A Load of B*******s

A short time ago I was flicking through my copy of GOBBS guide, (a beer guide for serious beer tickers, if that's not a contradiction in terms) when my mind wandered to the names brewers give their beers and the themes they loosely hang these names on.

Locally we have Brass Monkey, using their Monkey theme with names like 'Capuchin', 'Silverback' and the like; Empire, where Russ seems to come up with winners like the Goon Show series, or daft names from comedy programmes, 'Eccles' and 'Ooh Matron' being examples; and Mallinsons where Tara has themes ranging from Not so Classic Cars to Yorkshire Follies. Going further afield, Will mentioned Cotleigh and their bird themes a couple of posts ago, whilst Moorhouses stay true to their roots in Burnley with their Witch beers, and Yorkshire Dales seemed to have named beers after every conceivable part of the North Yorkshire Moors. And how many know that Ossett 'Silver King' was originally part of a railway series?

Talking of trains, it seems the norm rather than the exception for brewers to name their beers after old steam engines. Cottage do a lot, but Little Ale Cart has a massive range of named engines on their clips. Being a bus enthusiast, I seek in vain for bus related beers, just the occasional 'Routemaster Red' makes its appearance on the bar.

It used to be usual for brewers to call their beers 'Best', 'Mild', or 'Strong'. At least the unwary drinker had a clue what sort of beer he was getting. It is now equally common to name beers after the hops used. Pictish for one has a massive range of single hopped beers, (check their web site for proof, and see how many hops you have never heard of). For some reason, there are very few beers named after the malts in the beer though.

But it's the really daft names that seem to attract the attention. Who for instance can forget 'The Dogs Bollocks'? And just whose idea was it to name it such? A flick into the Halifax Steam archives shows beers called 'Child Catcher', 'Christmas Crapper', 'Extra Pillows' and 'Luftkissenfihrzeug' (don't tell me I spelt it wrong, I copied it from the book!). As an aside, this must have been the longest pump clip in history covering about 2/3 of the bar!! Inveralmond have taken up the challenge as well, as 'Inkie Pinkie', 'Llama's Lament' and 'Rocking Horse Poo' all illustrate.

Talking of the daft, who at Northumberland decided that to name beers after footballing legends of the Tyne would be a good seller; obviously not in Sunderland, as they have now produced a range of footballing legends(?) - sorry, Iain! - from the Wear to balance it out and hopefully sell some beer south of the Tyne as well.

Anyway must stop, have to get to the Star festival and sample some 'Folly's Dog Collar Blues', 'Viva Cas Vegas'and 'Firkin Dark', to name but three. All I can say is keep the names coming, it always creates a talking point at the bar.

Star Does It Again

Last night the doors opened at the Star Inn's 8th Winter beer festival, and again it has gone from strength to strength. Sam and her team have provided another wonderful selection of beers for us to try, both in the marquee and on the bar, from breweries near and far (I didn't mean that to rhyme but never mind; I could write the rest of this in limerick form, or as a sonnet but I don't think my brain could cope with it at this time in the morning !! - anyway, back to the beer).

On the outside bar came the usual suspects. A couple of dry hopped Mallinsons, two Goose Eyes, three from Yorkshire Dales plus beers sourced from further afield. From Williams, Atlas and Devon ales in Scotland, from Box Steam, Hidden and Two Bridges in the South West, and Montys in Wales. It is easy to see why this is such an interesting festival for the 'ticker'.

The range covered all sorts of beers from the light and hoppy, to the dark and chocolatey via ginger beers, ruby beers and winter warmers, in fact beers to suit every taste. Of the one's I tried, the Mallinson's stood out, (no surprise there I hear you say) but the real star of the show, no pun intended, was Yorkshire Dales 'Hit For 6'. Not an indictment of the English cricket team but a light beer crammed with New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops. The dark beer lovers seemed to be well impressed with Great Heck's ' Dark Star' weighing in at 5.5%.

