A pub is for life not just for Christmas
Last week I was away briefly in the Lake District and near Hadrian's wall. None of the beers were particularly memorable except for Keswick Dark 4.0%, drunk in their brewery tap on Tuesday. A dark bitter with a dry finish, it was brewed to celebrate the opening of the Fox Tap.
Friday in Leeds at the Cardigan Arms prior to watching Leeds Rhinos get hammered 26-0 at home to St Helens, but the beer was superb. Kirkstall Brewery have revived some old recipes from their namesake, the original Kirkstall Brewery. I had the Bitter a few weeks ago, but tonight I had a chance to drink the Mild. It's not a dark mild, as most of this style tend to be nowadays, and it's not golden like Timothy Taylor's Golden Best, it's a sort of mid-brown but with maybe a tinge of orange about it. Nothing orange about the taste, but this isn't one of your modern 3.2% milds, it's 5.0% and full of flavour. Very good.
Saturday before going to watch Hallam FC clinch the championship of Northern Counties East League Division 1 at the oldest football ground in the world I went to the Sheffield Tap and had time for a pint and a half of RedWillow Extra Special Bitter 5.3%. (Actually I had time for three or four pints, as my bus didn't turn up for an hour and I missed the first 15 minutes of the game.) This is a superbly balanced beer, not overly dominated by alcohol, and the malt and hops working together to make something incredibly more-ish. I promise I really didn't have four pints.
Today at the Blake Hotel a beer with New Zealand hops that the barman offered me a taster of, saying that he thought it was really good. Milestone Fletchers 5.2% is again well balanced with the alcohol not prominent in the flavour, which is not perfumy as so many beers made with NZ hops can be, but in the English style of a strong bitter.
Can't decide between these for beer of the week - I'd be delighted to drink any of them again.
Come On You Hatters!
Surrey, Hants, London
Vibrant Forest Pupa*
Marble Hindmarsh*
Mad Squirrel Shamrock*
Mad Squirrel Cosmic
Oakham Citra
Salopian Oracle
Northern Monk Eternal
St Peters Cream Stout*
Redemption Trinity*
Stewart Ekuanot*
Stewart Radical Road Reverse
Thornbridge Pica Pica*
Red Cat Mr Ms Porter
Elusive Overdrive
Mallisons Citra
Neptune Mosaic*
Elgoods Plum Porter*
Ascot Midnight Rider
Hogs Back TEA
A good range of different beers, for BOTW I'm going for the weakest strength beer at only 3.0% Redemption Trinity on cask in superb condition in the Farringdon Tap, not only was it good it was the cheapest pint of the day at £4.30, my previous pint in The Castle setting me back £6.00.
"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
-W.C.Fields
BOTW Affligem. The best of a cold and fizzy bunch.
"Beer is food." Morse, Colin Dexter
Hertford,first time out after a bout of Covid which put paid to a lot of drinking plans.
Marston's -- 61 Deep
and therefore by default BOTW goes to "Youngs" London Stout *(keg) which passed the three pint test in The Old Barge .A very enjoyable stout,keg dispence didn't impact on the enjoyment.
Next week footie and a trip out to Benington.
"Good people drink good beer" Hunter S Thompson
Got out and about a bit locally last week:
Chiltern Nut Brown Mild (3.9%)
Sharp's Doom Bar (4.0%)
Chiltern Colombian Coffee Porter (4.1%)
Kent Cobnut (4.1%)
Loddon Hullabaloo (4.2%)
XT 3 (4.2%)
Portobello Star (4.3%)
Portobello Hedgerow Pale Ale (4.5%)
Animal (XT) Goat (4.6%)
Tiny Rebel Just HAZE (4.8%) (c)
Brew York Rhubarbra Streisand (5.5%) (c)
Tiny Rebel Young Hearts (5.8%) (c)
Thornbridge Jaipur (5.9%) (b)
My taste buds are craving bitters at the moment, and I encountered a couple in the list above, but winner for me, taken here:
BOTW: Portobello Star
Last edited by Komakino; 04-04-2022 at 18:51.
"Breakneck speed we drown ten pints of bitter"
An excellent week, without recourse to any keg options:
Bradfield Brewery - Farmer's Best
ELB - Nightwatchman *½
Five Points - Best **½
Five Points - Homage IPA **
Harvey's - Dark Mild **
Harvey's - Old Ale **¼
Harvey's - Royal Oak IPA ½
Harvey's - Sussex Best *
Hammerton - N1 *
Howling Hops - Tadpole Jacket *½
Marble - Mild ***
Marsden - 61 Deep **
Newbarns - Dry Stout **
Redemption - Trinity **½
Redemption - Urban Dusk **
Rose - Amber House Ale (?) *
St. Austell - Proper Job **
Siren - Jiggery Pokery **
Three Sods - Boho Bitter *¾
Thirst Class Ale - Green Bullet ***
Tiny Rebel - Cwtch
Torrside Brewing - Trespasser **
Wantsum - Talus ½
Runner up goes to:
Five Points - Railway Porter ***½ pipped to the post by the next half ordered:
BOTW goes to Bristol Beer Factory - Milk Stout ***¾ at The Southampton Arms.