Saturday, November 19, 2005

Erewash Valley CAMRA 10th Annual Beerfest

Friday 18th & Saturday 19th November 2005
Sandiacre Friesland Sports Centre
Nursery Avenue
SANDIACRE


I am off to the Erewash Valley CAMRA 10th Annual Beerfest today with Henry. This is a nice small and steady festival to visit, with a trip round Derby on the way back.


Here is the Beerfest 2005 Beer List:

1) Oakham - Bishops Farewell 4.6 Peterborough
Intensely hoppy and full-bodied golden best bitter. Grapefruit character with a hint of tropical fruits.
Sponsored by: KRM Building Supplies, Nottingham Road, ILKESTON

2) Brakspears - Special 4.3 Witney, Oxford
Rich malt and hops combine with a fruit aroma for a long bitter-sweet finish with orange undertones

3) Cotleigh - Buzzard 4.8 Wiveliscombe, Somerset
A deep copper red traditional Winter ale. The chocolate malt gives a dry, nutty flavour with a smoky but smooth finish.

4) Crouchvale - Brewers Gold 4.0 Chelmsford, Essex
Honey toned golden ale with grapefruit sharpness,offset by suggestions of melon and pineapple.
Champion Beer of Britain 2005.

5) Salopian - Shropshire Gold 3.8 Shrewsbury
Rich golden ale. Using Golding and Styrian hops to give a malty, triple hopped flavour.

6) Rebellion - Red 4.7 Marlow, Bucks
Premium ale reflecting the colour of Autumn, it's deep copper hue derives from "Red Maize" in the malt grist. Predominately malty flavour with a subtle late hop character.

7) Castle Rock - Elsie Mo 4.7 Nottingham
A blonde and beautiful single malt beer. Supreme Champion in the Midlands SIBA awards for 2005/06
Sponsored by: Castle Rock Brewery, Queens Bridge Road, NOTTINGHAM

8) Nottingham - Dreadnought 4.5 Radford,Nottingham
Ruby in colour with deep,malty flavours leaving a throat tingling bitterness.
Sponsored by: Nottingham Brewery, St Peters Street, RADFORD

9) Full Mash - Decade 4.2 Stapleford, Notts
Specially brewed anniversary ale that is a pale, hoppy bitter with fruity aftertones
Sponsored by: The Dewdrop, Station Street, ILKESTON

10) Burton Bridge - Damson Porter 4.5 Burton on Trent, Staffs
Liquorice flavour with hops and fruit. Slightly sweet, amazingly red with a faint roast aroma,and a dry,astringent bite to finish.

11) Shardlow - Chancellors Revenge 3.6 Shardlow, Derbys
A well hopped session bitter, light coloured, refreshing and full flavoured.
Sponsored by: The Harrington Arms, Tamworth Road, SAWLEY

12) Leadmill - Marehay Mild 3.6 Denby, Derbys
Fuggles and Golding hops provide a satisfying chocolate/nutty finish to this mild.

13) Castle Rock - Rampling Fumatory 3.9 Nottingham
This seasonal special is a dark bitter with a hint of liquorice.

14) Museum Brewing - St Modwen’s 4.5 Burton on Trent, Staffs
Light and fruity pale beer. Oranges, pears and apples shine through finsihed with a little bitterness.

15) Dent - Baarister 4.5 Sedbergh, Cumbria
Mid strength golden bitter with initial sweetness. The floral aroma and citrus flavours compliment the traditional bitterness.
Sponsored by: The Needlemakers Arms, Kensington Street, ILKESTON

16) Wye Valley - Butty Bach 4.5 Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire
A burnished gold full-bodied premium ale from this Herefordshire brewery

17) Titanic - Stout 4.5 Stoke on Trent
An ultra-black stout with full roast aroma. With a mouth watering dry roast finish and touches of smoke or charcoal.
Sponsored by: The Nags Head,Wilne Road, SAWLEY

18) Nethergate - Priory Mild 3.5 Cavendish, Suffolk
Distinctive, full-flavoured very dark mild with a pronounced lingering roast and dry hop aftertaste.

19) Hop Back - Summer Lightning 5.0 Salisbury, Wilts
Finely balanced, pleasurable pale bitter with good, fresh hoppy aromas and a malty hoppy flavour with a dry finish.
Sponsored by: Edsons Joinery, Main Street, PLUMTREE

20) Butcombe - Gold 4.7 Wrington, Somerset
Medium bodied and well balanced, yellow gold in colour, quite fruity, slightly sweet with an abiding dryness.

21) Clarks - Golden Hornet 5.0 Wakefield, W.Yorks
A crisp golden premium beer with a full fruity taste, full hop aroma and dry hop aftertaste.

22) Hook Norton - Old Hooky 4.6 Banbury, Oxford
A well balanced and full bodied pale copper ale. The hoppy character gives way to a sweet and fruity finish.

23) Ringwood - Fortyniner 4.9 Ringwood, Hampshire
A mid brown beer with a fruity aroma. The finish is bittersweet with some fruit and hop flavours.

24) Milestone Brewery - Crusader 4.4 Newark, Notts
A Belgian style blond beer.Well balanced with a citrus accent.

