Yates' Holy Joe

Not bottle conditioned

Yates' Holy Joe [baron rating 2/5] - 4.9% copper ale,sweet wheaty smell,sweetish citrus metallic taste,long coriander harsh bitter finish Baron 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 Yates' ales from Best Of British Beer

Looking forward to baron rating Thwaites 13 Guns & Fallen Nun

Thwaites Brewery are one of the local ones to me, and we occasionally see their beers in Ormskirk. Ian (production manager) from Thwaites has been one of my twitter buddies for a while and he arranged for me to meet him at the Manchester Winter Ales Festival back in January. Cask Fallen Nun was the talk of the festival and so I'm chuffed to bits that he's sent through not only a bottle of that to try but also a bottle of his excellent Stone-inspired IPA:

So amazed to have received these sample bottles!

Thwaites Brewery

• 13 Guns - 5.5% American IPA, hops, hops, more hops... totally awesome! (Absolutely marvellous to you & I)
• Fallen Nun -7.4% black IPA, dark, deep, rich and complex with a fighting burst of intense fruity hop character

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Ian Bearpark from Thwaites Brewery for sending these through to me!

Anarchy Anarchy Lager

Not bottle conditioned

Anarchy Anarchy Lager [baron rating 4/5] - 7% copper beer,earthy solventy smell,balanced oily mild maple syrup taste,alcohol vapour finish Baron 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 Anarchy ales from The Ale Room

Coniston Thurstein Pilsner

Not bottle conditioned

Coniston Thurstein Pilsner [baron rating 5/5] - 4.8% gold beer,grassy sweet lemon smell,biscuity bitter lemon taste,bittersweet zingy finish Baron Orm

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

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Thank you to Ian Bradley (@ConistonBrewCo) from Coniston Brewery for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Coniston ales from Holborn Ales

Looking forward to baron rating George Wright's One Hop Beers

George Wright Brewery are one of my local breweries being just a few miles down the road in Rainford. They are a brewer of traditional style ales until sometime in the past couple of years when they started to brew a range of stronger single hop ales as part of their monthly guest ales. They bottled a few of these and we got to try a few last year so I'm excited to see that they are continuing to experiment with the stronger single hop ales with some new hops that I've not tried before:

Really like the new look of the labels, big improvement

George Wright Brewery

• Eldorado - 5.1% single American hop ale, a premium ale using only the Eldorado hop, giving this ale a hint of apricot, peach & melon
• Pacifica - 5.1% single New Zealand hop ale, a premium ale using only the Pacifica hop, giving this ale a citrusy, hoppy character along side a hint of orange
• Vital - 5.1% single Czech hop ale, a premium ale using only theVital hop, giving this ale a fruity and spicy character

Look out for baron ratings for these George Wright Brewery beers soon, and a big thank you to Shaun (@GWrightsbrewing) for handing them over to me!

Buy George Wright ales direct and from Source Deli

Holborns Ale Tasting Night in Ormskirk on Thursday 18th April

I've teamed up with Holborn Ales in Ormskirk to offer a bottled ale tasting night on Thursday 18th April 2013. For £10 (per person) you will get to try half a bottle of six carefully selected ales picked by myself as well as some nibbles to keep the beer munchies at bay. I'll introduce each beer, guide you through sampling it and you'll get a chance to provide Holborns with your opinion in the form of a group 'baron rating'.

group 'baron rating' bowls, ready for the 'votes' (marbles)

The beers that I've selected are:

• Hobsons Twisted Spire
• Wincle Sir Philip Bank Top Dark Mild
  
• Hawkshead Lakeland Gold
• Salopian Darwin's Origin
• Coniston Special Oatmeal Stout
• Windsor & Eton Conqueror

Tickets are available from Holborn Wines (Malt House Business Park, Ormskirk) which is in the same area as Alladin's Cave (the fancy dress shop). The evening will be hosted in La Cantina which is opposite Holborn Wines and provides a very pleasant atmosphere to be drinking and chatting.

Doors open at 7:30 for an 8pm start and there might even be a little something for you to sip whilst we wait for everyone to arrive.  You should also be able to buy bottles to take away of any of the ales that you like.

Tickets are limited so please get yourself down to Holborns to secure your place! If you need any more details then why not contact Holborns direct on 01695 577016, via Twitter @Holborncaskales or message them via their Facebook page.

Hope to see you there!

