Posts Tagged ‘ beer blog ’

Podcast #1: St Peter’s Brewery

26/02/2011
Podcast #1: St Peter’s Brewery

Follow @TheGuestAle The St Peter’s Brewery is based on a Suffolk farm which dates back to the thirteenth century, although the brewery has only been brewing since 1996. The brewery now crafts an incredible range of beers, six of which we sampled for this podcast at the brewer’s London pub, the Jerusalem Tavern: Golden Ale, Mild, India Pale Ale, Best Bitter, Organic Ale and Honey Porter. Not covered in this podcast but most definitely worth trying as well from the St Peter’s line are the Ruby Red ale and the Suffolk Gold. Helping editor Chris Lee with this tasting session is Suffolk-based PR consultant and real ale aficionado Chris Measures. Press play to listen to the podcast on your...

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Beer review: Manns Brown Ale

26/02/2011
Beer review: Manns Brown Ale

Follow @TheGuestAle Once a true East End brew, made in Britain since 1902, the Manns “Original” Brown Ale is now made at Burtonwood by Thomas Hardy true to the recipe of its inventor, Thomas Wells Thorpe. Thorpe was hoping to create “the sweetest beer in London”, frustrated as he was by the prevalence of IPA and stout in London drinking establishments. Manns Brown Ale mixes up pale and crystal malts along with Target hops. As such it has a toffee smell to it which matches its flavour. It’s also incredibly easy to drink with a delightfully sweet finish. Manns Brown Ale is available in supermarkets, including Sainsbury. The essentials: ABV: 2.8% Colour:  Coke-coloured black Nose:  Toffee Taste: Toffee, malty...

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Beer review: Courage Directors

26/02/2011
Beer review: Courage Directors

Follow @TheGuestAle Either in a bottle or from the pump, Courage Directors is a strong one. At 4.8% ABV it’s really one you need to respect to save getting carried away, which is easy because it’s so widely available. Directors’ brewers, Wells and Youngs, describe the beer as “Full bodied with a clean, bitter taste, balanced with a sweet burnt, malty and fruity notes with a distinctive dry-hop aroma and flavour” and I reckon that more or less hits the spot. Personally, I prefer it from the bottle. The essentials: ABV: 4.8% Colour: Rusty, uneventful Nose: None really to speak of Taste: As rusty as it looks with a slight metallic hue Our verdict: Decent enough but don’t drink...

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Beer review: Spitfire by Shepherd Neame

26/02/2011
Beer review: Spitfire by Shepherd Neame

Follow @TheGuestAle The Spitfire is one of Shepherd Neame’s flagship Kentish ales. The Faversham-based brewer has been making beer from locally-grown hops since 1698 so has had plenty of practice in creating high-quality ales. Named after the iconic fighter plane that was a familiar sight over southern England during World War II, the Spitfire is a fairly strong premium beer made from three variety of Kentish hops. Like Shepherd Neame’s other heavyweight, the Bishop’s Finger, the Spitfire has a slight fizz to it, but it’s more like champagne on your tongue than random gassiness. It tastes as ruddy as it looks, living up to the brewer’s boasts of a “spicy, hoppy” flavour. “Hints of marmalade, red grapes and pepper...

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Beer review: Fuller’s London Pride

26/02/2011
Beer review: Fuller’s London Pride

Follow @TheGuestAle London Pride is the UK’s best selling ale, according to its creators at Fuller’s, and has won a number of accolades over the decades. It’s widely available on tap and – speaking for myself – it is one of my go-to ales because it’s unlikely to disappoint. According to Fuller’s: “London Pride is a smooth and astonishingly complex beer with a distinctive malty base complemented by a rich balance of well-developed hop flavours from the Target, Challenger and Northdown varieties.” The essentials: ABV: 4.7% from bottle and keg, 4.1% in cask Colour: Rich amber Nose:  Toffee and citrus Taste: Zesty with a hint of butterscotch Our verdict: You’ll have no trouble finding this on sale. Give it...

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Beer review: Fuller’s ESB

26/02/2011
Beer review: Fuller’s ESB

Follow @TheGuestAle Ah, the ESB. I always look forward to this one. Three times CAMRA “Beer of the Year” and twice “World Champion Beer”, Fuller’s ESB is special in every way. This full bodied ale is formed from a blend of Northdown, Target, Challenger and Goldings hops, and is definitely one that any aspiring real ale fan should try. According to Fuller’s own tasting notes, the ESB is “bursting with cherry and orange, balanced by soft malty toffee and caramel notes”. Personally I think that overplays it a little but it is certainly a complex bitter that produces myriad magnificent, tongue-teasing flavours. I could wax lyrical forever on Fuller’s ESB but I recommend you just drink it and see...

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Beer review: Summer Lightning by Hop Back Brewery

26/02/2011
Beer review: Summer Lightning by Hop Back Brewery

Follow @TheGuestAle There’s nothing like drinking a beer on the very site where it’s brewed. When we went to the summer solstice at Stonehenge one time we stayed in Salisbury very close to the Wyndham Arms, where the Hop Back Brewery first brewed its flagship beer, Summer Lightning. At its time when dark ales pre-dominated Summer Lightning was a trendsetter in golden ales, emulated by other craft brewers since. The joy of Summer Lightning hits you on first pour when you feel the fizz and absorb the rich, hoppy aromas produced by East Kent Golding hops coupled with Maris Otter pale malts. You’ll also see why it has won more than 70 awards when you first taste the Summer...

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Best review: Golden Host by Jennings

25/02/2011
Best review: Golden Host by Jennings

Follow @TheGuestAle Golden ales are created using lighter varieties of malt, which allows the hops to come to the fore. This usually means a citrusy flavour, but with the Golden Host by Cumbrian brewer Jennings you get a maltier, biscuit-flavoured sensation. Jennings describes the Golden Host as “a full flavoured, golden bitter, brewed using English pale ale malt and all Goldings hops a generous handful of crystal malt has been added along with Fair Trade golden granulated sugars, giving a delicate flavour and subtle aroma.” I can’t say I was blown away by the Golden Host, especially when compared to some of the other great stuff coming out of Jennings, but it’s OK. The essentials: ABV: 4.3% Colour:  Tawny...

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Beer review: Beau by Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewing Co.

25/02/2011
Beer review: Beau by Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewing Co.

Follow @TheGuestAle Another recently established microbrewery, the Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewing Co., has produced a very characterful porter in its Beau. The porter is named after the famous 18th century dandy Beau Nash, master of ceremonies in the Kent spa town at a time when it was a seedy escape for London’s socialites. The first thing that hits you when you open the Beau is the intense smell of Marmite, or the similar yeast extract Vegemite to our antipodean friends. It’s accompanied by a hint of chocolate in the nose, but when you drink the stuff it then gets confusing…in a nice way. There is so much to take in you can only close your eyes and savour it....

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