If you want something a little different for a Christmas present, there are Mallinsons gift packs with 3 bottled beers, and all varieties of cheese, along with some Christmas cakes with beery themes. Why not make time to call in, the festival runs all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and see what a good, well run pub festival should be. Congratulations Sam, you have done us proud again. (map)

Star pooch Folly prepares to declare the 8th Winter Beer Festival officially open!

Great Oakley On Song

I'm always going to get a little giddy if I spy an attractive bird on the bar - it's just instinctive you see. Having spent/wasted the better part of my life fascinated by all things feathered, it's not easy to ignore avian themed beers whilst touring my favourite locals. More often than not though the ale turns out to be nowhere near as interesting as the artwork advertising it - but I'm never deterred.

And so it was with great good fortune that, whilst perusing the line up at the King's Head on Huddersfield's station platform this afternoon, I bumped into Great Oakley's knockout 3.9%er, Wagtail. Brewed, according to the GBG notes, with New Zealand hops, this beautifully scented and perfectly balanced award-winning session ale would easily make my top ten beers of the year, even without the exquisitely detailed motacilla alba on the pump clip.

From the wonderful initial lychee aroma to it's final lingering bitterness, this ale has all the hallmarks of a classic - very much in the mould of Roosters Yankee back in the days when that particular revolutionary beer destroyed all in it's path. Seldom have I been so impressed with a beer I had little prior knowledge of - the only negative being that the rest of my day was all downhill taste-wise!

Although largely unfamiliar with this four year old Northamptonshire brewery's output, I did note that birds aren't a recurring theme as they are say at Cotleigh, so I guess there's probably a story behind this particular brew. Whatever that is, I'm inspired enough to put together a list* of my all time favourite bird-themed beers, possibly by Christmas, so watch out for that. In the meantime go get your lips around a wag, it most certainly won't have you spitting feathers!

* Note to Timbo: Your Castle Rock recommendations (Sparrowhawk in particular) need not apply!

Festival Update

In addition to the New Charnwood in Heckmondwike (see previous post), this weekend also sees festivals in Sheffield and Slaithwaite (pronounced Slathwait or Slawit but NEVER Slaythwait incidentally!).

Having attended the last two Lions Club fests I can wholly recommend this friendly, well organised event, especially as the recently reopened Commercial just a couple of hundred yards away has made a visit to Slaithwaite even more rewarding for the ale connoisseur. The Moonraker Beer Festival is held in the first floor function room of the Conservative Club on Britannia Road (map).

Another popular festival, a little further afield, is at Sheffield's Harlequin on Nursery Street (map). At least forty beers from all over the shop can be sampled here this weekend including plenty from new and lesser known producers. See below for the full list and the sidebar calendar for dates.

New Charnwood Beer List
Moonraker Beer List
Harlequin Beer List

A Fistful of Hops

Last night the drinkers at the Star in Huddersfield were treated to a hop extravaganza.

On the bar were Mallinsons Motueka at 3.8%, a single hopped beer with the aromatic New Zealand hop showcased to perfection; Pictish Pioneer (4.8%), another single hopper but this time with far more body and bitterness and finally Steel City's Hop Manifesto again at 4.8% and massively hoppy with American hops this time.

In addition, Goose Eye provided Gooseville at 4.6% but after the other three this tasted more of caramel. It was just hard work to drag myself away from the bar!!

Sail Ale Trail?

A little out of town this one but quirky enough to merit a line or two I think. Being a frequent visitor to the north Norfolk coast I like to investigate any new GBG entry, especially if the pub is somewhat out of the ordinary and/or Woodfordes Wherry is involved. The Albatros scores big time on both counts.

Moored in Wells-next-the-Sea's little harbour and serving an excellent pint of the norky nectar, this one hundred year old Dutch sailing barge is also available for charter when not gainfully employed as the town's most popular real ale venue. Two beers are generally available on gravity and both usually supplied by the Woodbastwick brewery.

The single below-decks drinking area also finds room for regular live music (god knows how!) and an interesting (though pricey) menu full of locally caught produce might persuade you to tarry a while. Just getting down to the bar is challenge enough though and I would imagine returning to the quayside after a session on the Nelson's Revenge is downright dangerous!

