A Gem, Yet Again

I had this a few days ago from the bottle (Gem Amber Ale, Bath Ales), and I am here to tell you it is even better from the tap! It was enjoyed at my lovely local, the Highbury Vaults.

Another From Wychwood

Another offering from Wychwood brewery (Hobgoblin, Hobgoblin Ruby), this wasn't as good as the original Hobgoblin. It has me wondering whether Hobgoblin isn't the tentpole which provides a platform for other supporting (but ultimately inferior) beers. Will other Wychwood tastings bear out this hypothesis -- wait and see!! Nice concept and label, though.

Solid

I'd already had this on tap at The Pumphouse a while back, and I had no cause to suspect that it would be any less satisfying this time around. Doom Bar, named after the sandbar at the mouth of the Camel Estuary in Cornwall, upon which countless numbers of ships were said to have met their end, was rich and tasty.

Well Done

This fourth and final Butcombe variety (already logged the Gold, Blond, and Bitter) is, I believe, my favorite. By far the hardest to find, this IPA comes closest to my American IPA ideal. Named after one of Bristol's favorite sons, this beer marks the 200th birthday of Isambard Brunel, an engineer who helped to shape the town's shipping/transportation industries (he probably did a lot of other cool stuff, too, but hey, this isn't a history lesson). It tasted great!!

Going for 100

As I look over the entries in the beer blog so far, it occurs to me that I may likely try 100 beers while I'm over here. That seems like a nice round number to shoot for. Really, it only underscores just how many beers there are here, as I will have only sampled a fraction of the brews available by the time I leave.

Fool's Gold

This looked like a one-off from a brewery whose wares I'd never seen stocked on the shelves in the stores before. It was completely forgettable.

A True Gem

I first tried a beer from the lovely Bath Ales about a month ago at an art opening (Wild Hare) which was excellent, and this second variety did not disappoint, either. As it currently stands, Bath Ales can do no wrong.

Whatever . . .

There was an Aardman employee leaving the company today, and so she was given the typical send-off of warm bottled (lousy) beer. This was Beck's, but at least it was served in bottles with artsy labels (there is apparently a limited edition run of labels which feature work by fine artists). Still, it was just about as bad as the Beck's back home.

Tribute

I swung round to the Highbury Vaults to have another ale, and Tribute was the lucky winner. This one was great -- so rich and tasty. Man, it's great to live in a place where they take their beer seriously!!

Here Comes the Sun

I had Sunrise mid-day on a ship called the Grain Barge, which was moored to the quay across the river from Aardman. I photographed it once right next to the tap, and then again up against the glass sides, so that the local boats/flats could be taken into context. Not sure if it was the ale or the view, but I came away with a very nice impression. Sunrise is one of the Bristol beers, like Exhibition.

A Visit to My Local

So I went to the Highbury Vaults, which is a recently-discovered pub literally around the corner from our flat. I popped in for 10 minutes to try this local brew. Exhibition was a little too strong and bitter for my tastes, but it demonstrated to me that spontaneous sampling is closer than I thought. This is one of the places that features visiting ales, so there is much to look forward to at the Highbury Vaults.

Yeah, I'm Tappin' That . . .

So I had this John Smith's Extra Smooth on tap today. Incidentally, this was the first beer I had when I arrived in England (albeit in the can). It is MUCH better on tap (suprise). Just look at the thick head. This is how this beer was meant to be served. I give it much higher marks than I originally had. Yeah!

Parade #3

This experience has made me wary of Scottish beer, but since this was one of a few left at the grocery store that I hadn't yet tried, I gave it a go. It was palatable, the best of the Scottish fare so far, but not something I'd seek out again. Eh . . . .

Riggwelter, a strong ale from Yorkshire. When a sheep is on its back and cannot get up without help, locals say it's riggwelted. This was no more impressive than the Black Sheep I had when I first arrived. I'm not a huge fan of the Black Sheep label, it's turning out.

This was about as good (but maybe not quite) as the Adnams Broadside I had a couple of weeks back. Good enough . . .

This brown ale was pretty forgettable. Very low alcohol (2.8%) and very little taste. Kind of a more watery version of Newcasltle (if that's even possible). This must be some kind of adult soda alternative rather than a real beer.

Mo' Honey

Here's another honey beer, this time from Fuller's. Nothing super special . . .

Hobgoblin Ruby

I was so taken by the Hobgoblin I had for Halloween, that I've decided to investigate other Wychwood varieties. This, Hobgoblin's ruby red cousin, was good, but not as good as the original. A little more bitter and port-flavored, it was decent but not amazing.

Another IPA

From our good friends at Marston's come this Old Empire IPA. I'm still game for any IPA over here, but I'm finding that it really doesn't mean the same thing as it does back home. Perhaps we've distorted the IPA in America to suit our own tastes, because they're just not as hoppy over here. Even though the label says that high levels of hops were added to this beer so that it could survive the 3-month sea journey to India (back in the 19th Century), you can't taste the hops the way you can in a Samuel Adams (lager, ever!) or my beloved Racer5.

Trick or Treat

This bottle of Hobgoblin Ale proclaims itself to be the Unofficial Beer of Halloween, and that's exactly when I had it (yes, I am a bit behind on the blogging). From Wychwood Brewery in Oxfordshire, this one was a nice surprise. It's essentially the Dead Guy Ale of England (Ryan Rogers, I'm looking in your direction). It was rich and sweet and super tasty. A really great time.

Very Welsh

This was an ale from Wales. It touts itself as a summer ale with citrus flavors and a floral aroma -- but just to cover all bases, it says it can be enjoyed rain or shine. It was OK, not incredibly memorable.

Honey Bee(r)

There is some emphasis here on beer brewed with honey. It seems like a bit of a novelty, something you'd like to have occasionally, but not something that would become your go-to favorite. This bottle of Waggle Dance (named after the movements of a honey bee which alert the hive to a source of nectar) bore out that assertion. A nice aside, but not compelling enough to have regularly. You could definitely taste the honey, however . . .

I Love a Parade

A rapid-fire group of beers: Here's another Czech beer, purchased because it was cold. Solid, but definitely not like the British Ales I love so much.

Despite being from the reputable Fuller's Brewery, this one was not as good as the other two (London Pride, ESB) I've had.

Pretty forgettable. I'm starting to lose interest in the Badger label.

Average. Nothing special to report.

The Bath Ales

They take their brewing pretty seriously in Bath. This is one of a handful of varieties from the Bath Ale Company, and it was excellent. Really rich and bready, this was the best beer I'd had in a while. Bath is a sort of sister town to Bristol, about 12 miles away. It is so named because it is the site of a natural geothermal spring around which a Roman Bath was constructed during the Roman occupation of England.

I had this beer at an art opening. The pieces on display reminded me of the work of the first wave of Young British Artists from the 90s. Good stuff.