Sadler's Hop Bomb

Not bottle conditioned

Sadler's Hop Bomb [baron rating 4/5] - 5% gold ale,tropical fruits smell,bright tropical caramel resinous taste,short sweet tropical finishBaron Orm

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

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Thank you to Andrew (@TheAleRoom) from The Ale Room for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Sadler's ales from The Ale Room

Great Newsome Jem's Stout

Not bottle conditioned

Great Newsome Jem's Stout [baron rating 4/5] - 4.3% black ale,dark choc mild liquorice smell,liquorice dark coffee taste,mild berry finish Baron Orm

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

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Thank you to Matthew (@greatnewsome) from Great Newsome Brewery for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Great Newsome ales direct

Wychwood Pumpking

Not bottle conditioned

Wychwood Pumpking [baron rating 2/5] - 4.2% dark amber ale,earthy slight sweet pumpkin smell,toffee spicy taste,dry odd spicy dusty finish Baron Orm

Brooklyn Bam Boozle Ale

Not bottle conditioned

Brooklyn Bam Boozle Ale [baron rating 5/5] - 8.6% gold ale,German wheat beer smell,soft coriander lime banana taste,bitter dry lime finish Baron Orm

Listen to what we all (see the note below) have to say about it

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Leigh (@villaBONE) for bringing this along for a baron rating!

Note : This was the biggest baron rating session yet, with six of us sampling and saying what we thought whilst sat in the lovely Source Deli in Ormskirk. From left to right in the photo:

• Paul from Source Deli - @SourceDeliPaul
• Chris (my regular audio reviewer) - @Christopher_R
• Steven - @Judging_Jester
• Leigh - @villaBONE
• Chris (Leigh's San Diego-based work collegue) - @beerquester

The baron rating crew (minus the baron who was taking the photo

Leigh with Brooklyn Bam Boozle Ale

Looking forward to baron rating Loddon Hullabaloo ale

We've baron rated quite a few Loddon beers so far, but not their Hullabaloo (it's wasn't in the new branding when the previous bottles got sent through). Fortunately some Loddon Hullabaloo arrived promptly this morning:

Another good looking bottle from Loddon

Loddon Brewery

• Hullabaloo - 4.6% best bitter, rich, nutty, malty with a dry hop finish

Look out for 'baron ratings' for these Loddon Brewery beers soon, and a big thank you to Luke Hearn (@LoddonBrewery) for sending them through to me!

Buy Loddon ales direct

Looking forward to baron rating The Ale Room porter ales

I received a couple of great-looking winter porters through from The Ale Room this week:

Two great looking bottle-conditioned beers

Elland Brewery

• 1872 Porter - 6.5%  rich, complex & dark porter from an original 1872 recipe, with an old port nose and coffee and bitter chocolate flavours on the palate. Bottle conditioned for a fresh flavour & natural effervescence

Hopshackle Brewery

• Baltic Porter - 7% deep black beer which pours with a dense brown head and an aroma of malt, coffee & roasted grains. The taste is rich malt, dark fruits & bitter chocolate with a bitter sweet finish

Look out for baron ratings for these The Ale Room beers soon, and a big thank you to Andrew (@TheAleRoom) for sending them through to me!

Buy these ales from The Ale Room

Looking forward to baron rating Saltaire Stateside IPA

I judged for the SIBA North beer competition which was hosted in Manchester yesterday. Beer judging is always a good day out - sample great beers, help pick the winners & catch up with fellow beer lovers. One such mate is Rob from HopZine also known as @BGRTRob on twitter. He handed over a couple of bottles of his homebrew as well as this bottle:

Saltaire Brewery

• Stateside IPA - 6% American style IPA, brewed with cascade, magnum, summit & galena hops. Full bodied pale ale, with creamy caramel malt flavours and intense, resin citrus & grapefruit hop flavours 

Look out for a baron rating for this Saltaire Brewery beer soon, and a big thank you to Rob (@BGRTRob) for sending it through to me!  

Adnams Ghost Ship

Not bottle conditioned

Adnams Ghost Ship [baron rating 4/5] - 4.5% amber ale,citrus mild fresh hops smell,balanced sweet lemon & lime taste,gentle citrus finish Baron Orm

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

Subscribe in iTunes

You can find the ghostly ship image that we discuss in the review here

Thank you to Fergus from Adnams for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Not can conditioned ;)

We were also lucky enough to try the newly canned Adnams Ghost Ship, find out what we thought of it in a side-by-side audio review below.

canned vs. bottled

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

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Fergus from Adnams for sending this through for a 'baron rating'! 

