Met the family for a Christmas lunch at this pub and had a couple of halves of Fullers London Pride (4.1%) to wash it down. It tasted good and I was pleased to be able to drink beer rather than wine with a meal.
Staying in Mannings Heath near Horsham for Christmas. The local custom here is to buy in minipins of real ale to drink at home over the festive season. What a good idea!
We went over to King's brewery and picked up a polypin and to the Beer Essentials (see 25th November) for a couple of minipins. All of this was, of course, chosen and ordered in advance.
The boxes were set up in the kitchen and left to settle for a couple of days, all the beer being sedimented.
Arundel Gold (4.2%): Usually a lovely slightly hoppy bitter with a beautiful aftertaste, this was disappointing as it never really settled.
King's Horsham Best Bitter (3.8%): A good drinking beer as it's not too strong, with a slightly earthy taste that disappears after the first mouthful.
Dark Star Festival (5.1%): Usually called Essential Beers Festival when I drink it, this is one of my favourite beers of all time and it was fantastic to be able to get up and drink it for breakfast in my pyjamas. Which I only did once.
As I'm staying in the area for Christmas, I popped down to the Malt Shovel to hear the band that was on, the Okee Dokee Band. The band was excellent (although four of the six band members played the guitar at some point - is it a competition?) and there were seven draught ales to be tasted. Everything was set for a good evening!
Rebellion Sleighed (4.2%): So light in colour it looks like lager, but tastes delicious. A delightful hoppy beer although only tastes about 2.8%.
Brakspear bitter (3.4%): Tangy, slightly sharp bitter, as last visit, tastes ok.
Three B's Santa's Skinful (4.0%): Dark, warm and syrupy beer. Not great.
B & T Turkey's Trauma (4.3%): Standard, plain bitter. Nothing bad about it but nothing good. Nothing Christmassy either.
Springhead Rudolph's Ruin (4.1%): Again, plain tasting with nothing special about it. I could, however, imagine it going down very well with some roast beef. Maybe that's all the beer I've drunk.
Thwaite's Good Elf (4.9%): Very yummy, full bodied dark beer. Doesn't taste as strong as it is, dangerous sort of beer. Glad I only got a half in that respect.
Bazens' Santa's Reinbeer (4.3%): Almost tasting of perfume, this beer reminded me of the delicate sweet flavour of whisky. An interesting light beer.
Went down to Horsham again to play in the monthly session at the Malt Shovel.
This time I was determined to keep a track of all the beers I tasted.
Brakspear bitter (3.5%): Tasted a lot better than it did last time I was here (see 2nd December entry) but still not the greatest beer.
Fullers London Pride (4.1%): Surprisingly pleasant, flowery tasting bitter.
Timothy Taylor Landlord (4.3%): Thinner and hoppier than the pride but with an excellent flavour. Sweet and pleasant.
Badger Tanglefoot (4.9%): This tasted tangy and over-flavoured, but still a decent pint.
I really wish I knew why sometimes most of the beer here is very good and sometimes it's really bad. Luckily today was a good day. The session was good too.
Visited this pub on the corner on Smithfield Market near Farringdon with a large group of people. A Shepherd Neame pub, it had four real ales on and, of course, I managed to sample them all.
Shepherd Neame Late Red (4.5%): A very tasty red bitter served at just the right temperature. Yum.
Shepherd Neame Masterbrew (3.7%): Flatter than the Late Red but with a complex aftertaste. Interesting, especially as I thought I didn't like this beer.
Shepherd Neame Spitfire (4.5%): Surprisingly flavourless after the others, which shows how good they were rather than showing this one up, I think.
Shepherd Neame Bishop's Finger (5.0%): Again, this one tasted a little flat, but still a decent pint served at the right temperature.
I inadvertently started with the best beer which made the others taste not so good. An excellent range of excellent beers kept in excellent condition. The pub was too crowded for my liking and had a little too many "traditional" effects, but I could not fault the beer.
Another Tuesday night drinking session in Balham. This time the pub had some Christmassy beer to go with its Christmas decorations which have been up for weeks.
Archers Mr Frostie (3.8%): Served very cold, this was a very light hoppy beer. Tasted ok, but would have been better with a little more alcohol. It also tasted a bit flat, but this might have been the temperature.
Shepherd Neame Spitfire (4.5%): After the weak Archers, this tasted very strong and full bodied. Always a decent pint.
