You can't argue with that

Couple of festival plugs

http://www.oxtedlimpsfieldbeerfestival.co.uk/

my local festival - second year and very well received last year...



http://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/article/third-annual-cpfc-beer-festival-599443.aspx

went to this last year and thought it very well organised

Both definitely worth a visit!

Great British Beer Festival

Here right now.
First half Snowdonia Ale from Purple Moose. A very pleasant start!

Admirals Ale

Just enjoying this bottle conditioned ale. Rather pleasant, quite a smooth flavour, if a little fizzier than a draught

St Austell Brewery tour

Whilst in cornwall on hols I went on the St Austell Brewery tour. Have to say they have a fine selection of beers.

The tour itself was excellent, compared with others I been on they seem to show more of the process. At the end we had samples from four of their specialist bottles:

Admiral Ale: 5% ABV - good bottled beer
Smugglers: 6% ABV - liked this one, full flavoured and rich
Strawberry Blonde: 4% ABV not sure about this, for me this didn't seem to have the class of say a Belgium fruit beer
Clouded Yellow: 4.8% ABV - this is apparently great with curries and I can see why, have bought a couple of bottles to test out that theory ;-)

Then two tokens for two halves or a pint.

The two halves I had were Tribute and Proper Job, both of which I thoroughly enjoy but with very different flavours.

Tribute(4.5 ABV) is a great session beer and Proper Job (4.2% ABV) has just the right hint of citrus without it overpowering the bitter taste.

Some people may remember a beer called Tinners well this is being phased out and replaced by Trelawny, slightly weaker, but a great taste none-the-less, had a couple of these on with a meal out whilst away too!

http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/

Once again the west country comes up trumps!!

Oxted and Limpsfield Beer Festival

Plug for my nearest beer festival, only realised it was on recently and sadly I'll be on holiday!

http://www.oxtedlimpsfieldbeerfestival.co.uk/

One thing I can guarantee, if its a nice day you couldn't ask for a better location, overlooking a cricket field with old English church in the background, what could be better. (BR station only 5 minutes walk away!)
I just hope its the start of an annual thing.

Some nice beers on offer too!

Garlic Beer

When in the Isle of Wight this year I bought a bottle of Garlic Beer, from, not surprisingly, The Garlic Farm. (Which incidentally do some fantastic relishes!)

Rather naively I thought it'd be a beer with a hint of garlic.

Initially, on opening the bottle I made the mistake of not checking that it was bottled conditioned, however I not sure that really mattered, as the beer wasn't really pouring that well out of the neck due to the whole garlic plugging its exit!!

Now I like garlic, garlic bread, Boursin cheese spread, pizza .... can I add garlic beer to that ... no.

Can I re-iterate that, no, no, no and no.

To be honest I barely took a sip, I didn't have to.

Does anyone repeat buy, other than just repeat!

Crystal Palace 2nd Beer Festival

Thoroughly enjoyed this event and was very impressed with the organisation was also impressed by the  variety and quality of beers on offer.

The event was done on a voucher basis which sped up serving and meant I knew exactly how many I'd had a the end of the day (having cleared my £19 worth of vouchers)

I'll admit I didn't tick off all the beers I had and had to do a little guess work the next day to cross of the last few, but of the ones I marked my favourites were:

Blue Monkey - BG Sips
http://www.bluemonkeybrewery.com/

Bristol Beer Factory - No7
http://www.bristolbeerfactory.co.uk/

Cross Bay - Nightfall
http://www.crossbaybrewery.co.uk/Cross_Bay_Brewery/Home.html

All of the above I would describe as good session beers, with great flavour and easily quaffable!

I had the Rev James on draft but not sure if it came out quite right - it certainly didn't appeal as much as i'd hoped it would.

I definitely had the Kent Cobnut - which was a bit too roasted for my tastes.

After which I believe I had:
East London Brewery - Nightwatchman
Itchen Valley - Godfathers
St Austell - Tribute
and
Rebellion IPA

To my shame I didn't comment on these but if they'd been horrendous I would've remembered! I'm almost certain I enjoyed the Itchen Valley as much as the ones above!! I've had Tribute many times before and liked it - in fact I'd like to think I might do a brewery tour at St Austell this year!!

Still when you are handed your festival glass this way - whose to complain!! You certainly don't get that at the GBBF!

Brains Brewery

The Rev James (Bottled variety)

4.5 ABV

A really tasty beer, fruity and spicy in the same gulp. Rich in flavour.

http://www.sabrain.com/beers/take-home/the-rev-james

This was on offer at Morrisons as part of their 4 for £5 deal, (which appears these days to be at the better end of the supermarkets promotions prices! Sadly.).

On the bottle it says "The Rev. James is brewed to a traditional recipe and has been described as having a flavour not commonly available these days." and i can't quite put my tastebuds on it but I'd tend to agree. Am I getting liquorice, it certainly has depth!

