Festive Ale Thread

CHRISNOIR

In keeping with other factors hinting at my advancing years (receding hairline, hairy nostrils /eyebrows, the wearing of slippers, the urge to check out Genesis albums etc…) I’ve recently become somewhat keen on real ale. Some bottles from the Badger Brewery (‘Golden Champion’ and ‘Longdays’ - lovely little hoppy numbers) as well as some pints of Marstons Pedigree and Black Sheep have opened my eyes and taste-buds a bit.

Any festive tips for quality ale you’d like to share?

meagain

Robinsons' Old Tom if still produced (well, it was good stuff when I worked there!).

DavidBelcher

meagain wrote:

Robinsons' Old Tom if still produced (well, it was good stuff when I worked there!).

Still around and still excellent, as was the special edition version they did for Sainsbury's earlier this year (Ginger Tom - blended with Fentiman's Ginger Beer and slightly weaker at 6-ish per cent).

David

nasahapley

Deuchars! Golden brown Caledonian loveliness, and quite widely available now (tip - it's pronounced 'Dukers' - don't go to Scotland and ask for a pint of 'doi-chuz' in a southern accent if you like your face the way it is). Funnily enough, I've preferred real ale pretty much since I started boozing, and now at the ripe old age of 29 I find myself drinking increasing amounts of lager.

nasahapley

Deuchars! Golden brown Caledonian loveliness, and quite widely available now (tip - it's pronounced 'Dukers' - don't go to Scotland and ask for a pint of 'doi-chuz' in a southern accent if you like your face the way it is). Funnily enough, I've preferred real ale pretty much since I started boozing, and now at the ripe old age of 29 I find myself drinking increasing amounts of lager.

alfablue

If you are in the Cotwolds / Swindon area there is a great real ale pub in Cricklade (The Red Lion Cricklade) - they always have 9 real ales in top condition, and they do beer matching drawing on both their draft and bottled beers, against all their menu items (fabulous food too!)..

Nuggs

Harvey's of Sussex do some of the finest ales known to mankind.

Their Christmas Ale (c.9% IIRC) is legendary both in terms of taste and potency.

Other than that, Darkstar Brewery do a fantastic porter around Christmas time - perfect for creating a ready-break glow on cold nights.

Le Commentateur

Any dark, Belgian brew.

Failing that, a London Porter (Fullers) or Old Peculier (Theakston's).


And Genesis is best revisited on crackly vinyl.

iain_j

Cains Bitter.

The brewery's facing hard times lately so I'm doing my bit to support them, if you see what I mean

mhuk

MHB - although I've not seen it in bottles.

Ricardo H

Too right Nuggs. Had a pint of Harveys christmas in the Market porter on saturday night.

Shall be knocking back a few darkstars next wednesday in brighton.
Also got a shpeard neame festive that my MIL got me last week. Only 7% though

Roadie Rods

If you want a good winter warmer, you could try Hook Norton 12 Days of Christmas. The nearest pub to me that does it is about 20 miles away from here - and a 5 mile walk from my folks house. Worth it though

I'm also very fond of the Chiltern Brewery in Wendover - they do several very nice ales. Their winter warmer, Glad Tidings, is also very tasty

I might be piling on the odd pound or 6 this Christmas

Lagavulin

Hmm, stuck on the seasonal stuff though Jennings Red Breast is canny (along with most of Jennings beers).

Generally speaking I could drink Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Coniston Bluebird Bitter and Bateman's Victory Ale till my legs fell off.

DavidBelcher

nasahapley wrote:

Deuchars! Golden brown Caledonian loveliness, and quite widely available now (tip - it's pronounced 'Dukers' - don't go to Scotland and ask for a pint of 'doi-chuz' in a southern accent if you like your face the way it is). Funnily enough, I've preferred real ale pretty much since I started boozing, and now at the ripe old age of 29 I find myself drinking increasing amounts of lager.

I used to live in your neck of the woods until a few months ago - are you familiar with the excellent bottled beer shop on Bondgate in Otley? Highly recommended.

David

cee

Another vote for TT's Landlord....

also, in the summer, Hopback breweries Summer Lightning......quite possibly the finest beer I hvae ever tried.....available in bottles, but better on draught.

beverick

Lagavulin wrote:

......
Generally speaking I could drink Timothy Taylor's Landlord.......

Has to be Ram Tam at this time of year.

Bob

morrisje

Try this stuff - Traquair brewery. Some of them are 9% so will put hairs on your chest. Almost tastes like wine, full if flavour.

http://www.traquair.co.uk/brewery.html

millar time

If you can get it. Rochefort 10.. It is only 11.3% so after a few of these you'll be doing a passable impression of a Belgian at a 'Cross race..

nasahapley

DavidBelcher wrote:

I used to live in your neck of the woods until a few months ago - are you familiar with the excellent bottled beer shop on Bondgate in Otley? Highly recommended.

