Modest consumption this week ,but with the mild weather in the SE, the ever reliable Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold was refreshing and my BOTW,supped in The Queens Head,Harlow.
Modest consumption this week ,but with the mild weather in the SE, the ever reliable Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold was refreshing and my BOTW,supped in The Queens Head,Harlow.
Some great beers to pick from this week.
Ringwod XXXX Porter, Brodies Polska and Black Country BFG are all worthy winners but they were blown away by Bristol Beer Factory Ultimate Stout which I tried in the Rake on Saturday night.
I'd already enjoyed a lovely pint of their Bristol Stout in the Euston Tap earlier that evening, but the Ultimate Stout surpassed it. At 7.7% it's full of flavour and it slipped down very easily for such a strong beer. An early contender for Beer of the Year and Bristol Beer Factory are now firmly on my radar.
I also had plenty to choose from at Fleetwood Beer Festival especially from the local brewery Fuzzy Duck.
You have to be very careful ordering their beers as two of them are called Thumb Ducker & Cunning Stunt.
Despite all the choices at Fleetwood I'm still going to go for Moorhouse's Pendle Porter as BOTW. Tried in the Regal Moon in Rochdale on Friday.
The best thing Moorhouse's have brewed for some time in my opinion.
Lets hope that the Moorhouse's Area Sales Director keeps his promise to take Simon and I for a trip round their new brewhouse as offered at the NWAF Trade Session. I don't think he'll be selling much beer in The Baum in the near future if he reneges.
A pub is for life not just for Christmas
A pretty quiet week for me. Only tried four beers: Milton 'Sparta', George Wright Mild, Fernandes 'Chinook' and Fernandes 'Sunshine IPA'. Fortunately, the latter was in excellent nick, one of those beers that's as aromatic as it tastes. Easily BOTW.
'And where he supped the past lived still. And where he sipped the glass brimmed full' John Barleycorn, Carol Ann Duffy.
Little to choose from post a week away although another good pint in from Elland in Halifax Bomber deserves a mention. My BOTW though is Mutzig Old Lager, a very drinkable alternative to eurofizz and at 7% deceptively dangerous.
A few new beers to me this week (or should I say last week) including Weltons Wassail, Cairngorm Wildcat, Leeds New Moon and Wards Best but I will opt for the Westerham Puddledock Porter at Dartford's Wat Tyler.
I'm going to nominate a Brewdog beer that I'd not had before, Brewdog Alice Porter. Not exactly a session beer but very tasty.
I've just joined Alcoholics Anonymous - I still drink, just under a different name.
I've had a quick look at a beer rating site that I use-not that one-too complicated and up itself-and have come up with the following:
Man of Kent, Rochester
Flower -Pot, Maidstone
Bull,Benenden
Locomotive, Ashford
Bell and Crown, Canterbury
Bell Inn, Ivychurch.
These all have had Old Dairy beers recently-the Bull last Saturday!I must admit that the Bull is the only one on this list that I have been in recently-The Flower-Pot on the day Harold Wilson resigned as PM.Buses do run past the bull-service 295 I think, from Tenterden to T/Wells, and I think something must go through Ivychurch, probably one oxcart every second millenium.
"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.
Good work Wittenden.
Benenden does seem a public transport challenge, buses to/from TW take over an hour. Connections to Staplehurst may be better if the change at Cranbrook wasn't so staggered.
Can't think of a reason to return to Ashford, even for the chance of Old Dairy!
Ivychurch looks similarly remote, although possible from Ham Street and potential double with return to Red Lion Snargate.
All told, maybe a first trip to Maidstone is called for - seem to remember a handful of decent possibles were discussed when Roger headed there (with beer not his primary target!).