Again, a Weatherspoon's is selling beer too cold. Something needs to be done.
Popped into my favourite pub in London to meet a friend for lunch.
St Peter's Grapefruit beer (4.7%): A delicately grapefruit flavoured wheat beer - very tasty. Another St Peter's beer which really hits the spot. Shame its elderberry brother has been discontinued.
The final part of a short pub crawl around Horsham...
Badger King & Barnes' Sussex Bitter (3.5%): I tried this when Hall and Woodhouse started making it several years ago and was really impressed. However, if today's beer was anything to go by, it has changed a lot recently. Very disappointing, flat beer with not much flavour. Maybe it was the end of the barrel, although my knowledgeable companion said it always tastes like this. Served too cold and barely drinkable.
In spite of the disappointing beer, the pub was a revelation. I must have been here a lot as a child as I recognised the interior and had a strong feeling of deja-vu. A very comfortable and cozy pub with an open fire although it did take an inordinate amount of time to get served.
So we popped into the local Weatherspoon's on the way past to see what they had to offer.
Smile's Holly Hops (4.8%): Extremely cold, dark beer. Tasted of burnt toffee, chocolate and maybe a hint of cinnamon. Was an interesting flavour once it warmed up. The beermad.org.uk website says this beer is 5.0% and dead, so maybe it has recently been ressurected for the season.
Cotleigh Red Nose Reinbeer Xmas Ale (5.0%): Despite it's name and appearance this tasted like stout. In spite of it's name, there was not a hint of any Christmassy ingredients. Good beer but unexpectedly like stout.
I have to say the beers here were better than those at the Malt Shovel, although, as usual for Weatherspoon's, far too cold.
Managed to taste four of the seven real ales this pub had to offer:
Black Sheep Best Bitter (3.8%): Fairly tasteless bland bitter. Not very impressive, I actually struggled to finish my half, which doesn't happen often.
Brakspear Bitter (3.5%): Even more tasteless than the Black Sheep. Was glad I was only tasting someone else's drink as I couldn't have drunk much of this. Dull and lifeless.
Grand Union Liberty Blonde (4.2%): Bland but not nearly as bad as the others so far. Slightly spiced in flavour and, as the name suggests, pale yellow in colour.
Adnams Broadside (4.7%): Solid tasting decent pint. There was still a hint of the tasteless beer about it, but drinkable nonetheless.
We decided to move on after this as the beers really didn't seem to be up to much. I'd love to work out why sometimes all the beers are great here, and other times they're all a bit tasteless. Never experienced this before.
Was very reserved and only tried one beer today - Highwood Tom Wood's Havest Bitter (4.3%). A decent beer, slightly hoppy and fresh tasting. Was good enough to get a second pint when the alternatives were Spitfire and Courage Best.
Walked round to the local from where I was staying. This was a large friendly pub in the village offering food, real ale, live music and an open fire. The beers were on gravity which is pretty unusual in a village local.
Timothy Taylor Landlord (4.3%): Slightly flat but I guess this is to be expected from a gravity pint. Otherwise tastes like Landlord, perfectly acceptable bitter.
Fuller's London Pride (4.1%): A little sharper than the Landlord and distinctly colder too. Strange as the two barrels were sitting next to each other. Either due to the temperature or maybe the beer itself, this seemed to have much less flavour than the Landlord. Still a good pint.
It became obvious during the second round that the Landlord had reached the end of its useful life. The barman was extremely quick to change the pint by tapping the new cask, and sure enough, the beer quality significantly improved. Shame it wasn't so obvious the first time round or I'd probably have beer even more complimentary.
During the afternoon, the staff introduced us to the dog (Barney) and we were made to feel very welcome. A cozy and pleasant pub.
Popped into the beer shop in Horsham to pick up some take-away ale.
Of the choices available, I managed to shortlist four. We decided to buy two bottles of four pints each, so the choice had to be narrowed from four to two. Naturally, tasting was the only way.
Cottage Frosty Wippet (4.2%): Incredibly delicious beer. This one's made the top two.
Cottage Deltic Diesel (4.7%): The initial taste wasn't so good but it definitely got better with drinking. In the end glad it ran out before we had to choose whether or not to buy any.
Essential Beers Festival (5.0%): A local classic. One of my favourite beers of all time. But as I know it well, am going to give something else a try this time.
