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We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
St. George's Day
Most Sam Smith's bottles are good, as are the Black Sheep ales from Yorkshire. Old Peculiar was grand in the bottle, but I find it so rarely that I cannot be certain if it is still as good. As for most "average" British bottle ales, I find them too gassy. Many are loaded with diacetyl too. I don't mind a little toffee-like flavour, but many are over the top.
As for cask ales...my favorites seem to change with each trip. In 1983, it was Adnams Bitter ( still a great beer), in 1984, it was cask Old Peculiar (when it was still brewed in Masham), in 1991, I was really impressed with a fresh firkin of Shepherd Neame's Master Brew Bitter (before the accountants had their way with the recipe), in 2001, Harvey's XXX old ale, Oakham JHB, Goacher's Maidstone light, Larkin's Porter, Cheriton Village Elder,in 2003, Oakham Kaleidascope, HopDeamon Incubus, all of the ales from Verulam brew-pub in St-Albans. This is by no means an exhaustive list. I have tried approx. 300 different real ales from the sublime to the ridiculous. These are those beers that best fit my mood and palate at the time of my visit.
As for cask ales...my favorites seem to change with each trip. In 1983, it was Adnams Bitter ( still a great beer), in 1984, it was cask Old Peculiar (when it was still brewed in Masham), in 1991, I was really impressed with a fresh firkin of Shepherd Neame's Master Brew Bitter (before the accountants had their way with the recipe), in 2001, Harvey's XXX old ale, Oakham JHB, Goacher's Maidstone light, Larkin's Porter, Cheriton Village Elder,in 2003, Oakham Kaleidascope, HopDeamon Incubus, all of the ales from Verulam brew-pub in St-Albans. This is by no means an exhaustive list. I have tried approx. 300 different real ales from the sublime to the ridiculous. These are those beers that best fit my mood and palate at the time of my visit.
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Josh Oakes
- Posts: 480
- Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2001 8:00 pm
- Contact:
Cask: Chiswick, Cain's Bitter, Cain's Mild, Landlord, Triple fff Moondance, Smiles Best...just for starters.
Bottle: Courage Imperial Russian Stout, Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout, Gale's POA, bloody hell I know I'm forgetting a really good one.
Anyway, that's a few of my favourites.
Oh, and Cheddar Valley Scrumpy is an excellent pint.
Bottle: Courage Imperial Russian Stout, Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout, Gale's POA, bloody hell I know I'm forgetting a really good one.
Anyway, that's a few of my favourites.
Oh, and Cheddar Valley Scrumpy is an excellent pint.
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Uncle Bobby
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2001 8:00 pm
- Location: East End Toronto
- Contact:
[Big sigh...]
Oh, for the days of my wayward youth in Blighty!
Cask - Young's Special (...and the view from the Clockhouse with Peckham Rye covered in snow...), Wethered's Winter Royal (Christmas cake in a glass, and my face turning redder with each pint), Firkin's DogBolter ("Heeeey...! Chicks from the art college...."), Theakston's Old Peculiar (non plus ultra), Fuller's London Pride (necking in the grass one August evening by the river in Richmond), and that winter beer at the Crown in Somerton where the barman had to go outside to where the barrel was lain on its side.
The last time I was over in '99 coincided with CAMRA's London Real Ale Festival. I was in pig heaven. And I cannot recall a single name of the beers I had that night.
Durham's XXX from the cask compares favourably with anything I had in London.
-Uncle Bobby
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Uncle Bobby on 2003-04-24 16:20 ]</font>
Oh, for the days of my wayward youth in Blighty!
Cask - Young's Special (...and the view from the Clockhouse with Peckham Rye covered in snow...), Wethered's Winter Royal (Christmas cake in a glass, and my face turning redder with each pint), Firkin's DogBolter ("Heeeey...! Chicks from the art college...."), Theakston's Old Peculiar (non plus ultra), Fuller's London Pride (necking in the grass one August evening by the river in Richmond), and that winter beer at the Crown in Somerton where the barman had to go outside to where the barrel was lain on its side.
The last time I was over in '99 coincided with CAMRA's London Real Ale Festival. I was in pig heaven. And I cannot recall a single name of the beers I had that night.
Durham's XXX from the cask compares favourably with anything I had in London.
-Uncle Bobby
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Uncle Bobby on 2003-04-24 16:20 ]</font>