Redwood (4.8%) - Wild Beer Company

Another belter in The Broady, but not everyone`s cup of tea, I`m sure.

Over the past months, I have found increasing reasons to rave about The Broadfield and the regular appearances of this Somerset brewery`s wares are an real ale asset. The Broady is welcoming even if you are accompanied by kid or canine, want coffee or craft ale and they even have a selection of daily newspapers if you want catch up with the world as you kill an hour, or two. A real jack-of-all-trades.

 Redwood had a hand-written note on it to say that it was a very limited edition with there only being 5 (?) barrels in existence and so it cost £2.50 for a kegged half pint. The knowledgeable bar-keep also insisted that I had a (sizeable) sample as he was aware that it had a very strong taste, one which he himself disliked. I downed the taster and was in for a penny (or 250 of them in this case).

Redwood has a dark mahogany body and a super sour niff plus quite a decent head. An initial taste of balsamic was not totally pleasant but that subsides as you taste the fruity / berry elements. Often I struggle with the carbonation of kegged ale but that is not an issue with the way this was served up at my favourite Abbeydale Road alehouse. As a big fan of bold, brassy vino tintos, I lapped up the red wine taste that balances pretty skilfully with the sourness of this 4.8% beer. Not for the faint-hearted but be bold beer drinkers!

Mike`s Score - 7.5

Preston`s Premier Pub - The Continental

Cross border ventures from Yorkshire to Lancashire are only attempted by the brave and the foolhardy. Bravery can be boosted if one has prepared having perused the GBG in detail before beginning the mission but decent boozers in Lancs, whilst not exactly hen`s teeth, they are certainly sparser than in the White Rose Republic.
Bucking the trend is The Continental. This place has does a fine job of filling a (sizeable) gap in the Preston pub scene. A genuinely eclectic clientele support this South Meadow Lane establishment where punters attending a punk gig or a burlesque session may rub their Ribble-side shoulders (et al) with families tucking into the excellent food that the `Conti` menu offers. Not cheap but professional staff serving really good local food.
On the bar, you may find nationwide offerings from the likes of Huddersfield`s Summer Wine Brewery (SWB), Northumberland`s Anarchy Brewery and North Walians Purple Moose. The range varies but is usually well selected and of high quality as are the bottled offerings. Plus there is always the Pictish to fall back on or the house beer from Manc maestros Marble, Continental Bitter (3.8%) which was a snip at £2.30 last time I visited. Add on a cracking spacious beer garden, comfy seating aplenty and a back bar / tap room to give you the Continental.
Honourable mentions ought to be given to the brilliantly-named Bitter Suite which bravely offers something different in the heart of student-ville and the rough `n` ready Old Black Bull, then you have pretty much done this city in three acts. However, no one could be criticised if they chose to not drift too far from The Continental!

Kacho (Rum Porter) - Thornbridge

Well another month and another Thornbridge `collaboration`. No pop stars involved this time but rather local illuminati Tom and Sophie off of Derbyshire Lane, S8, who visited the Bakewell brewhouse in their capacity as managers of  The Cross Scythes.

Although we have enjoyed the likes of RatM Summer Ale, Thorny Goat, and Twin Peaks but they were not out of the top drawer of Thornbridge. Baize certainly divided geek opinion whilst Rattlesnake certainly had an alcoholic bite, or at least left a taste in the mouth that did not merit review (No fangs!). I did fear that I would need to swerve a review of Kacho out of fondness for what Tom and Sophie have done to `The Cross` but this collab is a belter!

I missed the `First Pour Friday` but had my own occasion (a second sip Saturday?) that did not disappoint. The beer line-up was the best I have seen in S8 and I had to tear myself away from the Buxton beer I started on, and which I had chosen ahead of the likes of Pollards (a seasonal favourite of mine), Halcyon, Beadica`s Well, etc; Strong Thornbridge fare at their best.

