Last Minute Changes

Everything is up on the stillages for this week's festival and there are surprisingly few alterations to
the list I posted at the weekend.

Boggart Dark Mild replaced by Trad Mild.
Boggart Dark Rum Porter is actually Rum Porter.
Elland Anniversary Ale is 7th Anniversary Ale.
Bridestones TJ5 is actually TJ's.
Rockingham Black Forest replaced by Dark Forest.
Brampton Best replaced by Golden Bud.

The following are no shows:

Red Squirrel Colorado American IPA
Sawbridgeworth Malt Shovel Porter
Sawbridgeworth Chocolate Orange Stout

Northamptonshire Beer Festival 2009- The Beer List

The Northamptonshire Beer Festival starts this Thursday at Delapre Abbey in Northampton at 5pm. It is then open all day from noon. The beer list which should be final is listed below. I will update with any changes as and when they occur.

Abbeydale Brimstone
Abbeydale Belfry
B&T Gold Leaf
B&T R101
B&T Black Dragon Mild
B&T Edwin Taylors Extra Stout
Bank Top Flat Cap
Bank Top Volunteer
Bank Top Pavilion
Bank Top Port o' Call
Beowulf Wuffa
Beowulf Goldwork
Beowulf Chasewater
Beowulf Swordsman
Blue Cow Best Bitter
Blue Monkey Original
Blue Monkey Evolution
Blythe Blythe Bitter
Blythe Staffie
Blythe Ridware Pale
Blythe Tetty's Tipple
Boggart Hole Clough Dark Mild
Boggart Hole Clough Standard Pioneer
Boggart Hole Clough Sun Dial
Boggart Hole Clough Ray of Sunshine
Boggart Hole Clough Dark Rum Porter
Brampton Best
Brampton 1302
Brass Monkey Best Bitter
Brass Monkey Mandrill
Brass Monkey Monkey Pooh
Brass Monkey Silverback
Brewdog Zeitgeist
Brewdog Punk
Brewdog 77Lager
Brewdog Dogma
Brewdog Trashy Blonde
Brewdog Paradox Smokehead
Brewsters Hophead
Brewsters Marquis
Brewsters Cheval Mort
Brewsters Kiyo
Bridestones Pennine Dark Mild
Bridestones Brown Ale
Bridestones TJ5
Bridestones Sandman
Brunswick White Feather
Brunswick Pilsener
Cathedral Magna Carta
Cathedral St Hugh's
Cathedral Black Imp
Cherwell Valley Larkrise
Cherwell Valley Cropredy Bridge
Cherwell Valley Kineton Fight
Cherwell Valley Duke of Cumberlands Head
Concrete Cow Ironbridge Brew
Concrete Cow Cowzat'
Dark Star Hophead
Dark Star Espresso
Dark Star Festival
Dark Star Original
Dent Dent Bitter
Dent Aviator Ale
Dent T'owd Tup
Digfield Fools Nook
Digfield Barnwell Bitter
Digfield March Hare
Digfield Shacklebush
Digfield IPA
Digfield Mad Monk
Dowbridge Centurion
Dowbridge Fosse
Dowbridge Legion
Dowbridge DB Dark
Dowbridge Morgans Beez Neez
Elland Mambo
Elland Beyond the Pale
Elland Anniversary Ale
Elland Space
Empire Golden Warrior
Empire Pilgrim
Empire Valour
Empire Longbow
Frog Island Fuggled Frog
Frog Island Best Bitter
Frog Island Shoemaker
Frog Island Natterjack
Frog Island Fire Bellied Toad
Frog Island Croak & Stagger
Full Mash Brass Monkey
Full Mash Stapleford Stout
Grainstore Cooking
Grainstore 1050
Grainstore Silly Billy
Grainstore NIP
Great Oakley Welland Valley Mild
Great Oakley Wot's Occurring
Great Oakley Wagtail
Great Oakley Harpers
Great Oakley Gobble
Great Oakley Delapre Dark
Great Oakley Tailshaker
Great Oakley Abbey Stout
Green Mill Chocolate Mild
Green Mill A Bitter T'ale
Green Mill Chief
Green Mill Big Chief
Hart Nemesis
Hart Dishy Debbie
Hawkshead Bitter
Hawkshead Lakeland Gold
Hawkshead Brodies Prime
Hoggleys Northamptonshire Bitter
Hoggleys Kislingbury Bitter
Hoggleys Mill Lane Mild
Hoggleys Reservoir Hogs
Hoggleys Pump Fiction
Hoggleys Solstice Stout
Hoggleys Slum Hog
Hopshackle Historic Porter
Hopshackle Double Momentum
Iceni Celtic Queen
Iceni Fine Soft Day
Iceni Cranberry Wheat
Julian Church Parson's Nose
Julian Church Wonky Spire
Julian Church Martyr
Leatherbritches Copper Classic
Magpie Fledgling
Magpie Dark Secret
Magpie Best Bitter
Magpie Monty's FIrkin
Mallinsons Amarillo
Mallinsons Statue of Zeus
Mallinsons TR7
Mallinsons Jubilee Tower
Maypole Little Weed
Maypole Major Oak
Milestone Raspberry Wheat
Milestone Loxley
Milestone Rich Ruby
Milton Icarus
Milton Nero
Naylors Pinnacle Bitter
Naylors Pinnacle Blonde
Nethergate Old Growler
Nethergate Essex Beast
Nethergate Umbel Magna
Nethergate Lounge Lizard
Nethergate Essex Border
Nobbys Best Bitter
Nobbys Guilsborough Gold
Nobbys Claridges Crystal
Nobbys Monster Mash
Nobbys Chilli Summer
Nobbys T'owd Navigation
Oakham Endless Summer
Oakham Attila
Oakham JHB
Oakham Inferno
Oakham White Dwarf
Oakham Bishops Farewell
Oldershaw Grantham Dark
Oldershaw Regal Blonde
Oldershaw High Dyke
Oldershaw Harrowby Pale
Oldershaw Grantham Stout
Oldershaw Ahtanum Gold
Grainstore Phipps IPA
Grainstore Phipps Red Star
Potbelly Welland Truly
Potbelly Black Sun
Potbelly Potbelly Best
Potbelly Aisling
Potbelly Ambrosia
Potbelly Beijing Black
Potbelly Inner Daze
Potbelly Crazy Daze
Purple Moose Black Hand Porter
Purple Moose Madogs
Purple Moose Snowdonia
Purple Moose Glaslyn Ale
Purple Moose Darkside of the Moose
RCH Old Slug Porter
RCH East Street Cream
RCH Double Header
RCH Steampole
RCH PG Steam
Red Squirrel BSPA
Red Squirrel London Porter
Red Squirrel English IPA
Red Squirrel Colorado American IPA
Red Squirrel Blonde
Rockingham A1 Amber Ale
Rockingham Black Forest
Sawbridgeworth Malt Shovel Porter
Sawbridgeworth Chocolate Orange Stout
Shardlow Kiln House
Shardlow Whistle Stop
Shardlow Golden Hop
Silverstone Pitstop
Silverstone Chequered Flag
Southport Golden Sands
Southport Carousel
Spinning Dog Herefordshire Owd Bull
Spinning Dog Mutleys Dark
Spinning Dog Celtic Gold
Spinning Dog Mutts Nutts
Spire Ruby Tuesday
Spire Land Of Hop And Glory
St.Georges St George is mild
St.Georges Order of the Garter
St.Georges Dragons Blood
Tower Steamin Billy Last Bark
Tower Steamin Billy Skydiver
Tower steamin Billy Fox's Revenge
Titanic Golden Age
Ufford White Hart
Ufford Golden Drop
Vale Vale Best Bitter
Vale Edgar's Golden Ale
Vale Hadda's Spring Gold
Vale VPA
Vale Castle Bitter
Weatheroak Light Oak
Weatheroak Victoria Works
White Horse Village Idiot
White Horse Wayland Smithy
White Horse Black Beauty
White Park White Gold
White Park Kellihopter
White Park Cranfield Bitter
Whitehaven Ennerdale Breeze
Whitehaven Ennerdale Bitter
Whitehaven Ennerdale Blonde
Whitehaven Ennerdale Copper
Wild Walker Old Big Ead
Wild Walker Last Orders
Wolf Golden Jackal
Wolf Lavender Honey
Wolf Woild Moild

