IPA's - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[london calling]

If it comes in kegs I won't drink it!

Iam not fussed in what container it comes in but excess carbonation does bother me.

[Aqualung]

As there is no yeast in key kegs they are much less affected by heat than cask beer.

I'm afraid that isn't the case. In theory filtering the beer and pasteurising (ie boiling!) it is the only way to eliminate yeast and that is beyond the capabilities of most microbreweries. If it is pasteurised and there is no gas pressure then it will come up as flat as a pancake.

I don't know what different procedure is carried out for doing keykeg stuff rather than cask, but I can find out tomorrow if I still have any sort of coherence when I get to the William from the George in Croydon.

Even the global abomination's rubbish will build up gunk (mainly yeast) in the lines if they are never cleaned.

I would suggest that not giving beer lines a deep clean often enough is the main cause of indifferent beer in pubs that have a decent throughput of beer.

Another thing that can kill a barrel of real ale is a cellar that is too cold. I remember visiting the Fuller's Clapton Anchor and Hope on a bitterly cold night and the ESB came up like Engine Oil. I assume then that they relied on the cellar's position under the pub by the canal to achieve cellar temperature, but does any modern cellar actually include temperature control to warm it up?

Are none of the correspondents former publicans that can confirm this? I'm certainly not!

[Thuck Phat]

I hope that those who make to The Gun have a good one, it does look an interesting list.

I'll be seeking out new IPA's on the waterways in the company of Mr Fastard and crew.

The updated list:

The updated list:

A&H's F*****g Brilliant

Roosters/Odells - The Accomplice 5.7% (A&H)
Salopian - Kashmir 5.5% (TP)
Marble - Lagonda IPA 5% (TP)
Darkstar - Green Hopped IPA 6.5% (MD)
Blue Monkey - Ape Ale 5.4% (TP)
Oakham - Untouchable IPA 9% (TP)

The Good

Brew Dog - Punk IPA 5.6% Keg
Thornbridge - Jaipur IPA 5.9%
Art Brew - Monkey and Spanked Monkey 6.4%
Acorn - Scorachi IPA 5.5%
Bingham - Space Hoppy IPA 5%
Tryst - Raj IPA 5.5%
Moor Pacific IPA (OB)
Kirkstall Dissolution (OB)
Darkstar Green Hopped IPA (PoH)
Penzance Brewing IPA (BF)
Kernels Simcoe IPA (PoH)
Wadsworths Henrys IPA (A1)
Buxton Axe Edge Double IPA (PSM)
Summer Wine Diablo IPA (PSM)
Redemption Big Chief (PSM)
Thornbridge Seaforth IPA (RobC)
Hopdeamon Skrimshander IPA (Wit)
Old Dairy Blue Top (Wit)
Acorn Santiam IPA (O Blue)
Brains IPA (Mil)
Tring XL IPA (Mil)
Fernandes Motueka IPA (A&H)
Summer Wine Kahuna (A&H)
Ilkley Lotus IPA (TP)
Brewdog Hardcore IPA (Sp)
Stone Ruination IPA (Sp)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (Sp)
Rat King Rat (Sp)
Orkney Wayfarers IPA (A1)
Marble Dobber (OB)
Oakham Green Devil IPA (O Blue)
Dancing Duck Abduction IPA (Dan B)
Fullers Benghal Lancer (TP)
Red Squirrel Redwood American IPA (BF)
St Austell Cornish IPA (TP)
Ironbridge IPA (OT)
Ridgeside Southern Cross (TP)
Off Beat Out of Step IPA (TP)
RCH Hewish IPA (MD)
Thwaites Indus IPA (MD)
The Kernel Citra IPA (Sp)
Beavertown 8 Ball Rye IPA (BF)
Whitehorse Saracen IPA (MD)
Sharps Atlantic IPA (MD)
Wantsun IPA (OT)
Clun Citadel (OT)
Tiny Rebel Urban IPA (OT)
Harviestoun Wild Hop IPA (O Blue)
Sunny Republic Hop Dog (PSM)
Yeovil Posh IPA (PSM)
Elland Big Dog IPA (OT)
Acorn Calypso IPA (OT)
Lincoln Green Sheriffs IPA (A1)
Navigation Classic IPA (A1)
Old Dairy Hop Top Double (RPA)
Great Heck Yakima IPA (A&H)
St Austell Proper Job (MD)
Pheonix West Coast IPA (TP)
Acorn Millenium IPA (TP)
Redwillow Shameless IPA (TP)
Magic Rock - Craft Magic 3.2% (PoH)
Brodies - Dalston Black IPA Keykeg (Aqua)
Brodies - Hackney Red IPA Keykeg (Aqua)
Canterbury - Loco IPA 3.9% (Wit)
Darkstar - Belgian IPA Bottled 7.2% (MD)
Williams - Caesar Augustus Bottled 4.1% (TP)
Mordue IPA 5.1% (MD)
West Coast IPA 6.3% (A&H)
Surrey Hills - Greensand IPA 4.6% (MD)
Tryst - Carronade IPA 4.2% (TP)
Kent Brewery - Enigma Black IPA 5.5% (AL)
Milk Street - Gulp IPA 4.8% (MD)
Acorn - Sybilla IPA 5% (TP)
Siren Craft Brew - Sound Wave West Coast IPA (Aqua)
Siren Craft Brew - Liquid Mistress West Coast Red IPA (Aqua) - Great name

