Edwin Tucker's Prize Ale

Well, I don't have to provide you with all the information about the brewery for this beer, as this is all contained in yesterday's post.

This one is a traditional bitter, and a very nice one at that. All we know about the contents is that it contains only natural ingredients - water, hops, yeast and of course quality malt from Tucker's Maltings. It is not as strong as Maris Otter (4% compared to 5.5%) and as with all Teignworthy beers it is bottle conditioned.

Edwin Tucker's Maris Otter

This one had me fooled for a bit! Neither CAMRA resources nor Google were able to come up with a brewery called Edwin Tucker. However, Tucker's Maltings are the suppliers of my 60 beers, and also provide malt to many of the brewers of the beers in my 'Sixty Years' collection. Then I noticed that the label said that the beer used malt made at Tuckers Maltings and, in tiny print at the bottom of the label, that it was brewed by the Teignworthy Brewery.

If you cast back to my entry of December 13, you will find some information about Teignworthy there, including the information that they are located at Tucker's maltings. I have discovered their website at http://www.teignworthybrewery.com/, where I learned that brewing of ale takes place in the brewery most days during the week and uses entirely traditional methods. The brewery is based on a 'Tower' principle as used in the Victorian era. This means that the malt is infused with hot liquor to make malt extract, this is in turn boiled with traditional English hops. These processes take place on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and the hopped malt extract then passes to the 1st floor where it is cooled rapidly with a heat exchanger to a temperature of 16ºC, and then placed in an open fermenting square. Yeast is added and for the following three days the yeast ferments the ale, during which a large foaming canopy rests over the ale. The yeast mixes with the air and gives unique flavours only found in our ales. Most of the yeast rises to the top of the square and is skimmed off at the end of the fermentation. This enables them to keep their yeast supply going. The ale is then cooled for a week where the casks are steamed. They are then rolled gently into the cellars and kept for one week at 12ºC. Finally, just before the barrels of ale are lifted onto the dray, small quantities of finings are added to clarify the ale and help the ale clear quickly when stored in the cellars of the pub.

I can say that this process produces a very acceptable full bodied premium ale in Maris Otter. Little information is given about its ingredients (though we are informed that the world's most highly regarded malting barley - Maris Otter - is used!). However, I do know that it is bottle-conditioned and ABV is 5.5%.

Atlantic Gold

Yet another brewery that is unknown to me. The Atlantic Brewery started brewing in 2005. It is housed in an 18th century farmhouse located a few miles from Newquay and the North Cornish coast. All beers are hand made and produced completely on site, including hop growing and oasting, special malt roasting and all bottling and packaging. All their beers are organic and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. They are now growing their own organic First Gold and Fuggles hops. If you want to find out more you will find it at www.atlanticbrewery.com.

Gold is designed to be a refreshing summer ale with a clean crisp finish and it is spiced with ginger. It is brewed using pale and wheat malts with First Gold and Fuggles hops. I found that taste a bit bland and I am not sure that the ginger added very much. Maybe drinking a summer ale in mid-December is not such a good idea!

The ABV is 4.6% and, like all Atlantic beers, it is bottle conditioned.

Otter Bright

With this beer, I start the last case case of my sixty beers, so only twelve more to go and they will all be done. This final case begins with yet another beer and brewery that I have not encountered before.

The Otter Brewery I have discovered was founded in 1990 by David McCaig and Mary Ann McCaig, both of whom gave connections with Whitbread. It has grown since then into one of the West Country's major producers of beer. The brewery is located at a place called Luppitt, which is in the Blackdown Hills, between Taunton and Honiton. An 80 barrel plant built in exactly the same style as the original brewery was commissioned in 2004 and has proved invaluable in meeting demand since then. All the beers are made with local spring water. More details at www.otterbrewery.com.

The beer itself has a nice fruit and hop aroma. It is a straw-coloured bitter with a strong bitter finish - very nice. According to the label, water from the River Otter is used to brew this beer. Its flavour comes from the use of lager malt and Fuggles hops.

It is a bright beer, rather than bottle conditioned and its ABV is 4.3%

Ringmore Holly Boo Ale

What scanty details I managed to find out about the Ringmore Craft Brewery are set out on the entry for October 23, which described Ringmore Rollocks. Reference to that will disclose that I was disappointed with with the Rollocks product but Holly Boo is a different story.

It is a limited edition ale which Geoff Williams, the proprietor of the Ringmore Brewery, created to to celebrate the birth of his first grandcild, Holly Boo, who was born on 14 March 2008. It is a pale ale for all occasions, designed to appeal to both male and female palates, with a refreshing hop taste and hints of raspberry. It certainly appealed to my palate.

The only information given about ingredients is that it contains malted barley. It is 4% ABV and is "a living ale and may contain natural yeast sediment" ie it is bottle conditioned.

