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!
Tuesday 4 May 2010
Sunday 2 May 2010
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.
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.
Monday 19 April 2010
Youngs Kew Gold
We went to Kew Gardens recently, and in their gift shop there you can buy Youngs Kew Gold, which is also available in some supermarkets.
I am sure we all know Youngs, who abandoned over a century of tradition when they sold their famous brewery in Wandsworth in 2005, where they merged with Charles Wells & Co.
This beer is inspired by hops grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens and a financial contribution from the sale of each bottle helps to support the work of Kew in helping to secure species and habitats before they are lost forever.
It is a light golden full-flavoured ale with a refreshing bite. Its ingredients are natural mineral water, malted barley, hops and yeast. It is naturally bottle-conditioned and the ABV is 4.8%
I am sure we all know Youngs, who abandoned over a century of tradition when they sold their famous brewery in Wandsworth in 2005, where they merged with Charles Wells & Co.
This beer is inspired by hops grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens and a financial contribution from the sale of each bottle helps to support the work of Kew in helping to secure species and habitats before they are lost forever.
It is a light golden full-flavoured ale with a refreshing bite. Its ingredients are natural mineral water, malted barley, hops and yeast. It is naturally bottle-conditioned and the ABV is 4.8%
Monday 12 April 2010
Chatsworth Gardeners Tap
The life of this blog is being extended once again. The strategem being used this time has come from that fact that we have visited a couple of interesting places recently and they had their own dedicated beers. So we thought it would be legitimate to include beers acquired from such places, provided of course the were proper beers, and interesting.
We went to the Chatsworth stately home, near Bakewell, over the weekend. When we were there, we discovered that there is a brewery on the estate, called the Peak Ales Brewery. It was opened in 2005 in converted formerly derelict farm buildings, with the aid of the DEFRA Rural Enterprises Fund and support from the Chatsworth settlement (who are the owners of the house).
When James Pain, the architect of Chatsworth, built the stables there in the 1760s a brewery was included. Beer was brewed for the main House and also for the staff, for whom it formed part of their wages until 1931. Rather than carry the barrels into the house cellar, a lead pipe was sunk from the brewhouse through the garden to the cellar. When ale had been brewed, it was piped directly into one of the huge oak barrels known as the Twelve Apostles, where the beer was aged, some barrels for several years. The barrels still exist today, but the wood has dried and shrunk and is thus no longer usable. In the 1950s it was decided to uproot the lead pipe for its salvage value. When tracing it through the Duke's greenhouse, it was discovered that the gargeners has tapped into it. Apparently the brewers tippid the wink to the gardeners when the ale was flowing down so they could 'borrow' a pint or two. Hence the name of this beer.
The beer itself is most acceptable. It is an inpressive copper coloured beer with a well balanced malt and hop flavour with bitterness present throughout. It is 5% ABV and is not bottle conditioned. All we know about the ingredients is that it contains water, malted barley, hops and yeast.
We went to the Chatsworth stately home, near Bakewell, over the weekend. When we were there, we discovered that there is a brewery on the estate, called the Peak Ales Brewery. It was opened in 2005 in converted formerly derelict farm buildings, with the aid of the DEFRA Rural Enterprises Fund and support from the Chatsworth settlement (who are the owners of the house).
When James Pain, the architect of Chatsworth, built the stables there in the 1760s a brewery was included. Beer was brewed for the main House and also for the staff, for whom it formed part of their wages until 1931. Rather than carry the barrels into the house cellar, a lead pipe was sunk from the brewhouse through the garden to the cellar. When ale had been brewed, it was piped directly into one of the huge oak barrels known as the Twelve Apostles, where the beer was aged, some barrels for several years. The barrels still exist today, but the wood has dried and shrunk and is thus no longer usable. In the 1950s it was decided to uproot the lead pipe for its salvage value. When tracing it through the Duke's greenhouse, it was discovered that the gargeners has tapped into it. Apparently the brewers tippid the wink to the gardeners when the ale was flowing down so they could 'borrow' a pint or two. Hence the name of this beer.
The beer itself is most acceptable. It is an inpressive copper coloured beer with a well balanced malt and hop flavour with bitterness present throughout. It is 5% ABV and is not bottle conditioned. All we know about the ingredients is that it contains water, malted barley, hops and yeast.
Monday 5 April 2010
Jennings Sneck Lifter
Jennings Brewery needs no introduction - see June 27 if you need information.
The name 'Sneck Lifter' has an interesting origin. For those not coming from the north of England, a sneck is an old fashioned door latch. More precisely, it is the lever device that goes through the door to lift the latch so that you can open the door. A sneck lifter was traditionally a man's last sixpence with which he would lift the latch of the pub door and buy himself a pint, hoping to meet friends there who might treat him to one or two more.