The Bad

Greene King - IPA
Caledonian - Deuchars IPA
Marlow - Rebellion IPA
Brains - IPA
Wells - Eagle IPA
McMullen's IPA (BF)
Tring XL IPA (TP)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (Wit)
Phipps NBC India Pale Ale (TP)
Holts IPA (A&H)
St Austell Podium IPA (TP)
GK IPA Gold (MD)

The Nostalgic

Charringtons IPA (ND)

[Aqualung]

I hope that those who make to The Gun have a good one, it does look an interesting list.

Well Said! I definitely Won't be there and hope that anyone who does go doesn't leave disappointed or feeling they have been fleeced.

[london calling]

I'm afraid that isn't the case. In theory filtering the beer and pasteurising (ie boiling!) it is the only way to eliminate yeast and that is beyond the capabilities of most microbreweries. If it is pasteurised and there is no gas pressure then it will come up as flat as a pancake.

I don't know what different procedure is carried out for doing keykeg stuff rather than cask, but I can find out tomorrow if I still have any sort of coherence when I get to the William from the George in Croydon.

Even the global abomination's rubbish will build up gunk (mainly yeast) in the lines if they are never cleaned.

I would suggest that not giving beer lines a deep clean often enough is the main cause of indifferent beer in pubs that have a decent throughput of beer.

Another thing that can kill a barrel of real ale is a cellar that is too cold. I remember visiting the Fuller's Clapton Anchor and Hope on a bitterly cold night and the ESB came up like Engine Oil. I assume then that they relied on the cellar's position under the pub by the canal to achieve cellar temperature, but does any modern cellar actually include temperature control to warm it up?

Are none of the correspondents former publicans that can confirm this? I'm certainly not!

Kegs and key kegs have the yeast filtered out. Camra tested key kegs at last years gbbf but could find little or no yeast in the beers.Thus no key kegs at GBBF.I doubt if any of the new wave brewers would pasteurise the beer.

[Thuck Phat]

Another new one from me: Black Jack Royal Flush, brewed by a former Marble brewer and my word he's done a good job. An incredibly flavourful traditional IPA style beer at 5%. Easily at the top end of good and I suspect with 3 or 4 pints would make it into A&H's F*****g Brilliant. Sadly, I only had two so Good it is.

The updated list:

A&H's F*****g Brilliant

Roosters/Odells - The Accomplice 5.7% (A&H)
Salopian - Kashmir 5.5% (TP)
Marble - Lagonda IPA 5% (TP)
Darkstar - Green Hopped IPA 6.5% (MD)
Blue Monkey - Ape Ale 5.4% (TP)
Oakham - Untouchable IPA 9% (TP)