Teignworthy Old Moggie

Established in 1994 by John and Rachel Lawton and now employing six members of staff, the Teignworthy Brewery can now brew up to 100 barrels of beer a week or in beers terms, 28,800 pints! After much thought (and several pints!) John decided to choose the local name 'Teign', taken from the River Teign that runs close by. Worthy comes from the Viking name 'Wortha' meaning homestead, which was brought to Devon by Viking Invaders who often travelled and used the River Teign.

The brewery itself, is based within the historic Tuckers Maltings in Newton Abbot, South Devon. The Maltings building is now over 100 years old and is still operating at full capacity. Interestingly, Tuckers are the suppliers of my sixty beers and many of them use the malts that Tuckers produce (which is why so many of them come from the West Country). Nothing like keeping it in the family!



The label explains that this beer is a golden ale that was created to commemorate the 50 golden years of the Morris Minor (Moggie seems to be a nickname for this car and nothing to do with cats). It states that "such a classic workhorse should be remembered for the style of the era when the British car industry was thriving". As you can see from the picture, the label is suitably embellished with the Union Jack.



The only details given of the ingredients are that the beer contains water, malted barley and wheat, yeast, hops and finings. It is 4.4% ABV and it is bottle conditioned.



Taste-wise the words that come to mind are golden, hoppy and fruity - very much to my taste in fact.

Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer

Well, here's one from left field. This beer is not from the West country, or even from the UK. The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company was established in 1980 by Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi. Camusi retired in 1998 and sold his share in the company to Grossman. Located in Chico, California, Sierra Nevada Brewing is one of the most popular craft breweries currently operating in the United States. It produces almost 700,000 barrels of beer per year. Sierra Nevada's beer is consistently rated high and has appeared on many television shows, including Friends and Sex in the City.

The label does not give much information about the ingredients but I have managed to establish that it contains Perle and Spalt hops and the malts used are Two-row Pale, Dextrin and of course Wheat. ABV is 4.4%. I expected it to be pale and cloudy like a German Weissbier. In fact it was clear and amber and tasted very good - a good balance of malt and hops.

Wooden Hand Brewery - Cornish Mutiny

Another Cornish Brewery, and another one I had never heard of. This one has interesting story. It took over the plant of the old Ventonwyn brewery. It is run by Anglo-Swedish businessman Rolf Munding, who also owns the Zatec Brewery in the Czech Republic. The website (http://woodenhand.co.uk/) tells us that the brewery started at its current location in 2004. Originally producing 8 barrels a month, five years later Wooden Hand Brewery produces upwards of 300 barrels per month with five different types of Ale. The Brewery is based near Truro, in Cornwall.

This beer is a very nice bitter. It has a dark rich colour with a distinctive character and a slightly biscuity flavour. Ingredients include Marris Otter malted barley, torrified wheat, crystal malt, English and European hops (not identified) and English yeast. It is 4.8% ABV and does not appear to be bottle conditioned. Very good.

Sharp's Atlantic IPA

The background about Sharp's Brewery in Rock, Cornwall was given in yesterday's post. IPA, or Indian Pale Ale, was first brewed in the nineteenth century. Naturally preserved by high alcohol content and strong hops, the beer was well set to survive the long and hot journey under sail to India. With Atlantic IPA, Sharp's say that they have taken the essence of the original IPA and modernised it to create a crisp beer with a superb dry finish and a light golden colour.

The brewery sits on Cornwall's Atlantic coast and so they say the naming of the beer came naturally. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution's commitment to saving lives at sea is legendary and so the brewery support their cause by donating a proportion of all sales of Atlantic IPA to the RNLI.

After the disappointment of Doom Bar, I was not expecting much of this beer. However, I was agreeably surprised. the CAMRA Good Beer Guide describes it as 'Lightly sweet and fruity, the finish is sweet and first then dry and lingering.' Exactly - very nice. ABV is 4.8% but no details provided on ingredients. Not bottle conditioned.

Sharp's Doom Bar

Yet another brewery that was unknown to me. My research has uncovered that Sharp's Brewery describes itself as a modern brewer of cask conditioned beer. Since its foundation in 1994 at Rock in Cornwall it has grown rapidly to become the largest brewer of cask beer in the South West and brewer of Doom Bar, one of the UK's fastest growing beer brands. Read more at http://www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk/.

Doombar is apparently named after the infamous sandbank at the mouth of the Camel estuary in North Cornwall. There is much legend surrounding the sandbank's origin but the Doom Bank's notoriety is built on the wrecks of a countless number of ships that over the centuries came to grief within its reach.

Doom Bar is described by the brewer as being 'an exceptional with a fine balance of spicy resinous hop, inviting sweet malt and delicate roasted notes. Just like its namesake, the beer is firmly part of Cornish legend.'

Well, I was really looking forward to this - it should be something rather special. Only it wasn't! It was actually very ordinary indeed. What a let down.

