keeping it real........ ales that is! (Read 228270 times)

SA Chris · February 20, 2009, 01:48:42 pm

Quote from: Eddies on February 20, 2009, 12:12:20 pm

Marstons double drop is my latest tipple, really clean and refreshing... No hangovers either... BONUS!

Black Isle claims to give you no hangovers either. But given enough of the stuff I have successfully disproved this.

moose · February 20, 2009, 03:37:20 pm

Quote from: dave on February 20, 2009, 01:42:27 pm

i've never had a wack copper dragon - all their shit is well brown.

aye.... Golden Pippen, Scotts 1816, the Black Gold dark mild, and the Challenger IPA are all really good. The Osset brewery do similarly complex, hoppy shizzle. Not to be confused with the Otley Brewery, who although good, are somewhat confusingly for Yorkshiremen, Welsh. If you're ever in the area the Booth's in Ilkley has one of the best selections of bottled foreign / real ale around.

My own recent favourites:
Rochefort 10: incredibly vinous, strong Belgian wonderment.
Brewdog - Paradox: Imperial Stout aged in whisky barrels, smokey and chocolately.
Hambleton - Nightmare: really smooth and rich porter, with chocolate and coffee flavours (like Copper Dragon, Hambleton are a Yorkshire brewer whose ales are all great).
Great Divide - Titan IPA and Goose Island - IPA: incredibly hoppy American IPAs, hugely bitter and grapefruity.
Schnieder Weisse - Aventinus: a Weizenbock (strong, dark German wheat beer), truly bizarre - flavours of banana, bubblegum, cloves and spices.
McEwan's - Scotch Ale: strong, dark, and hugely raisiny and malty "heavy" ale (on special Morrisson's, at 8% abv in a 500ml bottle that's plenty of bang-for-your-buck).

All are available bottled, although some only from posh supermarkets / beer specialists. Yep... you guessed it, I am possibly as anal about beer as I am about films (that said, noone seems to find such behaviour risible when it's wine related).

Incidentally, if anyone fancies a project / more constructive approach to alcoholism I can recommend 300 Beers to Try Before you Die:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/300-Beers-Try-Before-You/dp/1852492139
It's one for the "tickers" (it even has spaces for your own scores!). So pretty spoddy, but it gives dole-scroungers like me an excuse for sitting about drinking - "but, I'm not sinking into beer-fogged despair... I'm reviewing"!

dave · February 20, 2009, 03:46:53 pm

i always laugh at the notiong of "things to do before you die", as if you might be putting a few things off to do after you die.

a nice mild i had recently was Thwaites Nutty Black:

They've got it in the psalter tavern, handy for those going to the BMC gig next week.

moose · February 20, 2009, 03:59:04 pm

The canned version of that Thwaite's stuff, sold as "Dark Mild", is my current favourite for budget sessioning. Really nice and smooth with loads of flavour for such a weak beer (3.3% abv) . Incredibly cheap too at around £2.50 for 4 cans in the local "Home Bargains" shop (and not much more expensive in most supermarkets either). Although, I can't quite decide whether I'm amused or irked that they renamed it - presumably because their new target don't want to be seen as "mild" drinkers.

TobyD · February 22, 2009, 10:24:18 pm

Quote from: moose on February 20, 2009, 03:37:20 pm

Great Divide - Titan IPA and Goose Island - IPA: incredibly hoppy American IPAs, hugely bitter and grapefruity.

definitely second the Goose Island IPA, closest i've found to my favourite, Deschutes Inversion IPA.

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brews/year-round-brews/inversion-ipa/default.aspx

Their Porter is bloody good too.

moose · February 22, 2009, 11:08:57 pm

Aye, I'm well into my USA and Belgian beers at the mo' (currently chilling with a bottle of Kwak). I really want to sample more of those monstrously hopped american IPAs I keep hearing about - Bell's Hopslam, Russian River's Pliny the Elder etc - but I just can't find stockists . The only US beers locally avaialble are the usual suspects by Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn, Goose Island.... sadly no Deschutes.

Paul B · February 23, 2009, 11:45:56 am

A while ago (at Thyme in Sheffield) I sampled Jaipur and wasn't much impressed, I think it was on tap...After Oz made such a fuss about it on their little adventure I was once again tempted when I saw it on the drinks menu on Saturday night:

Much, much better than I remembered it.

dave · February 23, 2009, 12:00:38 pm

had a bottle of this other night (cheers banks), it was well lively, very agreeable:

Paul B · February 23, 2009, 12:13:30 pm

is that the ruby? I've only seen it in packs and by that time there's been enough rattling around in the trolley.

