40 Beers - the final.

And so it ends. If this was The X Factor i'd say I'd been on a journey.

33) Acorn Blonde (cask): Very pale with intense hop whiffs. Loads of orange and citrus tang. Long dry hoppy finish (though my lasting memory of this is of it being sweet). Great.

34) Phoenix Spooky Brew (cask): Dark gold with a tight head. Coffee flavours up front with tangy toffee and bitter malt. Well balanced with a dark, fruity finish.

36) Einsiedler Brauhaus Gutenberg Original Helles (bottle): Lemony-gold body. Faintly hoppy nose. Refreshing, unremarkable helles - but OK. A mystery this. I have it in my notes but not a clue where or when I drank it.

37) Moorhouse Mistletoe Madness (cask): Dark copper body with one-finger head. Very hoppy nose, with fresh and tangy toffee flavours and a bitter ending. Gorgeous - another winner from Moor'ouse.

38) Jollyboat Heart Of Oak (cask). Dark mahogany, treacly nose and a coating, sticky malt sweetness. Tangy and sort of tickly. Not bad, but one's enough.

39) Nethergate Augustian (cask). Light mahogany body, with an instant wallop of fruit - apple, plum, raspberry. Smooth, light malty finish with a bit of appley-dryness. Good session beer.

40) Bathams Best Bitter (bottle). Very lagery appearance with a surviving pillowy head. Faint peppery, spicy nose. Sweet, biscuity with butterscotch and a light malt hit but with a good hop balance and a long sweet finish. Lovely.

So. There we are. I've actually had many more than 40 since my birthday last August, filling in the last field of my nerdy little tasting booklet sometime in December. I hope my notes have been OK - they haven't always made sense to me, either - have a look at number 39; "A bit of appley-dryness". You what?

All new to me, but nothing really exotic - try as I might I couldn't get hold of a Westvleteren 12 - but I enjoyed (almost) every single one. Like Barry M says over at The Bitten Bullet: Every new beer is a risk. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.

The highlight for me was Brewdog Punk IPA. Just a superb beer, and the real stinker was Fraoch Heather Ale. Even worse when I gave it a second chance. Disgusting. I wouldn't wash a dog in it.



Best of all, though, was discovering regional heroes - like Bathams. Their Best Bitter was the last beer entered on my list - and a fine ale it was too. I'd never heard of them until I got a Christmas box o' random beers from Mrs TIW's aunt and uncle. I especially liked their idiosyncratic labelling and the bull on the crown cap. The fact it was drunk from a ludicrous souvenir of Sharm-El-Sheik didn't detract one bit. In a time where everything seems to becoming evermore homegenised, bland and beige goo, it's great to know there are independents hardly known (to me, anyway) outside their locale who are just getting on with knocking out wonderful brews. Cheers.

If you're bothered, the full list is here. Hopefully it should be clear what was bottle (or tin) and what was draught - all of which were cask (or vom fass in one German case).

40 Beers, Part Nine

Almost there.

28) Orkney Red MacGregor (cask): A real tangy mouthful, lots of bitterness and zip. The colour of black tea that's been stewing for a couple of hours. Darkly fruity nose.

29) White Horse Village Idiot (cask): Colour of light straw with a tight creamy head and a frothy crown. Summery citrus nose with light hops and a gentle bitter finish.

30) Titanic - Another Pint In The Wall: (cask). Faint but not unpleasant metallic smell. Tangy with a long bitter finish.

31) Asda Own Brand (Shepherd Neame, apparently) Gentleman Jack (bottle): Polished bronze body, sustained head, fruit 'n' nut. Very decent for a quid.

32) Asda Own Brand (Shepherd Neame, apparently) Whitechapel Porter (bottle): Opaque, almost black body with a big beige head. Intense coffee fragrance. First swig gives a huge coffee hit with a lasting, very bitter espresso finish. Good stuff, and a real bargain. Why has it got a hotel commissionaire on the label?

Next!