Skinners Cornish Knocker

Skinners, another brewery unknown to me, was founded by Steve and Sarah Skinner in 1997 in Truro.. The brewery moved to bigger premises in 2003 and now employs 25 people. It has enjoyed success with its beers winning awards at both CAMRA and SIBA festivals, indeed more than any other brewery in the South West it is claimed. More details at http://www.skinnersbrewery.com/.

Cornish Knockers are I understand tin mine fairies who used to guide the miners to the rich veins of ore by knocking. With the demise of tin mining in Cornwall in recent years, many of them have 'returned to grass, where, in disguise, they help with the brewing of ales.

This beer is apparently one of Skinners award winners. The CAMRA Guide says that it is "a refreshing golden beer full of life with hops all the way through. Flowery and fruity hops in the mouth and malt undertones, with a clean and lasting malty bitter sweet finished." Unfortunately, this did not accord with my experience. I found it bland and not tasting of very much at all. Perhaps I just got a duff bottle.

Not much detail is given about ingredients, other than it contains Cornish malted barley and wheat. It is 4.5% ABV and does not appear to be bottle conditioned.

Summerskills Devon Dew

Well, well! Another new brewery! Apparently, Summerskills is the only brewery in Plymouth. It was originally founded in 1983 at Bigbury-on Sea in Devon and changed ownership several times in the ensuing years until it was acquired by the present owners in 1990, by which time it had been in Plymouth for 5 years, having acquired the redundant kit of the Penrhos Brewery (which I had heard of). In 1994/1995, one of their beers was runner up at the Great British beer Festival. More information available at www.summerskills.co.uk

This is a very acceptable beer to my palate. It is golden in colour, hoppy with a slight malty back taste, refreshing and satisfying. It is made from Devon malts, English hops (Goldings from Worcestershire and Pioneer from Herefordshire) and Devon water. It is bottle conditioned and the ABV is 4.7%.

St Austell Tribute

At last! A beer and a brewery I know. St Austells Brewery was founded in 1851 and the company is still family owned and run, indeed the current managing director is the great-great-grandson of the original founder. It is one of Cornwall's largest businesses and has a strong commitment to cask beer. More details available at http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/.

Tribute is apparently a much sought after guest beer across the country, and it is certainly popular in the Goat in St Albans, where I drink on a Tuesday night. It has been a Supreme Champion Ale of Cornwall as voted by CAMRA and is apparently and the South West's Favourite cask beer. Roger Protz, Editor of the Good Beer Guide, has described it as follows: "Tribute is a magnificent example of a bronze coloured English bitter, with a rich aroma of biscuity malt and tart citrus fruit from the Willamette hops. Juicy malt, hop resins and tangy fruit coat the tongue, while the finish is long and lingering, with a fine balance between malt, hops and fruit, finally becoming dry and bitter."

There is not a lot I can add to that, other than to say I like it a lot. And that as well as the Williamette hops, it contains English Fuggles and Slovenian Goldings. Oh and also they use Cornish Gold and Maris Otter malts. And also I almost forgot to mention that it is made with Cornish spring water. I think I did say that I liked it, and I do. ABV is 4.2%.

Ringmore Rollocks

Another day, another brewery that is new to me. In fact, this one proved quite a challlenge to research. It turns out that they do not have a proper website, nor do they appear in my copy of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. However, with a bit of diligent searching I have managed to establish that the founder and brewer is a guy called Geoff Phillips He has set up a 1 barrel plant in Ringmore which is near Shaldon in Devon and has been producing beer fron there since March 2007. He used to be a brewer for Courage, but then became a teacher. When retired from his position of deputy-head, he went back to his first passion - brewing, and together with his wife Jill has formed this latest Devon brewery.

I would love to report that the beer was fantastic, but the bottle I had was a bit of a disappointment. It is a straw coloured summer ale and looked great in the glass, but for some reason it was flat. I am not sure why that should be the case, as it is bottle conditioned and there was a sediment in the bottle. It tasted OK but I couldn't help thinking how much nicer it would have been if it was a bit more lively.

The label describes it as a bottle conditioned golden ale with a delicate malt taste and a pronounced hop aroma with overtones of elderberry and fruit. It is 4.5% ABV. No details are given about the ingredients other than it contains malted barley.

Devon Pride

Well, its a few weeks since I have had any of my sixty beers, but I have finally got back to them. This one comes from South Hams Brewery which is, believe it or not, in Devon.

It was, once again, not a brewer I knew. My researches have revealed that is an independent brewery situated just outside Torcross village, producing traditionally brewed, quality, real ales. Over the years it has continually won many accolades for its ales, both locally and nationally. It maintains an ethos of producing traditional cask conditioned real ales from natural ingredients. The brewery was formed in April 2004 when Sutton Brewery of Plymouth (established near to Plymouth Sutton Harbour in 1993) moved its premises to the converted dairy at Stokeley Barton Farm, near Stokenham. This has combined the expertise from this well-established brewery with a new 10-barrel plant and additional space for expansion, to meet increasing demand. Since that time the Brewery has seen an ever-increasing loyal customer base for it’s excellent award winning ales within the South Devon area and beyond. South Hams Brewery has recently released a range of bottled beers with some ales now available in a number of retail outlets, of which this is one.

