The Churchillian, Cosham, Portsmouth 29th October 2006

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.

The Five Bells, Streatham 27th October 2006

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.

The Malt Shovel, Horsham 26th October 2006

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.

The Jerusalem Tavern, Farringdon 26th October 2006

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.

The Malt Shovel, Horsham 20th October 2006

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.

The Moon Under Water, Balham 17th October 2006

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?

The Five Bells, Streatham 15th October 2006

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.

Private Party, Royston near Cambridge 14th October 2006

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!

The Malt Shovel, Horsham 12th October 2006

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.

Welton's Brewery "Old Friday Beer Festival" 6th October 2006

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.

Horsham Beer Festival 30th September - 1st October 2006

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.