Buy Adnams ales here

Magic Rock Magic 8 Ball

Not bottle conditioned

Magic Rock Magic 8 Ball [baron rating 5/5] - 7% black ale,roasted resinous smell,fresh piney bitter coffee taste,massive bitter burnt finish Baron Orm

Buy Magic Rock ales direct

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Can

Not can conditioned ;)

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Can [baron rating 4/5] - 7.2% amber ale,malty pine resin slight veg smell,syrupy sweet resin taste,burnt sugar finish Baron Orm

Listen to what we all (see the note below) have to say about it

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Chris (@beerquester) for bringing this along for a baron rating!

Note : This was the biggest baron rating session yet, with six of us sampling and saying what we thought whilst sat in the lovely Source Deli in Ormskirk. From left to right in the photo:

• Paul from Source Deli - @SourceDeliPaul
• Chris (my regular audio reviewer) - @Christopher_R
• Steven - @Judging_Jester
• Leigh - @villaBONE
• Chris (Leigh's San Diego-based work collegue) - @beerquester

The baron rating crew (minus the baron who was taking the photo

Chris with Sierra Nevada Torpedo Can

Goose Island 312

Not bottle conditioned

Goose Island 312 [baron rating 3/5] - 4.4% pale gold ale,slight butter straw grassy smell,mild wheat beer taste,soft very mild banana finish Baron Orm

Thank you to Richard (@SlurpBeer) from Slurp Beer for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Goose Island ales from Slurp Beer

Hart Guild 2012 SSA

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Hart Guild 2012 SSA [baron rating 4/5] - 5% dark brown ale,brown sugar mild smell,quite sweet sugary date taste,dry astringent bitter finishBaron Orm

Listen to what we all (see the note below) have to say about it

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Steven (@Judging_Jester) for bringing this along for a baron rating!

Buy Hart ales direct

Note : This was the biggest baron rating session yet, with six of us sampling and saying what we thought whilst sat in the lovely Source Deli in Ormskirk. From left to right in the photo:

• Paul from Source Deli - @SourceDeliPaul
• Chris (my regular audio reviewer) - @Christopher_R
• Steven - @Judging_Jester
• Leigh - @villaBONE
• Chris (Leigh's San Diego-based work collegue) - @beerquester

The baron rating crew (minus the baron who was taking the photo

Stephen with Hart of Preston Guild 2012 SSA

Marble Weizen

Bottle conditioned with lively carbonation

Marble Weizen [baron rating 4/5] - 5.5% gold ale,sweet banana cloves citrus smell,creamy citrus clove taste,long sweet zingy lemon finish Baron Orm

Buy Marble ales from Ales By Mail and Source Deli

Marston's Marynka

Not bottle conditioned

Marston's Marynka [baron rating 3/5] - 4% gold ale,herbal sulphurous eggy smell,biscuity oily herbal taste,fresh citrus bitter finish Baron Orm

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

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Thank you to Danny from the Marston's stand for handing this over for a baron rating!

Brentwood Brentwood IPA

Not bottle conditioned

Brentwood Brentwood IPA [baron rating 3/5] - 3.7% amber ale,mild orange ginger snap smell ,thin orange spicy bitter taste,bitter finishBaron Orm

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

Subscribe in iTunes

Buy Brentwood ales direct and from Ales By Mail

Vibrant Forest Black Oktober

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Vibrant Forest Black Oktober [baron rating 5/5] - 7.2% black ale,bitter dark choc smell,coffee choc liquorice taste,coffee choc finish Baron Orm

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

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Thank you to @mrdavidj for handing this over for a baron rating!

Stringers West Coast Blond

Not bottle conditioned

Stringers West Coast Blond [baron rating 5/5] - 4.4% gold ale,light floral tangerine smell,citrus spicy bitter taste,pithy citrus finish Baron Orm

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

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Thank you to Jon (@StringersBeer) from Stringers for handing this over for a baron rating!

Buy Stringers ales from Source Deli

Based on what we describe in the audio should Stringers make this part of their line-up? I spoke to Jon after we reviewed this beer and he said that they are not sure whether they should turn this trial beer into a regular bottled beer. He asked "Is there a need for yet another golden beer?".

I'm interested in your opinion if you would be kind enough to share it in the comments below?