The Albatros is great fun and immensely popular with families - a must visit if touring this beautiful coastline! More about the history of this remarkable old vessel can be found here.

Interestingly this is the only CAMRA beer guide entry for Wells in the latest edition, with last year's Edinburgh Hotel failing to meet the criteria despite being the busiest I've ever seen it and serving a larger selection of ales than before. Round the corner The Globe was suffering from poor quality Adnams and an identity crisis!

New Charnwood Beer Festival

The New Charnwood is Heckmondwike's saviour these days and with so many once popular ale houses in the town going the way of iced-cider (is any one still drinking that?!), I'm absolutely delighted, as an ex-Hecky resident, that the pub is getting good support from Heavy Woollen CAMRA along with local ale fans.

And this is just what we've been lacking recently, a local pub festival with an attitude problem! Well I'm game - and whilst it seems deliberately timed to begin on that most-feared day in the (superstitious) calendar, we can only hope that any 'disaster' that befalls the Charnwood this weekend is confined to running out of beer a little early!

LIST JUST ADDED!

Brewing Up To Date

Huddersfield still continues in the vanguard of brewing and recently has provided a plethora of new breweries to satisfy the needs of the locals. It is rumoured that despite its recent difficulties, Ron at the 'Sair' will be brewing Linfit ales again soon. The Nook Brewhouse has recently come on line and its beers are finding their way to festivals and the bar at 'The Nook' in Holmfirth too of course. Summer Wine based at Honley goes from strength to strength, as does Brass Monkey in Sowerby Bridge. Riverhead beers are regulars in the Ossett estate pubs, but the real local success must be Mallinsons.

Tara Mallinson still manages to produce a massive range of beers for a one (and a bit) man band and they are appearing at pubs and festivals far and wide. She has recently managed to brew a house regular for the Crescent in Salford, and excellent it is too, getting much praise from the locals there. At home, we have seen her efforts eulogising 'St Georges Square', celebrating local character 'The Menace' and Rob Allen's new offspring 'Xavier'.

In addition there have been ranges glorifying rivers, follys and not so classic cars - if you read this Tara, can you brew 'Riva' again please - I nearly missed it!!! I do believe that there are efforts in hand to install a third fermenter to increase the brewing capacity(!) - and I'm having trouble keeping up with what she produces at the moment! Look out for 'Maori Warrior' doing the rounds now. Made with New Zealand hops it is a clean, refreshing 4.5% beer, and the 3.9% 'Stainborough Castle' is just far too drinkable as the regulars at the 'Star' will verify.

And talking of the 'Star', it is hoped that sometime this week Steel City's 'Hop Manifesto' will make an appearance. Brewed by Dave Unpronounceable and Gazza in Sheffield, it will certainly not be lacking in hops according to those in the know.

And on the subject of hops, try the Brewdog 'Nanny State' at the Grove. It is 1.1%, (no, thats not a misprint) but crammed full of the stuff. It's just a shame it tastes like flavoured water in my opinion, as it is an interesting idea - though born more out of the ludicrous reaction to Tokyo than anything else surely.

It's a Firkin Shame

Whilst Will has been getting all sentimental about his early drinking days in Dewsbury, an article in the CAMRA magazine 'Beer' this quarter has left me thinking of bygone times too. The article was about the chain of Firkin pubs and what happened to their brewing equipment when those fine establishments closed down. There is one local mention and that is of the 'Halifax Steam Brewery' who sourced their plant from the chain and continue to use it to this day. Huddersfield did for a while have its own none brewing Firkin pub on Zetland Street, but I cannot recall its name. They did sell 'Dogbolter' so it was always worth a call. However I digress.

The reason for this article is to remind people that a local brewery did indeed benefit from the demise of Firkin, when Andy Moorhouse, erstwhile landlord of the Rat & Ratchet in Chapel Hill decided to try his hand at brewing.

He, with a couple of other regulars, tripped off to Surrey one day and returned with the brewing kit from the Firkin in Crawley - and if I can't remember the name of the local Firkin I am unlikely to to remember the name of one 200 miles away am I!

