Cask Ale Week - Baron style!

As you may or may not know it's Cask Ale Week this week in England and as I don't get out to the pub that often it was lucky for me that Fergus at Adnams came to the rescue.

Fergus sent through a bottle of 4.3% Adnams Extra [baron rating 4/5] yesterday. This Grolsch-style swing-top bottle was sent by Fergus having been drawn off a fresh cask of Adnams Extra just days before - therefore it is real cask ale.

I shared my bottle with Chris last night and we recorded our thoughts on this excellent ale.

I'd be happy to buy and drink bottles of Adnams Extra but regardless of that I hope they bring it back year after year as a cask seasonal treat!

Being sent cask ale in a bottle for Cask Ale Week? Beat that! :)

Adnams Extra

Adnams Extra [baron rating 4/5] - 4.3% copper cask ale,pear & peppery malt smell,smooth very hoppy bitter taste & slight dry bitter finishBaron Orm

Note: This is not a regular bottled ale, as you can see from the picture below this is cask ale bottled for us by Adnams head brewer Fergus.  They last brewed Adnams Extra back in the 90s and have brought it back for Cask Ale Week. Adnams Extra is a lovely beer and one that I think would fit very nicely along side Adnams Bitter [baron rating 4/5] in their bottled line-up - let's just hope they listen to the Baron! ;)

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Thanks again Fergus for the chance to try Adnams Extra!

Buy Adnams ales here

Greene King Olde Trip for 99p a bottle in B&M Bargains (Ormskirk)

B&M Bargains in Ormskirk has 500ml bottles of Greene King Olde Trip for 99p each, best before date was April 2010

Batemans XXXB for 99p a bottle in B&M Bargains (Ormskirk)

B&M Bargains in Ormskirk has 500ml bottles of Batemans XXXB [baron rating 4/5] for 99p each, best before date was August 2010

Innis & Gunn Blonde for 89p a bottle in B&M Bargains (Ormskirk)

B&M Bargains in Ormskirk has 330ml bottles of Innis & Gunn Blonde (lightly oaked beer) for just 89p each, best before date is June 2010

myBrewerytap's next beer club pack looks amazing!

The next 52 week beer club pack from myBrewerytap looks amazing! Richard posted the tasting notes last week, here are the ones I'm most looking forward to receiving:

• Bitter End Lakeland Amber [baron rating 3/5 ♫]

• Crown Unpronounceable IPA

• Fyne Avalanche

• Green Room Icon

• Thornbridge Jaipur [baron rating 5/5 ♫]

• Williams Bros Ginger

These packs are going to be shipped out within the next week or two, so if you fancy getting some of the above beers then make sure you join the 52 week beer club soon!

Morland Hen's Tooth

Morland Hen's Tooth [baron rating 5/5] - this 6.5% amber ale has a sweet crisp smell,balanced caramel taste & alcoholic then bitter finish

Bath Golden Hare

Bath Golden Hare [baron rating 4/5] - this 4.4% golden ale has a fruity hops aroma, a juicy tangy malt taste & a lasting bitter finishBaron Orm

Buy Bath Ales here

Wychwood mixed pack on offer at Costco (22nd March - 11th April 2010)

Costco has Wychwood packs on offer now - £11.74 for 12 until 11th April, 3 each of Goliath[3/5],Hobgoblin[4/5],Scarecrow & Wychcraft[3/5]

Wold Top Falling Stone

Wold Top Falling Stone [baron rating 3/5] - 4.2% dark amber ale,floral toffee apple smell,peachy taste,very bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Note: Not bottle conditioned

Buy Wold Top ales here

Batemans Combined Harvest for 99p a bottle in B&M Bargains (Ormskirk)

B&M Bargains in Ormskirk has 500ml bottles of Batemans Combined Harvest [baron rating 3/5] for 99p each, best before date was August 2010

Adnams Gunhill for 99p a bottle in B&M Bargains (Ormskirk)

B&M Bargains in Ormskirk has 500ml bottles of Adnams Gunhill [baron rating 3/5] for 99p each, best before date was April 2010

Marble Decadence available in Source Deli (Ormskirk)

Marble's Decadence, their highly-rated Russian Imperial Stout weighing in at 8.7%, is now available in 750ml corked, caged & waxed-dipped bottles from Source Deli in Ormskirk.