It is a very acceptable ale. A dark amber colour beer, it has a fruity, citrus aroma, provided by the Cascade in the late hop. Rich in flavour, this beer defies its 3.8% a.b.v. with a surprising amount of body. It has a malty palette, with fruit undertones, which then leads to a slightly dry finish. It is bottle-conditioned.

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.

Moorhouse's Pendle Witches Brew

This is an interesting one, if only because Helen originally hails from Pendle Witches country. Moorhouses, the brewer, is based in Burnley and was founded in 1865. It has won more CAMRA and international awards than any other brewer of its size. Apparently, when it reached 140 years of brewing in 2005, it celebrated with a steam train extravaganza. Find out more at www.moorhouses.co.uk.

The beer is designed to be a light golden beer, with soft, crisp and bitter-sweet flavours. It uses Maris Otter and Crystal malts, invert sugars, torrefied wheat, Fuggles hops, Lakeland water and Moorhouses own yeast. Although they describe it as a light gold beer, it looked more like a traditional copper colour to me, and tasted like a very good bitter. I liked it.

ABV is 5.1%. It does not say it is bottle conditioned, but it was hazy so I suspect it is.

RCH Old Slug Porter

Well, what was that about raining and pouring? Here's another dark ale from a brewery that I had not heard of before I tried their bitter as part of my sixty beers. The brewery in question is RCH of Weston-super-Mare and the beer was Steam Bitter - see review on July 29.

As might be expected, this is quite similar to the Red Rock Dark Ness, though it has a little bit more body that made it more to my taste. The derivation of the name is quite interesting. Apparently, in the old RCH brewery they had a problem with slugs getting into the brewery. As the beer leaves a trail down the glass as you drink it like a slug, that's how the beer was named.

Information about the contents however is almost as sparse as with Red Rock Dark Ness. Although we are informed that "...the key to [Old Slug's] nutty, woody flavours, chocolatey finish and honeyed toffee nose is quality West Country ingredients and a long maturation period - as well as adding no artificial preservatives in the brewing process", all the label tells us is that it contains barley and may contain wheat, oats, rye and spelt. No mention of hops at all, let alone the variety!

It is bottle-conditioned and the ABV is 4.5%

Red Rock Dark Ness

Well, it never rains but it pours - another Red Rock ale. This one is an award winning dark beer, as its name suggests. It won first place in the Dark Beers section at the South Devon CAMRA beer festival 2007 apparently.

As we come to expect from Red Rock, all they tell us about the ingredients is that it contains "spring water, malted barley, hops and yeast". It is a good example of its type, smooth, liquorice-tasting and bitter to the taste. However, I still prefer the golden ale!

It is 4.5% ABV and is bottle conditioned.

Red Rock Traditional English Bitter

Well, no need to explain about the brewery, as I did all of that on July 14. Again, there is little detail about ingredients, but I did manage to glean from the website that they are pale malt, a hint of crystal malt and a blend of Cluster, Styrian and Goldings hops designed to produce a well balanced bitter.

This is quite a nice bitter, but I must say I enjoyed their Back Beach golden ale more. Like Back Beach, it is bottle conditioned. ABV is 4.2%.

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!

Jennings Cumberland Ale

This is the 23rd of my 60 beers, and the first I have encountered before, I believe. Anyone who visits the Lake District will have come across Jennings beers at some point. I have drunk Cumberland Ale only in draught form before. However I can attest to the fact that the bottled type is very acceptable, especially if you drink it slightly chilled an a warm summer evening relaxing after a run in the sunshine, as I did.

Jennings Brewery was originally established as a family concern back in 1828, in the village of Lorton. The company moved to its current location in 1874, in the historic town of Cockermouth, in the shadow of Cockermouth Castle, at the point where the rivers Cocker and Derwent merge.
Jennings regards itself as a traditional brewer, traditional in a number of different ways. Pure Lakeland water is still used for brewing, drawn from the brewery’s own well, and only the finest natural ingredients are added, including malt made from Maris Otter barley, Golding hops from Kent and Fuggles hops from Herefordshire.

Cumberland Ale is described on the label as 'a superbly refreshing golden ale', though I was have said it was amber rather than gold. There are no specific details given of the malts or hops used. ABV is 4.2%

Hampshire Brewery Penny Black

Another brewery repeat. Hampshire Brewery featured in the Battle of the IPA's which I reported on back on May 6, so you can find out about them there.

This beer, however is very different from the IPA. As its name suggests, it is a dark beer, a porter in fact, with a mellow aroma of of black and roasted malts that is balanced by a clean bitterness and a smooth full palate. The taste is a cross between chocolate and licorice.