Arundel Gold (4.2%): As it is likely there will be some around at Christmastime, thought I should give it a try just to make sure it passes the test. And damn fine beer it was.
So the Wippet and the Gold were bought and sampled in greater quantities. Both were excellent bitters and very drinkable. What an excellent shop!
Couldn't resist a trip to this old haunt of my parents as I was in the area.
On a Saturday lunchtime there were lots of cars in the car park outside but only nine people in the pub! I forget what rural pubs are like. I have only ever used this pub as a meeting place prior to going on elsewhere, but this time the visit was purely to inspect the beer.
Harvey's Old Ale (4.3%): Very mellow, smooth, soft beer. Not a strong flavour but good nonetheless.
Harvey's Sussex Bitter (4.0%): Excellent bitter. What can I say? Tastes exactly like I would expect a good beer to taste.
Hammerpot Red Hunter (4.3%): Very interesting and unusual bitter with a hoppy taste I haven't come across before. The hops cut through a mellow bitter flavour.
Simon, the knowledgeable and enthusiastic landlord, insisted I had a taster of the Hammerpot beer from Arundel. He explained it is a new brewery, a year old, so only appears in the most recent Good Beer Guide. Which reminds me I need to got hold of a copy.
I didn't try the fourth beer (Weltons Pridenjoy) although this seemed to be what most of the clientele were drinking. As it's from Horsham, I'm sure I'll get the chance again. All in all an interesting visit to a friendly pub.
Again, the post evening class drink took place at the local Wetherspoon’s. After last week’s delightful beer I was hopeful of a good pint.
Oakleaf Piston Porter (4.6%): Being a bit of a porter fan I thought I’d give it a go. It was a pleasing tasty pint although opinions differed as to whether the liquorice the pump clip advertised could be tasted.
Marston’s Pedigree (4.5%): Served cloudy, obviously the dregs of the barrel. Why the bar staff sold it I have no idea. Was sent back and exchanged for Greene King Abbot which I didn’t feel the need to taste.
Once again the beers suffered from being kept too cold. This pub’s beer quality seems to vary widely and unfortunately this wasn’t one of its better days. Strange choice of month for Christmas decorations, in my opinion.
Popped into my local for a swift half and a gossip and tried a few beers of the interesting range available at this Wetherspoon’s.
Itchen Valley Fagins (4.1%): Peppery light beer, pleasant but not as good as other Itchen Valley beers I’ve tasted recently. Good hoppy aftertaste.
Stonehenge Ales Old Smokey (5.0%): Pleasant, mellow stout with an interesting but sweet flavour.
Greene King LBW (4.4%): I wasn’t going to have any more beer, and GK’s not my favourite, but never having seen it before I felt it my duty to sample this. A sharp initial taste led to a rounded, hoppy flavour. Although unmistakably Greene King, this unusual dark bitter was better than IPA or Abbot. Possibly the best pint of Greene King I’ve tasted.
Overall, the beers were good, and, other than my usual Wetherspoon’s complaint of the low beer temperature, I was impressed with both the range and quality of the beers. It’s a shame the company policy of no TV sport has changed, as this detracted from the beer.
Back to this Wetherspoon's for a few drinks after an evening class in Balham. Luckily my companions allowed me to sample their beers, as my first pint was so good I had to have more of the same.
Titanic Iceberg (4.1%): Beautiful, tasty, refreshing, light-coloured beer. Lovely! The best beer I've tasted in this pub. Possibly the best beer I've ever had at a Wetherspoon's. The only complaint was that it was served too cold.
Wychwood Dog's Bollocks (5.2%): Standard bitter with an overbearing and unnecessary level of alcohol. Otherwise very pleasant although again too cold.
Shepherd Neame Spitfire (4.5%): Good tasting bitter with a caramel flavour. A decent pint but not good enough to stop me drinking the Iceberg.
A brief word with the barman on leaving about the temperature of the beers resulted in him agreeing with us and saying that they were planning on "turning the temperature up". As this is the chain which advertises "the coldest beer in town" on its pint glasses, I'm not holding my breath.
Was invited to the Sunday night folk and blues club at Ruskin House, the Trade Union and Labour Movement Centre on Coombe Road in Croydon.
Never having been there before, my first concern was, naturally, the availability of a decent pint.