Jaspersharpe · February 23, 2009, 12:27:18 pm

Quote from: Paul B on February 23, 2009, 12:13:30 pm

is that the ruby? I've only seen it in packs and by that time there's been enough rattling around in the trolley.

dave · February 23, 2009, 12:35:03 pm

its the Best.

Iesu · February 23, 2009, 01:25:41 pm

Quote from: creamtime on February 22, 2009, 10:24:18 pm

Quote from: moose on February 20, 2009, 03:37:20 pm

Great Divide - Titan IPA and Goose Island - IPA: incredibly hoppy American IPAs, hugely bitter and grapefruity.

definitely second the Goose Island IPA, closest i've found to my favourite, Deschutes Inversion IPA.

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brews/year-round-brews/inversion-ipa/default.aspx

Their Porter is bloody good too.

had that goosey shit on tap in Chicago ILL last Feb. sweet as.

I wouldn't call myself an ale aficionado, but there is some good stuff around over the pond. My family's local brew is the Great Lakes brewery. Good stuff although I've never seen it on sale over here. shame
www.greatlakesbrewing.com/

Dolly · February 23, 2009, 02:40:30 pm

Popped to the Bradfield Brewery this lunchtime to pick up a couple of these

£15 each or 2 for £25. Thought that was decent value at £1.42 a pint for anyone coming round to mine to watch the Champion's League matches over the next few weeks.

GraemeA · February 23, 2009, 06:05:50 pm

I will do some painstaking research on behalf of the quaffers of UKB and head off to Tescos on Abbeydale Road complete with a large van. It's a dirty job but............................

I will report back in an hour or so but don't expect there to be any left.

Also you might be interested to know that for our 'everyones a winner' raffle at the CWIF we are looking at getting a barrel of Beyond Hope, brewed near Castleton. Should be interesting.

moose · February 26, 2009, 07:02:27 pm

Diary dates for the bibulous:

Bradford Beer Festival, Saltaire, Feb 26th-28th - THIS WEEKEND!!!!
http://www.bradfordcamra.org.uk/fest2008.html
and yes, despite the URL, this is the site for the 2009 festival

Leeds Beer Festival, Pudsey, March 19th-21st
http://www.leedsbeerfestival.co.uk/getting-here/

Plattsy · February 27, 2009, 03:38:47 pm

The Kelham Island Boozer, Sheffield has been voted the Camra National Pub of the Year for 2008.

http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=potywinner

Don't think I've been in. Might have to pop down one lunchtime.

slackline · February 27, 2009, 04:09:15 pm

Quote from: Plattsy on February 27, 2009, 03:38:47 pm

The Kelham Island Boozer, Sheffield has been voted the Camra National Pub of the Year for 2008.

http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=potywinner

Don't think I've been in. Might have to pop down one lunchtime.

Be wary, the cunts have a no swearing policy.

Paul B · February 27, 2009, 04:30:19 pm

I prefer the surrounding pubs instead. A no swearing policy at a pub sounds like a right barrel of laughs

Plattsy · February 27, 2009, 04:40:09 pm

That is wank.

slackline · February 27, 2009, 04:42:00 pm

Yeah, I normally go to the Harlequin myself. They often have local musicians in playing, some are okay, others less so, but beers always good, and Mondays are tres cheap (plus its actually in the direction of home for me).

The Riverside doesn't seem to be open on weekday evenings since xmas. Occasionally go to the Fat Cat. It'll be interesting to see how the Gardener's Rest turns out after the refurbishment.

Paul B · February 27, 2009, 04:45:28 pm

i know far too well that the harlequin has live music, it resonates around my flat, not so bad when its ok but more often than not its sh*t. Fat cat.

Plattsy · February 27, 2009, 05:11:38 pm

Think I went in the Fat Cat once and felt a little uneasy. Seemed like we were intruding.

Might have to try a pub crawl round that way. Not been in the Harlequin. The Riverside seems alright the brief time I've spent there. Quite like the Ship on Shalesmoor Rd too. Give the Fat Cat another try and keep my mouth shut in the Kelham Island.

cofe · March 04, 2009, 01:04:40 pm

was drinking this last week. it's well jackson:

Duma · March 05, 2009, 01:30:54 am

Good tip cofe, brooklyn is the dogs. Sadly the only place I know of in bristol that sold it has shut...

Duma · March 07, 2009, 02:19:34 am

Went into what used to be my local offy the other day and discovered they now stock Brooklyn - score! they also had the porter and IPA, not tried these yet but will report back. Also walked out with:

the Lucky is an aussie rice beer - fairly forgettable to be honest, but the bottle makes it worthwhile! Not yet drunk the others, but especially looking forward to the Flying Dog IPA, the blurb implies a bit of a hop monster (and any brewery with endorsements from Hunter and Steadman must be doing something right!).