It contains both wheat and barley malts. The hops used are not identified. It is bottle conditioned and has an ABV of 4.5%

Ramsbury Gold

We have come across the Ramsbury Brewery before - refer back to May 22 if you missed it.

Ramsbury Gold is, as its name suggests, a golden ale. Its rich golden colour is produced by blending pale optic malt, crystal malt and torrified wheat (for those of you that don't know, this is pregelatinized wheat that is used in brewing as a cereal adjunct. The torrified kernels give a higher yield and a more trouble-free brew than conventional raw wheat, and also increased foam and longer head retention). Golding and Styrian Golding hops are used to give a distinctive light hoppy aroma and taste to the beer. Its ABV is 4.5%.

Oh, and by the way it is very tasty indeed!

Dartmoor Jail Ale

This is a full bodied mid-brown beer with a well rounded flavour and a sweet aftertaste - very acceptable! It contains malted barley and wheat but no details are given of the hops used. It is bottle conditioned and has an ABV of 4.8%.

Jail Ale is the best known brand of the Dartmoor Brewery. Situated in the very heart of Dartmoor National Park at 1400 feet above sea level it is the highest brewery in England and claims also to the best! Brewing started in 1994 in a converted garage behind the Prince of Wales pub in the centre of Princetown in Devon. It was soon demonstrated that there was an unsatisfied demand for the taste of their real ale. By refusing to compromise on quality and using the skills of master brewer Simon Loveless, they have expanded year upon year. Remaining family owned to this day, and now brewing from a purpose built brewery on the site of the old Princetown Railway, their brands are more popular than ever. More about their story can be found at http://www.dartmoorbrewery.co.uk.

Ramsbury 506

Apparently, Ramsbury beers, which come from Marlborough in Wiltshire, were nationally renowned in the 18th century. This was because the water is some of the purest in southern England. Rain falling on the high chalk downs, filters its way through the strata where it emerges as springs (source of the River Kennet) or is artificially pumped from wells deep underground to centres of population. This same soil, which filters the water, is the very lifeblood of the barley, which grows on the surface. Generations of farmers planted seed on the Downs of Wiltshire, reaping the internationally acclaimed barley at harvest. The Rambury estate decided to start brewing its own beer in 2003. Redundant farm building formed the nucleus of the brewery, stripped out - re-roofed and fitted out to the highest hygiene standards, and brewing commenced in April 2004. All done with local labour it was ready for production in October 2004. Read more at http://www.ramsburybrewery.com/.

They now have a range of 7 or 8 beers, of which 506 is one. They often use local names to promote their beer. 506 was apparently chosen because of the tie between the area where the brewery is located and the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, who were stationed in the area in 1943, prior to their landing in Normandy on D-Day and subsequently Holland during the second world war.

The beer uses a mix of European and European hops, with a very lightly kilned barley and wheat to give a hint of sweetness. It is 5% ABV and is a very pleasant golden ale. However, I think it probably suffered in comparison with the very good beers of this type that I have been sampling just recently.

Holden's Golden Special

Another Golden ale, and another winner! Holden's are a Black Country brewery, that I have not come across before. They are based in Dudley and are one of only 33 independent family brewers left in Britain, apparently. The family were first involved in the licensed trade at the end of the 19th century but did not own a brewery until 1915. Read more at http://www.holdensbrewery.co.uk.

Special is a dark amber premium beer with robust malty overtones and a bitter sweet full bodied taste. It is available on draught as well as bottled. Its ABV is 5.1%, but other technical details are not given I am afraid. Nevertheless, it is a very nice pint

Battle of the IPA's

This is the story of two IPAs. The first of them is Palmers Traditional IPA. Although it is described on the label as a "full-drinking, well balanced beer with a delicious hop character" I found it to be rather more on the malty side. This could be because I have recently been drinking a number of golden ales which have been very hoppy, so this seemed malty by comparison. Palmers are loacted at The Old Brewery in Bridport, which has been in operation since 1794. This makes Palmers one of the few United Kingdom producers able to claim continuous production for over 200 years on the original site; indeed, part of the Brewery Building is still thatched. Founded by the Gundry family, local rope and net makers, the business was subsequently acquired in the late 19th Century by the Palmer brothers, John Cleeves and Robert Henry. Since then, it has been growing steadily whilst being handed down from generation to generation. Today, two more Palmer brothers are running the business. More details if you interested at www.palmersbrewery.com. No technical details available about the beer, other than it contains malted barley. ABV is 4.2%.

The second beer is Pride of Romsey IPA, which is made by the Hampshire Brewery. This has a powerful hop aroma, citrus and fragrant, through to the aftertaste, with distinctive bitterness complemented by good malt character - much more to my taste. It contains berlry malts and Challenger, Golding and Cascade hops. It is 5% ABV and bottle conditioned. I was very disappointed to discover that although this beer won a gold medal in the Brewing Industry International Awards in 2000, the brewery, which opened in 1992 and was located in Romsey, closed in 2008. I was unable to find out any more details but it is a great pity when they made beer as good as this!