However, this is a beer to enjoy one or two of and probably not a session beer, for that, if you want to stick with Brains, I'd go for the SA

Recommended reading

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Walks-Into-Pub-Sociable/dp/0330412205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327700694&sr=1-1

Very good read. Moved along at a good pace from the start of brewing right up to the present day.

Informative without being to heavy.

Found out a good deal about breweries and pubs, and why our beer was/is comparatively weak compared to the continent ... surprise surprise ... government interferance.

Blogger has kept me out since before Christmas

Sorry folks, I hope to get back into it again now!

Shepherd Neame - Spitfire

Was in the Two Brewers saturday (near Selhurst BR station) and had a couple of fine pints of Spitfire. I had intended asking for a Late Red which I had recently had in a bottle, a very fine pint that was too. However, I guess I must have been a couple of weeks too late for that!

Still Spitfire is a fine pint, clear in colour and sharp in flavour. Very distinctive too. I was quite surprised to see they've only been brewing it since 1990!

Goering Goering Gone!

http://www.spitfireale.co.uk/spitfire-adverts/

Windsor and Eton Brewery

Guardsman Best Bitter

Went to the Croydon and Sutton Beer Festival last night and had a real find in this bitter, was my favourite of the evening. Smooth, with just the right amount of flavour as to make it a perfect session beer, not too strong at 4.2% but with plenty of taste

A relatively new brewery - only opened in 2010 but I think its one with a good future if they continue producing Guardsmans.

View the website for a list of pub that stock their beers

http://www.webrew.co.uk/ourbeers.html

GB Beer Festival overall winners

Overall winners 
Champion Beer of Britain - Mighty Oak, Oscar Wilde (3.7% ABV, Maldon, Essex) 
Second - Marble, Chocolate (5.5% ABV, Manchester, Gtr Manchester) 
Third - Salopian, Shropshire Gold (3.8%ABV, Shrewsbury, Shropshire) 

Mild category 
Gold- Mighty Oak, Oscar Wilde (3.7% ABV, Maldon, Essex) 
Silver- Rudgate, Ruby Mild (4.4% ABV, York, North Yorkshire) 
Bronze- Coastal, Merry Maidens (4% ABV, Redruth, Cornwall) 

Bitter category 
Gold- Salopian, Shropshire Gold (3.8%ABV, Shrewsbury, Shropshire) 
Silver- Teignworthy, Reel Ale (4% ABV, Newton Abbot, Devon) 
Joint Bronze- Triple fff, Alton's Pride (3.8% ABV, Alton, Hampshire) 
Joint Bronze- Potton, Shannon IPA (3.6% ABV, Potton, Bedfordshire) 

Best Bitter category 
Gold- Houston, Peter's Well (4.2% ABV, Houston, Renfrewshire) 
Silver- Country Life, Golden Pig (4.7% ABV, Bideford, Devon) 
Joint Bronze- Castle Rock, Preservation (4.4% ABV, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire) 
Joint Bronze- Bollington, Best Bitter (4.2% ABV, Bollington, Cheshire) 
Joint Bronze- Blythe, Staffie (4.4% ABV, Rugeley, Staffordshire) 

Golden Ale category 
Gold- Cumbrian Legendary Ales, Loweswater Gold (4.3% ABV, Hawkshead, Cumbria) 
Silver- Salamander, Golden Salamander (4.5% ABV, Bradford, West Yorkshire) 
Bronze- Holden's, Golden Glow (4.4% ABV, Dudley, West Midlands) 

Strong Bitter category 
Gold- Moles, Mole Catcher (5% ABV, Melksham, Wiltshire) 
Silver- Kinver, Half Centurion (5% ABV, Kinver, Staffordshire) 
Bronze- Adnams Broadside (4.7% ABV, Southwold, Suffolk) 

Speciality Beer category 
Gold- Oakleaf, I Can't Believe It's Not Bitter (4.9% ABV, Gosport, Hampshire) 
Silver- Amber, Chocolate Orange Stout (4% ABV, Ripley, Derbyshire) 
Bronze- Orkney, Atlas Wayfarer (4.4% ABV, Stromness, Orkney) 

Winter Beer of Britain winner (announced in January 2011) 
Dow Bridge, Praetorian Porter (5% ABV, Catthorpe, Leicestershire) 
Holden's, Old Ale (7.2% ABV, Dudley, West Midlands) 
Hop Back, Entire Stout (4.5% ABV, Downton, Wiltshire) 
Marble, Chocolate (5.5% ABV, Manchester, Gtr Manchester) 

Bottled Beer of Britain winners (sponsored by Hotel du Vin) 
Gold- St Austell, Proper Job (5.5% ABV, St Austell, Cornwall) 
Joint Silver- Molson Coors, Worthington White Shield (5.6% ABV, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire) 
Joint Silver- Brown Cow, Captain Oates Dark Oat Mild (4.5% ABV, Selby, North Yorkshire)

Real Ale news!