The Good

Brew Dog - Punk IPA 5.6% Keg
Thornbridge - Jaipur IPA 5.9%
Art Brew - Monkey and Spanked Monkey 6.4%
Acorn - Scorachi IPA 5.5%
Bingham - Space Hoppy IPA 5%
Tryst - Raj IPA 5.5%
Moor Pacific IPA (OB)
Kirkstall Dissolution (OB)
Darkstar Green Hopped IPA (PoH)
Penzance Brewing IPA (BF)
Kernels Simcoe IPA (PoH)
Wadsworths Henrys IPA (A1)
Buxton Axe Edge Double IPA (PSM)
Summer Wine Diablo IPA (PSM)
Redemption Big Chief (PSM)
Thornbridge Seaforth IPA (RobC)
Hopdeamon Skrimshander IPA (Wit)
Old Dairy Blue Top (Wit)
Acorn Santiam IPA (O Blue)
Brains IPA (Mil)
Tring XL IPA (Mil)
Fernandes Motueka IPA (A&H)
Summer Wine Kahuna (A&H)
Ilkley Lotus IPA (TP)
Brewdog Hardcore IPA (Sp)
Stone Ruination IPA (Sp)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (Sp)
Rat King Rat (Sp)
Orkney Wayfarers IPA (A1)
Marble Dobber (OB)
Oakham Green Devil IPA (O Blue)
Dancing Duck Abduction IPA (Dan B)
Fullers Benghal Lancer (TP)
Red Squirrel Redwood American IPA (BF)
St Austell Cornish IPA (TP)
Ironbridge IPA (OT)
Ridgeside Southern Cross (TP)
Off Beat Out of Step IPA (TP)
RCH Hewish IPA (MD)
Thwaites Indus IPA (MD)
The Kernel Citra IPA (Sp)
Beavertown 8 Ball Rye IPA (BF)
Whitehorse Saracen IPA (MD)
Sharps Atlantic IPA (MD)
Wantsun IPA (OT)
Clun Citadel (OT)
Tiny Rebel Urban IPA (OT)
Harviestoun Wild Hop IPA (O Blue)
Sunny Republic Hop Dog (PSM)
Yeovil Posh IPA (PSM)
Elland Big Dog IPA (OT)
Acorn Calypso IPA (OT)
Lincoln Green Sheriffs IPA (A1)
Navigation Classic IPA (A1)
Old Dairy Hop Top Double (RPA)
Great Heck Yakima IPA (A&H)
St Austell Proper Job (MD)
Pheonix West Coast IPA (TP)
Acorn Millenium IPA (TP)
Redwillow Shameless IPA (TP)
Magic Rock - Craft Magic 3.2% (PoH)
Brodies - Dalston Black IPA Keykeg (Aqua)
Brodies - Hackney Red IPA Keykeg (Aqua)
Canterbury - Loco IPA 3.9% (Wit)
Darkstar - Belgian IPA Bottled 7.2% (MD)
Williams - Caesar Augustus Bottled 4.1% (TP)
Mordue IPA 5.1% (MD)
West Coast IPA 6.3% (A&H)
Surrey Hills - Greensand IPA 4.6% (MD)
Tryst - Carronade IPA 4.2% (TP)
Kent Brewery - Enigma Black IPA 5.5% (AL)
Milk Street - Gulp IPA 4.8% (MD)
Acorn - Sybilla IPA 5% (TP)
Siren Craft Brew - Sound Wave West Coast IPA (Aqua)
Siren Craft Brew - Liquid Mistress West Coast Red IPA (Aqua) - Great name
Black Jack - Royal Flush 5% (TP)

The Bad

Greene King - IPA
Caledonian - Deuchars IPA
Marlow - Rebellion IPA
Brains - IPA
Wells - Eagle IPA
McMullen's IPA (BF)
Tring XL IPA (TP)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (Wit)
Phipps NBC India Pale Ale (TP)
Holts IPA (A&H)
St Austell Podium IPA (TP)
GK IPA Gold (MD)

The Nostalgic

Charringtons IPA (ND)

[Aqualung]

These three seem to have gone missing from the latest list :-

Windsor & Eton - Conqueror Black IPA (Aqua)
Clarence & Frederick IPA (Aqua)
London Fields - Shoreditch Triangle IPA (Aqua)

Surely Darkstar American Pale Ale is an IPA? I doubt if many would call it anything less than good. The Adnam's / Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA in Spoons this month I thought was outstanding, but it is only a one off and I also thought the Wadworth / Chelsea Sunset Red was good, certainly the best Wadworth's brew I've had in many years, possibly ever.

[Mobyduck]

These three seem to have gone missing from the latest list :-

Windsor & Eton - Conqueror Black IPA (Aqua)
Clarence & Frederick IPA (Aqua)
London Fields - Shoreditch Triangle IPA (Aqua)

Surely Darkstar American Pale Ale is an IPA? I doubt if many would call it anything less than good. The Adnam's / Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA in Spoons this month I thought was outstanding, but it is only a one off and I also thought the Wadworth / Chelsea Sunset Red was good, certainly the best Wadworth's brew I've had in many years, possibly ever.

So has the Andwell Red IPA .

[london calling]

Well Said! I definitely Won't be there and hope that anyone who does go doesn't leave disappointed or feeling they have been fleeced.

Up to £9 a pint apparently but they did do 1/3 measures. Still a bit too much.

[Thuck Phat]

Whoops - apologies, they've now been reinstated.