Not only was the barman not able to supply us with any beer, he had neither sparkling water nor lemon which was my second choice. However, after a small glass of soda water, I was promised some real ale within the half hour.
Sure enough, both Courage Best (4.0%) and Flower's IPA (3.6%) appeared within the timeframe. Not being a Courage fan I opted for the the IPA. It was drinkable but not great.
This agrees with my experience with private members' clubs to date, so I'm looking forward to breaking the stereotype at some point.
The club was good though and I can't fault the friendliness of the guy behind the bar.
I was working in the area and was persuaded to stop for a beer or three at this rather pleasant pub. I've been there before, but only in the summer when the beer garden is open.
Of several real ales available, I was able to try just two. I also sampled some Leffe.
Young's Winter Warmer (5.0%): a very tasty pint although kept too cold for my liking.
InBev Leffe Blonde (6.6%): tastes like Leffe, really, what can I say? Maybe I shouldn't have included it! Great if you like this sort of thing.
Caledonian Deuchars IPA (3.6%): Tasted a bit weak and watery after the stronger beers but nevertheless fruity and pleasant. Good but not special.
A good atmosphere, and although it wouldn't be to everyone's taste with a large part of the pub set out as a restaurant, there are different areas all with direct access to the bar.
Went down to Horsham again as I had been persuaded to play in the monthly session.
This had the benefit that I was entitled to some of the beer provided for participants. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find out what all of it was.
However, a few beers were ordered from the bar and so I knew what these were!
Crouch Vale Essex Boys bitter (3.5%): reasonable tasting light-coloured beer but I wouldn't particularly want to drink it all night
Hog's Back Hair of the Hog (3.5%): tasty darker beer
Acorn Barnsley Gold (4.3%): another lightish beer, perfectly pleasant
I will make more of an effort next time to work out what I'm drinking.
Having had two not so successful visits to the Five Bells in Streatham, I decided to make it my mission to find some good beer in the area.
First port of call was my out of date (2005) Good Beer Guide. This lists three pubs in Streatham: the Hogshead (now the Five Bells), the Crown and Sceptre (the Wetherspoon’s near Streatham Hill which I know can serve good beer) and the Pied Bull. Never having been to the latter I decided to give it a go.
The good news was that it wasn’t as far away from where I live as I originally thought, on the High Road pretty much opposite the common.
This is a big barn of a pub (Young’s) and although the Sky TV was on showing football, it didn’t intrude too much into the rest of the space.
The Young’s Bitter (3.7%) was very tasty. I’m quite a fan of ‘mixed’ so I didn’t taste the Special on its own. I also left the other beer (was it Wells Bombardier?). The ‘mixed’ (half Bitter, half Special) was excellent too.
Actually, having thought about it, these beers might actually be Wells & Youngs now. Which would certainly explain the presence of the Bombardier.
The food was perfectly acceptable so this was a good find.
Went out with a big group of friends for lunch to this large pub overlooking Portsmouth. The views were truly spectacular. The food was good. The beers were Ringwood Best, Adnam’s Broadside and Spitfire.
I chose a pint of the Ringwood Best (3.8%) to have before the meal and this was a good choice. Tasted lovely with a good bitter flavour although it was very cold, I’d say about 6º, which although far too cold for beer somehow didn’t inhibit the flavour. Even my friend who doesn’t like beer said this one was ok!
Later I had a half of the Shepherd Neame Spitfire Ale (4.5%) and although it was served at a better temperature, it’s fruity flavour didn’t taste so good with what I was eating.
Nevertheless a pleasant pub with lovely scenery, good food and pleasant beer. If I ever find myself in Portsmouth again I may look it up.
Was persuaded into my local for a quick half. Unlike last time I went in, when there were three beers on, this time there was no sign of the Ruddle’s, so I was reduced to drinking Greene King IPA (3.6%). It was incredibly cold which was probably just as well because it didn’t taste so great. Having had a half I was quite pleased not to drink any more.
Please leave me a comment if you know of any good pubs in Streatham. This is an emergency! I should point out that the staff are absolutely lovely, it's just the beer that's the problem.
Went down to the Malt Shovel again to meet some friends and participate once more in the beer festival. This was the first time I’ve been here when there’s been no live entertainment, and for the first time the Sky TV made its presence felt. Who needs to watch golf with the sound on?
Anyway, I tried a few beers. This time, for some reason they didn’t taste so good, and I couldn’t work out if this was me or the beer.