(the picture- a Dark Star Hophead, enjoyed at The Harp on saturday - explains why my old flatmate in Munich felt the need to ask me; "Vy are you Briddish haffing pipes all offer your valls?" )

40 Beers - Part eight

I've been lazy with this. I'm sure my many millions of readers have been repeatedly pressing F5 in the vain hope that I may have actually posted something about my '40 beers' project. I am in fact way past 40 new beers now - I passed that milestone some time in mid-december. I've enjoyed every single one - even the Tesco Value Bitter.




Anyway, here's a few more:

23) Purkmistr Bohemian Schwarzbier (Bottle): Coffee and "butcher's shop" (in a good way*) nose. Espresso, burnt toast, expansive and mouthfilling dark maltiness.

24) Northmaen Rousse (Brasserie La Chopelle) (Bottle): Herbal, smoky, cigar tobacco whiffs. Hazy amber body. Peppery, pine notes and lots of vanilla coming through, and some almost Bourbon-like flavours. Even got a hint of Calvados. Unusual, complex and enjoyable - one for sipping, not swigging.

25) Saint Colombe Ambree: (bottle) Explosive head which vanishes quickly. Murky amber body. Bit sour, with faint buttescotch flavours and an odd 'seaweedy' nose. Weak fruit cordial. Utterly flat. A dull drink, like an unsuccesful hombrew. Nope.

26) Potton Village Bike (bottle): Initial tangy hit diminishes quickly to a thin, watery finish. 'Epsom salts' and faint raspberry in the nose. Not enjoyable.

27) L'Abbaye Des Rocs Montagnard (bottle): Dark amber body with sustained, lacing head. Smells of sweet orange with hints of tobacco. This is a real mouthful - Strong toffee, fruit, liquorice - delicious and warming. Syrupy and robust - this is a big drink. I'm no lightweight, but I was feeling the 9% after only a couple of mouthfuls. Good stuff - one for a fireside.

Next!


* Whatever that means. I'm writing these up from notes taken in the field, jotted down after a few pints. You can tell can't you?

(The picture above was taken at the Elizabethan Bar at Westward Ho in Devon. Never been in before - I'd always assumed it was Smoothflow territory, it being effectively a holiday site social club. It was a nice surprise to find a good pint of Tribute with a dramatic view. The Elizabethan is charmingly old fashioned. The menu still includes prawn cocktail served in a wine glass.)

40 Beers - Part Seven

Three from a selection we picked up at La Cave à Bulles, a superb beer shop near the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Simon, the owner, seemed to know more about beer than anyone I've ever met, and his English was so good he could tell I was from Yorkshire by my accent. A much more pleasant experience than going to Utobeer at Borough market, about the only decent beer shop in central London. On our visit the brewer from the Leireken brewery in Opwijk was trying out a new fruit beer on some of the customers. I haven't opened my bottle yet - I'm saving it along with a scary-looking Belgian 9% brew for nearer Christmas.

20) Brasserie Uberach Doigt De Dieu (France) (bottle): Very effervescent and noisy pour, murky light toffee body with a faint spicy whiff. A bit thin in the mouth but tangy with hints of stewed fruit and distant smokiness. Some black toffee and treacle. It sort of tastes like it looks, sticky and toffeeapple-y. Overall, a bit dull. I like the cheeky label apeing Leffe's dubious abbey "heritage".


21) Sornin Clugny III (France) (bottle): Dark amber with explosive frothy head and a sherbert-y nose. Lots of mellow marmalade and honey, (my original notes say 'old honey' - whatever that means), brandy, orange peel. Complex, summery, enjoyable and satisfying. Doesn't taste like 6%. Great.

22) Corsendonk Agnes (Belgium) (bottle): Butterscotch body with a snow-white, good three inches of head. Very fragrant - lots of sweet, baking bread. Spice, caramel, brown sugar and a brief hop bitterness giving way to burnt malt and more spice. Very enjoyable.

Suivant!