He managed to cram the brewing kit into the cellar at the Rat and started brewing in late 1994. He would be offended if I called the brewery a 'Heath Robinson' affair, so I will say that it was a tribute to his engineering and skill that he managed to fit all the gear into such a small area and before long beers with rodent names were appearing on the bar (below). Usually light and hoppy, they were a tribute to his ability and it was always a pleasure to walk down Chapel Hill and smell the brewing process wafting up the hill towards you.

Andy not only used his ingenuity in the brewery, his search for rodent names provided some of the most memorable beer names ever. 'Silver Shrew' and 'Rattus Rattus' were easy to explain, 'Lord Derby's Flying Squirrel' and 'Splinter' less so. Nevertheless, the brewery went from strength to strength and I recall his pleasure, or maybe amazement at being awarded the 'Beer of the Festival' at Woking one year. (Suppose, light hoppy beer was a shock to Southerners!!).



Anyway all good things must end, and Andy decided to turn his hand elsewhere and the brewery was sold on. Firstly to the Fantasy Brewery in Nuneaton, which was a fairly short lived affair and then on again. I believe it was the basis for the Ashover Brewery in Derbyshire but I could be wrong. They are still brewing, so if you come across their beers it is entirely possible that they have come from the original Rat plant.

Andy did brew again, using Golcar's plant, where he produced a handful of beers under the 'Sidecar' name. However, his real success came at the Rat with beers that attracted attention from far and wide. Who can forget 'Infestation', a beer that is still talked about to this day. It just shows what a good brewing pedigree Huddersfield has, and is a tribute to Firkin that their kit has lasted the test of time to still produce good beers over 20 years on.

The Shepherds Boy, Dewsbury

My personal real ale trail began in Dewsbury back in the '70s when a pint of Tetley Bitter at the Market House was as good as it got - and believe me it was good - though I doubt it was ever just a 'pint'! Sadly the Market House is no more, betrayed by a generation of drinkers who attached more importance to gloss than substance - and as for Tetley's...well, we all know what happened there!
These days the town boasts four entries in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide offering local ale fans some serious choice. A fairly recent addition to that list is the Shepherd's Boy which reopened under the Ossett Brewery banner a little over three and a half years ago. Situated a little out of the town centre on the Huddersfield Road, the pub underwent a comprehensive refurbishment under it's new owners resulting in one of the most attractive hostelries for miles around.

Eight handpumps feature four beers from the hosts leaving plenty of room for an ever changing barrage of quality guests which always include a mild or stout. A good selection of single malt whiskeys are available and 'real' food is a recent welcome addition for those in need of more solid sustenance. New landlord Rob Allen, formerly of the Rat & Ratchet in Huddersfield, is knocking out terrific value for money quality from the pub's little kitchen, with Sunday lunches starting at just £5.95! There's a quiz every Tuesday evening and the possibility of another beer festival on the horizon.

This is indeed a far cry from the old spit 'n' sawdust, one beer (a mild if you're lucky) Market House but thanks to pubs like the Shepherd's Boy, drinking the real thing has never been as much fun as it is today - let's just hope that future generations treat this fine gem with a little more courtesy!

It's 'Spoons Fest Again

Today heralds the start of the Wetherspoons beer festival which will showcase 50 beers from near and far. It is a bit different to other festivals we have featured in that not all the beers are on the bar at any one time (in some cases they are not even in the cellar!!), but the intention is that over the three weeks of the festival all those in the programme should appear on bars at Wetherspoons' pubs. The fun is that no one knows which pubs have which beers, or when. This means that the enthusiast has to visit the same pub many times to sample everything or visit several 'Spoons in the hope of finding different beers - its a good game if a bit frustrating but at least it keeps us tickers on our toes!

In Huddersfield we are lucky (naturally!), with the Cherry Tree having the ability to get around eight on the bar at any one time, and often the pub gets second barrels if the first go quickly.

Last year I decided to get out and about and on one day visited branches in Brighouse, Halifax and Bradford in search of beers, (it can be done for a £4 First Bus ticket quite easily) and with opening at 9am, one can collect quite a few beers in a day.

