A pub is for life not just for Christmas
Kent
Rother Valley-Boadicea Ale 4.5%abv.A goldenish well rounded best bitter.Boadicea, a hedge hop is notable for being resistant to aphids, (which are a major problem in hop growing), thereby reducing the environmental impact of the crop.
"At that moment I would have given a kingdom, not for champagne or hock and soda, or hot coffee but for a glass of beer" Marquess Curzon of Kedlestone, Viceroy of India.
Bit of variety:
TT Landlord
Green Duck Dakota*
Purity Longhorn IPA (keg)
Everards Old Original*
Ossett Excelsius*
Really enjoyed the Dakota but it was pipped by BOTW Ossett Excelsius. A 5.2%, beautifully balanced, pale ale with British malt and cascade hops creating a very smooth, easily drinkable and moreishly bitter belter.
"Beer is food." Morse, Colin Dexter
Daventry,Brentford and Croydon
Timothy Taylor -- Landlord (>3PT)
Vale -- Red Kite *
North Cotswold -- Hung,Drawn and Portered
Mad Squirrel -- Illuminate
Oakham -- Citra *
Tiny Rebel -- Voodoo People Oatmeal Stout
Brew York -- Haze of Thunder
Five Points -- Railway Porter *
Laines --Darkling Stout
Titanic --Plum Porter
Oakham -- Green Devil IPA
Oakham -- Bishops Farewell *
Beavertown -- Gamma Ray (keg)
BOTW goes,not for the first time ,to Five Points Railway Porter on top form in The Express Tavern.
Next week a few days in Glasgow,virgin territory and could get heavy.
"Good people drink good beer" Hunter S Thompson
Dark Star Hophead
Dark Star Revelation*
Fullers London Pride
Ilkley Olicana*
Titanic Plum Porter
Timothy Taylor Landlord
XT 22
Mallisons Nelson Sauvin
Saltaire Citra*
Oakham Citra*
Oakham JHB*
Beartown Kahoona
Goffs Cheltenham Gold*
Three Acre Hazy Pale
Manchester Tara Stout*
This weeks BOTW is Ilkley Olicana a beer that got better and better the further down the glass I got, showing (to me) UK hops can be very interesting as well as tasty. Much enjoyed in
The Harp.
"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
-W.C.Fields
Managed to get to the pub twice, this week, so things really are looking up!
North Riding - US Session Pale.*
Chin Chin - Rising Storm.
Stancill - Jarryl.
Five Towns - Blue, Blue, Electric Blue.*
Nailmaker - Cardinal Sin.
Acorn - Gorlovka.*
Nailmaker - Yorkshire Bitter.
Empire - Blonde.
Titanic - Plum Porter.
Rat - White Rat.
BOTW goes to an old favourite, taken in the Anvil Arms, Darton. As an aside, does anyone else think that Plum Porter has become sweeter of late? I know it's always been a bit of a Marmite beer, but the dry finish, to counter the fruity taste, seemed to be lacking, when I tried it on Friday. Hope it's not a classic case of bean-counters interfering with the recipe.
'And where he supped the past lived still. And where he sipped the glass brimmed full' John Barleycorn, Carol Ann Duffy.
Not a brilliant week, my fault for exploring the pubs of Fulham:
Adnams - Ghost Ship (c)**
Beavertown - Neck Oil (k)
Brewhouse - Tramshed (c)**
Camden - Pale (k)
Dark Star - Hophead (c)**
Eternal - Northern Monk (c)**
Five Points - Best (c)**
Five Points - XPA (c)**
Guinness - Guinness (k)
Hammerton - N1 (c)
Long Man - Best Bitter (c)
Moor Brewing - Hoppiness (c)
St. Austell - Proper Job (c)**
Sambrook's - Wandle (c)
Something Forgotten Craft - Tasted of Fish (c)
Thornbridge - Jaipur (c)**
Timothy Taylor - Landlord (c)*
BOTW goes to Leigh on Sea - Gettin' Figgy With It (c) at The Cock Tavern
My last two tasting have been in the same 'spoons in Croydon and certainly were less than perfect but that could always be sloppy work in the cellar.Next time I'm in and around Stoke will be a better place to see whether someone has been mucking about with the brew.I hope not.
"Good people drink good beer" Hunter S Thompson
Got out a little bit more last week (Oxfordshire) and actually managed to get some reviews done . Cask unless stated:
Everards Golden Hop (3.5%)
Tring Side Pocket For A Toad (3.6%)
Dark Star Hophead (3.8%)
Camden Pale Ale (4.0%) (k)
Siren Midnight Merriment (4.0%)*
Oakham Citra (4.2%)
XT 3 (4.2%)
Rudgate Ruby Mild (4.4%)*
Nene Valley Egyptian Cream (4.5%) (c)
Siren Pastel Pils (4.8%) (k)
Little Ox Winterlust (4.9%) (c)*
Moor Beer Stout (5.0%) (c)
Oxford (formerly Shotover) Oxford Porter (5.0%)
To Øl Red Eye Stout (5.0%) (b)
Sori Hypothermia (5.1%) (b)
Arbor The Devil Made Me Brew It (5.5%) (c)
Little Ox Dark & Seedy (5.5%) (c)
Dogma Quasar Black IPA (6.0%) (c)*
New Bristol Old Fashioned Stout (7.0%) (c)
Williams Brothers Profanity Stout (7.0%) (c)
Arbor Boomchocolaca (8.0%) (c)
Home drinking was bit of a muchness really, with only the local Little Ox brews doing anything to stand out from the pack. I fell on good fortune when a Friday night visit to my local saw a four-ale line-up of XT 3, Oakham Citra, Rudgate Mild and Siren Midnight Merriment and it seemed rude not to give each of them a go. All in superb shape, but being a sucker for a dark beer this week's BOTW ended up being a toss-up between the Rudgate and Siren. Mild isn't a style I tend to see in these parts that often and it certainly travelled well, but despite its proximity, the winner had the robustness of a stout, without too-high an ABV and a hint of caramel in the mouthfeel:
BOTW: Siren Midnight Merriment
"Breakneck speed we drown ten pints of bitter"