A pub is for life not just for Christmas
Wylam - Imperial Macchiato. Had a half of this 10%er in Stockton's Top of the Hops.
This week saw a visit to snowy North Wales :-
Banks's Mild 3.5%
Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale 3.6%
Purple Moose Madog's Ale 3.7%
Pueple Moose Elderflower Ale 4.0%
Purple Moose Calon Lan 4.0%
Skinners Lushingtons 4.2%
Hook Norton Big Shed Kol Schisel 4.2%
Purple Moose Chocolate Moose (keg) 4.5%
Wadworth Bagby Asphalt Jungle 4.5%
Salopian Lemon Dream 4.5%
Purple Moose Dark Side Of The Moose 4.6%
Banks's Boxing Cat Contender EPA 4.9%
Millstone True Grit 5.0%
Kinver Half Centurion 5.0%
Holden's Special 5.1%
Purple Moose Antlered IPA (keg) 5.2%
Titanic Atlantic Red 5.4%
Molson Coors Worthington White Shield 5.5%
The winner is the Kinver Half Centurion as tried for £3.60 in the Wolverhampton Great Western on the way back where there's been a 10p a pint price hike since I was last in. On the face of it this is a typical Black Country Pale but definitely has more of a hop zing behind it.
BOTW Kinver Half Centurion
Top week in Warwickshire, West Midlands and Birmingham:
Church Farm IPA*
North Yorkshire IPA
Oakham Bird Brain
Abbeydale Moonshine
Purity Mad Goose
TT Landlord*
Slaters Nelson
Frothblowers Barking Mad
Kinver Lunar Landing*
Swan Priory Porter*
Dr Morton's Clown Poison
Roosters Baby Faced Assassin*
Fixed Wheel The Sheriff
Marble Dobber*
Errant Tusk IPA*
Oakham Bishops Farewell*
Some crackers in there with all starred worthy of the title in another week. BOTW goes to Roosters Baby Faced Assassin a cracking, complex, citra single hop IPA. Dangerous.
"Beer is food." Morse, Colin Dexter
A poor week for me.
Nailmaker - Paleton.
Nailmaker - Anvil.
Jolly Boys - Jolly YPA.
Nightjar - School Night.
Hawkshead - Lakeland Gold.
Five pints of dreary suds, not a flicker of excitement from any of them. One of those weeks where you could sympathise with a casual real ale drinker, who wonders what all the fuss is about. The Lakeland Gold was probably the least worst.
'And where he supped the past lived still. And where he sipped the glass brimmed full' John Barleycorn, Carol Ann Duffy.
My week in beer:
Saucery - Magic Rock
Sir Keith - Keith Brewery
DayTime IPA - Lagunitas
Silhouette - Flagship
Dead Man's Fist - Chapter Brewing
Hop Twister - Salopian (taster)
Ostara - Neptune
Blueberry Hill Porter - Big Bog
Will O The Wisp - Big Bog
Fab Four - Rock The Boat
Shakedown Street - Melwood Beer Company
Fault Line - Salopian (taster)
Ernie's Milk Stout - Settle Brewery
Créme Bearlee - Beartown
Most of these were pretty decent and the Beer of the Week would have to be a toss-up between the Flagship Silhouette (at Ship & Mitre) and Settle Ernie's Milk Stout (at Roscoe Head) both 4.5% stouts.
For completeness I did throw a couple of ciders into the mix and while interesting they didn't top the beers for me this week.
Cherry Bakewell - Barbourne Cider Co
Bonobo Banana - Cockeyed Cider
Cheers!
Boating from Warwick to Birmingham.
Church Farm -- IPA *(3PT)
North Yorkshire -- NYPA (English IPA)
Oakham -- Bird Brain *
Abbeydale -- Moonshine
Purity -- Mad Goose
Timothy Taylor -- Landlord * (3PT)
Slaters -- Nelson Sauvingnon * (>3PT)
Froth Blowers -- Bar-King Mad
VOG -- South Island
Kinver -- Lunar Landing
Thornbridge -- Wild Raven *
Kirkstall -- Three Swords
Squark -- Crex Session IPA
Marble -- Dobber *
Oakham -- Citra
Some fine sessions and some really fine beer ,topped by Marble Dobber in Pint Shop.
Next week will be on hold until Sunday footie.
"Good people drink good beer" Hunter S Thompson
Local and Crystal Palace
Flowerpots Perridge Pale
Watneys Party 7 XPA
Milestone APA
Reunion Incredible Ale
Nethergate Old Growler
Youngs Bitter
St Austell Tribute
Sambrooks Pumphouse Pale
Marble Pint
Canopy Brockwell IPA
Timothy Taylor Landlord
Siren Yu Lu
BOTW goes to the reliable Marble Pint in good shape in Walker Briggs.
"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
-W.C.Fields
I don't post on these very often, but had to mention the superb North Riding Rum & Raisin Mild.
On leaving the bar, I felt a strong blow to the back of my head. Turning round, I discovered it was the pavement
lots of good stuff this week
thameside -cormorant stout
cloudwater -mild
ilkley -sweet mary jane
tynebank -sanguinello
marco Paulo -welterweight
marco Paulo -choc mild
west berks -maggs mild
Bristol beer factory-coffee stout
London beer factory -hazy daze
five points -ddh ipa
fourpure -daintree
thornebridge -yelamu
thornebridge -grapefruit halcyon
London beer factory -dance juice
magic rock -luminance
crate -ipa
best of that lot was the Bristol beer factory -coffee stout -cask perfection