Sunday 2 November 2008

Another "Required" Tick

Tickers, when they have a beer in mind for their collection of ticks, say it is "required". I am not a ticker, but of course, like most beer people not averse to listing in my mind the odd beer I'd like to try. So yesterday, after being dragged round the local woods by E for the good of my health, a beer seemed a good idea. So, to Rochdale and the JDW Regal Moon for the beer festival. My required beer for this visit was Baron's Black Wattle Original Ale, Australian in origin, but brewed by the brewer in Banks' in Wolverhampton and there it was on the bar. It was delicious. A full malty body with touches of dark toffee, some fruitiness and an earthy character which I assume is the black wattle. It had a pleasing East Kent Goldings finish and was much more bitter than I'd anticipated. Great stuff which I was fortunate to savour in the peak of condition.

My good luck continued. I found the Everard's Equinox, pale and not as sweet as the JDW tasting notes would suggest. I wouldn't have brewed it with Goldings as the single hop variety myself, but it was decent enough. Way up the scale though was Bateman's Eastern Promise. The tasting notes have it spot on " a mix of spicy and citrus hop flavours blending with the lemon grass to impart an impressive taste experience, while its initial spicy aroma leads to a citrus finish." Couldn't say it better myself, so I won't. The Liberty hop finish really lifted this beer to new heights. Stunningly good stuff - they ought to make it permanent.

I finished less well. I had to try the Gouden Carolus having toured the brewery a few years ago. Despite only having a third, it was just too strong in alcohol (8%) with a dodgy wet dog finish. I left most of it. You can't win 'em all.

I'm still after a few more beers, particularly St Austell Proper Job, which was a beer I used in a tutored tasting at GBBF. It was fantastic in the bottle, so I'm looking forward to the cask version. So far so good with the JDW fest, Beer quality has been excellent, but my horizon looks cloudier. My next JDW visit will be in London where I fear a severe quality decline! Let's hope I'm proved wrong.

10 comments:

Stonch said...

Tandleman, in your almost obsessive aversion to London and all that sails in her, you are far too much like Alan Partridge! Do you present a military-based quiz show on a cable TV channel called UK Conquest? And have you bounced back?

Tandleman said...

You really do know better. I don't have an aversion to London at all. Last time I looked I had a home there! I'm off there on Thursday and looking forward to it immensely, though not necessarily beer wise. Maybe you are trying to raise the bar, but beer quality in London is poor by and large.

But since you don't go to JDW in London (or elsewhere I assume) you wouldn't be qualified to say would you?

Stonch said...

Chill out Coltrane!

Tandleman said...

Ditto! (-:

Stonch said...

I don't look like Robbie Coltrane so you can't ditto that!

Someone in the kebab shop on Saturday night said I looked like Jonathan Ross.

Unknown said...

I've just visited thirteen Spoons in three days, had a couple of the festival beers 3 or 4 times and was struck by the inconsistencies. Yona Yona was either the best beer I've tasted this year or just another bland, overly-cold pint, depending on the JDW.

Mind you, the one-and-only pint of Proper Job I had was stunning.

Tandleman said...

As I said I'm looking forward to Proper Job. Just read your blog for the first time. Good stuff. I'll add you to my links list.

Anonymous said...

There's a noticeable difference in ABV between cask and BC Proper Job : 4.5% in cask, 5.5% in the bottle. I had teh cask at GBBF,a nbd while not as stunning as the bottle, it was a very nice tackle at a balanced, tasty, hoppy, premium bitter.
Cheers !

Gazza Prescott said...

Proper Job on cask was very good indeed and in bottle it's superb - see, Regionals can brew good beer if they use some decent hops!

Marks & Sparks now have a "Cornish IPA" from St Austell at 5% (tick!) which claims the same hops so a few of those may need to be purchased methinks...

Anonymous said...

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