Dorset Chesil

Well, this one is the business! It is a golden beer, made in the pilsener style, with a really refreshing citrus and floral aroma and taste. For the technically minded among you, it is brewed from lager malt and Caragold barley malt, Sovereign and Lubelski hops, Sutton Poyntz spring water and the Dorset Brewing Company's own special strain of yeast. It is 4.1% ABV. A real winner!

The Dorset Brewing Company, who I had not come across before, are based in Weymouth, in the heart of the Jurassic coast. It is an independent family owned brewery that was founded in 1996. It was established by an off-beat retired lawyer, Giles Smeath, restoring an 800 year old brewing tradition to the Dorset port of Weymouth. The Brewery is based in historic Brewers Quay, the classic Victorian brewery building that was the site of the former Devenish (remember them?) and Groves Breweries. DBC is committed to a Warranty of Origin scheme which ensures that customers get both a product whose origins are provably rooted in Dorset and whose quality is by the choice of malt. From the summer of 2006, in conjunction with their maltsters, Warminster Maltings, DBC took the opportunity to have domain over its barley/malt supply. Starting with Chesil, which is their summer special ale, they used only Dorset grown barley malted by Warminster Maltings. This appellation is categorised by the variety of barley, geographical domain, soil type, husbandry best practice, farm assurance, and harvest quality criteria; as well as the malting protocols for floor made malt. All of their malt carries a Certificate of Compliance from Warminster and a Warranty of Origin.

If you want to find out more about them, go to their web site at http://www.dbcales.com/.

Broughton Champion Ale

This is another dark ale. It was much nicer than the Milk Stout, probably because it was a bit more lively as well as having a bit more taste. The brewery that produces it is situated in the village of Broughton in the Scottish Borders. Broughton lies between the towns of Biggar and Peebles on the A701 about 25 miles south of Edinburgh. Founded in 1980, Broughton Ales now produce 11 different bottled beers, including three organic beers, an own label product for Waitrose and an organic beer for Marks & Spencer. Find out more at http://www.broughtonales.co.uk/

This beer is a blend of a strong ale and a porter style beer, each brewed in their own way, but married together in a conditioning tank to produce an interesting mix of flavour and aroma. It was the Tesco Beer Challenge winner 2006, though I don't know how much of a recommendation this is. Champion Double ale has also been judged to be in "The World's 50 Best Beers" in the Bottlers International Competition 2007 and a Gold medal winner in Scottish SIBA competition 2008, which are probably better indicators of its quality. The brewers say that "This fine ale takes on the double characters of two knights from the era of the “Border Reivers” during the reign of King David of Scotland."

It contains Optic Pale Ale Malt, Crystal Malt, Black Malt and pinhead oats. The hops used are English grown Challenger, Fuggles and First Gold. It is quite strong - 5.5% ABV.

Exmoor Gold

This is more like it! This is probably my favourite golden ale of all time. Those who carefully read all the comments may have noticed that this has already had a mention on February 9 under Cotleigh's Buzzard and I am very glad that it has made an appearance in its own right now. Exmoor Ales claims to be the oldest brewery in Somerset and is the other brewery in Wiveliscombe. Its website is at http://www.exmoorales.co.uk/.

Exmoor Gold claims to be the original golden ale and it was certainly the first I came across. The bouquet has a hint of vanilla with citric hops. It starts bitter sweet on the palate and finishes dry and intensely hoppy. Dee-lish! It is 5% ABV. The label says that it is brewed using traditional methods and the finest natural ingredients, but the only clue it gives about what it contains is that contains barley malt.

Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout

Well, this is my first disappointment. I don't think it was the beer so much as the fact that it seemed flat, and therefore uninteresting. Apparently, it was the Champion Beer of Bristol in 2006 and 2007 so it must have had something going for it. It is brewed by the Bristol Beer Factory, which is located in a remaining part of the historic Ashton Gate brewery building. This was bought by a local architect in 2003 with the romantic notion of reviving brewing on the site and he had it up and running within 6 months. You can find out more at http://www.bristolbeerfactory.co.uk/.

The beer itself is intended to be a creamy, full bodied stout, replicating a beer that was originally brewed at Ashton Gate. They use local raw materials and it includes wheat, barley malt and lactose sugar. It is 4.5% ABV. According to the label, it does not contain milk!

Cheddar Ales Totty Pot

Well, with a name like this I had to use my top totty to pose with the beer for the picture!

We know Cheddar ales well, thanks to Little Nik, but I had not come across this particular beer before. The brewery 'nestles on the slopes of the Mendip Hills and is within a stones throw of the famous Cheddar Gorge' according to the web site (http://www.cheddarales.co.uk/). This particular beer has apparently just won a gold medal at the national brewing industry awards.

