|
Post by Col ISIHAC. on Jul 19, 2007 11:59:37 GMT
Right then. I do have a sneaking feeling that we might have done this before, but how about a beery recommendation thread? I might sticky it - and we can report back on PROPER! beer encountered through the season (Just don't expect any at WLP, that's all I'm saying ) We could start with personal favourites though...draught or bottle conditioned, which mens i can include Blandford Fly (Badger) and Celebration (Fullers) At the opposite ends of the spectrum, BF is golden, with a glorious ginger edge to it - and Celebration is like ESB; only with balls! Both bottle only - so pump-wise, there's a brewery near Alton in Hants called Triple fff. MArvellously hoppy stuff, all the beers named after rock songs (Dazed & Confused, Moondance, Pressed Rat & Warthog (An award winning light mild, by the way) Stairway to heaven, Comfortably numb) travel wise last season; Salisbury - no argument. Track em down peeps!!
|
|
|
Post by coops on Jul 19, 2007 14:51:50 GMT
Had a particularly lovely couple of pints of Holden's Golden Glow at lunchtime.
|
|
samd
Steaming Bovril
Posts: 327
|
Post by samd on Jul 19, 2007 15:26:45 GMT
Can I just remind people that beer is the tool of the devil?
Now that's out of the way Guinness for me.
|
|
|
Post by ambersalamander on Jul 19, 2007 17:13:51 GMT
I am still in love with Triple fff Moondance.
I also have a bit of a crush on Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild.
|
|
|
Post by malxscfc on Jul 19, 2007 22:20:38 GMT
In Northwood (of all places) 2 years ago, we had some 'Red Rooster'. At least I think that's what it was called. That was without question the most expressive, expansive beer I've ever had. It's from the North - apparently our Hopback Brewer and their Brewer are friends, and mutually respective of each other's abilities in the craft. It was fruity and floral at the same time. It's very light in nature, with fluffy pre-tones and a similarly light nose. It wasn't high in alcohol either, so it didn't kick any ass. But the subtlety and complexity of flavour was on a scale I've never encountered in beer, either before or since! In Burgundy, however.... The Brewery produces several brews, but I can't seem to find the website. Not that I'm too bothered. Websites taste virtual, not virtuous. My only fear is that WHEN I try the stuff again, it will be an anticlimax. If so, I may have to graduate to boutique ciders...
|
|
|
Post by peekay on Jul 20, 2007 1:01:05 GMT
I had a bottle of Jennings Sneck Lifter at the weekend which was rather nice. ;D
|
|
|
Post by coops on Jul 20, 2007 8:02:43 GMT
I also have a bit of a crush on Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild. Will you be terribly jealous if I tell you that I will be the Beacon at Sedgley drinking that by about 2pm today?
|
|
|
Post by ambersalamander on Jul 20, 2007 9:18:06 GMT
Yes, so tell you what- don't tell me
|
|
|
Post by coops on Jul 20, 2007 10:59:22 GMT
Yes, so tell you what- don't tell me I won't then, like I won't tell you that we are stopping off at The Olde White Rose (Bilston) and The Bull and Bladder 9Brierley Hill) either. Mmmm....Bathams.
|
|
|
Post by malxscfc on Jul 20, 2007 19:25:36 GMT
We could start with personal favourites though...draught or bottle conditioned, which mens i can include Blandford Fly (Badger) Bought a bottle of Blandford Fly on your rec. Bizarre stuff. 'Only' 5.2%, but actually feels more than that in the mouth. Real kick ass beer - only it's lightish in colour, which confuses even more... The nose is slightly floral and malty, but the first swig is deceptively treacle! For something about the colour of Premium Lager, this comes as an odd surprise. Continues in the floral/treacle vein, almost liquorice by the end. There's a sort of spicy hop balance in there somewhere, and the effect is very sweet - not unlike a Porter. The ginger only presents itself after you've quaffed it all, and are sitting back, massaging your upper palate with your tongue. And even then, you need to re-read the bottle to remind yourself what the 'X' factor actually is. No doubt there are Microbreweries in Texas experimenting with chilli Beer... The ginger sticks in the mouth for a while, quite pleasantly, and though the floral undertones develop a little in time, the 'length' is nowhere near that of the (slightly acerbic) St. Veran I cooked with this evening. But I totally agree that this is one hell of a good beer, Sir! - even in a bottle from the supermarket!! Really rather fabulous, actually. It's still growing on me!