Coach & Horses Dronfield

I didn't realise that most pubs I take my wife in are a bit dodgy until she exclaimed "it's really nice Mark" when we walked into The Coach & Horses at Dronfield. It appears she was expecting somewhere a bit "spit and sawdust".

The C&H is owned by Sheffield FC and sells beers from the excellent Thornbridge Hall brewery. It also though sells a deecnt range of foreign bottled beers and carefully chosen draught keg products. It's anything but spit and sawdust being actually pretty smart.

Thornbridge beers available on my visit were:

Wild Swan
Lord Marples
Redbrick
Jaywick
Jaipur

I tried them all except the Redbrick and particularly liked the first two on the list. Jaipur was a bit disappointing, being a little warm which I'm told is very unusual here.

Although I didn't eat the menu looked really appetizing wih some lovely looking choices.

It was a well spent hour and one I hope to repeat again. The pub is having a beer festival on the next bank holiday weekend with a large selection of Thornbridge beers but also a good range of other brewers beers such as BrewDog, Dark Star and Marble. I wish I were going.

Hello Again

Yes, it's been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that. I've been a bit busy with one thing and another, but to hell with excuses.

So, what have I been up to since we last met? I went to the beer festival at The Merchants Inn in Rugby, where all beers had an animal in the name and we were encouraged to order merely by animal name rather then the whole beer (Bugger that). I went to the first festival at The Victoria in Northampton, which needed to have more beers on at a time. I spent a week in the Peak District and only went to four (yes four) pubs the whole week. I had no internet access and precious little mobile phone reception, but that's not always a bad thing. And finally, and more pressingly, I've been puttiing together the tasting notes for this year's Northamptonshire Beer Festival which runs from May 28-30 at Delapre Abbey. This blog will be the first place the beer list will be published and there are some good beers to behold.

I'll try to get the blog back on a regular roll now that things are quietening down. I'm off on my annual pilgrimage to Brighton on Sunday though. That will be fun.