I must prefix my comments with the fact that I only had time for a few slurps of Kacho (I shall return for more!) but I loved the rum aspect. I feared that it would overpower the classic roast malt of this porter ale but O` Hara`s spicy tones appeared late, and surprisingly subtly, on my palate. Using a (very) local Rum is a masterstroke in my opinion and it is balanced well here (Kacho is a very different drinking experience to the Rattlesnake, the last Thornbridge `house beer`). Kacho reminded me of a really good liquor coffee, or maybe a Pollards with a splash of the Steel City`s very own pirate juice. Mind you, Pollards is a `stout` but the Cross Scythes (first born?) baby is a mere porter weighing in at `only` 6%. Whatever the label, both Pollards and Kacho boast plenty of punch for the palate.

Mike`s Score - 8.5 (happy to reassess, very soon!)

Mosaic Single Hop IPA - Arbor

Another nomination for beer of the year! Also a lesson in how different an ale can taste in two different establishments.

Arbor Ales have shown themselves to be one of the most reliable producers of fine beer recently, possibly the best in the South-West, and it is a pleasure to see them appearing with increasing frequency around the Steel City. The Broadfield and The Sheffield Tap have recently housed their beers but I stumbled across this delight in Sheffield`s pub of the year, Shakespeares. Although it was early and my first beer of the day, I had to have a pint and was delighted that it was just £3.30, which I knew to be very reasonable for a proper IPA (6.8%!) from a top notch producer; I was not disappointed. Served in one of Shakey`s over-sized pint pots this beauty is full-flavoured showcasing a tremendous hop. Mosaic is complex, earthy and floral with a quite pungent aroma. It is quite a hazy amber colour and citrusy enough to suit my taste nicely. Wow! The rest of the day`s beer was never going to live up to this!

However, the day after I spied the same beer at The Rutland and opted for a half, baulking at the way higher price tag (£4.25 a pint, I think). It was served in a posh glass which, to be fair, can help bring out the flavour in such complex beers, but it just did not measure up. I think the main problem was the temperature; it was a little on the warm side so the `zing` was not quite there. The difference in price is also astounding. A real shame but at least I didn`t have a full pint to bemoan.

Mike`s score - 8.5 (10 for the one at Shakey`s but 7 for Rutland`s)

Coalition Barley Wine - Thornbridge / Birrificio

 

 

Thornbridge have been quite prolific in the number of beers that they have produced over the past year or so, many of them being collaborations. Recently we have had The University Challenge brews, the Reverend and the Makers Summer Ale, the home brew winner and currently the staff at Thornbridge pubs are taking their turn to brew their own ale at Bakewell. Success has been varied at best. However, we knew that The Cross Scythes had been sitting on this collaborative rarity for a while and hoped for a return to quality and complexity. Birrificio were the co-conspirators in this case.

Coalition weighs in at 9.3% but does not taste that strong which has to be a good thing, mostly (the strength hit me 20 minutes later!). It has a beautiful amber colour with a thin white head and tastes of caramel and toffee. The fruit flavours add to but don`t overpower Coalition making it, all in all, quite drinkable. I only had a half but more would have been fine.

Thornbridge are often criticised for the price of their beer. Coalition cost £2.50 for a half which I thought was acceptable in this case, more so than the £3+ charged for some of their afore-mentioned `amateur` collaborations. If the beers are expensive then that is acceptable but only so long as the quality is as consistent. Pubs like the Rutland and The Broadfield also ask a lot for their ale but maybe it is time for Thornbridge to set another trend and have a house beer at their pubs that costs nearer to the £2.50 mark? After all, `Innovation` is a integral part of their slogan.

Mike`s Score - 8.5

Diablo IPA - Summer Wine Brewery

Over the past couple of years, it seems that the best breweries prove themselves with innovative cask ales before graduating into kegs. Locally, we have seen Magic Rock, Thornbridge (to some extent) and Summer Wine Brewery follow this `progression`.

I was delighted to see an SWB ale on cask recently at The Broadfield. Furthermore, it was alongside its Huddersfield amigo, Magic Rock in the form of one of our favourite ales, High Wire. The Broady has had a whole host of great beers on recently, mostly on keg, but to see these two in their old-fashioned form was a real double-take moment. High Wire (5.5%) tasted very good even though it was the bottom of the barrel (can be a negative with some cask ales) but I could not wait to tuck into the Diablo.

