Today is the first day of the latest Wetherspoons International Real Ale festival, and as is typical Northampton's Spoons has started with a whimper rather than a bang. Just the three festival beers amongst the usual bog standard regular beers were to be found here..Old Baily, Jolly Ploughman and Yona Yona were present.Thankfully the Lloyds No 1 fared better as all four pumps had festival beers: Firestone Walker California Pale Ale; Thwaites Nutty Black; Brains Top Notch and Shepherd Neame Fuggles. It's a shame that whereas friends of mine have been drinking the festival beers elsewhere in the country since the weekend and their bars are stocked full of the stuff today that Northampton has made such a slow start. Still, it hopefully means there are lots of goodies to come.
For the record I was completely underwhelmed by the Firestone Walker. Not a sign of the chinnok, centennial or cascade in my glass; just the merest hint of lemon. Maybe I'll try it again.
3 comments:
See my blog for details but I was completely underwhelmed by the Firestone beer too!
Ditto. Only the merest hint of all those luscious US hops before subsiding into mediocrity, a big letdown compared to the Stones IIPA last time. And we had it at the Crosse Keys press launch in London where virtually all 24 beers were in splendid condition. I'd give it a swerve if you see it again maeib.
I thought the Yona Yona was delicious though - and the Danish effort was marvellous too.
I felt the Firestone was a let-down straight after the Mikkeller and Yo Ho, though to be fair it was so damned cold that I gave it twenty minutes to warm up and then got a fairly flavoursome taste.
As I was dropped on the head as a child, I've decided to visit a dozen Spoons over the weekend to see what a 'typical' JDW is like at festival time, my local one (The Babington Arms in Derby) having what I expect to be an atypical 17 beers on pump at all times.
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