The theme is Wetherspoons 30th Anniversary and the beers tenuously fit this theme. The range this year is as wide as ever with beers from all over the world. Some have even been created by foreign brewers using English brewery plant to provide even more interest. Where else can you drink real ale brewed by New Zealand, Japanese, American, and Czech brewers on handpumps?

So why not give it a go. Pick up the programme or download it here and set to work. They even allow the possibility of drinking the beer in third of a pint measures, plus the food is decent and at the price they charge it's not expensive either. Happy ticking.

Update

The word is that The Leggers Inn (right) at Dewsbury has had to cancel it's beer festival, due to be held in mid November, as the bar manager has been suspended.

Also Ron Crabtree at The Sair (Linthwaite) has sacked some key staff including his brewer a few weeks back. But the good news is the brew house has pretty much been rebuilt and cleaned up by the new brewer and we expect home brewed ale to flow in the next few weeks. They had seven ales on last Sunday from Elland, Copper Dragon and a few others.

Halloween

The witching hour approaches and many pubs up and down the land will be trying something extra to get us to our local for yet another night! First out of the blocks in these parts is the Shepherds Boy, Dewsbury, which will be holding a Halloween night on the 28th (Wednesday), complete with a free buffet, themed quiz and lots of beer.

There will be four Halloween inspired beers on the bar and managing a pint of each of the four gives you entry to a draw for a hamper of international bottled beers. The "Halloween ale trail" lasts until Sunday 1st November, so you don't need to have all four beers in one session. Two reserve beers are in the cellar, should any of the four be so popular that they don't last all sessions.

This attractive pub is well worth a visit, with good beer and free food too, next Wednesday might be just the time to drop in, fancy dress is optional.

The Red Rooster, Brighouse

It's a crying shame that these days I only get to sample this dream of a pub during it's festival. There was a time when I'd make regular mid-week sorties to enjoy the well-kept beer, exceptional service and relaxed atmosphere but now I'm based just a little too far away.

Two visits to last weekend's No Nonsense fest (formerly Septober) were very enjoyable though and whilst my esteemed colleagues may have turned their noses up at the beer list, I was delighted with the selection.

For the record my personal favourites included Pictish Pioneer, Enville Ginger Beer and Mallinsons Riva (possibly their best to date) but the excellent pie and peas at £2 a shot were also worthy of a mention, especially since we're featuring food a little more this week.

The word gem gets used a lot to describe quality no nonsense boozers (probably the Good Beer Guides fault) especially since we each have our own ideal when it comes to pub interiors and the sort of places we feel comfortable in, but I hope a glance at these pictures will give you a feel for the Rooster - as this is most definitely my kind of gem!

For the Hop Lovers Amongst Us

Having browsed through 'Opening Times' (the Manchester CAMRA beer magazine), I noticed the section about local breweries had an interesting piece on the Marble Brewery and this years 'Marble Festival' beer.

Those of us who are familiar with Marble beers are aware that they like to experiment a bit and are not afraid of using a lot of hops. Again they have produced something different and 'Festival' will be brewed with a New Zealand hop called 'Rukau' which apparently imparts floral and passion fruit flavours to the beer.

If their previous use of New Zealand hops, such as Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Mortueka are anything to go by, this should be a winner. Just hope I can get chance to try it and maybe other local brewers (hint Tara!!) can get hold of some and see what they can make of it.

A Hidden Gem

At the suggestion of several people, Sunday brought a trip into the Colne Valley to visit a pub I had heard many good things about but had never been to visit. The Tunnel End at Marsden is a real gem.

It is not the easiest place to find but driving or walking from Marsden centre, take Reddisher Road and the pub is on the right hand side just as it meets Waters Road above the Stanedge Visitors centre - it is probably easier to use the train as it is only a short walk from the station away from Marsden centre. Parking is also a premium at the pub so rail seems a good option.