These special bottles are available for £11 each, but Source only have a limited stock of them - they had six until I bought the two above today ;)

Paul & Matt of Source Deli have been fans of Marble beers for quite some time, and have a fairly regular stock of Marble ale. Here is a list of the ones they currently have in stock:

• Marble Ginger 6% [baron rating coming soon] - more than 6 available

• Marble Lagonda IPA [baron rating 5/5] - more than 6 available

• Marble Manchester Bitter [baron rating 4/5] - couple remaining

• Marble Tawny No.3 [baron rating 4/5 ♫] - couple remaining

They also stock the Marble Chocolate and Marble Stouter Port Stout [baron rating 4/5 ♫] as and when Marble can supply it to Source Deli in Ormskirk.

Badger ale '4 for £5' offer in Tesco (until 6th April 2010)

Tesco have 4 Badger ales for £5 until 6th April - choose from Fursty Ferret[4/5],Golden Champion[3/5],Golden Glory[2/5] & Tanglefoot[4/5]

Wold Top Bitter

Wold Top Bitter [baron rating 4/5] - this 3.7% amber ale has a slight berry hop aroma,sweet malt & proper bitter taste & sour bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Buy Wold Top ales here

Worthington's White Shield on offer in Waitrose (20th March 2010)

Waitrose has 500ml bottles of bottled-conditioned Worthington's White Shield on offer at the moment, £1.59 rather than the usual £1.99

Fuller's ales on offer in Waitrose until 13th April 2010

Waitrose has Fuller's ales on offer: £2 off when you buy 4, offer runs until 13th April.I bought 4 Bengal Lancer after reading this & this

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 3 for £4 in Tesco until 6th April 2010

Tesco has 350ml bottles of lovely Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on offer: 3 bottles for £4 until 6th April. I bought 6 today from the Formby store!

Great Banks's Fine Fettle at the Dog & Gun pub (Aughton)

Visited the Dog & Gun (Aughton) last night & tried the guest: Banks's Fine Fettle.This 4.2% session ale was FAB! tangy malt & hop bitterness

Greene King Abbot Reserve for 49p/bottle in B&M Bargains (Ormskirk)

B&M Bargains in Ormskirk has 500ml bottles of Greene King Abbot Reserve [baron rating 3/5] for 49p! (best before Jan 2010 hence the price)

Shepherd Neame Goldings

Shepherd Neame Goldings [baron rating 3/5] - this 4.5% amber ale has a subtle peppery smell,slight floral fruity taste & gentle sweet finish

Black Sheep Ale for £1.18/bottle in Asda (15th March 2010)

Asda have Black Sheep Ale [baron rating 4/5] on offer at the moment: £1.18 per 500ml bottle, no idea when it's going to go back up again

Greene King Suffolk Springer for £1/bottle in Sainsbury's (until 23th March 2010)

Sainsbury's have Greene King Suffolk Springer on offer at the moment until 23th March - £1 for a 500ml bottle instead of £2.03

Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale

Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale [baron rating 4/5] - 5.5% amber ale,pine & citrus smell,soft nutty hoppy bitter taste,buttery finishBaron Orm

Buy Flying Dog ales here

Morland Old Crafty Hen

Morland Old Crafty Hen [baron rating 4/5] - this 6.5% dark amber ale has a spicy malt smell,tangy spicy malt taste & spicy bitter oak finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Timothy Taylor's Landlord

Timothy Taylor's Landlord [baron rating 4/5] - this 4.1% amber ale, has a crisp hops & malt smell,nutty & tangy taste & dry bitter finish

Greene King Ruddles Best

Greene King Ruddles Best [baron rating 2/5] - this 3.7% amber ale has a subtle malt aroma,watery slightly bitter taste & tiny bitter finish

Our recent 'Drink to the Bitter End' ale tasting night

Had a great tasting night last night with Chris working our way through six different bottles from the Bitter End Brewing Co. These were very kindly sent to me by Tony of Bitter End.