David

I wasn't aware of that shop, but I shall have a look this weekend, thanks for the info!

I originally thought this thread was about any real ale, not just nigh-on-undrinkable high percentage christmas speciality ones. If I'd known I wouldn't have recommended Deuchars, at a ladylike 3.8%, I'd have recommended this stuff called 'Samiclaus', which at about 14% claims to be the strongest beer in the world and is absolutely disgusting. I could still drink ten pints of it and then do 50 one-armed press-ups on the bar, obviously.

CHRISNOIR

morrisje wrote:

...Some of them are 9%...

millar time wrote:

...only 11.3%...

Ricardo H wrote:

Only 7% though...

It's a thin line between 'Real Ale Fan' and 'Turps Nudger' isn't it?

Le Commentateur

The Harp (near Charing Cross) has both TT's Landlord and Harvey's ales on tap, but for me those paler ales are summer brews. My first taste of Harveys was at a pub in Lamberhurst while waiting for the TdF to pass through - just perfect.

blackworx

Surprised no one's mentioned Orkney Dark Island yet. Porter to die for, and one of the few cask beers that works equally well in a bottle.

For festive ridiculousness make it into a snakebite by adulterating it with some suitably pingpong cyder. Breakfast of champions.

DavidBelcher

beverick wrote:

Lagavulin wrote:

......
Generally speaking I could drink Timothy Taylor's Landlord.......

Has to be Ram Tam at this time of year.

Bob

I find Landlord very moreish regardless of the weather; for a similar sort of taste, Yorkshire Terrier from the York Brewery is also a very good beer. Taylor's Ram Tam is harder to find, but did sample some at the Woolly Sheep in Skipton a couple of years back, and it is a good winter drink. Bought a bottle of Sam Smith's Yorkshire Stingo on a trip to York the other week (£5.25 for a half-litre bottle!!) - matured in wood for 12 months and bottle conditioned. Suffice to say, Mum, Dad and I will be keeping it for a festive treat and treating it with respect! Hope it's worth the expense!

David

DavidBelcher

Le Commentateur wrote:

The Harp (near Charing Cross) has both TT's Landlord and Harvey's ales on tap, but for me those paler ales are summer brews. My first taste of Harveys was at a pub in Lamberhurst while waiting for the TdF to pass through - just perfect.

I've only had Harvey's (Sussex Best Bitter) once, at a very nice seafront pub in Deal. A good hoppy pint, and proof that beer doesn't need to be silly strength to have character.

David

il_principe

As am East Sussex/Kentish boy I'm very partial to Harveys and Shepherd Neame. Wychwood's Hobgoblin is rather good too, not quite seasonal I guess, but close enough.

I'm an IPA man as a general rule though.

Ricardo H

so we are all agreed then, harveys sussex is the best beer in the world.

RockyHopperShow

I will agree on the Harveys front that their ales are indeed superb. Their Old Ale is a favourite at this time of year. But nothing, absolutely nothing, comes anywhere near Shepherd Neames' Spitfire throughout the year. "Downed all over Kent"

northernneil

I wasn't aware of that shop, but I shall have a look this weekend, thanks for the info!

Yes Wharfedale Ale, just tuck away opposite the fish and chip shop on the left side of the ginnell (narrow walkway thing for you southerners)

Its an excellent shop, and ask for recommendations from the owner, and if you want a local brew Rodhams is brewed by some bloke in Otley and is simply suburb.

Anyone ridding in the North York Moors I highly recommend the New Inn in Cropton (5 miles west of pickering) - its a micro brewery and does several fantastic beers, they bottle as well so look out for them

STEFANOS4784

blackworx wrote:

Surprised no one's mentioned Orkney Dark Island yet. Porter to die for, and one of the few cask beers that works equally well in a bottle.

For festive ridiculousness make it into a snakebite by adulterating it with some suitably pingpong cyder. Breakfast of champions.

Ah but it's not real snake-bite without a few shots o vodka

sicrow

Guinness Export ale (bottled at 7%) sainsbury's £1.49 is a great buy at the moment

another vote for Robbies Old Tom (draft though - not bottled )

Also Black Sheep, Theakston Old Peculier and Lancaster Bomber

smoo

Another vote for Rochefort, although I actually prefer the 8 to the 10. On the draft side, Old Peculiar and Orkney Dark Island as previously mentioned, even a pint of old fashioned Scottish 80 Shillings (malty and quite dark for non-porter/stout). I'm normally one for pale, mega-hoppy English ales but the season does call for something that tastes like liquid Xmas pudding!

Since I'm living in Finland I have to put in a word for the truly excellent Koff (Sinebrychoff) Porter. It's one of the best of the Baltic porters, all of which are strong, dark and malty although most are bottom fermented (like lagers). I believe Koff porter is one of the few that is top fermented. It's gorgeous, but does seem to leave its mark the next day if you have more than 1 and a half...