Update: The evening was a great success and hopefully was a bit of an eye-opener for some about the range of ales that are out there. Everyone was game to take part in my group baron rating so here are the results:

Beer	1/5	2/5	3/5	4/5	5/5
Hobsons Twisted Spire	0	6	7	4	1
Bank Top Dark Mild	0	4	7	7	0
Hawkshead Lakeland Gold	1	3	3	8	2
Salopian Darwin's Origin	2	0	1	8	5
Coniston Special Oatmeal Stout	0	6	2	3	5
Windsor & Eton Conqueror	2	1	5	3	5

Tolly Cobbold Tolly English Ale

Not bottle conditioned

Tolly Cobbold Tolly English Ale [baron rating 2/5] - 2.8% amber ale,straw very mild caramel smell,english bitter taste,dry metallic finish Baron Orm

Hackney Golden Ale

Not bottle conditioned

Hackney Golden Ale [baron rating 3/5] - 4% gold ale,honey herbal grassy smell,floral honey cereal taste,grassy slight peppery finish Baron Orm

Thank you to  Paul Kruzycki from Ales By Mail for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Hackney ales from Ales By Mail

Anchor Porter

Not bottle conditioned

Anchor Porter [baron rating 5/5] - 5.6% black ale,fruity burnt rubber smell,choc rye bread treacle taste,choc slight bitter finish Baron Orm

Buy Anchor ales from Beers of Europe

Schneider Weisse Tap 7 Unser Original

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Schneider Weisse Tap 7 Unser Original [baron rating 5/5] - 5.4% amber ale,banana bubblegum smell,vanilla banana clove taste,fruity finish Baron Orm

Buy Schneider Weisse beers from The Inn Beer Shop

Looking forward to baron rating The Ale Room ales

The Ale Room appeared on the beer scene near the end of last year and sent through a cracking selection of the ales that they stocked at that time. Well they've not waited around and have been slowly expanding their selection seeking out the more interesting ales out there. They have sent through four more ales for baron ratings and I'd be surprised if you didn't want to try each and every one of these!

Three small, one huge!

Check out the size of this bad boy!

• Anarchy Anarchy - 7% craft brewed strong continental style lager with a fruity character. Smooth and very refreshing. Lagered for six weeks
• Anarchy Sublime Chaos - 7% breakfast stout, dark voluptuous stout infused with Ethiopian Guji natural coffee beans, balanced delicately with New Zealand hops
• Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout - 7% rich flavourful brew, deep chocolate in colour with a roasted barley nose and flavour that is a complexity of malt, hops, alcohol and yeast
• Slater's Emperor IPA - 7% traditional English IPA matured in oak casks for six weeks. Brewed using traditional Challenger hops, with additions of Fuggles & Whitbread Goldings giving the brew a distinctive nose 

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

Lowenbrau Original

Not bottle conditioned

Lowenbrau Original [baron rating 3/5] - 5.2% gold lager,grassy smell,crisp delicate honey soft bittersweet taste,mild sweet finish Baron Orm

Looking forward to baron rating Slurp ales

I last reviewed some ales sent through from Slurp back in Febuary 2012 so it was a very pleasant surprise when a year later they got in touch to ask if I would like to review another selection of ales. Delivery was fast and the beers well-packed so they all arrived in perfect condition, this is what was in the box:

 Old Dominion Brewing Co.

• Beach House Golden Pilsner - 5.2% Bohemian Pilsner, brewed with all natural ingredients, is crisp and refreshing, making it a perfect beach companion
• Hop Mountain Pale Ale - 6.6% rich, red ale made in the American Pale Ale style, our Pale Ale has strong hop character, medium, dry finish and floral hop aroma
• Oak Barrel Stout - 6.1% stout brewed using smoked and peated malts to create an intricate malt foundation. Our method of dry hopping with vanilla beans and oak chips pushes the depth of this stout’s flavor spectrum even further

Fordham Brewing Co. 

• Copperhead - 5.2% Düsseldorf style Altbier blends caramelized malted barley with pronounced hop character to create a subtle copper hue. Copperhead Ale is famous for its signature balanced flavor & impeccable smoothness
• Tavern Ale [baron rating 4/5] - 6.1% American Pale Ale’s hop profile is complimented with an ample amount of malt flavor. It’s cold-conditioned on Fresh whole leaf Cascade hops creating an unmistakable citrus-like aroma
• Wisteria Wheat - 5.1% classic unfiltered wheat ale. Wisteria Wheat is a medium body beer with a soft, velvety carbonation and a wheaty finish

• 10 Saints 10 Saints - 4.8% hand crafted Barbados brewed beer aged in rum casks
• Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12 - 8% Old Engine Oil matured in Highland Park 12 whisky casks
• Harviestoun Ola Dubh 18 - 8% Old Engine Oil matured in Highland Park 18 whisky casks

Look out for 'baron ratings' for these Slurp ales soon, and a big thank you to Gemma (@SlurpBeer) for sending them through to me!

Buy all these ales from Slurp

Hoegaarden Hoegaarden

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Hoegaarden Hoegaarden [baron rating 3/5] - 4.9% pale gold ale,bubblegum banana clove smell,lemon clove slight sour taste,dry creamy finish Baron Orm

Mayfields Proiry Pale Ale

Not bottle conditioned

Mayfields Proiry Pale Ale [baron rating 2/5] - 4% copper ale,very mild grassy smell,thin watery mild spicy taste,slight floral bitter finish Baron Orm

Note:This has since been re-rated as the brewer decided to stop contract bottling and to bottle condition them himself, it is now much better!