Here are the beers in the order in which we tried them:

• Bitter End Lakeland Bitter [baron rating 2/5 ♫]

• Bitter End Lakeland Blonde [baron rating 2/5 ♫]

• Bitter End Lakeland IPA [baron rating 3/5 ♫]

• Bitter End Lakeland Golden [baron rating 2/5 ♫]

• Bitter End Lakeland Amber [baron rating 3/5 ♫]

• Bitter End Lakeland Honey Beer [baron rating 2/5 ♫]

Thanks again Bitter End Brewing Co. for providing some great ale to rate!

Buy Bitter End ales here

Bitter End Lakeland Honey Beer

Bitter End Lakeland Honey Beer [baron rating 2/5] - this 5% honey ale has a slight malt aroma,initial bitterness then sweet taste & finish

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it (note: it's rating has changed since the audio was recorded).

Buy Bitter End ales here

Bitter End Lakeland Amber

Bitter End Lakeland Amber [baron rating 3/5] - this 4% pale amber ale has a malt aroma,sweet nutty bitter mineral taste & fading malt finishBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it. (note: it's rating has changed since the audio was recorded).

Download flash to hear the audio review

Part of the superb '52 week beer club' by myBrewerytap
join it now and make sure you say "the baron made me do it"!

Buy Bitter End ales here

Bitter End Lakeland Golden

Bitter End Lakeland Golden [baron rating 2/5] - this 4.3% copper ale has a gentle hop aroma,gentle sweet taste with a light sweet finish

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it. (note: it's rating has changed since the audio was recorded).

Part of the superb '52 week beer club' by myBrewerytap
join it now and make sure you say "the baron made me do it"!

Buy Bitter End ales here

Bitter End Lakeland IPA

Bitter End Lakeland IPA [baron rating 3/5] - this 5.5% amber ale has a gentle grapefruit aroma,delicate juicy malt taste &dry bitter finishBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it. (note: it's rating has changed since the audio was recorded).

Download flash to hear the audio review

Buy Bitter End ales here

Bitter End Lakeland Blonde

Bitter End Lakeland Blonde [baron rating 2/5] - this 4.2% pale golden ale has a lemon aroma,slight bitter mineral taste & sweet dry finish

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it. (note: it's rating has changed since the audio was recorded).

Buy Bitter End ales here

Bitter End Lakeland Bitter

Bitter End Lakeland Bitter [baron rating 2/5] - this 3.8% dark amber ale has a classic bitter aroma & crisp mineral taste: great session ale

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it. (note: it's rating has changed since the audio was recorded).

Buy Bitter End ales here

New arrival: Zak Avery's '500 beers' book

Zak Avery, beer expert & manager of the excellent Beer-Ritz has somehow managed to find the time to research and write a book called '500 beers':

This classy-looking squat hardback book runs to nearly 300 pages of information about beers from all over the world, classified by their type (IPA, stout, trappist, etc.). Each entry includes a short bio about the beer, some details of it's colour & intensity as well as it's perfect serving temperature.

Amazon kindly delivered it this morning so I've not had much chance to read it yet but it looks an excellent ale resource!  This would make a brilliant present for anyone who is interested in ales (either British or worldwide) and is not too expensive at around £6.50 - by it through this Amazon link and give a few more hard-earned pennies back to Zak!

Morrisons March ale & beer offers (8th March - 11th April 2010)

It's March's new beer & ale offers time in Morrisons so I popped into the local Ormskirk branch today to check them out.

Here are the details:

• Greene King Abbot Reserve [baron rating 3/5]
  £1.49 instead of £1.99

• Morland Old Crafty Hen [baron rating 4/5 ♫]
  £1.99 instead of £2.49

• Morland Old Speckled Hen [baron rating 4/5]
  £1.45 instead of £1.65

• Greene King Ruddles Best [baron rating 2/5]
  £1.29

• Greene King Suffolk Springer
  £1.49 instead of £1.99

• Timothy Taylor's Landlord [baron rating 4/5]
  £1.65 instead of £1.85

• Classic Ales of England 12-bottle pack
  £14

So for another month there's nothing amazing - the discount on the Landlord is ok and the (un-rated) Ruddle Best is within the 'baron bargain' price of less than £1.33, as is the Classic Ales of England pack but there's nothing here that I'm going to stock up on.

