Beer of the Week (w/e 4th February 2018)

[ROBCamra]

Real Ale Ray: Vocation Heart & Soul
Wittenden: Goacher's 1066 Old Ale
Mobyduck: Titanic Cappuccino Stout
Aqualung: Thornbridge Crackendale
Bucking Fastard: Tring India Stout
aleandhearty: Burning Sky Aurora
Thuck Phat: Salopian Golden Thread
Komakino: Fisher's Red Ale
ROBCamra: Wiper And True Doves And Ravens

[Real Ale Ray]

Vocation - Heart & Soul

[Wittenden]

Kent:better week.
Larkin's-Traditional 3.4%abv.Probably the best Trad I've had in ages.
Goacher's -Special House Beer 3.8%abv.Full of earthy Tovil goodness.
Goacher's-1066 Old Ale 6.7%abv. My first meeting with this legendary Old Ale.Unctuous,raisins and tart plums:Granny's dark old sherry.
Kent-Prohibition 4.8%abv. Pale, though for some reason I think of this as a dark 'un.Keenly floral.
Whitstable-Oyster Stout 4.5%abv.Black roasty stout.Probably first out of the day.Fulfilling.
Old Dairy-Blue Top 4.8% abv.Oatstraw:spicy,biscuity.Good pint of Blue.

My BOTW-Goacher's 1066 Old Ale

[Mobyduck]

Animal Hop Cat
Oakham Citra
Surrey Hills Ranmore
Purity Pure Gold
TT Landlord
Flowerpots Perridge Pale
Springhead Outlawed
Titanic Cappuccino Stout

Without a doubt its the stout, BOTW Titanic Cappuccino Stout closely followed by the Springhead Outlawed, both enjoyed in the excellent Alfred Freehouse.

[Aqualung]

Not many great beers in this list :-




Springhead Exodus 3.7%
Marston's Pedigree 4.5%
Fuller's Damson Porter 4.6%
Burton Bridge Burton Ale 4.8%
Froth Blowers Riverside Stout 4.8%
Nene Valley Hop Stash Simcoe 5.0%
Greene King Abbot 5.0%
Stancill Black Gold 5.0%
Millstone True Grit 5.0%
Anarchy Urban Assault 5.0%
Holden's Special 5.1%
Thornbridge Crackendale 5.2%



The easy winner is the Thornbridge Crackendale as tried for £3.20 in the Wolverhampton Great Western. It's a pale hoppy ale (what else?) and very drinkable.
Burton Bridge seem to have made a good job of recreating the old Ind Coope Burton Ale, maybe GK should think about that!
The Millstone True Grit was as good as ever.


BOTW Thornbridge Crackendale

[Bucking Fastard]

A poor week by any standard.

Adnam's -- Broadside
Fuller's -- London Pride
Tring -- India Stout *,BOTW from The Old Cross Tavern.Tring continue to impress me,this was a fine 6% stout,with hints of sweetness ,coffee and chocolate but not difficult to down and a good example of the style.

Next week back in Banbury and surrounding villages so should be a longer list.

[trainman]

The Millstone True Grit was as good as ever.


[/B]

I loved this in Ye Olde Vic quite some time ago, but have not seen many Millstone beers around anywhere.

[aleandhearty]

Average sort of week. A couple of beers to quicken the pulse, but over all fairly ho-hum.

Great Heck - Voodoo Mild.
Fernandes - Hophead Pixie.
Fernandes - Jackdaw Mild.
Waen - Lemon Drizzle.
Hilltop - Bitter.
Rat - White Rat.
Rat - Mother Rat.
Empire - Moonrakers MILD.*
Tigertops - Union Pacific.
Burning Sky - Aurora.*
Coniston - Special Oatmeal Stout.
North Riding - Citra Pale.
Dark Star - APA.
Stod Fold - Dry January.

Not much in it between Aurora and the Moonrakers, but I'll give it to the former as I've not nominated it before.

[aleandhearty]

...but have not seen many Millstone beers around anywhere.

Rare as hen's teeth in my neck of the woods, even though I live only twenty five miles away, as the crow flies, from the brewery. Last time I had a Millstone beer (Tiger Rut) was 2014 and that was in Sowerby Bridge. I mention that to highlight the fact that their distribution radius seems very tight to the brewery. (OK, Jim. I plead guilty. It does sound like Real Ale Twat-ishness I believe the landlord's name was Colin...)

[Bucking Fastard]

I loved this in Ye Olde Vic quite some time ago, but have not seen many Millstone beers around anywhere.

There always seems to be a Millstone beer on the the Station Buffet,Stalybridge on the rare occasions I'm in there,if that's any help.