Belhaven 80/- (4.2%): Ok bitter with a slightly flat taste, nothing special
Belhaven St Andrews (4.9%): similar to the 80/- but with a strange aftertaste
Skinner’s Cornish Blonde (5.0%): adequate light beer, but I’m still not totally convinced, I wouldn’t rush out for more of this
Hyde’s Mild (3.5%): very clear, red beer, doesn’t look or taste in the least bit like mild, but quite pleasant in spite of that
Hepworth Pullman (4.2%): tasty bitter, the best so far though that doesn’t say much
Itchen Valley Hampshire Rose (4.2%): interesting, complex taste with a flowery flavour and a hint of coffee
Wells Bombardier (4.3%): tastes like I expect it to (I don’t know, I’ve already had lots to drink)
I was staying in the area, so I didn’t need to worry about trains back to London. Instead we sat around and drank some of those bottles of St Peter’s I bought earlier.
St Peter’s Cream Stout (6.5%): not so good and I struggled to finish it, ok but not as lovely as I know stout can be
St Peter’s Ruby Red Ale (4.3%): pleasant and very drinkable but so much better from the cask
Oh and I know I tried something else but having drunk all that I couldn't remember long enough to write it down. Or maybe I couldn't write by that stage.
Went out at lunchtime to get some bottles of beer. The obvious place was the JT, a St Peter’s pub on Britton Street, round the corner from work. This used to be a regular haunt, so I know the beer’s good and I know they sell bottles.
So I ended up buying a mixed case of 12 – well it was the cheapest way and I’ll try and keep a record of what I think of them.
In the meantime I couldn’t resist the tempting barrels behind the bar, so had a small half (don’t tell my boss) of St Peter’s Mild (3.7%). And lovely it was too, a smooth taste backed up with an interesting flavour.
The barman was incredibly helpful in spite of my stream of questions and even the other customers were pleasant and chatty, a rare thing in a City pub at lunchtime.
Went down to Horsham to buy some beer from the beer shop (The Beer Essentials on East Street). I discovered when I got there it was closed.
I wasn’t going to return to London without beer so I felt my only option was to go to the Malt Shovel for a pint or two. This had the added benefit I could continue work towards the festival fleece (see previous post ‘The Malt Shovel’).
Over the course of the evening there were eight ales on and without the distraction of Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby at 6.0%, I was able to be very sensible and start with the weaker beers.
Rebellion Mild (3.5%): Immensely drinkable, could have happily stayed on this all evening. Beginning to think I’m a bit of a mild fan. And Rebellion is fast becoming one of my favourite brewers.
Triple fff Alton's Pride (3.8%): Tasty bitter but nothing too special, with a pleasant nutty flavour.
Dark Star Espresso (4.2%): Had this a couple of times before (GBBF05 and my local Wetherspoon’s) so I know it’s very bitter and takes a bit of getting used to, but I was amazed to find that right from the first sip this was a delicious, smooth, coffee flavoured beer.
Dark Star Golden Gate (4.5%): Wow! The second beer of four I could happily drink all night, beautiful golden bitter with an interesting complex taste.
Robinson’s Unicorn (4.2%): Note from the out-of-sequence strengths that I wasn’t looking forward to this one – the Robinson’s Old Stockport at the Horsham Beer Festival at the beginning of the month was undrinkable – and I was not wrong. I bought a half, took three sips and moved on. Revolting, vinegary taste. Someone likened it to ‘gone off oranges’.
Salopian Shropshire Gold (3.8%): This came on during the evening. Had a nice, rounded flavour and was very clear for a beer just tapped. Good, standard bitter.
Hop Back Entire Stout (4.5%): Rich, pleasant stout.
Archer's Crystal Clear (5.0%): Good bitter with a sharp, flowery flavour. Someone likened it to Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, which I would agree with, Landlord when it’s kept properly.
Not only was there a beer festival on, the Malt Shovel also provided entertainment in the form of a singer, Martyn Rapley. He sang mainly rock covers and in spite of filling the end of the pub with a PA, wasn’t unpleasantly loud, as well as being an excellent singer.
A pint of the Rebellion Mild finished off the evening (well I had to check how good it was in case I’d been mistaken) and I managed, in spite of drinking four and a half pints, to get back to London without incident.
Met some friends for a drink in Balham, a normal occurrence for a Tuesday.