25) Mallard - Duckade 4.1 Carlton, Nottingham
A light hoppy ale, celebrating a decade of brewing
Sponsored by: The Spanish Bar, South Street, ILKESTON

26) Funfair - Dodgem 4.7 Ilkeston, Derbys
Pale, hoppy summer beer.
Sponsored by: Sue's Corner Shop, Station Road, ILKESTON

27) John Thompson - JTS Bitter 4.1 Ingleby, Derbys
A well respected best bitter.

28) Brunswick - Triple Hop 4.9 Derby
A pale gold colour with citrus hop bouquet promise sweetness but the hops deliver a firm, dry, lasting bitterness.

29) Leek - Staffordshire Bitter 4.2 Leek, Staffs
Amber with a fruity aroma. Malty and hoppy to start but the hoppy finish diminishes quickly.

30) Thornbridge - Jaipur IPA 5.9 Bakewell, Derbys
Light golden appearance with sweet citrus notes reminiscent of lemon peel and tropical fruits.

31) Museum Brewing - White Shield 5.6 Burton on Trent, Staffs
IPA with a clean fruit aroma and a fruity/nutty taste, brewed virtualy unchanged since 1829.

32) Batemans - Valiant 4.2 Wainfleet, Lincs
A delicious golden beer, clean, crisp and zesty. As they say: "Develop a liking for a Viking"

33) Tom Woods - Old Timber 4.5 Barnetby, Lincs
A bitter, darkish brown beer. A slight lingering roast coffee flavour features.

34) Poachers - Dick 4.5 Witham St Hughes, Lincs
Ruby-red bitter with a smooth fruity flavour balanced by the bitterness of Goldings hops.

35) Nethergate - Old Growler 5.0 Cavendish, Suffolk
Smooth,distinctive and satisfying porter with bitter chocolate sweetness and roast malt and fruit featured.

36) Breconshire - Red Dragon 4.7 Brecon, Powys
Hop bitterness balances the biscuity malt characteristics of this easy drinking beer


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Friday, November 18, 2005

Gale's Brewery, Beers And Pubs Under Threat

Save Gales Campaign Group

For more information visit www.savegales.org.uk


It has been announced that London brewers Fuller, Smith & Turner (brewers of London Pride) have agreed a deal to take over Hampshire's oldest and most traditional brewers, George Gale. This immediately poses the questions of what will happen to the brewery, its beers, its pubs and its workers.

The local branches of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) have reacted with dismay at the devastating news for pub users, real ale drinkers and the brewery's staff.

CAMRA is calling on Fuller's to maintain brewing the full range of Gale's beers at the Horndean brewery in Hampshire, and to provide a commitment to retain the full Gale's pub estate and workforce.

Save This Pint Of Gales Festival Mild
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Thursday, November 17, 2005

Opening Times: Curmudgeon Threatening To Quit

News has reached me from Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA, that Opening Times Curmudgeon is threatening to hang up his pen.

John Clarke said,
I am begging him to stay on and he says he will reconsider if there is enough demand from his fans. Please e-mail your support to this News Group.

Show your support in the SSMCAMRA Yahoo News Group.


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Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Licensing Act To Go Ahead

Don't Panic Mr Mangering, we will be able to enjoy a beer next week!


The Licensing Act is to become law on November 24 after the Tories’ attempts to delay the regime failed in the House of Commons last night.

A Conservative motion to cancel the start date of the Licensing Act was defeated by 74 votes in the Commons. The Lib Dems also backed the motion, which was lost by 228 votes to 302.

This vote follows the House of Lords earlier this week in which peers voted by a majority of 33 to delay the implementation of the new regime “to allow more time to address public concerns about the effects of the proposed changes.”


UPDATE I
Check out Knut Albert's Beer Blog : English licencing laws post on this subject:
As I am going to England at the end of next week, I shall be able to report first hand if the more liberal licencing laws for pubs will result in an orgy of drinking and rampaging - or if people just relax a bit more over their last pint for the evening. It is the proper time to quote George Orwell, who wrote about this issue in the Tribune in 1944...


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Tuesday, November 15, 2005

The Beer of the Trip! Blog Is Having A Small Redesign

We are having a small redesign here at the Beer of the Trip! blog so the site may look a little strange over next few days but hopefully we will come out looking much cleaner in the end.

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Monday, November 14, 2005

Hydes Insulation - Henry's 7000th Tick

Enjoyed a few excellent beers yesterday (Sunday) which included Henry's 7000th tick, Hydes Insulation at the Eagle, Buxton:

Ingredients
No less than three malts are used to produce this fine ale. In predominance is English pale ale malt with a sizable portion of both Roast Barley and Chocolate malts for colour and depth of flavour. Bittering and aroma are courtesy of English Fuggles and a small amount of Wye Challenger. A small amount of seasonal winter spices are added to add further warmth and character to this beer. Dry hopped in cask with Fuggles.

Nose
Malt and spice in evidence in good balance.

Palate
A pleasant bitterness with a slightly sweet initial flavour followed by long notes of toffee, Christmas pud, coffee and chocolate.

Comments
A complex winter ale bursting with seasonal flavours, hearty enough to warm the cockles on a long winter night.


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