Skinners Cornish Knocker - take 2

This is a beer I tried previously (see entry for November 22) and which did not live up to expectations. I opined at the time that perhaps it was a duff bottle.



Well, I got presented with another bottle. I did not recognise it (it has been 6 months!) but this time it lived up to the billing. It is an amber/gold beer that has hops all the way through. Spice and fruit in the mouth are balanced by bitter and malt undertones , with a cleansing bittersweet finish.



So - definitely worth a try, as long as you get a sound bottle!

Brakspear Oxford Gold

I came across this in Waitrose. I know Brakspear's bitter well - it is often a guest beer in pubs around here - but I have not come across Oxford Gold before.

Brakspear was originally based in Henley-on-Thames and is one of Britain's oldest breweries, founded before 1700 and run by the Brakspear family since 1779. In 2002, the brewery closed and became a pub company. A company called Refresh UK, owners of the Wychwood brewery in Witney, bought the rights to the Brakspear brands and in 2004 began brewing them again, after moving the Henley equipment, including the famous 'double drop' fermenters to Witney.

The beer is brewed with organically grown ingredients using Target and Goldings hops aiming to provide 'a zesty aroma and fruity flavours'. This it certainly does and it is very much to my taste.

It is 4.6% ABV and not bottle-conditioned.