|
|
|
Post by malxscfc on Jul 20, 2007 19:41:55 GMT
I had a bottle of Jennings Sneck Lifter at the weekend which was rather nice. ;D Beautiful deep, dreamy rich beer colour. 5.1% so nothing nancy about it. A nice fluffy head like Thwaites does. Maybe it's a Northern thing? Treacle in the nose. Almost tar, thankyou! Wow! Another liquorice blast. Richer and more complex than the initial Blandford burst - definitely the lower chain sugars mentioned earlier -in parts of africa, on the roads to the Sugar Plantations they lay the track with the heaviest brown fractions of the sugar they distill. THIS beer contains some heavy fractions. It's not a summer drink, so is ironically quite well suited to the current weather... But it IS rather homogeneous in spirit and flavour. It's a great winter restorative, and a no-nonsense kick-ass brew. Less supple than the Blandford, and thankfully less sweet, but a really big beer nevertheless, and deserving of great respect *doffs cap*. Not sure a namby-pamby southerner like me could risk a session on it.... EDIT: Aftertaste is very similar to dark, bitter chocolate.
|
|
|
Post by coops on Jul 20, 2007 23:29:35 GMT
No disrespect Malx, but you sound just like the boring bugger I moved tables to get away from in The Beacon earlier today, he kept trying to tell me about subtle after-tastes and peppery aromas of hedgehog, it's all in the mash you know!
Beer is one of those subjects that I should be an expert on because I drink loads of it and according to the "tickers" I drink decent stuff as well, but I actually know nothing except that it tastes good and it gets me pissed!
PS I love you Malx, you're my best mate, hic.
|
|
|
Post by medibot on Jul 21, 2007 1:29:57 GMT
Lol. I found out today to my horror that sniffing a pint to take in the aromas isn't advisable with a broken nose
|
|
|
Post by malxscfc on Jul 22, 2007 22:46:50 GMT
No disrespect Malx, but you sound just like the boring bugger I moved tables to get away from in The Beacon earlier today, he kept trying to tell me about subtle after-tastes and peppery aromas of hedgehog, it's all in the mash you know! Beer is one of those subjects that I should be an expert on because I drink loads of it and according to the "tickers" I drink decent stuff as well, but I actually know nothing except that it tastes good and it gets me pissed! PS I love you Malx, you're my best mate, hic. :)Sorry. No doubt I could bore everyone on some other topic or other if I really wanted... Anyway, here's the next bit of beery stuff from our weekend. We made it to Bath, and (eventually) found Bath Ales' prime brewery tap; a Pub called The Salamander ; in John Street. That's behind Jolly's Department Store which is on Milsom Street - the extension of the main shopping street going up the hill. i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb59/Malxx/21072007018.jpgThe place was welcoming, the Barman fairly knowledgable, though it was fairly quiet at 11-30 when we got there. Between us we drank 'Gem', 'Wild Hare', 'Spa', and DaveT risked the syrupy darkness of the 'BarnStormer'. i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb59/Malxx/21072007020.jpgAll very pleasant! Pinky doen't usually drink real beer, but makes a special effort on some occasions, and reports that the Wild Hare appeared to have some fairly pronounced hallucinogenic effects! ;D A good beer trip - even if we got stranded in Warminster on the way home, though even that was better than it might have been. OASN, you know how there's always a Newport fan every year who claims they are a continuation of the former League Club, and are therefore 'the biggest Club in the Connie South', well, we saw this pennant hanging proudly - if beer-stained - over the Bar at Gloucester. I think it's pretty conclusive.... i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb59/Malxx/17072007016.jpg
|
|
|
Post by amberaleman on Jul 24, 2007 21:34:52 GMT
Right, I've a bit of catching up to do here. I too have sampled the beery delights of the Salamander in Bath -and am determined to get Ambersalamander to the place (and drinking Bath ales) when Sutton play at Bath City next April. So then we'll have Bath in Salamander in the Salamander in Bath. ;D I think the beer Malx encountered in Northwood was probably from the Rooster brewery in Harrogate. The brewer Sean Franklin is an enthusiast of aromatic hops. One of his beers that you sometimes see down south is Yankee, so-called (I think) because of the copious amounts of floral American hops used in the brew. As for flowery descriptions of beer flavours, well you can't beat a fella called Des de Moor (I think there's a reference or two to Othello in that name ) who writes in the CAMRA newspaper What's Brewing. Here's an extract from the latest issue. (The beer he's reviewing is a French bottled ale called La Rouge Flamande from the Thiriez brewery in northern France.) It's a hazy ruby amber colour with some yellowish head, and a malty nutty aroma with dense spice and a touch of hop resins. The palate is sweetish but beautifully biscuity with a sappy, meaty note of crystal malt and hints of red fruit and smoke. A wash of hops heralds more roast and biscuity notes, with a very faint touch of coal dust in a soft, satisfying finish.I love that "very faint touch of coal dust". ;D Finally, to return to ISIHAC's opening post...Harvey's in Lewes, Hop Back in Salisbury, and various East Anglian ales in Cambridge are all fondly remembered from last season. But the most unexpected delight was the Hidden pint in the Cornubia in Bristol, on the way home from Weston-super-Mare. It was so good, Medibot almost missed his train for a second pint.
|
|