40 Beers, Part 6

I've expressed my love for Keighley's Boltmakers Arms before. This tiny pub is the nearest thing Timothy Taylor's has to a brewery tap, and serves the definitive pint of Landlord. It's a pint of such unequivocal perfection that it's been known to bring a tear to the eye of returning natives. I was in there on friday afternoon with my mate Lee, after three pints at Keighley's JDW, the Livery Rooms. Despite the odd sticky table and stabby loon, it's pretty good as 'spoons go, and their Autumn beer festival added three pints to my Forty Beers, all from cask:

17) Adnams Pale Champion Ale: Brewed for festival. Polished copper body, with an intensely bitter, citrus -y hoppy mouthful and a long hop finish. Excellent.

18) Woodford Dragon Hall: Big khaki head, sweetish chocolatey malt, yet bitter.

19) O'Hanlon Red Ale: Glowing red body with a lacing head. Sweet, toffee, tongue-coating nuttiness. Malt finish, hints of bubblegum.

Back at the Bolts, our post-Landlord attention shifted to the guest pump. The handwritten clip said simply BOLTMAKERS BEST BITTER 4%. Someone behind us whispered that it might be a Taylor's test brew. Someone else pointed out that Taylors already do a peerless 4% Best Bitter, and it was on sale two pumps away, you idiot. There were no clues being given from the other side of the bar. "It's a one off, just for us" said the barmaid, with the guv'nor Phil looking on inscrutably. "Is it brewed in Keighley?" we asked. "Er, might be" came the reply. As it happens we later got a tip-off (with no evidence at all) that it was "possibly" a special from the Old Bear brewery. Whatever it was, it was packed with floral notes and echoes of whisky malt.

Later, at my dad's club I overheard two domino players talking quietly about "that secret Taylor's test beer they've got down at the Bolts".

And In such ways do rumours start.

40 Beers, part 4

On again! On again!

12) Brakspear Oxford Gold (Bottle): The colour of polished brass in a country church. Lasting head, very bitter with a long malt finish. Smells like walking past a busy pub. Warming orange notes. Very good.

13) Morland (GK) Old Crafty Hen (Bottle): Pours dark copper with a massive, tight creamy head reminiscent of 'Swiss Tony'. Full bodied, heavy malt with plum and prune coming through. Long darkly fruit finish. Treacly. Enjoyable, but one's enough.

14) Morland (GK) Hen's Tooth (Bottle): Lots of sediment, caught in bottle neck. Dark ruby and caramel coloured with a soft sherry, fruity nose. Big hit of sherry and ruby port with a lasting fruit finish. Lots of 'christmassy' flavours here - fruitcake and madeira. Great. Hohoho.

15) Shepherd Neame 1698 (Bottle): Shallow, tight head sat on a body the colour of golden syrup. Faintly spicy nose. Easy drink with cola and nutty notes. Thoroughly enjoyable; a good, rounded ale.

Next!

40 Beers, part 3

Here we go again. I'm already up to 20 new beers, and it's barely mid-september. I'm trying not to bore you by posting them all in one go.

8) Oettinger Pils (can):  In some quarters this beer is being blamed for the alleged decline in German brewing. It is, apparently, Germany's biggest-selling beer which some observers claim is purely down to the very low retail price when sold in supermarkets (is it available on draught?).  The only time I've seen it being drunk in Germany is by lads just released from national service, or football fans swigging rowdily in Munich's main station, watched by twitchy Polizei. Taste? Well, it doesn't really have one - except for the faintest orange notes and a distinct metallic flavour, which presumably wouldn't be there if this was from a bottle rather than a can. There was no discernable nose or finish. It's crisp and refreshing, but then so is water. Despite all this, I actually quite enjoyed it.

9) Brewdog Punk IPA (bottle): Pungent, herby, hoppy nose. Cloudy, straw colour and an intensely hoppy and floral smack in the mouth. Long, long bitter finish. Deserves all the praise it's been given. Not an easy drink, but a supremely enjoyable one. Really sorts the men from the boys, this. I just wish it was easier to find - this bottle was bought in a branch of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, stacked next to the tweed skirts and shortbread biscuits.

