Cwtch

A long time ago now, I made a special trip to my local micro-pub, the Burnt Pig, to get me some Cwtch (see here) because I heard they had it in and I wanted to try it. At that point I did not know that I would ever be able to get the kind of canned and bottled ales that many of the people that I know online were having. Since then, of course, there has been a bottle shop open in my area and it has some fantastic ales on offer pretty regularly. So it was that, when they got Cwtch in, I bought some. And, today, I review it.

Obviously, with sunshine, I had it in the garden. And, equally obviously, that was not today because today has been rather grim and more usual wet summer from Britain. Still, a sunny day is when I had it and a sunny afternoon is when I did the review, would you like to know more?

Ruby Red Ale

Tonight is another ale review and this time of a lovely brew that I have been saving in my pantry since the summer because it was part of the haul that first brought me Elvis Juice (click here) all that time ago, giving you some indication of how long it's been hanging around. I refer to St. Peter's Ruby Red Ale and I shall be having it in my much under-used Nutbrook Brewery glass because why the heck not.

Long day, nothing good or bad, but a long day. I'm looking forward to a pint and drowning some of those things that have been left undone, at least until they are rescued come morning and are slightly soggy but have more gumption to be done. Would you like to know more?

The Merry Elf

I should start by saying it's almost New Year and wishing you all a good one tonight. I shall no doubt return tomorrow with yet more tales of ales and whatnot, but for now, fare thee well and have a good party if you're having one or quiet night in otherwise. May 2017 bring happier memories than 2016 did and, in the words of my favourite Irish curse: may each of your yesterdays be worse than the tomorrow.

Dark and frosty, bit of fog, been out to see Rogue One because it has Star Wars on the livery and thus I must at least gain access to test the seats. Or something. Good film, actually, and I'm glad I went to see it but don't expect too much fanboyishness about it from this quarter. I elected to cook some chicken thighs (three) with peas and cous cous, the latter being hideously middle-class by dint of being mixed with tomatoes and jalapeno peppers, a spruce of garlic and some black pepper. With all of this going on it was natural to turn back to my Christmas ales and plumb for The Merry Elf from St. Peter's Brewery.

I did have one of those parenting blog moments when my youngest decided that the droid was his favourite character (by way of asking me who mine was when the droid was introduced) and liked him precisely because it was permanently dry and precise. I digress, this is about the ale! Would you like to know more?

Jingle Fells

It's the somethingth day of Christmas! That point of the holidays where I lose track of the day of the week and what I do on those days of the week and what my routine is and so on and so forth. I've seen Moana with my family, it was nice, and we're going to play Cluedo this evening - a present from my mother to our eldest - so it's all shaping up to be a rather lovely end to the day. We may also have played Exploding Kittens, a present from some friends of mine, and the youngest has been playing with his Lego. All told, good day and time for another Christmas ale.

This one is Jingle Fells by those lovely brewers up at Hawkshead in the Lakes. I recall that it was the block I lived in when at University, a block now long since demolished and cleared to make way for redevelopment. Would you like to know more?

Christmas Ale

For Christmas I received a pack of ales from Ales By Mail (not that I'm being paid for that plug, because I'm not) courtesy of my wife and children, for which I am very grateful. And now that festivities are underway it is time to sit down and enjoy one of those Christmas themed ales that I shall likely be reviewing for some time yet (at a rate of two a week it'll be February!) but who knows, I may end up having more than that.

With my daughter's help I settled on the Christmas Ale by Allendale Brewery as my first delving into the stash. It's a dark ruby ale at 7% ABV but a picture of a star on the front and the words 'special edition' on the label. These are the reasons given by my daughter for the choice and who am I to argue?

Would you like to know more?

Spooks Ale

It's coming up Hallowe'en soon and, loathe as I am to fuel the American juggernaut of a pointless holiday, there are a number of ales theming themselves on the occasion so I would do well to do my usual and try a couple. And, once again, do so in plenty of time for the actual night so that people have time to either act on what I write or ignore it completely. Either way, I feel it time for a different kind of brew. That's why I'm having Spooks Ale from Shepherd Neame. Well, that and the fact that I found it at random at a local supermarket on offer and I can never resist beer on offer.

It's a rubbish photograph and a big head, probably from the fact that I walked back from the supermarket and launched straight into ale with tea without really letting it settle. Would you like to know more?

Raising Purgatory

I take the title from my friend's comment on our activities this weekend on a Saturday in Ilson town. I think it most appropriate! Two blokes out for a beer or two with the hope of curry are hardly the sort of combination to cause trouble or raise the roof particularly. So it was that my friend from FE and I descended on the southern part of Ilkeston in the evening to sample ales and discuss matters of import - setting the world to rights - and nary a sporting anecdote to be seen.