It is a bottle-conditioned dark porter. It is brewd using Marris Otter, wheat and dark malts and and hopped with a blend of English whole hops. It has an ABV of 4.7%

It was definitely smoother to the taste that the Cotleigh's Buzzrd, the last dark beer I tried, and I liked it better.

In case you're wondering, Totty Pot is the name of a swallet hole or sink hole in the Mendips

Kirkstile Gold

This is another interloper. The story behind it is that Helen took me away for a few days to celebrate my milestone birthday and the place she took me to was called the Kirkstile Inn, which is at Loweswater, one of the more remote villages in the northern part of the Lake District. Not only is it a beautiful setting, between Loweswater lake and Crummock Water and in the lee of Melbreak and so ideal for walking and running, but the food has (justifiably) won awards and, best of all, it has its own microbrewery. It has just been awarded the CAMRA Pub of the Year award for 2008 for West Cumbria. More details can be found at http://www.kirkstile.com/

They have been brewing since 2003 (though apparently the inn used to brew its own beer back in the 1820s) and they now have production of 6 barrels a week. I tried several of their beers while I was there, and we brought home with us a few bottles of this one, Kirkstile Gold, though they also have a very acceptable bitter and a dark ale

It is, as its name suggests, a golden beer. It uses German hops apparently and has masses of tropical fruit flavour. Lovely! It is 4.3% ABV and is bottle conditioned.

I have handed out a few bottles to other people so I am expecting some comments on this one!

Dentdale Clipped 'Un

Right, this one is an interloper, and it won't be the last. It did not come with my 60 beers. Instead, it was part of a prize that Helen won when we did the Dentdale Run in Cumbria at the weekend - 14.3 miles of severe Northern Hills in a northerly outpost of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Helen was fourth in her age group, which qualified her for a prize which consisted of a tee shirt and two bottles of beer. She is modelling the tee shirt in the pictures. The front, as you can see, shows the brewery's name and logo, as they were the main sponsor of the event. The back shows Ram's Bottom, which is their strong ale. Unfortunately, all you can see in the photograph is the ram's bottom and not hers.

The beer that she won is called "Clipped 'Un". Apparently, this is a traditional Dales term which refers to somebody who is moving notably fast, like a sheep that has has recently been sheared and is therefore free of its heavy wool fleece. The name was chosen to resonate with the runners who took part in the 2009 Dentdale Run, which was the 25th staging of the event. The beer was brewed to commemorate this memorable event.

It is a copper coloured ale that would be a bitter if it was on draught, well balanced and tasted quite acceptable. There are no technical details given other than it is 4% ABV and uses malted barley. Hence no details of hops used or anything like that.

If you want to know more about the Dent Brewery, they have a website at http://www.dentbrewery.co.uk/.

Cotleigh's Monument

Well, well - another one from Cotleigh's. This one I liked- a lot. It is called Monument after the Wellington Monument which was erected to commemorate the Duke of Wellington's victory at the Battle of Waterloo in the Blackdown Hills just outside the town of Wellington in Somerset. Wellington is of course not far from Wiveliscombe, where Cotleigh's brew their beers.

The beer itself is a golden ale. It is made from American Cascade hops, which account for its pleasant aroma and fruit filled finish. Apparently it won an award in the Excellence in Food and Drink Awards in 2006 and according to the judges it "tastes like summer and has a fresh aroma and a fruity finish."It is 4.0% ABV and is not bottle conditioned.

As far as I am concerned, this is up there with Barn Owl.

Cotleigh's Buzzard

This is another one from the (smaller) brewery in Wiveliscombe, but quite different from Barn Owl, which is described below. This one is a bottle condistioned Dark Ale, 4.8%ABV. It gets its darkness from the use of chocolate malt but the colour is a deep copper brown rather than the colour of Guinness which you might expect. It has a smoky, smooth finish. It is very nice, but Barn Owl was a bit more to my taste.

Coniston Bluebird and Branscombe Vale Drayman's

My friend David came round on Wednesday and I explained to him the concept of sixty years for sixty years. Of course the explanation could not be entirely theoretical, so I provided him with some empirical evidence or to put it another way we sampled a ouple of the beers.

