Ilkley Dinner Ale v Wild Madness IPA

EXTRA, EXTRA! Keg kids clash in the Battle of the BROADY, January 2014!

Two beer geeks differ in their opinion of kegged ale. Danny can happily neck numerous whilst Mike is more meagre and modest in consumption of fizz. Unusually, there wasn`t a lot to go at cask-wise in the post-Xmas Broadfield Ale House: The Summer Wine  / SWB (Ten Malt!) Teleporter was great but, at that price, you might as well be imbibing wallet-whacking keg specials.

Side-by-side we spotted kegged beers from two big players in the beer world. ILKLEY are up-and-coming, a particular favourite of Danny, and they had a great 2013 dabbling successfully in an array of ale styles. Meanwhile, WILD Beer Company are South-West Superstars who again push the boundaries and produce a portly portfolio of well-crafted beer and we`re pleased to see them appear so often at this affable Abbeydale Ale House.

In all fairness, this was a catch-weight contest; the Wild beer is more than twice the ABV of the Ilkley effort, but who didn`t enjoying seeing `little` Rocky Balboa against Snakelips/Hulk Hogan . .?!
Dinner Ale (3.3%) is a `Victorian Pale Ale`. It also full of sexy Yank and Aussie hops and served on keg making it a complete ale-y oxymoron. If Victorian meal-time beer tasted like this one, then the gin palaces would`ve had more space in them than Blades` trophy cabinet / Hillsboro`s away end, and not ruined late-nineteenth century mothers! Wonder what it tastes like on cask . . . ?

Madness does indeed lie therein; 6.8% but well drinkable. A cleverly-crafted zingy, zesty, citrusy IPA is the twogeeks` preferred beer style (at least over the last 5 years) and this is an exemplar nonpareil. Wow! Keg-cold but the flavour still `hops` out and cracks you around the jaw, twice, Rocky haymaker style.

Stop the contest. Geek down and unable to defend himself.

Mike`s Scores

Ilkley Dinner Ale   -  8
Wild Madness IPA -  8

Danny`s Scorecard

Wild Madness IPA - 9.5
(Beergeek unable to continue. Would not shift from the Madness!)

• VERDICT - TKO to Wild but valiant fight by West Yorks Welterweight Wonderkids.

(Footnote - having scanned ratebeer, it is clear that both of these beverages taste significantly better not bottled. Get thee sen to t`pub, even if you go craft / keg!)