Quercus Origin

Another "quaffing ale" from Quercus (see September 6) and another very good one. This one is described as "a smooth easy drinking amber ale with the moreish sweetness of the malt perfectly balanced by the refreshing floral aroma and taste of Fuggles hops." Again, I really liked it.

The reference to Fuggles is the only clue about the contents. Not bottle conditioned and ABV is 3.9%.

Skinner's Cornish Lager

Another new brewery - or new to me at least. As the name of the beer suggests, they are based in Cornwall - Truro to be exact. They celebrated their 12th anniversary this summer and are a family-run brewery with a wide selection of cask conditioned ales, and claim that since opening they have won more awards than any other brewery in the South West. In 2008, their bitter won the Champion Bitter award at the Great British Beer Festival. More information available at http://www.skinnersbrewery.com/home

Cornish Lager is a light and clear tasting lager which we had chilled and very much enjoyed. There is not a great amount of details on the contents, other than "...finest Cornish barley, Wheat, Malt and English and American hops." It is not bottle conditioned and is 5% ABV.

Quantock Sunraker

We have come across Quantock Brewery before, on July 31. This was the beer that had an unfortunate accident before I could drink it, so the post was mainly about the brewery rather than the beer!

Sunraker looked very promising. It is described as "... a pale straw coloured summer ale with a unique refreshing flavour, delicately hopped with continental Perle hops - an ideal drink for a warm sunny day." Unfortunately, it did not live up to its billing. It seemed flat and cloudy. Admittedly it is not only bottle conditioned but also unfiltered but I did try yo pour it carefully. Maybe I had a duff bottle, or maybe it did not go with my curry, but it was pretty unexciting.

ABV is 4.2%

Quercus Prospect

Quercus, who I had not come across before, is a small family run independent brewery based near Kingsbridge in Devon. I think it is pretty new, as it does not appear in my Good Beer Guide. Quercus is the Latin name for an oak, which the brewery say they have chosen as a name "...because there are many parallels between the oak and what we as a company are trying to achieve. The oak tree is an iconic feature of our landscape, our history and our mythology. Its strength, quality and versatility are all characteristics that we at Quercus hold dear." I wish I could refer you to their website for further information but, though it exists at www.quercusbrewery.co,uk, it is a single page and contains no useful information!

As for the beer itself, it is described as "a quaffing ale". It is a rich copper colour, good aroma and excellent balance of hops and malt - exactly what it says on the tin! No information is given about contents at all and it does not appear to be bottle conditioned. ABV is 4%. A very nice beer, which I would certainly drink again.