There was very little in the way of planning, as one might expect, and a rumble of thunder (that caused a comic dash from me to unplug the EV before setting off) preceded a big fall of rain that pretty much obliterated chances of getting exterior shots of the pubs we visited whilst the joy of catching up pretty much obviated the collection of pictures from within. Luckily my beer bore settings were high so I managed to gain pictorial proof of the ales consumed.

Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: 5am Saint

Right at the beginning, not long after Willow suggested that I needed something to do at the end of a work week, my first ales at the end of a week were Brewdog ones because they were on offer at Morrison's and they looked interesting. I remember that I got a Trashy Blonde, a Punk IPA, a 5am Saint and a fruit beer that may or may not have been raspberry. Hard to remember now. I also recall that, back then, I was not a fan of the ruby ale and was dismissive of it for a very long time afterwards so that even when I started the reviews on this place I tended to avoid the ruby ales on the strength of that early experience.

Since then much has changed. This place has become an actual beer blog for a start, showing me as a fully-fledged beer bore (who does now do that thing where you tell others about which beers you like and why) and I have also moved to another part of the country. My job has changed three times (sort of) and I have attended my first beer festival, several trips for the purposes of drinking ale and I have had a good few ales. All of which preamble brings me to my point, being that I saw 5am Saint in the shop and thought that it was maybe time that I tried it properly and saw what happened.

The following review, therefore, bears witness to this momentous event and brings me full circle to the very first ales I tried. Okay, no, my very first ale was, in fact, a pint of Black Sheep back at University which I semi-rated but thought spirits more cost effective, but certainly the first ales in my more recent conversion to them as something that I drink. Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Yakima Red

Aaaah, that's nice. I'm now officially on holiday following my awful mix up in booking dates to go and have caught up the family who set off ahead of me. The first point of order, of course, is meeting up with my mother and her husband, who treated me to this little number in his place of work, which was very kind of them indeed. The meal was lovely, they were showing replays of the recent cricket twixt Pakistan and England and the children disappeared to play in the soft play place when the meal was done (having actually eaten all their food, will wonders never cease?).

However, in the Meantime I had this Yakima Red - which is not nearly as pun-tastic as I had hoped when I came up with it. Never mind, it came in an odd-shaped bottle and looked rather interesting and I was treated to it so what better way to mark the beginning of a few days' holiday and put the stress of travel behind me? I can't complain, the Scotch Corner charge went perfectly well and the A66 was actually a rather pleasant drive. And now it's bloomin' 'ot and lovely.

Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Law of the Land

This week I 'ave been mostly in Lincoln. Basically, a place I usually go one day for a trip I ended up there on three consecutive days. And, what do you know, there are plenty of ale shops (including a lovely bottle shop that had a specimen of Sink the Bismarck in it, but too rich for my budget) - by the end of the third day, as I get rather stressed on trips, I caved in and bought some of the special ales they had in the castle. So it is that today I decided that I should break from my marking and enjoy a look at the Law of the Land brewed to celebrate last year's 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta by Batemans Brewery and only just still in date (being best before the end of June 2016).

Couple that with a warm and bright day, if not terribly sunny, involving much ferrying about and rushed shopping (I was up late last night marking like a berk) and it seemed like the perfect moment to sit a little in the garden. I say seemed, because I tired of that and retired indoors fairly soon after starting because it was a bit too close out there.

Not even a King can escape the Law of the Land so would you like to know more?

Downt'pub: Fancy a Cwtch?

I came out to the pub recently because I noted that my local, The Burnt Pig, had some Cwtch in by Tiny Rebel and that alone was enough to make me rise from my table where I do my marking and take some spare change the long five minute walk to their door and throw it at the nearest person behind the bar in return for some sweet beer lovin'. Or, you know, I thought I'd pop down the pub for a swift half or so. It was a nice enough evening and balmy enough despite the lingering effects of the winter clinging on the breeze and this augured well.

Would you like to know more?

Downt'pub: I want it all

My local, in Ilkeston, is a nice place. Maybe you've heard me talk about it before? It's the Burnt Pig Ale 'Ouse, and has really gone from strength to strength since I went to the opening night. From having a buffet on for free over Christmas to opening a new room at the back to accommodate the punters and having a good selection of constantly shifting interesting ales this place is very much a place that I have enjoyed coming back to again and again. And I'm not even being paid for writing all this puff, it just is that nice a place. I can't claim to know any of the staff well enough to be recognised, I don't go often enough, but there is definitely a community feel to the place and so it was when I found myself with time of an evening that Willow suggested I go there for a swift half.

I don't need telling twice, despite what my wordiness might suggest!

So, care to walk with me to the local ale 'ouse and sample some of their wares? You would? Excellent, then let's adjourn there now, shall we?

