then I would say it's certain that you're getting the beer that's been sitting in the pipes overnight, so it's never going to be great. I haven't seen the Marston's single hop range and even if I did stumble across it I wouldn't bother with it. It seems to me that it's a somewhat pathetic attempt by Marston's to position themselves in the "Craft" beer brewing sector.

It was a late breakfast,11.00 the pub opens at 8.00 so sitting in the pipes is not the problem, so its either poorly kept,a bit to near the end of the barrel or just plainly as you suggest a poor stab at the craft market.

[Alesonly]

A awful pint of Directors in the Admaral Byng tasted crap and had well over a Inch of head won't drink in that spoons again for a time when I asked staff to top it up or change it all I got was greef so sod em

[Aqualung]

A awful pint of Directors in the Admaral Byng tasted crap and had well over a Inch of head won't drink in that spoons again for a time when I asked staff to top it up or change it all I got was greef so sod em

I visited this one in Potters Bar earlier in the year and I also found it to be really poor, one of the worst Spoons I've ever been to, in fact possibly THE worst. The pint I had was rubbish and the staff seemed disinterested.

If all Spoons were like this then I CAN understand why some people won't give them the time of day. The only problems I've had with East London ones this year is a poor selection of beers (which is pot luck) or having to wait ages to get served (usually due to too many coffee and food orders).

I do have another minor Spoons gripe, certainly in the London area and that is the fact that Fuller's Adnam's and Growler breweries are muscling in on the guest ales. I want to drink preferably micro guest ales or local micros in a Spoons, not the already widespread products from larger regionals. GK Abbot used to be a good bet if the guests were not that great, but I've seen that on sale at £2.55 when the guest prices are £2.09, £2.25 and £2.40 depending on strength.
The Fullers is also ALWAYS expensive, approaching £3 a pint for ESB. Ridiculous when you think you can get 4 bottles of the stronger bottled in ASDA or Tesco for £6.

[Bucking Fastard]

I've had some very poor Brain's beers in the past but their Fir Kin Good takes the biscuit.It's a festive ale wouldn't you know,and although it was well kept and clear in The New Queen Victoria,Wolverton it really is a foul brew.Slightly syrup in consistency,a very sweet beer with no offsetting bitterness I think this is where the term cloying comes from.The sweetness was overpowering and by the end of the pint the unpleasant tang is much the same as the astringency you get from too much hops but in the opposite direction.

As a general point I find Brain's beers are often much too sweet,maybe this is a popular style in South Wales but all I can say is that this one was Fir Kin Awful.

[Spinko]

Two thirds of a pint from the slops tray in here The Rovers Return. "Atmosphere" was such that I had to accept it. I live round the corner and have never seen more than 2 people in. Well the second Friday before Christmas there were around 15 people in, a busy night. A pub that deserves to shut and Camra should not protest against it.

Ended up playing snooer for 3 hours up the road instead - one of the last male refuges and if you want a quiet pint next Friday, I recommend the places. Horrendous in town (Manchester) last night wherever I went. Horrible time of year!

[ROBCamra]

Ended up playing snooer for 3 hours up the road instead - one of the last male refuges and if you want a quiet pint next Friday, I recommend the places. Horrendous in town (Manchester) last night wherever I went. Horrible time of year!

I called in Salford Arms Hotel on Friday. Nice and peaceful, pleasantly refurbished and 3 real ales on the bar. The Nook Blue Sky was excellent.

One to have a look at Spinko as it's just down the road from you.

[Spinko]

I called in Salford Arms Hotel on Friday. Nice and peaceful, pleasantly refurbished and 3 real ales on the bar. The Nook Blue Sky was excellent.

One to have a look at Spinko as it's just down the road from you.

I've been in there around 5 years ago but definitely need to re-visit - probably tie it in with a visit to the New Oxford and the Crescent...

The problem we had on Friday was to find somewhere we could actually get some room to ourselves..oh well, give it two weeks!

[Aqualung]

Brains Festive Cheer

On a manky Wednesday morning I tried this in the Loughton Last Post and it certainly didn't give ME any Festive Cheer. In fact it made me rather grumpy as all I could do was stand there thinking "Why the hell did I fork out £2.09 for this rubbish?".

It's a bland reddish coloured thin beer with a vague malty flavour and no hint of hops whatsoever. Brains seem to have lost the plot like a number of other regional brewers. I always liked their dark in the past, but it's years since I tried it. Their SA Gold was a good beer but after they cynically watered it down I refuse to touch it. If the regional brewers are going to produce seasonal or one-off brews the least they can do is ensure they attain a certain standard.

[Brewguru]

Jennings Redbreast and Wychwood Bah Humbug.

I could almost retype Aqualungs post above but just insert Marstons and national brewer. Plus it was not as cheap.