Someone got there early and chose the Marston’s Wicked Witch (4.6%) to start. This wasn’t a great beer, tasting dull and flat, although drinkable.
I ordered next and chose the Hyde’s Original bitter (3.8%), while also getting a taster of the Bateman’s Strawberry Fields (4.2%). The Hyde’s was also disappointing, lifeless bitter. One of my friends didn’t even finish it, which has to be a first!
As its name suggests, the Bateman’s was an intensely strawberry flavoured beer. While being unusually palatable for a beer with a strong, sweet fruit flavour, I decided we wouldn’t want to drink whole pints of it. In retrospect this was probably the best of the three guest bitters.
Generally I leave an establishment pleased with the beer choices I have made, but on this occasion I think the beers I didn’t drink – Marston’s Pedigree and Everard’s Pitch Black stout (4.3%) – can’t have been worse than the ones I did.
Maybe the beers just haven’t been kept properly and the ones I missed out on would have been as lifeless as the ones I tried. Who can tell at a Wetherspoon’s?
Popped down my local for a pint only to find the choice was limited to Greene King Abbot Ale, Greene King IPA or Ruddle's County (4.3%). I reluctantly chose the latter and was amazed to discover that it tasted ok. Quite drinkable. Greene King, all is forgiven. Hang on, what am I saying? All is not forgiven but you do make a drinkable pint of Ruddle's County. Enough said.
I shouldn’t really have gone to this as I had loads of things to do, but I was persuaded by several factors, one being the likelihood of decent beer.
A polypin (36 pints) of Milton’s Dionysus (3.6%) awaited us and it was not disappointing. I had begun to think that I prefer stronger bitters, but this ale proved me wrong. It had a lovely gentle hoppy taste and a delicate flavour. What was especially refreshing, if I can use two meanings of the same word at a time, was that I drank three pints without feeling the effects of the alcohol.
Despite the opinion of most of my friends, I do not want to spend all my waking hours drunk, I just like drinking beer.
A friend had brought a few bottles to the party and next we tried Ruddle’s Orchard (4.2%). Containing concentrated apple juice, the bottle promised “an instant apple hit”. While the beer tasted like perfectly acceptable bitter, the apple hit was from the smell rather than the taste of the beer. Somewhat over-sold and I can’t see it being anything other than a novelty drink.
The next bottle opened was Hepworth’s Iron Horse (4.8%). I don’t know what I was expecting but this was a revelation. Fantastic taste for a bottled beer although reminiscent of the weaker Welton’s Horsham bitter, mentioned a few posts ago. Having just checked my notes, in fact Hepworth make the Welton’s bitter, so I shouldn’t be surprised. The extra alcohol in the Iron Horse worked better with the flavour than in the Welton’s bitter and this was an excellent find in terms of a quality bottled bitter. I will be drinking more of this.
Next on the menu was my offering for the party, some Essential Beers Festival (5.1%), decanted “from the barrel” from The Beer Essentials shop in Horsham. This is a copy of the dearly departed King and Barnes Festive (5.0%) and all those in the know agreed that this excellent beer did indeed taste like Festive, an old favourite in my social circle! Lovely! It is just a shame that the presentation cannot be improved as I think other people at the party would have tried it had it not been presented as dark brown liquid in a 4 pint milk bottle.
Anyway, we managed to demolish most of the Dionysus and I got back home without incident. Thanks Christian for the party and the excellent beer!
Popped down to Horsham last night to have a beer and hear a few tunes at the Malt Shovel.
There was a sign up in the pub saying “The Malt Shovel – home of traditional fine ales and Horsham’s beer festival”. The canny readers of this blog will notice a pattern emerging here. I’ve been down to Horsham three times now in the last two weeks and each time, guess what? A beer festival. Not that I’m complaining.
This particular beer festival is based on the premise that the pub will be selling a hundred different real ales over a five week period. Each beer they put on is given a number. Each drinker is given a card and when you buy a beer, that number is crossed off your card. Trying 40 beers gets you a commemorative polo shirt or pint glass while 80 gets you a fleece.
I was lucky, or unlucky, depending on how you see it, to discover this at the end of the first week.
How excited was I when I got to the bar and the first pump clip I saw was for Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby (6.0%)? My weakness got the better of me and I ordered a pint. Although it was good, no, very good, I think it tasted slightly better at the Horsham Beer Festival (30th Sep – 1st Oct; see a few entries back).