The updated list:

A&H's F*****g Brilliant

Roosters/Odells - The Accomplice 5.7% (A&H)
Salopian - Kashmir 5.5% (TP)
Marble - Lagonda IPA 5% (TP)
Darkstar - Green Hopped IPA 6.5% (MD)
Blue Monkey - Ape Ale 5.4% (TP)
Oakham - Untouchable IPA 9% (TP)

The Good

Brew Dog - Punk IPA 5.6% Keg
Thornbridge - Jaipur IPA 5.9%
Art Brew - Monkey and Spanked Monkey 6.4%
Acorn - Scorachi IPA 5.5%
Bingham - Space Hoppy IPA 5%
Tryst - Raj IPA 5.5%
Moor Pacific IPA (OB)
Kirkstall Dissolution (OB)
Darkstar Green Hopped IPA (PoH)
Penzance Brewing IPA (BF)
Kernels Simcoe IPA (PoH)
Wadsworths Henrys IPA (A1)
Buxton Axe Edge Double IPA (PSM)
Summer Wine Diablo IPA (PSM)
Redemption Big Chief (PSM)
Thornbridge Seaforth IPA (RobC)
Hopdeamon Skrimshander IPA (Wit)
Old Dairy Blue Top (Wit)
Acorn Santiam IPA (O Blue)
Brains IPA (Mil)
Tring XL IPA (Mil)
Fernandes Motueka IPA (A&H)
Summer Wine Kahuna (A&H)
Ilkley Lotus IPA (TP)
Brewdog Hardcore IPA (Sp)
Stone Ruination IPA (Sp)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (Sp)
Rat King Rat (Sp)
Orkney Wayfarers IPA (A1)
Marble Dobber (OB)
Oakham Green Devil IPA (O Blue)
Dancing Duck Abduction IPA (Dan B)
Fullers Benghal Lancer (TP)
Red Squirrel Redwood American IPA (BF)
St Austell Cornish IPA (TP)
Ironbridge IPA (OT)
Ridgeside Southern Cross (TP)
Off Beat Out of Step IPA (TP)
RCH Hewish IPA (MD)
Thwaites Indus IPA (MD)
The Kernel Citra IPA (Sp)
Beavertown 8 Ball Rye IPA (BF)
Whitehorse Saracen IPA (MD)
Sharps Atlantic IPA (MD)
Wantsun IPA (OT)
Clun Citadel (OT)
Tiny Rebel Urban IPA (OT)
Harviestoun Wild Hop IPA (O Blue)
Sunny Republic Hop Dog (PSM)
Yeovil Posh IPA (PSM)
Elland Big Dog IPA (OT)
Acorn Calypso IPA (OT)
Lincoln Green Sheriffs IPA (A1)
Navigation Classic IPA (A1)
Old Dairy Hop Top Double (RPA)
Great Heck Yakima IPA (A&H)
St Austell Proper Job (MD)
Pheonix West Coast IPA (TP)
Acorn Millenium IPA (TP)
Redwillow Shameless IPA (TP)
Magic Rock - Craft Magic 3.2% (PoH)
Brodies - Dalston Black IPA Keykeg (Aqua)
Brodies - Hackney Red IPA Keykeg (Aqua)
Canterbury - Loco IPA 3.9% (Wit)
Darkstar - Belgian IPA Bottled 7.2% (MD)
Williams - Caesar Augustus Bottled 4.1% (TP)
Mordue IPA 5.1% (MD)
West Coast IPA 6.3% (A&H)
Surrey Hills - Greensand IPA 4.6% (MD)
Tryst - Carronade IPA 4.2% (TP)
Kent Brewery - Enigma Black IPA 5.5% (AL)
Milk Street - Gulp IPA 4.8% (MD)
Acorn - Sybilla IPA 5% (TP)
Andwell - Red IPA 4.5% (MD)
Conwy - Riptide (Aqua)
Windor & Eton - Conqueror Black IPA (Aqua)
Clarence & Frederick IPA (Aqua)
London Fields - Shoreditch Triangle IPA (Aqua)
Acorn - Barnsley IPA (Aqua)
Siren Craft Brew - Sound Wave West Coast IPA (Aqua)
Siren Craft Brew - Liquid Mistress West Coast Red IPA (Aqua) - Great name
Black Jack - Royal Flush 5% (TP)

The Bad

Greene King - IPA
Caledonian - Deuchars IPA
Marlow - Rebellion IPA
Brains - IPA
Wells - Eagle IPA
McMullen's IPA (BF)
Tring XL IPA (TP)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (Wit)
Phipps NBC India Pale Ale (TP)
Holts IPA (A&H)
St Austell Podium IPA (TP)
GK IPA Gold (MD)

The Nostalgic

Charringtons IPA (ND)