Beer Review: Responsibly

It's been a sunny day all round today. We have a new picnic bench in the garden, the wind was fresh but the warmth in the sunshine was quite lovely. A meal shared, as a family, on the picnic bench and a glass of ale from the local micro-brewery down the road, lovely. I refer, of course, to the Nutbrook brewery and another clever title: Responsibly. We should all drink so.

So, mellowing out and preparing for the week ahead, would anyone like to know more?

Beer Review: More

I have been looking out for this since I saw it as one of the 'other' ales when I first discovered the local micro-brewery that is Nutbrook. I was rather made up when I found it in stock when I popped in at the beginning of their beer festival back at the start of summer and promptly bought the last bottle they had - or I would have bought two. I then sat on it for a while and now it has come time to review and drink it. It is, of course, the rather cleverly titled More (drink more, see) and you may be able to tell that I am looking forward to it!

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Beer Review: Magna Carta

It was Sunday but the anniversary for the sealing of the Magna Carta was, apparently, this Monday. I know this because I was in Lincoln that day and there was cake. 800 slices. For free. All of which was in celebration of the sealing of the Magna Carta. Now, as a History teacher, this sort of thing shouldn't surprise me. But, as a me, it does. I'm rubbish with dates.

On a slightly related note, I was at the open farm at Oakfield Farm and the home of the Nutbrook Brewery (here) on Sunday and happened to try one of their ales on pull. There was still plenty to choose from but I had a hankering after their Magna Carta because... uh... history!

It was a lovely warm day, plenty of sunshine, the kids enjoyed the bouncy castle and watched a sheep get sheared. I got talking to a couple who make mead and am strongly considering adding it as a batch to my summer brewing plans, if I can gather the funds to make it happen with local honey (because why would anyone do it with non-local?) but, in the meantime, I am reviewing the ale.

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Burnt Pig Ale 'Ouse - Opening Night

On the night of Thursday 28 May I was lucky enough to be a part of the opening night of a new micro-pub in Ilkeston: The Burnt Pig Ale 'Ouse and a very nice opening night it was too! Plenty going on, of which more in a moment, and a great selection of local ales on offer - two of which were brewed within four miles of the pub itself - and good company. I was button-holed, in a positive way, by one bloke trying to convince me to join CAMRA. I have gained beer-bore chops!

Entertainment was provided by the Border Black Pig Morris Dancers and they were a refreshing blast of typically British anarchy - the sort that really ought to have led a revolution by now if you ask me - and that was great fun. I'm not usually the sort of person who champions folk traditions, but this group from Awsworth were a riot of colour and bawdy humour.

Not sure what the local denizens of the area though of the proceedings but I can see the small premises becoming a decent haunt, and I do need to start haunting ale houses. It will make a nice pair with the Muirhouse Brewery Taps (here) locally and a couple of others. I can see that I shall be going out of an evening more often.

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Major Oaks

It's a cultural exchange... sort of. I visited a friend of mine who lives close to the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest and took along some of what I considered to be the best the local breweries could offer and some cheap offer beer from a local supermarket. We watched Doctor Who, YouTube videos, Commando and went walking in the woods. Not in remotely that order. By dint of having halves we demolished quite an ensemble of ale. I should point out that my companion for the evening, having served at numerous beer festivals, now tends to make pronouncements like "that's good beer" when pressed for opinions and not a lot else. He likes to frustrate reviewers and pedants. I fall under both categories.

So, journey with me now into the evening of men lost to fate. We left mainstream politics and entered the Sherwood Zone. Ahem, I mean, yes, click to read further of the evening!

Beer with a Belgian

It's another multiple beer review which, despite the title, will focus on beers brewed locally and picked up at the local farm with a shop that sells beer. It includes the Nutbrook stable from which I have enjoyed rather a few brews of late (Perfect Fifth linky, Mild Side linkity, and Black Beauty link) and another apparently local brewery by the name of Brampton Brewery. The title, instead, comes from the fact that one of Anna's friends, our Boy's goblin, is over from Belgium and enthusiastically agreed to join in some beer tasting. Yay! She also brought me some Duvel which I shall have to review later (along with the rather delectable Westmaller that I drank after we moved and then didn't review because, well, moving and drinking...). Aaaanyway.

Yes, this could be interesting, only two brews in this but with a tripartite review in full swing they will get a rather good seeing to.

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Beer Review: Black Beauty

Hoka hey it's beer review day! And, predictably, it's another stout. I do seem to be having a lot of those. Well, that and amber ale. Must be something in the water. Anyway, it's the next in the local stable that I have found and it's the one I've looked forward to the most since buying them: Black Beauty, a milk stout from Nutbrook Breweries, so let's get on and record my thoughts on it!

It's an out-of-focus effort from my camera, I know, but the best shot was taken when Willow was in frame and she was unimpressed with this fact! I just think it's come to a rather sad moment when I'm taking pictures with my camera of the beer I'm drinking in order to review it here. *sigh*

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Beer Review: The Mild Side

Would you look at that: three Sundays in a row! Anyone would think I'm an alcoholic! Don't worry, there's marking on the way and then all this activity will cease whilst I plug away at those papers in a desperate effort to make students gain the marks they deserve and create futures. I shall try to maintain the Thursday update schedule as best I can though.

On today's halcyon sunshine summer's day I found myself trying the next of the local micro-brewery's (Nutbrook) offerings: The Mild Side that has a lovely picture of the Death Star on the front. For that reason alone I would have tried it.

Would you like to read further on this delectable little ale? It defies explanation in places, so be warned!

Beer Review: Perfect 5th

Imagine my nerdy joy and squeeing when I found that there was a micro-brewery that I could get to direct. I was much too shy and scared to actually go into their brewery, that'll have to wait until another time, but I was very pleased to have found it. And, now I've found it, I can go back again and again. There are many other micro-brewery beers that are sold through them too, as one would expect from a support group, and so I shall be going back and sampling ales that are not of this brewery.

Of what brewery do I speak (I don't actually hear you asking, but this is my blog and I can pretend whatever I want)? It is Nutbrook Brewery and the first of their six wide stable that I shall be having is their Perfect 5th because I can and because I had been ranting about it to my father who wished to try some with me when he was up. So, although I'm doing this on an evening, it was actually had at lunchtime with some pizza, nachos, and basic snacky foods.

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