I was given my card and had my beer crossed off. I was disappointed not to get a list of the hundred beers along with my card, but I did find a copy of this on the wall. Apart from a few typos (e.g. “Green King”) it seemed quite complete with a good representation of local offerings.
During the evening I also tried:
Highgate Special (3.8%): tasty, crisp and hoppy, a lovely beer that even tasted excellent straight after the 6.0% mild
Black Sheep Bitter (3.8%): a pleasant standard kind of bitter, nothing too exciting
Everard’s Tiger (4.2%): interesting taste, couldn’t quite describe it by this stage in the evening
I had planned to try the Harvey’s Sussex bitter and possibly the Hydes beer that was on, but having waited at the bar for several minutes after ‘last orders’ was called, I wasn’t served before ‘time’. I was not impressed! Until this point all the staff had been very friendly, pleasant and efficient.
The music, again following the theme of this blog, was provided by the musicians of the Broadwoods (actually, I’ve no idea how they describe themselves, they’ve probably got a much snappier name than that) and it was excellent. The traditional modal tunes are in my blood through listening to this stuff since before I can remember, and I always love it, paticularly the tune they played called “Sprigs of May”.
I was reminded that I wasn’t in London when a fire engine went by with siren on, and everyone put down their drinks and looked out the window! Later a police car stopped outside with lights flashing. This time even the music stopped as necks were craned to try and see what was happening. Fantastic!
So only 76 beers to go to get that fleece. With four more weeks of the festival to run and a possible average of five beers per visit, I make that 25 visits. As I live about 50 miles away, I can’t see it happening – but I’ve kept the card safe, just in case.
Got invited down to Horsham again this week, this time to Welton's Brewery which is on the industrial estate off Foundry Lane, near the station. Apparently this is an annual event so how it's passed me by so far I don't know. Anyway, I shirked my usual Friday evening responsibilities and got on the train.
I was a bit confused by the set-up, I imagined having to pay for entry to the event, or at least pay for the beer, but it was all free. A true piss-up in a brewery! Thanks Ray!
About 70 people were present and we were served Welton's Horsham Old as well as some bitter and porter. Music was suppied by the Broadwoods and morris dancers from Ewell appeared and did their thing.
Horsham Old (4.5%): pleasant and drinkable but flavourless
Horsham Bitter (3.8%): weak dishwatery beer (but maybe that's after drinking the Old)
Horsham Porter (8.1%): strong but no flavour to back up the alcohol
So to summarise, the idea was excellent (free beer, mmm), the company was good, the beer wasn't so great. I'm also a bit confused because according to beermad.org.uk, the Old and the bitter are brewed by Hepworth (another Horsham brewer) and the porter by Arundel. Do Welton's actually make any of their own beer?
In spite of drinking about six glasses (not full pints) of the old and two of the bitter, I managed to get the train back to London without incident.
I worked behind the bar at this excellent annual event and got to taste some interesting and local beers.
Of course my favourite was the Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild (6.0%), which is, in my humble opinion, one of the best beers created by man (or should that be woman?!). What a stunning pint! I encourage anyone reading this not familiar with the beer to go check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Except obviously I'd prefer it if you didn't drink too much of it in Horsham because that way there'll be more left for me.
Other beers of note at the festival this year included Rebellion Red (4.7%), a new find for me. I've tried the Blonde before (beautiful from the cask, forget it in bottles) and this was possibly even better.
The two beers from Surrey Hills brewery were very popular and pretty nice. Shere Drop at 4.2% was a very drinkable light coloured beer with a good flavour. The Gilt Complex (4.6%) which replaced it was a delicious bitter.
Entertainment was provided by the Broadwood morris men and their musicians.
Went to GBBF06 which this year for the first time was held at Earls Court. It was very big, there were hundreds of beers and I got to take home a 1/3 pint glass.
I attended on several days, which ones have now faded from my memory, but I was definitely there on the Saturday as I participated in the CAMRA Young Members Bar Crawl. Not for the faint-hearted, that's all I'm saying.
My beer of the festival was Nethergate's Augustinian Ale which was so delicious I think it's a serious contender for MY FAVOURITE BEER EVER. Wow. They had another Nethergate beer on too and that was also excellent.
I sampled over 60 beers in the few days I was there but I won't bore you with all the others.
