Ale, Beer, Stout appreciation

I recently tried Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer. A lovely thirst quencher. Only 4% abv but gorgeous.

I fucked up massively last night. Was in Waitrose for a change and overwhlmed by a wealth of unfamiliar choices I ventured away from my usual drops: Badger's Golden Champion/Stinger, London Pride, Spitfire and this lovely stuff: http://www.shepherd-neame.co.uk/beers/index.php?bottle_1698 Mmmmm. Lovely. I like strong hoppy beers.

So last night on a bit of a whim I went for a bottle of Tribute http://www.tributeale.co.uk/ which I have to say was lovely. Then it all went wrong. I was intrigued by a new (to me) Badger ale called Blandford Fly. I bought two bottles without reading the label. It turned out to be super sickly sweet and spiced with ginger. It really was retchingly sickly. I poured it away and put the other bottle away in a cupboard out of sight. The last one of my four was a bottle of St Peter's Organic bitter. It comes in an oval profile bottle and I remember getting quite into it at the last Bright Times. I must have been high that day or something because inoffensive and bland as the initial sip was it has a honking stinky waft of an aftertaste that shoots up your nose like a wheelie bin on a hot day. Cabbage farts and dettol. Fucking disgusting. I persevered for about a third of it then poured the rest away too.

So of the four bottles of beer I bought last night I actually only got one. Rubbish.

Last night involved 4 bars and at least these three some Zubrowka and some others I can't remember.

So last night on a bit of a whim I went for a bottle of Tribute .

Tribute is one of my all time favourite ales, If I go to a pub with Tribute I really have to show restraint, I can happily put away 5 or 6 pints of this.

Try Tribute out of a pump Dooks, infinitely tastier in my opinion.

great thread!

anyone clued up on good micro-breweries in london? google found me one in london bridge and bunker bar in covent garden. There's also a pub called 'William IV and Sweet William' out in leyton that brews it's own. Any more?

I've gone on a bit of a Shepherd Neame drive lately. A friend of mine has just moved to to Faversham in Kent and i've by coincidence i've got some work on nearby at the moment as well so i've been over a fair bit. It's home to the Shepherd Neame brewery and there's some lgreat little pubs. A pint of Masterbrew in a lovely old pub on a stormy/sunny sunday afternoon was the way I fell very pleasantly from the four-week waggon. The 1698 bottled ale is fantastic as well.

Dooks if you are down that way pop in to the Rose & Crown at Perrywood, they keep their ale really well and do good food as well.

Have to agree with the Whychwood brewery, Hobgoblin and Whytchcraft beers
Fursty Ferrett and Tanglefoot from the Badger brewery is very nice
Harveys is good if kept well.

If ever you find a pub selling Larkins Porter give it a go and mix one half and half with Larkins Traditional it brings out a toffee flavour he only brews the porter November to February.

The Black Sheep ale is good especially straight from the barrell in a Yorkshire pub :)

FWN, heard about your bump off YACF. Hope you're doing better.

Beer is a good healer.

This stuff is the business on draught.

All over this at the moment. Quite sweet, but not sickly. File next to milk stout.

FWN, heard about your bump off YACF. Hope you're doing better.

Er?

That looks ace, Crispin! It's made about 20 miles from me, but I've never tried it. I'll get a half doz for the weekend.

There are some great Sammy Smith's pubs here in the City, but a pal reckons the one nearest her in York is rough as old guts.

Same here. Mine is called 'The Butcher's'. It's a fucking hole. People queue outside at ten in the morning, waiting for it to open. It does a roaring trade.

Heh, sounds like the place I used to work at. Not a pub; a Department of Housing area office in Sydney. Every morning there'd be a fresh batch of native Aussies, new in town, waiting to sign up.

Er?

http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26636.0

Forgot my log in so unable to profer best wishes on that forum.

I figured that it was unlikely to be another guy calling himself Fixedwheelnut on the interwebs

Anyone brewing their own? I've been thinking about it for a while, gonna read up on it over christmas i think and get started early next year

Just found this, seems good: http://www.howtobrew.com/

I'm from Yorkshire and have drunk in many of the less reputable Sam Smiths pubs . They are on the whole, a bit rough. But this gives them a certain character. They are not like in London, where they seem to be all in the novelty olde worlde vein. They are just like normal local boozers. Sam Smiths old brewery bitter is something to be savoured within, say 20 miles of Taddy. But IME it does not travel well and most of the pints I've had in London have been not great. However they are unwaveringly cheap, which goes in their favour. Sorry about the waffly post but I'm on hold with Tiscali and bored.

used to brew ginger beer, but could never get it right. easy enough to make something that'll get you festive though!

I believe the most important aspect is keeing everything sterile. And using the right sugar.

Also, speaking of micro-breweries, the best I've come across is called Emersons, at the very end of the world from here, in Dunedin, NZ. If you ever see it for sale in London, please, let me know!

My old man has some home brewed ginger beer in the fridge/cupboard. I should err taste test it for him..

Meanwhile, it's all about dodgy Aussie beers nowadays..

http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26636.0

Forgot my log in so unable to profer best wishes on that forum.

I figured that it was unlikely to be another guy calling himself Fixedwheelnut on the interwebs

Cheers my mates bought me round a nice bottle of Highland Park malt for medicinal purposes :)

Cheers my mates bought me round a nice bottle of Highland Park malt for medicinal purposes :)

Good folk.

Looking forward to a few of these at Christmas

Just got back from your odd country Hippy and I had some pretty awesome beers.

Mountain Goat Pale Ale

Moo Brew American style Pale Ale

Little Creatures Bright Ale
To name but a few

Never touched a Tooheys, XXXX, VB etc
My brother in law and his family brew their own beer to a pretty high standard. I even spent the evening drinking free beers with these guys
http://www.beerandbrewer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=175&Itemid=10

When I was in San Francisco a while back, every off license sold Anchor Steam Beer. One night when I didn't want to see anyone, I bought a six pack and some guacamole and some salsa and had a night of awe-inspiring blokeishness. That beer was delicious. Anyone know where I can buy some over here?

When I was in San Francisco a while back, every off license sold Anchor Steam Beer. One night when I didn't want to see anyone, I bought a six pack and some guacamole and some salsa and had a night of awe-inspiring blokeishness. That beer was delicious. Anyone know where I can buy some over here?

shouldn't the wine shop on Old Street have a decent selection? Not sure it has anchor, but should have some good beers

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&q=old+street&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=old+street&hnear=London&hl=en&view=map&cid=650715008632528703&ved=0CBEQpQY&ei=1pgWS_aXE-G8jAeYkJCFDQ&ll=51.526742,-0.081475&spn=0,359.979594&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.526716,-0.081662&panoid=jd56nZoFU8tsRxZBO0Bu6g&cbp=12,2.54,,0,18.72