Blueball Danni's Darkside

Not bottle conditioned

Blueball Danni's Darkside [baron rating 4/5] - 4.8% dark brown ale,dark choc & cherry smell,smooth dark choc mild vinous taste,juicy finish Baron Orm

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

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Thank you to Alex (@blueballbrewery) from Blueball Brewery for handing them over for a baron rating!

Buy Blueball ales direct and from Kash Bar

Teme Valley The Hop Nouvelle

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Teme Valley The Hop Nouvelle [baron rating 2/5] - 4.1% gold ale,grassy bready smell,spicy thin satsuma unbalanced taste,chalky bitter finishBaron Orm

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

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Thank you to @bob_beer from Best of British Beer for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Teme Valley ales from Best of British Beer

Beau's Mates With Dates

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Beau's Mates With Dates [baron rating 5/5] - 7.7% dark amber ale,smoky fruity dates smell,mellow frothy fruity malt taste,short juicy finish Baron Orm

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

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Alex (@AlexAtAllBeer) in colaboration with Beau's Brewery for sending this through for a baron rating!

Looking forward to baron rating canned Adnams Ghost Ship

We baron rated the bottled version of Adnams Ghost Ship in October last year giving it a solid [baron rating 4/5]. They very recently announced that Ghost Ship was now available in cans and their head brewer Fergus very kindly sent up a sample for us to try:

I really like decent ale in cans - it's the future!

Adnams Brewery

• Ghost Ship - 4.5% ghostly pale ale, that's it - there is no further description on the can!

I'm really interested to try this new canned version along side the regular bottled version so look out for a special side-by-side review very soon!

Look out for a baron rating for this Adnams Brewery beer soon, and a big thank you to Fergus (@Solebear) for sending it through to me! 

Oakham Green Devil IPA

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Oakham Green Devil IPA [baron rating 5/5] - 6% pale gold ale,fresh pine mango smell,bright citrus resinous bitter taste,bitter pine finish Baron Orm

Listen to what we all (see the note below) have to say about it

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Andrew (@TheAleRoom) from The Ale Room for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Oakham ales from The Ale Room

Note : This was the biggest baron rating session yet, with six of us sampling and saying what we thought whilst sat in the lovely Source Deli in Ormskirk. From left to right in the photo:

• Paul from Source Deli - @SourceDeliPaul
• Chris (my regular audio reviewer) - @Christopher_R
• Steven - @Judging_Jester
• Leigh - @villaBONE
• Chris (Leigh's San Diego-based work collegue) - @beerquester

The baron rating crew (minus the baron who was taking the photo

The Ormskirk Baron with Oakham Green Devil IPA

Looking forward to baron rating The Ale Room ales

Buying beer online seems to be going from strength to strength at the moment - what better way to get a selection of ales from micro-breweries all over the UK than sat in front of your computer with a beer in hand!  I was contacted recently by a relatively new online beer retailer The Ale Room, who were offering to send me a few samples of their range for review.

They aim to offer both traditional mainstream ales as well as more experimental and innovate beers, their website selection certainly backs this up with a range from Morland Old Speckled Hen to Oakham Green Devil IPA!

Andrew (the owner) had the following to say about why he decided to enter the online beer market:

I launched the website in March this year and it has grown month-on-month ever since. I have a background in digital (and print) media as I worked in the advertising department of a large newspaper firm in London for almost a decade. Tired of the rat race, I knew that I wanted to have a crack at being a business owner but also wanted to start a company where I had a genuine interest and passion in what I was selling (ie.not just doing it for the money). I've always liked good beer so I used this passion and the knowledge I'd picked up working on digital projects for the paper to put together The Ale Room.

Here are the beers that he sent through for review (all of which are available from The Ale Room):

A mighty fine line-up

• Buxton Moor Top - 3.6% pale ale,crammed with armfuls of American Chinook hops, this beer oozes citrus flavour & aroma. It has a lovely sweetness balanced with a refreshing grapefruit bitterness
• Oakham Green Devil IPA - 6% IPA, it's amazing hop harvest aroma is bursting with passion fruit, pineapple & mango developing into a refreshing citrus bitterness and a crisp, dry aftertaste
• Sadlers Hop Bomb - 5% grapefruit. apricot jam. lemon sorbet. blood orange. gooseberry. peach. mango. passion fruit. pineapple. grapes. lime zest. lychees. melon. papaya.
• Thornbridge Chiron - 5% American Pale, golden in colour,the aroma is subtle but spicy with citrus notes and biscuity malt. A beautifully balanced and wonderfully refreshing beer
• Thornbridge Raven - 6,6% Black IPA, pours dark with a beige head. Aromas are of intense pine hops and sweet roasted malt. Flavours are a complex combination of bitter chocolate with pineapple & orange preceding a long bitter finish

Look out for baron ratings for these The Ale Room beers soon, and a big thank you to Andrew (@TheAleRoom) for sending them through to me! 