As always, if I notice any changes before the 11th of April I'll let you know, otherwise there'll be a new post around then of April's offers!

More views on King Cobra

Most of the time when 'baron rating' it's just myself with the occasional help from Chris as the vast majority of my friends don't like 'pongy ale'.

Last weekend we had some friends round for the evening and having received some bottles of King Cobra lager that day thought it a perfect opportunity to get some of it chilled, opened and passed around. 

There were six of us in total (three couples), five of us thought it was really nice, one thought it was ok, giving an average score of 4/5. Everyone commented that it didn't taste like lager (meaning regular supermarket lager) and was quite sweet with the carbonation and mouthfeel of champagne.

What was interesting was that two of the three ladies said that they would happily drink King Cobra instead of wine not only because they enjoyed the taste but also knowing that the lower alcohol level of 8% (rather than around 14% for wine) would leave them in a better state the next day!

My new classy glassy Abbot Ale tankard

Greene King have been running a free glass tankard offer over the past few months on bottled Abbot Ale [baron rating 5/5]. 13 bottle tops, £2, & six weeks later, this arrived on my doorstep:

 

Which contained this little engraved beauty:

Check out the lettering under the Abbot symbol... ;)

King Cobra & Curry - does it work?

I recently received some bottles of King Cobra [baron rating 5/5 ♫] to try from Kristy at Molson Coors and knew that Chris was having a curry evening soon so I gave a bottle to him to try with the curry.

Here are his thoughts:

The Cobra was excellent. Smooth, frothy rather than sparkling, quite sweet and well up to handling a curry. In fact I'd say it is one of the best curry beers I've ever had, maybe the best.

It's a lovely refreshing drink and just what you need to counter the spice and refresh the palate. I'm not a big fan of lager, but this is a world away from the fizzy stuff. Very good indeed.

I shared it with two dinner companions - one a beer drinker and one who prefers wine - and they both loved it. Interestingly they both said it was better with the food than later, when the food was finished; on its own they both thought it was a bit sweet. I'm not so sure, though. I could drink it without, but it would be perfect with a barbecue on a hot summer's day. The size of the bottle and the alcohol make it perfect for sharing.

Lancaster Amber

Lancaster Amber [baron rating 3/5] - this 3.7% amber ale has a toffee & gentle citrus hops smell,crisp slightly sweet taste & bitter finish

Buy Lancaster ales here

Moorhouse's Black Cat - 2 bottles for £2 in Booths (until 27th March 2010)

Booths have Moorhouse's Black Cat [baron rating 3/5] on offer at the moment, 2 500ml bottles for £2 until 27th March 2010

Cobra, Thornbridge, Mallinsons & Marble - all rated in a night!

Had a very enjoyable tasting night with Chris on Tuesday evening trying a whole range of beers that required a baron rating:

The beers for the evening (in the order they were drunk) were:

• King Cobra [baron rating 5/5 ♫]

• Mallinsons Gator [baron rating 4/5 ♫]

• Thornbridge Jaipur [baron rating 5/5 ♫]

• Marble Tawny No 3 [baron rating 4/5 ♫]

• Thornbrige Kipling [baron rating 4/5 ♫]

• Marble Stouter Port Stout [baron rating 4/5 ♫]

To help out in the audio recording we had a myBrewerytap-branded mic stand:

 

Marble Stouter Port Stout

Marble Stouter Port Stout [baron rating 4/5] - 5.2% black ale,huge roasted fruit smell,smooth roasted choc taste,roasted bittersweet finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

The Baron has appointed a Stout Advisor

I'm not a big fan of smoky burnt stouts & porters so I've appointed Chris Routledge as my 'Stout Advisor' for future baron ratings

Marble Tawny No 3

Update 15/04/2010: I've had two bottles of this ale since the tasting night with Chris and I must say it has quickly become one of my favourite beers! I had to upgrade it's rating to from 4/5 to 5/5!