Beer Review: Rip Snorter

In case you missed it, today was the day of the results for thousands of sixteen-ish year olds. In solidarity with that generation of callow youth I, of course, decided to have an ale and raise a glass to all those who have worked hard and deserved their final grade, whatever it may be. The governments successive, of all political stripes, have denuded the actual tests of meaning beyond shaming but still they whip the profession and the children subsumed by it into a frenzy of stress. And seriously these exams are taken. Cheers, fellow toilers! I plucked the Rip Snorter from my shelf of goodliness brewed by the lovely people at Hog's Back Brewery because it looked like the sort of ale that could do the job asked of it in my overlong introduction.

I have not been disappointed and this is definitely an ale that I could have again. Would you like to know precisely why?

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!

Would you like to know more?

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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Beer Review: Wolf Rock

What madness is this? Another sunny weekend and another chance to have an ale in my garden? Surely the end times cometh! Well, okay, maybe not, but at the very least this is a moment to celebrate and enjoy the moment. And I shall enjoy this moment with a Red IPA from those people over at Sharp's, they of the Doom Bar (link) brewers, and obviously have something a wee bit different in their Wolf Rock that has been sitting in my kitchen, biding its time and waiting for this moment. Well, it has its moment and I have a trowel and a place by the sundial to dig some soil ready for planting something and the time to spend having an ale to enjoy the sunshine and the weather.

Yes, the madness has been unleashed for another Sunday and you have, as ever, the choice on whether or not to continue into the rabbit hole. As Morpheus asked: "how deep does the rabbit hole go?" And, as I often answer when watching The Matrix, this isn't Alice in Wonderland even though you referenced the white rabbit in a convoluted sequence earlier.

Would you like to know more?

London Nights

I may not have mentioned this much before now, but last week we took our first family holiday since about 2010 and we took it to London. Staying in a, frankly, rather nice hotel at the Walthamstow Central tube station and taking our meals from local supermarkets meant that it was a budget buster and a very pleasant few days. Our young children showed me how utopian my thinking was on visiting such things as the Natural History Museum (no, we didn't see any dinosaurs) and the Science Museum (looking really quite tired in places) as well as sojourns to the National Gallery (no, didn't get to see the Impressionist stuff) and tourist-y sites.

On one such outing, this time around Parliament Square (I know how to live) I noticed a Shepherd Neame pub and joked about getting a half there. Anna agreed and suggested that I do exactly that one day. That night, after checking and finding no shows on, Anna suggested that I go and do a half there and some other pubs too. I, of course, did not need asking twice. And so it came to pass that I spent a very nice evening, the night of the fire in Holborn, gadding about in London sampling ales and public houses.

Does this sound like your cup of tea? It doesn't? Oh, what about your pint of ale? Ah, well then, time to read more...

Beer Review: Canadian Cherrywood

Oh look, it's an update on a Sunday and I'm drinking another Innis & Gunn offering. This is becoming a real thing. Maybe I should just make a tag that combines the brewery with Sunday and have done with it... On second thought, I'm not getting paid and they're not offering me any inducements and I'm not a blog with a big enough readership that they would anyway and... who am I kidding, I'll just leave it the way it is!

Yes, tonight I shall be reviewing the Canadian Cherrywood stablemate of the Treacle Porter (here) because I have got round to it on my list and because why not. Busy weeks and lots of work can't stop me having an ale of an evening, right?

Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Red Ale

I know, I know, I'm supporting the Evil Empire, well, one of the evil empires, that is Tesco. And I am drinking one of the ales that is exclusive to them. In my defence, it was on offer and I was looking for something a little hoppy and different from the usual assortment of hops that I have grown accustomed to over the last year or so. Besides, how often do I taste and review ruby ales (answer: not much) and so here I shall be mostly tasting and reviewing Red Ale from Revisionist and with a hint of Marston's too for good measure. I know, I know, this is becoming habit after Rye Pale Ale (here) and I have another on standby for later too...

It claims to be Pacific hops and, to its credit, it includes New Zealand in the Pacific, so that's better than a lot of the things I read these days. Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Blitzen

Ah well, my Christmas has come to an end and I have one last Christmas themed ale to consider. It may not exactly be in the 'season' but it is close enough, I feel, and this will be the last word on the subject until Christmas 2015. Also, there are other people out there who had waaaaay more Christmas themed ales than I and I am in no way jealous. What can I say? I'm back at work, marking has hit and so there will be a period of mania. In the meantime, it is the turn of Black Sheep's Blitzen.

By now you've probably read/imbibed more ales than is strictly healthy. I have yet to adopt a year-review of posts and ales. Mind you, I could do so later in the year, just to be different. Would you like to know more?