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/875505-boom-time-for-real-ale-with-trendy-new-image

This is great news, not that it surprises me.

The article mentions an increase in both younger men and women drinkers and I would confirm this too, if only by the clientele seen over the last 20 years of the GBBF.

I can remember in the first few years having a criteria and points system for spotting a certain type of gentleman, it went something like this:
10 points awarded for:

• Bushy beard
• Overhanging beer gut (extra points for an old festival T-Shirt that's far too short exposing belly)
• Sandals and socks
• Biege trousers with useful pockets (extra points for longer socks with shorts)

Extra points for a combination of the above.

Whilst some of that clientele are still at the festival, it has to be said the crowd has changed over the years and it can only be a good thing.

I have also seen two very good blogs by women (which are in my list of links), who would be in the category that the article is talking about. Here's hoping this trend continues.
And as the years go by, lets hope I don't add too many of the criteria!

Molecatcher wins award

http://www.molesbrewery.com/site/?p=696

Glad to see my taste buds aren't too bad, this was my favourite of the ones I tried on the day.

Sharp's Brewery - Doom Bar

Now I must have had a dodgy one the first time I tried this because I've tended to avoid it, until I had little choice this week. How glad I am too, this is a great pint!

I had it with a meal and then asked my wife if she minded driving home so that i could have another!! (In my defence I had just driven all the way back from the coast :-)

It's in that category that you could call a session beer.

Brewery: Sharp's (Rock - Cornwall)
Beer: Doom Bar
Style: Premium Ale 4.0%

Another beer to add to my long collection of likeable west country ales!

http://www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk/our-beers/doombar/

Here's a little bit about the name and its origins:
Where the river Camel meets the Atlantic Ocean on Cornwall’s rugged north coast, a sand bank, centuries old, known as the Doom Bar protects and calms this beautiful estuary. Sailors respect the Doom Bar knowing it to be unforgiving if met with haste or arrogance.

Great British Beer Festival 2011

Honourable mention must go to the following beer:

Brewery: Beeston (Norfolk)
Beer: On the Huh
Style: Premium Beer 5.0%

In the GBBF brochure it gave this description:
Chestnut in colour, this is an old style traditional strong bitter. Smooth, malty, rich and full bodied.
I just gave it three stars, however as it was one of the last ones I tried on the day, I honestly can't give you much more description than that!! But as it got the same marks as the Potholer it couldn't have been too bad.

Further beers I had, that got two stars, which would imply an acceptable beer are as follows:

Brewery: Braydon (Wiltshire)
Beer: Yetiz
Style: Bitter 4.1%

Brewery: Keltek (Cornwall)
Beer: Magik
Style: Bitter 4.0%

Brewery: Exe Valley (Devon)
Beer: Silverton Pride
Style: Bitter 3.9%

Brewery: Kelburn (Glasgow)
Beer: Red Smiddy
Style: Premium Ale 4.1%

Brewery: Surrey Hills (Surrey)
Beer: Shere Drop
Style: Bitter 4.2%

and finally one that only got 1 star

Brewery: Church End (Warwickshire)
Beer: Goat's Milk
Style: Golden Ale 3.6%

I had underlined citrus and dry finish and whilst I don't mind a bit of tang it's not my favourite flavour in beer. Although I seem to be seeing many more "citrus" beers at the festival as years go by. Is it an industry idea that these flavours are more palatable? Or a change in drinking habits?

Great British Beer Festival 2011

Brewery: Moles (Wiltshire)
Beer: Mole Catcher
Style: Premium Beer 5.0%

This was probably my favourite beer of the day.

I don't know anything about this brewery, its was first time i'd come across it. The best accolade I can give it was it reminded me of an old favourite of mine King and Barnes Festive, praise indeed!

http://www.molesbrewery.com/site/

The flavour description in the brochure probably backs up my claim by describing the taste as malty, spicy hop and the look as ruby, brown, and the taste - bitter/sweet, a perfect beer, maybe for a colder evening.

Great British Beer Festival 2011

Having visited last Thursday, I thought I'd pass on my thoughts about my personal favourites. I shall also do it over a number of posts. So here goes.

Brewery: Cheddar (Somerset)
Beer: Potholer
Style: Golden Ale 4.3%

This was my equal second favourite beer of the day.

http://www.cheddarales.co.uk/

This was my first beer of the festival, and I wasn't disappointed either. The taste description in the brochure said dry, refreshing and zesty, and I underlined refreshing, so there you go! With just a hint of citrus, (a hint is all you need and many of the summer beers appear to over do this slightly). A great beer on which to start the day.
Brewed in Somerset it adds to my opinion that west country beers are some of our best.