Buy Mayfields ales from Holborn Ales

By The Horns Bobby On The Wheat

Not bottle conditioned

By The Horns Bobby On The Wheat [baron rating 2/5] - 4.7% gold ale,vanilla solventy smell,sweetish creamy floral taste,floral nutmeg? finish Baron Orm

Thank you to  Paul Kruzycki from Ales By Mail for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy By The Horns ales from Ales By Mail

Manns Brown Ale

Not bottle conditioned

Manns Brown Ale [baron rating 1/5] - 2.8% dark brown ale,mild choc smell,astringent burnt toffee cheap cola taste,harsh molasses finish Baron Orm

East London Nightwatchman

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

East London Nightwatchman [baron rating 5/5] - 4.5% dark amber ale,caramel candied fruit smell,fruity nutty bitter taste,bittersweet finish Baron Orm

Thank you to  Paul Kruzycki from Ales By Mail for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy East London ales from Ales By Mail

Chapel Down Curious Porter

Not bottle conditioned

Chapel Down Curious Porter [baron rating 4/5] - 5% deep ruby ale,berries chocolate smell,smooth fruity choc taste, dry chocolate finish Baron Orm

Buy Chapel Down ales direct

Krombacher Pils

Not bottle conditioned

Krombacher Pils [baron rating 4/5] - 4.8% gold beer,straw grassy smell,soft caramel spicy bitter taste,dry bittersweet finish Baron Orm

Ilkley Ilkley Pale

Not bottle conditioned

Ilkley Ilkley Pale [baron rating 4/5] - 4.2% gold ale,earthy grassy sweet lemon smell,fresh citrus bittersweet taste,lemon caramel finish Baron Orm

Bretagne Dremmwel Doree Bio

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Bretagne Dremmwel Doree Bio [baron rating 3/5] - 7.7% copper ale,caramel sweet peach smell,full bodied peach caramel taste,odd herbal finish Baron Orm

Bought from Carrefour near Bénodet whilst camping at the excellent Camping du Letty in Bénodet, Brittany, France.

Thwaites Triple C

Not bottle conditioned

Thwaites Triple C [baron rating 4/5] - 4.4% gold ale,spicy orange smell,fresh honey tangerine spicy taste,fruity spicy finish Baron Orm

Sharp's Single Brew Reserve 2011

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Sharp's Single Brew Reserve 2011 [baron rating 4/5] - 4.5% gold ale,biscuity mild sweet lemon smell,soft fruity taste,floral bitter finish Baron Orm

Thank you to Sharp's for handing this over for a baron rating!

Buy Sharp's ales direct

Slater's Retro Red

Bottle conditioned with mild carbonation

Slater's Retro Red [baron rating 4/5] - 5.7% amber ale,strawberry fudge smell,spicy sweet butter summer fruits taste,dry sticky hoppy finish Baron Orm

Buy Slater's ales from Holborn Ales

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Not bottle conditioned

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale [baron rating 3/5] - 5.7% dark amber ale,ground spice sweet pumpkin smell,mild sweet taste,nutmeg finish Baron Orm

Buy Samuel Adams ales from Beers of Europe

Partizan IPA:Columbus Cascade Bravo

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Partizan IPA [baron rating 5/5] - 7.4% amber ale,resinous fresh tropical hop smell,syrupy rich fruity resinous hop taste,sticky sweet finish Baron Orm

Note: This was the Columbus Cascade Bravo version

Thank you to  Paul Kruzycki from Ales By Mail for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Partizan ales from Ales By Mail

Brentwood Winter Warmer

Not bottle conditioned

Brentwood Winter Warmer [baron rating 4/5] - 4.7% copper ale,earthy toffee orange smell,spicy classic bitter taste,earthy peppery finish Baron Orm

Buy Brentwood ales direct and from Ales By Mail

Looking forward to baron rating Salopian Brewery ales

We've baron rated Salopian Brewery's Darwin's Origin & Oracle in the past and got to try them on cask whilst judging in Ludlow and have been very impressed. They are a 'traditional' brewery producing excellent beer which doesn't get the credit that it deserves to be honest! I'm now able to buy Salopian beer locally in Ormskirk thanks Holborn Ales and thanks to their connection with Salopian Brewery a couple of samples were waiting for me in Holborns when I popped in there this week:

One normal, one not - can't wait to get stuck in!

Salopian Brewery

• Shropshire Gold - 3.8% golden ale,with a floral aroma and full hoppy flavour that is balanced by a crisp dry maltiness and a rich finish
• Vertigo - 7.2% black IPA hopped with Centennial & Galaxy

Look out for 'baron ratings' for these Salopian Brewery beers soon, and a big thank you to Jake (@SalopianBrewery) for sending them through to me!

Buy Salopian ales from Holborn Ales

Hardknott Azimuth IPA

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Hardknott Azimuth IPA [baron rating 5/5] - 5.8% copper ale,tropical syrupy smell,juicy resinous tropical fruit taste,fruity bitter finish Baron Orm

Buy Hardknott ales from Source Deli

Hawkshead Imperial Stout 2012

Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Hawkshead Imperial Stout 2012 [baron rating 5/5] - 8.3% black ale,sweet whisky choc smell,boozy vineous fruitcake choc taste,fade-out finish Baron Orm

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

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Chris for bringing this round for a baron rating!

Buy Hawkshead ales direct