We started with Bluebird from the Coniston Brewery, very appropriate since I had not long been back from the Lake District. This is an award winning bottle conditioned bitter - in fact it was the CAMRA Supreme Champion Beer of Britain in 1998. The label suggests it is best served at 58 degrees in a straight glass at the Black Bull Inn at Coniston, conditions under which I have in fact tasted it. What they forgot to mention though was that you should run the 14.3 miles round the lake first, in order to work up the requisite thirst (as indeed I did). It is a fine session ale (4.2% ABV) with a light golden colour. It uses English Challenger hops, well balanced with Maris Otter malt, and is supposed to have a faint hint of scented geranium, though I can't say I picked it up. The brewery was founded in 1995 by the son of the owner of the Black Bull and the beers use "the pure waters of the Coniston hills". You can find out more at http://www.conistonbrewery.com

We then moved on to Drayman's Best Bitter from the Branscombe Vale Brewery, which we finally established is located near Seaton in Devon. This brewery is a little older, being established in 1992, on the site of an old farm that is now owned by the National Trust. When they started up, they apparently dug their own well! They don't seem to be sophisticated enough to have a web site, but the beer is very nice. It is a bottle-conditioned mid-brown beer with a distinctly hoppy finish, quite a contrast to the Bluebird. No technical details are given but it is 4.2% ABV

Bath Ales Gem

This one is another beer from Bath Ales, who made the Barnstormer that I liked so much. I liked this one too, though it was not quite as nice as barnstormer.

They describe this one as their "premium amber ale" and it certainly lived up to its promise of a rich aroma of hops and malt, with a long deep bitter-sweet finish.

For the technically minded, it uses floor malted Maris Otter barley and Golding Hops from East Kent. It is 4.8% ABV

Cotleigh's Barn Owl

Well, looks like we are back on track. Today's beer is from Cotleigh's Brewery in Wiveliscombe in Somerset. so it looks like that Aussie beer was a rogue selection.

Thought I'd put a picture of Helen on this occasion, as it gets a bit boring seeing me all the time.

This beer is a copper coloured full flavoured ale, apparently with "hints of toffee and nut for smooth, malty bittersweet finish". That seems quite an accurate description - very acceptable. ABV is 4.5%

According to their website, the Cotleigh Brewery has been brewing for 25 years, though the label says there is a 200 year Georgian brewing tradition in Wiveliscombe. You can find out more at http://www.cotleighbrewery.com/

Coopers Original Pale Ale

Well, bang goes my theory that all these beers come from the West Country. This one comes from Down Under (as you probably guessed from the pose I am adopting in the picture). In fact, Coopers Brewery is located in Regency Park, Southern Australia - not a place I have actually been to myself.

The bottle informs me that "Coopers beers and stouts are made using the centuries old top fermentation process". This is interesting as top fermentation is used for traditional English beers, while bottom fermentation is used for lager type beers. Most Australian beers are the latter so bottom fermentation would be the norm Down Under and Coopers must therefore be something of an exception. On the other hand, Original Pale Ale is an English style of beer so I suppose one would expect it to be top fermented.

Coopers is apparently a family owned business and the current Chairman is the fifth generation to run the company. You can find out more at their website - http://www.coopers.com.au/home.php

What about the beer itself? Well, it was pale in colour, almost golden. ABV was 4.5% It tasted pretty good compared to most Australian beers I know. However, it was not quite in the same league as the West Country beers that I have been sampling recently.

Barnstormer

Yes! I really liked this one!

Brewed by Bath Ales (there definitely is a pattern developing here), the label on the bottle says "Rich in fruit with hints of chocolate, this full-bodied dark ale is a complex satisfying beer."

It does exactly hat it says on the label - "a rewarding and enjoyable beer."

Bath Ales have a website at http://www.bathales.com

For those interested in the technicalities, this beer uses Maris Otter, Chocolate and Crystal malts together with Bramling Cross hops.

Once a Knight

This was interesting one. It was again quite well hopped, but rather smoother than the Golden Pig. This may be due to the fact that it contains both barley and wheat. It was quite strong - 5% ABV. It had a fair sediment - indeed the label advises giving it 24 hours to settle (but I couldn't wait and anyway isn't yeast supposed to be good for you?)

This beer is brewed by the Castle Brewery in Lostwithiel in Cornwall. I wonder if there is some sort of pattern beginning to emerge here?

Golden Pig

This beer comes from the Country Life Brewery in Bideford, North Devon. Apparently it uses the equipment from the Lundy Island brewery. You can find out more about it at http://www.countrylifebrewery.com/

It is 4.7% ABV, golden in colour and very hoppy to the taste. The label says it uses crystal and wheat malts and that the main hops used are Challengers.



I enjoyed this and would definitely like to have it again sometime

This is what 60 beers looks like

Sixty beers is a lot! This is me standing next to the five boxes, which make a tower that must be over five feet tall. No wonder its going to take me months to get through this lot!

Welcome!

Tomorrow, I start my seventh decade on the planet. Today, I had a knock on the door and a man from Federal Express announced that he had five packages for me. What could it be? He brought them into the house and I signed for them, then examined them closely. They were marked 'Fragile - Handle With Care' and originated from Tuckers Maltings.

They contained 60 different bottles of beer and were from my five siblings, to commemorate the completion of my sixth decade - sixty beers for sixty years.

Over the next several months, I shall be sampling these beers and recording my tasting notes here on this blog. If you want to share this journey, then make sure you visit this place regularly over the coming months. Comments would of course be very welcome.