Buy these ales from The Ale Room

Looking forward to baron rating Grain ales

I get a few press releases sent to me, most are not very interesting or suitable for me to blog about but one a few weeks ago caught my eye. It was an email offering information about Grain Brewery's gift packs suggesting that they would be idea as Christmas presents. This doesn't sound that interesting other than I received the email in August just before I went on my summer holidays!

Nice simple branding

I responded back saying that I was interested in the pack and last week a lovely pack arrived with a hand-written note from Phil the head brewer.

Now I've not heard a lot of stuff about @grainbrewery on Twitter and when presented with a pack consisting of a stout, blonde ale and an IPA I wasn't expecting an awful lot but when I read the front of the bottles I got pretty excited. The stout? burnt & coffee. The blonde? not a 4% golden ale but a Belgian style witbier. And the IPA? I was expecting an ABV of between 3-5% but got a pleasent surprise at 6.5%.

I'm so sorry Grain for doubting you, the bottles look great and the descriptions have got my mouth watering!

Good looking bottles with great sounding descriptions

Grain Brewery

• Blackwood Stout - 5% traditional black stout, with burnt toast dryness and a hint of coffee
• Blonde Ash - 4% Belgian style cloudy witbier with fruity aromas
• India Pale Ale - 6.5% strong golden pale ale with crisp & refreshing citrus hops

Look out for baron ratings for these Grain Brewery beers soon, and a big thank you to Phil (@grainbrewery) for sending them through to me!

Adnams Sole Star

Not bottle conditioned

Adnams Sole Star [baron rating 4/5] - 2.7% dark amber ale,mild nutty caramel smell,cereal bitter taste,metallic watery finish Baron Orm

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

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Sarah (@Adnams) from Adnams Brewery for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Adnams ales direct

Looking forward to baron rating Discworld ales

Terry Pratchett's Discworld books seem to have two audiences - those that have never heard of them & those that absolutely love them and wait with baited breath for the next one in the series.

I fall into the latter camp having read all these excellent books, getting into them around a decade ago and buying each release as soon as it's available in paperback (I'm not a fan of hardbacked books - too heavy to hold in bed!).

Another fan (almost to a finatical level) is Paul from Ales By Mail. He organised the first three Discworld conventions and has been a part of them ever since and now Paul has taken this passion to the next level.

In collaboration with Brentwood Brewery they have created the Unseen University Boathouse Brewery and currently have four bottled offerings:

Discworld Ales

• Bledlow's Silence - 5.5% classic style IPA, beautiful aroma of tropical citrus fruits & resinous pine. The flavour fills the mouth with this delightful aroma leading to intense grapefruit & lingering bitterness
• Bugarup Blonde - 4% light refreshing blonde ale with a delicate bitterness. Stella hops give sweet citrus & beautiful fruit aroma, fresh lemon and pine are on the palete with delightful apricot & melon flavours. Leaves you with a sweet but crisp hoppy finish
• Hix's Darkside - 7% aged oatmeal stout, rounded yet robust. Complex malt character gives a multitude of flavours and a smooth sweetness
• Modo's Midden - 4.5% honest earthy & refreshing golden ale with a classic aroma of cedar & herbs. On the palete a light lemon/grapefruit flavour develops under the cedar for a truly distinctive character

 Look out for 'baron ratings' of these Discworld Ales beers soon, and a big thank you to Paul Kruzycki from Ales By Mail for sending these through to me!

Buy Discworld ales direct and from Ales By Mail

George Wright Dream Ale

Not bottle conditioned

George Wright Dream Ale [baron rating 4/5] - 5.1% gold ale,fresh herb garden smell,herbal fresh lime taste,oily slight peppermint finish Baron Orm

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

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Shaun (@GWrightsbrewing) from George Wright Brewery for handing this over for a baron rating!

Buy George Wright ales direct and from Source Deli