Pubs crawl on the train

http://www.realaletrail.net/

This route was made popular by James May and Oz Clarke during their programme Oz and James Drink to Britain. I wasn't a major fan of the programme which I think could have been made a lot better. But this part caught my eye and is something I wouldn't mind partaking in at some time in the future.

Someone who has done it - or at least part of it is this blogger:

http://badpoo.co.uk/2010/03/a-rail-ale-trail-afternoon-out/

It is all about beer ... honestly!

Alton's Pride - fff brewery

Squeezed in a pint of this Sunday lunchtime at the Wetherspoons at Oxted station (£2.25).

It's a really smooth pint and one I would recommend you trying. It's an easy beer to drink with a great bitter flavour.

The fff website description:

http://www.triplefff.com/index.html

Alton's Pride 3.8 % ABV
Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 2008

After years of fine tuning, our vision for Alton’s Pride is complete. A traditional amber bitter brewed using water from the Hampshire chalk hills. Full and clean tasting, initially malty then citrus fruit and resinous hop build to a quenching bitter finish.

Coniston Brewery - Bluebird Bitter

Another fine find, and another bought from Utobeer - Borough Market. A bottle conditioned real ale with a really smooth taste, if i'd have bought more I would have drunk more there and then!

http://www.conistonbrewery.com/index.htm

Via their website, I found this description:

Bluebird Bitter
3.6% ABV

Malt - Maris Otter pale malt and crystal malt
Hops - Challenger
“It is, quite simply, a wonderful beer. It is exceedingly pale (21-22 units colour), with just a hint of colour in its cheeks from the dash of crystal malt. It has a massive orange fruit aroma from the challengers, balanced by biscuity malt.

"Juicy malt and tart hops vie for attention in the mouth while the finish is tart and hoppy but well balanced by creamy malt. The bitterness rating is a substantial 36-38. The tangy fruit lingers on the back of the tongue until it develops a hint of orange liqueur.”  Roger Protz - CAMRA

I have to say units of colour and bitterness rating are a new one on me, and not something I claim to understand, but yes it was quite light but not really a 'light' flavour. I would imagine Roger was having draught which is always superior, but the hoppy and creamy references ring true, though I don't honestly remember juicy malt and tart hops vieing for attention in the mouth!

Springhead Brewery - The Leveller

http://www.springhead.co.uk/the-leveller

Had a bottle of this at the weekend and worth a visit to Morrisons for another I think!
The website description belwo is spot on I think, and the taste reminded me of my old favourite K&B Festive.

(OG 1047, ABV 4.8%)
A dark, smoky intense flavour with a burnt toffee finish.  Brewed in the style of Belgian Trappist ale.
The Leveller has won the runner up of best bitter at the Great British Beer Festival 1995
The Levellers were politically minded opponents of King Charles 1st who sought a better balance of power between the king and Parliament.  They put together pamphlets citing their demands :
An Agreement of the People, for the People"
Since February 2011, The Leveller beer is also available in bottles; nationally at Morrisons, and regionally in Oddbins, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.

Another ale from the Springhead Brewery that you may have had and enjoyed is Roaring Meg.

Top 5 Real Ales that i'd search out for in pubs

I've changed this around a bit. I think there are so many categories within real ale that its too hard to pick a favourite. So this new top 5 is independent brewery real ales that you can easily get in pubs:

Fullers: London Pride
Being a Londoner I have plenty of opportunity to sample this beer and it is so often very well served which I guess is testament to the landlord of Fullers pubs.

Charles Wells: Bombardier
This is another beer that is generally well looked after. Proud of its Englishness too which is always well received be me.

Shepherd Neame: Spitfire
Drink this regularly at the Two Brewers before venturing up to Selhurst Park, much enjoyed with a very distinctive taste

Palmers: IPA
The Claret in Lower Addiscombe Road, Croydon has this and is always a tasy brew.

Timothy Taylor: Landlord
Lovely ale!

Honourable mentions should go to: Palmers IPA. Adnams Southwold. Woodfordes Wherry. Actually this list could go on and on ...  HogsBack Tea. Dark Star Hophead, Westerham SPA.I told you it would ...

Sadly missed would have to be King & Barnes Festive

Feel free to let me know of any massive favourites that I've missed out and maybe I'll samle them and then update as time goes on.

Toad Brewery - Doncaster

I and three friends had a fine couple of days away in Doncaster over the Easter weekend. Whilst the initial lure of weekend was a drab (Doncaster 0 Crystal Palace 0) game of football (with passing mention to the excellent passionate Palace supporters). We also realised the potential of a 'few beers' oop north. And we weren't disappointed either. My cousin and a couple of his mates joined us for the first evening so we had inside knowledge of the best real ale pubs too.

First stop was the Cask Corner: Serving a number of real ales but particularly a few from the Toad Brewery.

http://www.toadbrewery.co.uk/index.html

Toad Brewery:

These beers are quite hoppy and a couple of them were too 'burnt' flavoured for my taste. Blonde on Blonde and Golden Angel being those.

That said I really enjoyed the pints of Tadpole that i quaffed! Still quite hoppy but a fine beer to enjoy and at only 3.8% you can spend a whole evening on it if you want!

Their website says of it:

A Smooth enjoyable bitter with a delicate hint of fruit to liven the palate ending in a clean dry finish.  Hopped with three specially selected hops from around the world.

A special mention goes to some of the names which made me smile too:

Dark side of the Toad, The Da Vinci Toad.

Other pubs we frequented and well worth a visit:

The Mason Arms:
Again a nice old style boozer not spoilt by being modernized and long may that continue. As I remember I had Timothy Taylor Landlord in here and jolly fine it was too!

The Plough:
Quirky old boys pub with two rooms and "outdoor" lavs. Not changed in many a year and all the better for it. Beers from the Acorn Brewery (Barnsley) and also Kelham Island (Easy Rider)

Tut n Shive:
Lively and rocky and we watched more footy on the TV, but the beer was fine I had Tadpole in here until it ran out and then a not so good Greene King IPA.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express out on Catesby industrial park but the Woodfield Farm next door also served a fine pint of Tadpole and did great food too!

St Austell Brewery

I like West Country Beers!

And last Friday I was very fortunate to get a whole evening paid and I was also very fortunate to be in a pub that served Proper Job! That pub being the Horniman on the Thames, a Nicholsons pub, which had at least another 6 or 7 beers on offer that evening.

http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/beers/cask-beers.html

Its taste is quite distinctive but not so much so that I felt the need to go onto something smoother or easier on the palette.

In truth by the end of the evening I suspect taste was fairly irrelevant!

I've enjoyed Tribute and Tinners from St Austell both of which I would recommend.