The Birmingham conurbation is the latest British city to rejuvenate its beer scene under the ‘craft’ banner, albeit several steps behind the likes of Bristol, Leeds and Manchester. But this is a city that’s also particularly rich in living examples of beer and pub heritage, demonstrating that, though today’s beer may be novel in […]
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Shepherd Neame Double Stout Top Tastings 2012 (India Pale Ale) ABV: 5.2% and 6.1% Origin: Faversham, Kent, England Website: www.shepherd-neame.co.uk When I was rediscovering beer back in the mid-1990s, one of my favourites was bottle conditioned Shepherd Neame Spitfire, regularly available in my local supermarket. Its classic combination of rich malts and moist, […] The unlikely handpump that lured the bloggerati — Greene King Old 5X on cask at the Great British Beer Festival, London, August 2012. Top Tastings 2012 ABV: 12% Origin: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England Website: www.greeneking.co.uk It has to be admitted that these days the Greene King bar is rarely the hottest place […] Fuller’s Past Masters Old Burton Extra Top Tastings 2012 ABV: 7.3% Origin: London W4, England Website: www.fullers.co.uk Burton Ale is one of the great near-lost beer styles, and one that has intrigued certain beer writers (including myself) thanks in part to its difficult to explain contemporary obscurity. Most beer enthusiasts who read the […] Batemans Combined Harvest Multigrain Beer Top Tastings 2012 ABV: 4.4% Origin: Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, England Website: www.bateman.co.uk Under its picturesque disused windmill, Batemans has proved one of England’s more enduring and adaptable independent breweries since half the Bateman family took the leap of faith necessary to buy out the other half and keep the […] Arbor Ales Brigstow Bitter. Pic: Wonker – Creative Commons Top Tastings 2012 ABV: 4.3% Origin: Bristol, England Website: arborales.co.uk Bristol is one of Britain’s more exciting beer cities at the moment, with some outstanding pubs, a small but growing cluster of decent small breweries and a flourishing homebrew scene. Besides Bath Ales, actually […] Adnams Southwold Bitter in minicasks. Pic: Adnams. Top Tastings 2012 ABV: 3.7% Origin: Southwold, Suffolk, England Website: adnams.co.uk I’ve long regarded Adnams Southwold Bitter as one of the benchmark examples of a traditional English cask bitter, an outstanding demonstration of the genius of the best old estabished British breweries for achieving depth and […] European Beer Bloggers Conference 2012 ABV: 7.4%, 9.2% and 10.5% Origin: Huddersfield, Kirklees, England Website: www.magicrockbrewing.com Welcome to the beer circus: poster at Magic Rock brewery, Huddersfield. The last few years have seen not just the relentless growth of microbrewing in the UK but also the emergence of new approaches that challenge the […] European Beer Bloggers Conference 2012 Top Tastings 2012 ABV: 6.8% Origin: Manchester, England Website: www.marblebeers.co.uk Marble/Emelisse Earl Grey IPA. Pic: The Ormskirk Baron, www.theormskirkbaron.com. A serious looking 750ml bottle from Manchester’s marvellous Marble brewery can usually be relied upon to contain something at least interesting, but they’ve excelled themselves with Marble Earl […] |
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