CAMRA North London tasting February 2010

Des de Moor and CAMRA North London tasters, Wenlock Arms, London N1, February 2010. Photo: John Cryne

Visiting a great beer pub like the Wenlock Arms, in London N1 on the uncertain border between Hoxton and Islington, reminds me I don’t go to the pub enough. And I wasn’t even here to enjoy its ragged but relaxed atmosphere and excellent selection of top quality cask beers (always including at least one mild), but to host a bottled beer tasting at the behest of North London CAMRA.

 A good bunch of people, of mixed ages and genders, found their way to the upstairs room to sample eight Real Ales in a Bottle that I’d chosen to demonstrate both range and quality, including a couple of Champion Bottled Beer of Britain winners. The obliging people at realale.com and alesbymail.com provided most of the supplies and Fuller’s had very generously dug out a case of aged Vintage Ale. Unsurprisingly this proved to be most people’s top beer of the evening, but there was also much satisfied humming for Hoggleys Mill Lane Mild, while Hopback Crop Circle and Red Squirrel IPA in the USA split opinions.

 If you’re interested in attending future tastings, watch this space.

The Beer List:

• [intlink id=”265″ type=”post”]Cropton Two pints[/intlink] 4% Cropton, North Yorkshire, England
• [intlink id=”548″ type=”post”]Hop Back Crop Circle[/intlink] 4.2% Downton, Wiltshire, England
• [intlink id=”555″ type=”post”]Hoggleys Mill Lane Mild[/intlink] 4% Litchborough, Northamptonshire, England
• [intlink id=”567″ type=”post”]St Austell Admiral\’s Ale[/intlink] 5% St Austell, Cornwall, England
• [intlink id=”582″ type=”post”]Titanic Stout[/intlink] 4.5% Stoke, Staffordshire, England
• [intlink id=”416″ type=”post”]Red Squirrel IPA in the USA[/intlink] 5.4% Hertford, Hertfordshire, England
• [intlink id=”598″ type=”post”]Downton Chimera India Pale Ale[/intlink] 7% Downton, Wiltshire, England
• [intlink id=”353″ type=”post”]Fuller\’s Vintage Ale[/intlink] 2004 8.5% Chiswick, London, England