Sneck Lifter is a strong dark brown ale with a complex balance of fruit, malt and roast flavours through to the finish. Its ABV is 5.1% and it is not bottle-conditioned.
The label reveals only that it contains Barley Malt and Wheat. However, we do know that Jennings uses pure Lakeland water, drawn from the brewery's own well , along with Maris Otter barley malt and Fuggles and Goldings hops.
The name 'Sneck Lifter' has an interesting origin. For those not coming from the north of England, a sneck is an old fashioned door latch. More precisely, it is the lever device that goes through the door to lift the latch so that you can open the door. A sneck lifter was traditionally a man's last sixpence with which he would lift the latch of the pub door and buy himself a pint, hoping to meet friends there who might treat him to one or two more.
Sneck Lifter is a strong dark brown ale with a complex balance of fruit, malt and roast flavours through to the finish. Its ABV is 5.1% and it is not bottle-conditioned.
The label reveals only that it contains Barley Malt and Wheat. However, we do know that Jennings uses pure Lakeland water, drawn from the brewery's own well , along with Maris Otter barley malt and Fuggles and Goldings hops.
Sunday 4 April 2010
Badger Stinger
The story of the Badger brand was recounted in my entry on March 20, so I won't go over old ground again.
Stinger announces itself as an Organic Ale that is brewed with organically grown hand picked Dorset nettles! The story begind it is that it is a collaboration between Badger and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage fame. His brief was to work with the Badger team to create a new organic beer. In fact, River Cottage donates to nominated (but undisclosed) charities from the sales of Stinger.
Here's what Hugh has to say about it: "I think we have produced a delicious and refreshing beer with true West Country character and real depth. It's slightly spicy with a light bitterness and a subtle tingle that comes from the nettles..."
I am not sure about the tingle (perhaps too subtle for me) but the rest is true!
All we know about the ingredients (apart from the nettles) is that it contains malted barley. ABV is 4.5% and it is not bottled conditioned.
Stinger announces itself as an Organic Ale that is brewed with organically grown hand picked Dorset nettles! The story begind it is that it is a collaboration between Badger and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage fame. His brief was to work with the Badger team to create a new organic beer. In fact, River Cottage donates to nominated (but undisclosed) charities from the sales of Stinger.
Here's what Hugh has to say about it: "I think we have produced a delicious and refreshing beer with true West Country character and real depth. It's slightly spicy with a light bitterness and a subtle tingle that comes from the nettles..."
I am not sure about the tingle (perhaps too subtle for me) but the rest is true!
All we know about the ingredients (apart from the nettles) is that it contains malted barley. ABV is 4.5% and it is not bottled conditioned.
Sunday 21 March 2010
Caledonian Golden Promise
The Caledonian Brewery was founded by Messrs Lorimer and Clark in 1869 and was sold to Vaux of Sunderland in 1919. In 1987, the brewery was saved from closure by a management buy-out. The brewery site was purchased by Scottish & Newcastle in 2004 and became a wholly owned subsidiary of S&N/Heineken in 2008. A rolling programme of seasonal beers is produced, as well as Deuchars IPA and Caledonian 80/-.
Golden Promise claims to be the first organically brewed beer in Britain. It is named after Scotland's most famous malting barley, which is prized by brewers and distillers for producing a beautiful rounded sweet malt flavour, said to be reminiscent of Ovaltine. Organically grown aroma hops are added to Caledonian's unique direct fired open coppers to create this award winning beer.
The beer is a rich golden colour, full of spicy aromas with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. It has a clean dry crisp taste, lively and thirst quenching, with a noticeable finish that tastes of sherbert lemons.
It uses organic Optic malt together with the addition of organic whole hop flowers First Gold and Hallertau Hersbrucker. The ABV is 5% (but only 4.4% for the draught version apparently). It is not bottle conditioned.
Golden Promise claims to be the first organically brewed beer in Britain. It is named after Scotland's most famous malting barley, which is prized by brewers and distillers for producing a beautiful rounded sweet malt flavour, said to be reminiscent of Ovaltine. Organically grown aroma hops are added to Caledonian's unique direct fired open coppers to create this award winning beer.
The beer is a rich golden colour, full of spicy aromas with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. It has a clean dry crisp taste, lively and thirst quenching, with a noticeable finish that tastes of sherbert lemons.
It uses organic Optic malt together with the addition of organic whole hop flowers First Gold and Hallertau Hersbrucker. The ABV is 5% (but only 4.4% for the draught version apparently). It is not bottle conditioned.
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