Real Ale...

[Weekender]

Local ale…Wye Valley Brewery. Best on draught but bottles well. Butty Bach is a great session beer, grab it if you can find it out of the ‘shire.

I had a pint of that in the Roast Ox in Painscastle (we're on holiday) this evening...and a fillet steak in peppercorn sauce. Both very nice indeed.

 

[Goldenmouse]

 

[Enfield boy]

New ones to me...

What Brewery are they from?

https://www.hooky.co.uk

Looks like the Bates Motel, the tours are great. They still have a functioning steam engine that can power the brewery although it's not in regular use (pending cost of fuel cap??). Hook Norton is about 4 miles from Chipping Norton on the edge of the cotswolds and about 15 miles from Banbury.

 

[Tony Lockhart]

That doesn't describe Abbott at all.

I’ve heard that it has improved now, but in the 80s you could feel the headache forming during the second or third pint. Revolting stuff.
North Yorkshire… now that was something else. Masham was close enough to visit regularly. So I did.

 

[MUTTY1]

Just supping a Brewdog Hazy Jane. Pleasant enough. I hate it when you get breweries trying to out hop each other….

 

[Beobloke]

I have put myself outside several pints of Fyne Ales’ Jarl this evening.

Most pleasant.

 

[Seeker_UK]

I’ve heard that it has improved now, but in the 80s you could feel the headache forming during the second or third pint. Revolting stuff.

IME if you started on Abbott, it was OK. Never after another pint first or it would taste like a**e.

 

[MUTTY1]

I really should tell everyone the history of my Belstaff jacket. It is waterproof but the hypothermia will kill you anyway. A most overrated item that is getting more valuable than anything else I own just hanging in my attic.

 

[mjw]

ubiquitous blondes and pales that are *everywhere*

You make a very good point. A few months ago I attended a beer fest at the Mallard on Worksop station. The best drink, by a country mile, was a cask mild - from Cheshire I think. There was nothing to dislike about it and much to enjoy.

 

[blossomchris]

IME if you started on Abbott, it was OK. Never after another pint first or it would taste like a**e.

My tipple in the 80's Abbott and IPA half and half, a local favourite.

 

[Ponty]

Bottled Old Hooky, nowhere near as good as the real thing. From the cask Old Hooky or ordinary Hooky Best Bitter are probably my favourites.

Fabulous brewer, not far from me (great restaurant there too). Their Flagship IPA is terrific. One of the pubs here has Hooky on draught, I can’t resist it although my go to ale is the fantastic Cotswold Gold, made by Donnington brewery. Their pubs are top drawer, all in the most lovely places too.

 

[seagull]

I have a couple of bottles of this lined up for tonight; never tried it before

And while away this week, I found this on draft which was rather nice.

We spent an excellent evening on Friday at the Otter Brewery tasting their whole range. They proved that they could organise a p1ss up in a brewery.

 

[docstocker]

Would't pay even that in a 'Spoons. I'd go in for a piss and miss if I thought it was Tim Martin that had to clean up.

No where else open In bromsgrove that we could find

 

[Nic Robinson]

No where else open In bromsgrove that we could find

As it's Bromsgrove, you are forgiven!

 

[gavreid]

https://www.hooky.co.uk

Looks like the Bates Motel, the tours are great. They still have a functioning steam engine that can power the brewery although it's not in regular use (pending cost of fuel cap??). Hook Norton is about 4 miles from Chipping Norton on the edge of the cotswolds and about 15 miles from Banbury.

We had a local landlord who specialised in getting Old Hooky as strong as possible in the cask. He wouldn't serve you more than a pint unless he was certain that you weren't driving!

 

[canonman]

That doesn't describe Abbott at all.

Abbott changed. It was a cracking beer in the late 70's or so but then the recipe changed. Now akin to toilet duck

 

[linnfomaniac83]

Waiting for The Feathers to re-open in Lichfield (they’re having the stage refitted and a new PA system installed), they have one which is exclusive to them called Spitting Feathers, it’s an IPA type drink and it’s absolutely superb, I helped finish the last cask before closing… proper session beer, my friend came to stay a few weeks ago (a fellow fishie but infrequent poster), he agreed, we drank about 20 pints between us!

Backyard Blonde is a frequent favourite for me, brewed a couple of miles down the road (Backyard started as a local micro brewery with their produce only being available locally but they’re quite a big business now having expanded their own range and coverage, and bought another complete brewery up north).

https://www.thebackyardbrewhouse.com/

 

[poco a poco]

Timothy Taylor Landlord bottled at the moment, but may pop to the Village Pub late afternoon for a pint of Charles Wells DNA this a 4.5% ABV India Pale Ale is a marriage of East Coast USA and East Anglican UK brewing styles.

 

[Seeker_UK]

My tipple in the 80's Abbott and IPA half and half, a local favourite.

Are you a "Bury Boy"?

 

[mjw]

I was in the Leeds Arms, Scarborough recently. It was my first visit since the late 70s when they sold the magnificent draught Bass, a beer I thought was discontinued until I read references earlier in this thread so I did some research to find that it’s still brewed at Burton in the same slate/Yorkshire squares (under license by Marston).
Here’s a very useful list of pubs that still serve Bass: https://thewickingman.files.wordpre...GusP7e6Soc0QzF_vbbpThug4Xlr0dNGr_kiNz0sEAI-SI