At 6.0% Diablo is a devil of a beer. Bags of taste but none of it that overly alcoholic hit you can get from many strong ales and from some less successful IPAs (eg Thornbridge`s Rattlesnake). Citra is the dominant taste but this is showcased superbly whilst surrounded so skilfully with tropical fruit flavours. The tasting notes proclaim pineapple, papaya, mango and lychees so all very Indian Ocean. I`m not a big fan of fruity beer but, when balanced this well, they really take some IPAs into a league of their own and Diablo is a case in point. Some Yorkshire folk might baulk at the £4+ price tag, especially for a local cask ale, but this one is worth it.

Hailing from Huddersfield (well Holmfirth actually), SWB are one of the best brewers out there in our opinion. Although we differ slightly in our palates, I feel that beers like Diablo really allow you to sample the complexity of flavours therein when served on handpull without the distraction of added carbonation and cooling you get with keg products. That said, we have both enjoyed SWB kegged ales sampled this year at The Broadfield and at The Harlequin but a cask of the stuff is becoming quite a rarity even though the Hudd is only a `short` train journey away!


Mike`s Score - 10! (only improvement could be if it was 6.66%!)

Ale on Anglesey

Nowt like a holiday to make you appreciate what you have on your doorstep eh?!

Extensive research had high-lighted a small number of pubs that had to be visited on Anglesey (Ynys Mon to the Celt locals!) and I did my best within the realms of a family week away. I heard that Purple Moose were a known brewery in this sparsely populated part of our kingdom but I didn`t spot them at all.

In fact, my first taste of North Wales beer came in Bangor? Nope. Conway? No.  Holyhead? No. It was actually in the esteemed Kelham Island Tavern! Great Orme Brewery appeared in our award-winning tourist tavern (and also in The Sheaf View) a couple of days before I set sail (well drove on the M56) to Anglesey. However, I was not enamoured with my half of Ynys Mon, a thin malty drop belying its 4%+ ABV.

On the island, my first beers were bottled ones form the Conwy Ales. Looking at their website, they have an interesting range and I tried Rampart (4.5%) and Welsh Pride (4.0%). Both were very amenable but I really enjoyed the Pride (aka Balchder Cymru) which was zesty but unusually orangey rather than the more sour fruits you expect in Summer ales with a spicy notes too. (These were purchased from Waitrose in Menai Bridge so I shall be paying for them in instalments over the the next 48 months.) Da iawn!

Looking for the perfect beach we ended a day at The Ship Inn which is a GBG stalwart. An isolated gem, this place stretches the wallet and offers an array of tasty food for passing pirates, okay scouse tourists. On the bar were Adnams, a Derby Brewery one (too close to home to bother with!) and so I enjoyed the  Kenneally`s house beer (named after proprieters for last 40 years) sat in the late afternoon sunshine.

However, other Beaumaris bars were not so noteworthy. The Sailor`s Return looked great but the badly-kept Bass was the only ale on offer and I showed my true colours by sipping half of it before running out of the door, wife-in-tow. The Robinson`s house George and Dragon was next. Unusually they had opted for a Friday night quiz to draw in the punters. I`m not sure what the four locals doing the test were drinking but I do know that answer number 4 was ZZ Top and that that my Trooper by Robinsons (4.8%) was not too bad actually. I would have had another but we were in danger of winning a prize in the quiz mainly due to our combined ability to breathe and sit.

Hancock`s HB was my ale of the night in Ye Olde Bull`s Head. The beer was average but this hostelry oozes with quirky character and, I suspect, has done so since Stuart times. More recently Dickens supped here; I wonder if it was as busy as when we bobbed in and I wonder if he ended up in the window seat too. Small bar with handpulls secreted away but worth the effort.

In very brief summary, Anglesey is a great place to holiday but beer geeks will likely be starved of suitable sustenance and will welcome their return to (Sheffield) civilisation. Funnily enough, my first venture out after my sojourn and I spied `Celtica` by Great Orme OTB at the Sheaf View which was a fruity reminder of my holiday, just a shame that the beer is kept so much better in S8 than in LL75!