Quantock Ale

This is not really a report, as this particular bottle had an unfortunate accident before I managed to sample the contents. However, I was intrigued by what I could glean from the label and so decided to undertake a bit of research. My findings are set out below.

Quantock Brewery was set up in December 2007 in Wellington, Somerset, by two partners, Rob Rainey and Ken Oxley, to brew quality real ales using traditional craft brewing techniques. All the raw materials are sourced locally wherever possible and the resulting beers are distributed to pubs mainly in the Somerset and Devon areas, although some have appeared further much further afield like the Northeast and the Isle of Wight.

They say "Our philosophy is the brew the highest quality ales using the best natural ingredients. All our beers are brewed entirely from grain and whole hop cones, the only other ingredients being yeast and water. No chemicals are added to the beer and no sugar is used to dumb down the flavour of the beer, something done in the larger breweries to reduce production costs. We want to produce beers that have flavour and character, far different from the mass produced dull beers that we tend to find in a lot of pubs."

Quantock Ale is the first ale that they brewed and is their standard bitter with a strength of 3.8% alcohol by volume. The beer takes its name from the brewery which looks out to the Quantock Hills, the first area in the country designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The image on the pumpclip and bottle label comes from a painting done for the pub sign that used to hang outside The Rising Sun Inn in West Bagborough, a pub that was owned at different times by both of the partners of the brewery.

It is amber coloured beer is brewed from a blend of Maris Otter pale malt, crystal malt and wheat malt which gives a full bodied flavour. The blend of English hops used balances this with a well rounded hoppiness and aroma. ABV is 3.8%.

All of this sounds very appealing. Perhaps I will be able to find some next time I am in Somerset, or maybe at the Great British Beer Festival

RCH PG Steam Bitter

Another brewery that I had not come across before. RCH Brewery started in the early 1980's at the Royal Clarence Hotel at Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset (hence the name). It was purchased by the Davey Family in 1984. In 1993 Graham Dunbavan was employed as a brewer and new beers were developed by him and Paul Davey. Production quickly grew from 5 barrels a fortnight to 15 barrels a week, which was the capacity of the brewhouse in the hotel. Brewing became a problem then because the brewery used all the cold water supply to the hotel in the afternoon and guests could not wash because it was all being used in the paraflow. New premises were found at a hamlet called West Hewish near Weston Super Mare. The building had been used for making cider and previously as a transport yard. This proved to be a problem as the yard was 18 inches thick with reinforced concrete. It took three weeks to dig a trench for the new drains. Finally after about three months they were ready to brew in the new 15 barrel plant. This they did quite happily until 1999 when they found that they could not keep up with demand and decided to extend the brewhouse and upgrade to a 30 barrel brew plant. The work was started in 2000 but took over 2 years to complete. More details can be found at http://www.rchbrewery.com/.

PG Steam is designed to be a complex, multi-layered ale with a floral hop aroma and a medium-bodied hoppy bitter taste with some fruit and sweetness. It was named after brewery owner Paul Davy and brewer Graham Dunbavan and was the first beer brewed at the new brewery using steam to heat the copper. I found it quite acceptable but not something I would go out of my way to find.

It is bottle conditioned. All the information given on the ingredients is that, in addition to barley and yeast, it may contain wheat, oats, rye and spelt, which I can't help thinking is unlikely to enhance the flavour. ABV is 4.0%

Red Rock Back Beach

Not only had I not heard of the brewery or the beer here, I even had to search hard on the label to discover who the brewer was! It turns out it was the Red Rock Brewery, who describe themselves on their website www.redrockbrewery.co.uk as "a four barrel brewery based in a renovated barn in South Devon which produces distinctively flavoured cask and bottle conditioned real ales using only spring water, finest malt, whole hops and wet yeast".

The brewery was started in 2006 by two teachers who shared an overwhelming interest in beer. Luckily one of them had a lifelong fascination with home brewing and (more importantly) a son, Lewis, who has had lots of brewing experience! He also had a friend, Geoff, who is a farmer with a spare barn that he agreed to allow to be used for the brewery. It is based in the village of Bishopsteignton, which they describe as the 'outback of Devon'

Back Beach is what they call "our more gentle refresher". The label only lists the ingredients as "spring water, malted barley, hops and yeast" which is not very informative. However, the website tells that it is a golden bitter beer which uses Westminster pale malt balanced with Goldings hops for a crisp, clean finish". It is 3.8% ABV and naturally conditioned in the bottle.

It is very much to my taste, and a real find (always assuming I can find it again, that is!

Nethergate Suffolk County

Both beer and brewery are new to me on this one. I have discovered that Nethergate has brewed traditional ales in the Stour Valley since 1986, firstly in the small town of Clare, in Suffolk, and then in 2005, moving to a larger brewery on the south bank of the river Stour, a mile or two down river at Pentlow. Their beers have many awards, both regionally and nationally and a recent major award was at the Chicago International Beer Festival where they were awarded the prestigious Platinum Medal for Nethergate Old Growler. Find out more at http://www.nethergate.co.uk/

Old Growler, however, is a porter, whereas County is a Best Bitter. It is a pleasant enough brown bitter, in which the fruity and malty tones dominate over the hop character. No details are given of the ingredients. The ABV is 4.0%.

Hopback Crop Circle

Well, this is a brewery I know, because I am a fan of their Summer Lightning, which seems very popular as a guest beer in pubs round here and I am not the only one because it has apparently won a lot of awards. However, I don't think that I have come across Crop Circle before.

It was back in 1986 that John Gilbert purchased the freehold of The Wyndham Arms, a public house on the outskirts of Salisbury in Wiltshire. The space in the cellar of the pub and its backyard enabled him to begin brewing ales for sale at the pub. Within two years, the beers were achieving recognition at CAMRA's beer festivals. Because of their reputation and the support of CAMRA awards, the beers began to be sold direct to wholesalers, free houses and tied houses as guest beers.To cope with this increase in demand, Hop Back Brewery Limited was formed in October 1991. It acquired the lease of a factory unit at Downton, between Salisbury and Southampton, and commenced brewing in June 1992. In August 1992, Summer Lightning won the award for Best Strong Beer at the GBBF. They now have a nationwide distribution agreement for the beer with JD Wetherperson. A great story of starting from humble beginnings and growing surely but steadily.

Crop Circle is, as its name suggests, a summer beer, sharp and hoppy. Gold in colour, it has a discernible citrus taste and a crisp and dry aftertaste. It is made with maize as well as barley and wheat malts. The hops used are Tettnang (new one on me - German apparently), Pioneer and East Kent Goldings. The ingredients list also includes coriander! The ABV is 4.2% and it is bottle-conditioned. The taste is interesting and refreshing but I felt just a little on the thin side - it would have benefited from a little more fullness.

Guinness Special Export

Well, this is one I definitely have tried before once or twice! I thought the fact that it is labelled 'Special Export' meant that it was the version that is stronger than the draught Guinness that we drink in pubs because it is what they export to countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, where it is very popular I understand. In fact it turns out that I am confusing it with Guinness Foreign Extra . This is Special Export which is sold in Belgium and the Netherlands.

It is 8% ABV (compared to four point something in pubs and 7.5% for Foreign Extra) which might explain why it is only a 33cl bottle, whereas everything else has been 50 cl. The label does not give anything away in relation to ingredients, except to say (in three languages) that it is authentic Guinness, brewed in Ireland and that it has been bottled for Anthony Martin in Belgium.

Oh, and by the way, it tasted, well.... like Guinness!