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Glasses waiting to be filled at the Beermongers, Portland OR, September 2011 This is the fourth year of compiling a Top Tastings list and I’ve stuck to the same self-imposed rules as previously. Here are 30 beers I’ve tasted during 2011 which particularly stuck in my mind as the sensory highlights of the […] Top Tastings 2011 ABV: 10% Origin: Bedford, Bedfordshire, England Website: www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk Wells & Young's Courage Imperial Russian Stout 2011 Excitement rippled through the beer world in Autumn 2011 as one of Britain’s most historic beer brands made an unexpected return from the dead. Courage Imperial Russian Stout can trace its lineage back to […] Top Tastings 2011 (Ambrée), Beer sellers: Abbaye des Saveurs ABV: 6.5% Origin: Bavay, Nord, France Theillier La Bavaisienne (Ambrée) Northern French bières de garde are generally assumed to have deep historic roots in the local tradition of farmhouse brewing, though today’s best known and best selling brands are of more recent origin […] Top Tastings 2011 ABV: 7% Origin: Ouderschild, Texel (Noord-Holland), Netherlands Website: www.speciaalbier.com Texels Bock With my slightly sweet beer tooth, I’ve got a soft spot for the Dutch interpretation of bo(c)kbier, which has become an institution in its own right in the Netherlands, a seasonal focus for drinkers and a rallying point for […] Top Tastings 2011 (bottled Cuvée d’Oscar), Beer sellers: Abbaye des Saveurs ABV: 6.5% and 7.5% Origin: Lochristi, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaanderen Website: craigallan.fr, www.proefbrouwerij.com Craig Allan Cuvée d'Oscar (brewed at Proef) These beers are produced in Belgian Flanders by a Scottish brewer based in Picardy, northern France, and are decidedly international at heart. Craig […] Top Tastings 2011 ABV: 7.2% Origin: Macclesfield, Cheshire East, England Website: redwillowbrewery.com Redwillow Ageless Double IPA Recent years have seen the emergence of a number of new, small British breweries that place themselves firmly in the international craft beer movement rather than the native real ale tradition. I hesitate to use the label […] Top Tastings 2011, Beer sellers: Abbaye des Saveurs ABV: 8.5% Origin: Blaringhem, Nord, France Website: www.bracine.com Brasserie du Pays Flamand Anosteké Brune Imperial Smout In November 2011 I was in Lille for a few days, checking out among other things the excellent beer range at the Abbaye des Saveurs shop in Vieux-Lille […] Top Tastings 2011 ABV: 7.3% Origin: Manchester, England Website: www.marblebeers.co.uk, www.fullers.co.uk Fuller's head brewer John Keeling with Marble Old Manchester. "Old and from Manchester." Pic: Fuller's Collaboration beers are especially popular among the new generation of craft brewers, often across national boundaries, and have produced some fascinating results. But here’s one that crosses […] Top Tastings 2011 ABV: 5% Origin: Santa Rosa, California, USA Website: www.moonlightbrewing.com Moonlight Death & Taxes Black Beer The name refers to the old proverb about certainty, attributed among many others to Benjamin Franklin. And it’s a quality that I’ve come to associate over the past few years with Moonlight beers – the […] Top Tastings 2011 ABV: 4.9% Origin: London W10, England Website: moncadabrewery.co.uk Julio Moncada at the London Brewers Showcase, October 2011 2011 was an extraordinary year for brewing in London. When I sent the final text of London’s Best Beer, Bars and Pubs off to CAMRA Books in early March, I felt the capital […] |
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