It is a welcoming pub comprising various drinking areas with a real fire and a good food menu - ideal for these long autumn afternoons. On the bar were Taylor Landlord, Greene King IPA and Black Sheep but I opted for a guest beer from Saltaire and that and a coke came to just £3 so not overpriced. The food menu is reasonably priced too, and appears to be all home produced and of excellent quality.

All in all the Tunnel End is well worth a visit, especially if you have been walking on the moors and are in need of a warm, some decent beer and a recharge of your batteries. Just be wary of the opening hours as it only does full days at weekends.

Following on, and since I was in the area, I called down to see Johnny at the Swan at
Crimble to firm up the opening hours for his forthcoming festival. He confirmed that it starts Thursday evening and then all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, (not 4pm on Friday as some adverts have shown), it looks as though that is my Friday sorted!! 30 beers will be available with some rare and new ones from near and far, so if previous festivals are anything to go by this looks like being another ticking treat.

Food, Glorious Food

Those of us who travel to Manchester and Sheffield know that somewhere in a pub with a dozen or so hand pumps we will be able to get a good plate of food, and likewise visitors to Huddersfield's mighty drinking establishments have never been so well served. The closure of the Rat & Ratchet's kitchen has been a blow but the start of food service in The Sportsman may restore the balance.

For those who don't yet know, The Sportsman (above) is Huddersfield's latest real ale emporium, going out of town past St. Georges Square and just beyond the railway viaduct. Food is available 12-3 Monday to Thursday and an amazing 11-4 Friday and Saturday, and then again from 7-9 in the evening (Monday to Thursday). Sunday lunch is served 12-3. There is a regular menu plus a specials board, the food is home cooked, big portions and good value (steak & ale pie, chips & veg £3.95). Don't expect fine dining, this is after all pub food to accompany the beer (8 hand pumps, typically Anglo Dutch, Salamander and Mallinsons), or keep you warm inside if you are off to watch Town or the Giants (Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium is less than 10 minutes walk).

Some of the Rat's kitchen has moved, along with Rob, to it's sister Ossett pub in Dewsbury, the Shepherds Boy (above).This is a great little pub on the Huddersfield-Mirfield-Dewsbury road or a ten minute walk up from Dewsbury railway station. We travelled to sample Rob's Sunday fayre, something the Rat was never able to offer, and for £7.95 we got a three course traditional Sunday roast (a choice of beef, lamb or chicken) with starter and dessert (£6.95 with starter or dessert and just £5.95 main course only). Vegetables and roast potatoes are perfectly cooked, and a different gravy is served for each meat. Sunday roasts are served 12-6, which gives you plenty of time to sample the 8 different beers on offer, normally 5 Ossett and 3 guests.

If you have not got the time (or access to transport) to travel out of town to one of our many country pubs for a beer and a bite to eat, the Sportsman or the Shepherds Boy might be just what you are looking for.

Buon appettito!

Blowing Our Own Trumpet

Earlier in the year we wrote of three pubs (under the byline of "not in the beer guide.."), which we thought so good that they should be. Perusing the 2010 Beer Guide (purchased from the Star, Huddersfield for a bargain £9), we were really pleased that all three now have an entry!

For the record, the three pubs were The Swan, York, Mytton Arms, Habberley (Shropshire) and the White Lion, Bridgnorth (also Shropshire). The Shropshire (Wrekin) CAMRA quarterly, at the time of our visits, gave a guide to landlords on how to get your pub into the beer guide, maybe they could add "get your pub reviewed by 'a swift one'"!

The Charlton Arms, Ludlow, also reviewed, is another new entry in the 2010 guide. I'm sure their local CAMRA branches were on the case already, but who knows for certain.

Congratulations to all the above.

A Day in the Capital

I know its not quite within the remit of Huddersfield, but last week I managed a day sampling some of the beer guide pubs of London. I have not been there for years and wanted to try out some of the places that others have told me about. I was not disappointed.

Armed with a day travelcard and a bus map, (those who know me, can see I was combining my 2 hobbies !) I managed to find 4 of the capital's great pubs, all serving real ale in good form and all in different parts of the city. First out came the Jerusalem Tavern, the St Peters Brewery tap.