10) Fraoch Heather Ale (bottle): The colour of malt whisky with a strongly sweet 'botanic' nose. Fast-vanishing head. Sort of 'medicinal' cloying sweetness with distinct notes of Coca-Cola and honey. Less full-bodied than a first whiff suggests.  Faint but lasting sweet finish. Did I mention this was sweet? It was too sweet for me, but might go well with a curry.

11) Dent Brewery Owd Tup (bottle): Pours dark  with a khaki, lacing head. Oak chips, barbecue smoke and treacle in the nose. Thin and sweet tasting, with liquorice coming through. Nothing distinctive - a bit of a disappointment. Champion Winter Beer Of Britain 1999 (it says here). Maybe it was a duff bottle.

(No pictures of the beers, I'm afraid, so I hope this shot of my brother-in-law's dog Amy will do.)

Next!

40 Beers, part 2

Remember Red Rock Cider? It hung around pubs in the late 80s and the best thing about it were the brilliant 'Police Squad' adverts, featuring Leslie Nielsen, and the strapline "It's Not Red, And There Aren't Any Rocks In It". Eventually it faded away, taking Autumn Gold and Copperhead with it, lamented by nobody.



Red Rock has a beery namesake in a 4 barrel micro at Bishopsteighton in Devon, and the last time she was in the West Country, Mrs TIW bought me three bottles of their brews to try.

5) Red Rock Breakwater: This was a dark toffee colour, with a lively, overflowing head. There was a faint whiff of choclolate and coffee which was more pronounced in the mouth. A real gob-filler. Complex, buttery and tangy but slightly sour. Good stuff.

6) Red Rock Driftwood: Cloudy. Sandy, straw coloured with a pillowy sustained head. Pungent and spicy, "Christmassy" nose. Big coriander and ginger flavours and a lasting 'ginger ale' finish. Warming and very dry. An interesting beer this - some bit at the back of my brain awoke and brought back memories of the nettle beer they sell at Heysham near Morecambe. Good after one of those winter walks between Christmas and New Year, I should think.

7) Red Rock Bitter: Opaque with a fast-diminishing head. Somewhat flat, but I did get some plum in the nose and flavours of sultanas and stewed fruit coming through and worryingly, stewed tea. Reminded me a bit of my poor attempts at homebrew. This bottle might have been a wrong 'un, or it might have been my impatience and not letting it settle (all three beers were bottle conditioned) before I tried it. Worth another try.

Next!

Forty Beers - Part One.

A few posts back I declared my intention to try 40 new beers in this, my fortieth year. The first new ones I tried were on the day after my birthday, with the bottles picked up at the Berlin Beer Festival.

1) Černá Hora Pater (bottle): Bubblegum nose, mid gold colour. Toffee notes and a slightly sour "cheap cola" finish. Not unpleasant, but I won't be heartbroken If I never try it again.

2) Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle Neuzeller Porter (bottle): Sweet, lightly burnt toast nose. Lots of liquorice and black toffee - reminded me of Robinson's Old Tom. Very enjoyable and very more-ish.

3) Tegernseer Spezial (Herzoglich Bayerisches Brauhaus Tegernsee) (bottle and draught): The colour of august wheat, no discernable nose that I could detect. Clean, crisp. Very slightly tart with short 'buttercup syrup' finish. Refreshing. A couple of days later I had this vom fass in Bad Tolz. The waiter claimed it was "best beer in Germany - better than Augustiner!". While I can't agree with that, I preferred it to the bottled variety - it was full of sweet malt and fresh grassy-ness (if that's even a word), and a quite superb swig.

4) Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus Tannenzaepfle (bottle) : Slightly metallic nose. Darkish gold colour. Lots of heavy but quite sweet malt and hoppiness sustained into a long finish. Maybe it's that wonderful label, but notes of pine and resin kept creeping in. A real mouthful, anyway. I'd brought one bottle with me, only to find that Dan had got in a whole crate. Prost!