In light of the BBC/CAMRA article yesterday and the Beer, real beer thread I thought I’d ask the question….

What are your current top 5 UK alcoholic beverages (ales, beers, etc, etc.)?

Mine, in no particular order:

Broughton Old Jock Ale
Moorhouses Pendles Witches Brew
Thornbridge Kill Your Darlings
Tirrell Brewery Academy Ale
Ringwood Forty Niner

Quite like more malty rather than hoppy, darker rather than lighter. What’s yours?

I’m still loving the new breed of bitter hoppy ales with dare I say it, carbonation

Thornbridge Kipling – Bottle
Thornbridge jaipur – Bottle
The Kernel IPA – Chinook
Brewdog Punk IPA
An old school favourite: Harveys of Lewes Best Bitter

Closely followed by:
Lovibonds 69
Dark Star Hophead
Long Man Brewery – Long Blonde

Brew Dog Dead Pony Club – Bottle
Brewdog 77 Pilsner – Bottle
Bath Ales Golden Hare – Bottle / draught when I can get it
Williams Brothers Caeser Augustus – Bottle
Hopback Brewery Crop Circle – Draught
Got some Newcastle Summer Ale at the moment too which is really nice!!

Yeah Kipling is nice. I’ve had a pint or two of Jaipur in my time too. Although a bit too strong for my palate. As are most of the Brewdog range.

Dead Pony Club is surprisingly nice although it really needs to be proper frosty!

kernel IPA citra
kernel india export stout
crouch vale brewers gold
kernel IPA centennial
Any proper dark mild i can get my hands on

Thornbridge Jaipur
Abbeydale Absolution
Slaters Mud City Stout
Nottingham IPA (now called DPA after a legendary landlord in the midlands)
Bathams Bitter.

All on draught if at all possible.

I wouldn’t touch Thornbridge with yours

It generally tastes ok but it’s partially funded by the government / a4e scams & they are buying up all the pubs here in Sheffield at an alarming rate. So much so that they own only slightly less “independent” pubs than all the chain pubs put together.

They are pushing to return to the bad old days of brewery owned pubs with little choice, that’s why free houses are better.

I like a little ethics with my alcohol

Acorn Brewery – Old Moor Porter

With you on the mild MrSmith, it’s seriously underrated stuff. Arbor Ales (a Bristol brewery who sell direct to a handful of pubs) do a great one called Inferiority Complex, which is 3.4% but tasty as.

For anyone else who likes the dark stuff, Arbor Oyster Stout, Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout, Dark Star Espresso, Woolsack Porter and Box Steam vanilla porter are all bloody lovely.

I couldn’t choose a favourite at the moment… I’ve had so many amazing beers this year.

Tryst’s Hop Trials were brilliant – Citra and Stella stood out
All the Kernel’s I’ve tried – IPA Motueka was awesome but my dad drank the Barley Wine so I need to get another bottle of that to try it… he said it was one of the best beer’s he’s ever had!
BrewDog IPA is dead, and all the collaborations and oddities they have had on tap (except for the very medicinal tasting no hop competition beer they had… odd).
Fyne Ales – Avalanche, red IPA and Superior IPA

I hope to try BrewDogs San Diego Scotch Ale today.

crouch vale brewers gold

This is lovely stuff!

Also particularly like…

Brakspear Oxford Gold
Jennings Cumberland
Harveys Best
Badger Golden Champion (for our September summer)

I like a little ethics peanuts with my alcohol

1 – Abbott Ale
2 – Black Sheep Golden Sheep
3 – Copper Dragon Golden Pippin
4 – Black Sheep Riggwelter
5 – Black sheep Progress (seasonal – found in the Boars head ripley this week, bloody lovely it is.)

There have been other wonderful beer I have found here and there, but I always drink to much of them to remember what they were… 🙁

In no particular order and my “current” list (it’s always changing!)

Dark Star Hophead
Thornbridge Jaipur
Oakham Bishops Farewell
Oakham JHB
Hogs Back Summer Ale

Fraoch, YUM!

Ringwood Forty Niner
Traquair Jacobite Ale – Spiced and great in winter
Triple FFF Pressed Rat and Warthog – for all the mild fans (could be another thread just on milds going by the popularity here)
Ballards Best

Then after that?- Wherever I am in the uk at any point, theres always interesting local beers worth trying.

there’s so much choice at the moment and the good pubs have constantly rotating guest ales so it’s really hard to put together a top 5 – I often forget the names of ones I’ve had too.
I had a really nice porter in Bounds Green the other day so that’s probably top of my list at the moment.
You don’t get enough porters.

Woking beer festival in a few weeks so I’ll amass a list then. Bring on the Wurlitzer!

Stella
Skol
Hoffmeister
Calsberg Export
Fosters

Quite a few liking Kernal’s beverages too. I tried the India Brown Ale last week on draught and will be hunting a bottle or two out this weekend.

I often forget the names of ones I’ve had too.

The next stage is writing them down in a notebook…

Woking beer festival in a few weeks so I’ll amass a list then. Bring on the Wurlitzer!

I’ll be there 🙂

For the Manchester STW-ers

http://www.indymanbeercon.co.uk/breweries/