Not too hard to find and a real gem; bare boards, basic furniture, and 6 beers on tap and more on stillage. They say they serve the whole range of the brewery's beer, either over the bar or in bottles.

I managed to sample three on the bar, Golden, Stout and the current fruit beer which was Grapefruit. All decent beers but the fruit beer was superb, and tasted of real grapefruit.

The next stop was the Wenlock Arms, near Shoreditch Police Station. I think there must be an easier way to find it than we managed, which involved a 15 minute walk round one of Hackney's dodgier council estates. When we eventually reached it we were not disappointed with around ten beers on draught and from all over the country. I tried offerings from Acorn, Lees, and Mighty Oak and when the landlord saw me scribbling away was most helpful in answering a couple of queries, not always the case with tickers. But time was against me and I knew I had to cross London to find the next pub.

Another gem, the Market Porter in Borough. Again about 10 beers available, from breweries near and far. Their regular beer, Harvey's Sussex bitter was doing a roaring trade but I opted for the guests and this time sampled beers from Corvedale and Stonehenge and again, the quality was excellent. The pub was heaving at 4pm with people calling in after work and seating was at a premium. When I left I found as many people drinking outside as in the pub. Should you need to do a bit of shopping then Borough Market is just across the road.

My final call for the day was the Bree Louise in Euston, handy for the railway station and another super pub. More modern than the other three and crammed with people so I never got chance to count the handpumps, but they also serve beers from stillage on the bar and provided about 20 in total I think. Here I found a new brewery for me, Twickenham and the two beers of theirs I tried were fine, although more geared to southern tastes being more malty than hoppy. I completed my sampling with a couple of Itchen Valley beers, again a rarity up north, and again typically southern styled.

All in all I was very impressed. The price of the beer was around £3 a pint, an average for the capital, but all the pubs were busy so the recession does not seem to be biting too hard. The pubs were all different with their own character and the staff appeared knowledgeable and interested. All it takes is a bit of planning and all four pubs, and possibly more, can be done in a day. Why not have a go ?
All pics courtesy of beerintheevening & the pubs' own websites

Watch Out For This One!

On the taunting pole at The Star at the moment is one of the best beers of the year in my and several other people's opinion, having tried it at the Lytham Festival last month.

The beer is Liverpool Organic 'Ironman', a 3.8% offering from this new brewery that is easy drinking, hoppy and full of flavour. Just the sort of beer I like. Sam says that their stronger offering, 'Premium' is also in the cellar so it looks as though the regulars may be in for a real treat later in the week.

More Festivals to Enjoy

I know there is a list of beer festivals on the blog but they have disappeared down the page because of the tweets, and there are some that are on the fringes of the area that may be overlooked.

This weekend the Red Rooster at Brighouse has its Octoberfest, starting Thursday evening through till Sunday and offers 30 or so beers. I have been previously and I can recommend it, even though I have yet to see a beer list. This will be followed by the Barge & Barrel (right) at Elland, easily accessible from Huddersfield and again offering 30 beers, unfortunately not all available at once if past festivals are anything to go by. I cannot supply the exact times at the moment (managed to lose my notes!!) but will update later.

For those intrepid people who fancy a bit of travelling, this Wednesday at the Harlequin in Sheffield provides a mini fest for their chief ticker Brian Moore's 70th birthday and the launching of Dave 'Unpronounceable's' Steel City Brewery. Expect some interesting beers for Brian and some mega hopped offerings from Dave. Have just checked another website and discovered three beers for Brian, two from Tara and one from Dave.

The Wakefield CAMRA fest is on over the weekend of bonfire night in the Light Waves, near the bus station and this year I have read they are showcasing Norfolk beers, which if last year's South Western festival is anything to go by should be a winner. And not forgetting The Star, starting on the 18th November where Sam will hopefully do us proud with beers from near and far. I, for one, can hardly wait.

Have managed to overlook the super fest at the Swan at Crimble next weekend, another worth a trip out, especially since the Commercial down the road is going from strength to strength, a very good reason to visit Slaithwaite, if you haveen't been yet.