Marble Tawny No 3 [baron rating 5/5] - this 5.7% tawny ale has a fruity sweet malt smell,varied sweet malts taste & a burnt sweet finishBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Mallinsons Gator

Mallinsons Gator [baron rating 4/5] - this 4.6% golden ale has a floral citrus smell,sweet malt &hops taste & a very hoppy dry bitter finish

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it:

Thornbridge Kipling

Thornbridge Kipling [baron rating 4/5] - this 5.2% golden ale has a floral aroma, smooth fruity tangy malt taste and a hoppy bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Also available in 500ml bottle-conditioned form

I would like to say a big thank you to Richard from myBrewerytap for sending some Thornbridge beers through for a baron rating. You are a star Richard, both Jaipur & Kipling are excellent ales!

Buy Thornbridge ales here

Brakspear Bitter & Marston's Burton Bitter for £1/bottle in Iceland (Ormskirk)

The new Iceland in Ormskirk has 500ml bottles of Brakspear Bitter[baron rating 5/5] & Marston's Burton Bitter[baron rating 2/5] for £1

Thwaites Double Century for 99p in B&M Bargains (Ormskirk)

B&M Bargains in Ormskirk has 500ml bottles of Thwaites Double Century [baron rating 5/5] for 99p (best before 30/03/2010)

Thornbridge Jaipur

Thornbridge Jaipur [baron rating 5/5] - this 5.9% amber ale has a citrus & candied sweets taste,a bold tangy malt & hoppy taste & dry finishBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

I would like to say a big thank you to Richard from myBrewerytap for sending some Thornbridge beers through for a baron rating. You are a star Richard, both Jaipur & Kipling are excellent ales!

Part of the superb '52 week beer club' by myBrewerytap
join it now and make sure you say "the baron made me do it"!

Buy Thornbridge ales here

King Cobra

King Cobra [baron rating 5/5] - this 8% pale lager has a light malt aroma,complex sweet malt taste & champagne fizz,ending with a sweet biteBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Note: This beer is more of a pale yellow colour than the golden that this photo suggests, the flash was playing mind games at the time!

I would like to say a big thank you to Kristy from Molson Coors for sending some bottles of King Cobra through for a baron rating, after trying this beer I will be buying some more!

myBrewerytap's 52 Week Beer Club - feedback from a happy member

I joined myBrewerytap's 52 Week Beer Club back in December last year and after receiving my first pack I was spreading the word of this excellent club. A friend of mine on the Isle of Man ordered it based on my recommendation, here are his comments (along with a couple of shots of the bar in his lounge):



Thanks for putting me on to this, I have quite enjoyed the experience. It has left me wondering when the next batch is due.

Below are the ratings for the beers and any comments I noted. The Golden Warrior and the Cardi Bay would be my recommendations.

So in descending order:


4.5   Empire Brewing; Golden Warrior

Very fruity Wheat/Barley beer similar to Kroneburg blanc

4.0   Penlon Cottage; Cardi Bay Best Bitter

Very drinkable 

3.5   Sambrooks; Wandle Ale

surprisingly fizzy out of the bottle, if I didn't know otherwise I would say it had been carbonated. smooth finish

3.5   Stroud Brewing; Woolsack Organic Porter

smooth burnt flavour, fizzy

3.5   Leyden; Forever Bury

calls itself a bitter but I would class it as an ale - dark to look at.

3.5   Windsoe Castle(sadlers); thin ice

smooth with the hint of  fruitiness

3.0   Atlantic;Atlantic Red

disappointing, the colour promised something interesting. still, an acceptable drink

3.0   Quartz Brewing; Quartz Blonde

bland, neither offensive nor unpleasant

3.0   Bitter End; Lakeland Golden

3.0   Dent; Aviator

3.0   Wensleydale; Gamekeeper

caramel aftertaste

2.5   Three Castles; Autumn Haze

not for me

1.0   Leather britches; Bounder
carbonated dishwater - did not taste like beer

Hook Norton Hooky Gold

Hook Norton Hooky Gold [baron rating 4/5] - 4.2% gold ale,caramel citrus aroma,crisp sweet spicy citrus fruit taste,grapefruit bitter finish Baron Orm