Pay the Toll

High Street Bitter - 5.2%

I have a confession to make.  I have a membership with the National Trust.  I know, I know.  It's sandals and Thermos flasks from here on out and downhill from there.  The one benefit is that I get to go to the little shop at the end and look at the local beers they often sell there.

This is from Tollgate Brewery and I picked it on a whim.  They have been going for about 7 years in South Derbyshire.

I've been on record before saying I'm not a big bitter fan.  Go look at my comments from my home towns beer.

This is nothing like that.  It's a bitter but right at the opposite end of the scale.  A dark and rich bitter without overpowering hops and a wonderful selection of malt.  The head is surprisingly light considering the fullness of the taste.

Hunt this one down and try it for yourself.

Guarding the underworld

Cerberus - 4.5%

Tonight's tipple comes from Norfolk and a company called Fox Brewery.  I got given a boxed set of their beers in a nice little package to enjoy and review.

This is Cerberus, three headed guardian dog of the underworld.  It's also probably one of the least fizzy beers I've ever had.  Seriously I opened the bottle and there was hardly a noise.

It's not stale just very flat and look at that nice dark colour.  The flavour is nutty and initially very pleasant.

Sadly about halfway down things took a turn for the worse.

If you are familiar with athletes foot powder, this beer eventually tastes almost exactly as that smells.

It's a real shame as to start is was delicious and I'll always look forward to a good dark beer to topple the crown of Old Engine Oil

A Mountain in Scotland

Schiehallion - 4.8%

Near Perth there is a mountain which goes by the name of Schiehallion and depending on how it's translated could mean "Fairy Hill" or "The Maiden's Pap" or "Constant Storm".  Nice to see we've got that one nailed down.

One of my all time favourite beers is Old Engine Oil.  The same brewery produced that made that also brews Schiehallion.

It's billed as a craft lager and should be drunk straight from the fridge.  So what better way to undo a trip to the gym than a nice cool refreshing beer afterwards?

Well it's definitely cool, but refreshing?  Sadly it's a little busy on the hops to be truly refreshing to me.  It seems that many brewers now are trying to distance themselves from the popular lagers by upping the stakes in terms of flavours. It's not a bad thing for someone to do but when I want something cool and refreshing I'd also like something just a little simpler.

The off licence I buy most of my beers from has sadly now closed due to their Victorian building being turned into a hairdressers.  It's a real shame but I hope they will be back at a new site soon.  Good luck Alexander Wines, I'm rooting for you.

With genuine chocolate

Heartless - 4.9%

Not so very long ago Red Willow tweeted about some old beers left around the brewery.  One of those was the inspiration for tonight's drink Heartless.

The first thing I noticed as I poured it out was just how heavy it is.  There is some serious weight behind it.  The second will be the genuinely pleasant chocolatey taste.  Here's where the weight helps by slowing me down, otherwise I'd be in danger of guzzling this.

Once it's gone down you get a slightly bitter, in a dark chocolate sense, after taste that is remarkably pleasant.  Dispite the shear mass of the drink it isn't as smooth and velvety as something like old engine oil.  Get that texture with this flavour and I will drink my self into an early grave.

Next up I could go for something independent from Norfolk, something I don't expect to enjoy or something with Coconuts in it...  Suggestions?

A long goodbye

Gueuze

I recently changed day jobs, I wouldn't want you to be fooled into thinking this is my day job.  As is tradition I went out with a handful of guys from the office for beers.

There is a bar in the centre of Birmingham I enjoy called The Post Office Vaults and as it was my choice I dragged them all there.

As the evening wore on more and more drinks were consumed and one of the bad idea bears suggested a drinking game with a punishment drink.

So we ended up with a lambic by the name of Gueuze.  The bar staff even checked we were sure with a "You want a proper lambic?!"  The general consensus is that this smelt like a stale urinal.

You can't see clearly but the label shows a statue pissing the same colour as the drink he's holding.

It's definitely a real lambic, fermented from the yeast in the environment, and sour.  Incredibly sour.  It definitely taste better than it smells but I'm not going to be in a rush to repeat the experience.

And there in the background is a forlorn former co-worked missing me already.

Final round of Craddock's

Saxon Gold - 4%

So here we are with the final beer of the trio from Craddock's, Saxon Gold.

As the landlord of the Duke William still hasn't fixed his web page (redirect in action here) I shall once again read from the bottle, chapter 1, verse 3.  "Traditional Golden Bitter, with Fuggles & Goldings hops, gives a clean taste leading to a dry finish."

Well where to start with a statement like that?

I have had a fair few "Tradition" bitters over the years and this is nothing like most of them.  This is delicious.  The hops give a great flavour and the dry, only ever so slightly bitter, after taste doesn't punish you for drinking it.

After a lot of bad memories of working in Stourbridge and dodging the drugged up beggars in the city centre, now I have something better to thing about.

All three beers gone and drunk.  On the plus side I got two of each of the beers so I can revisit them and check my original opinions and make sure I didn't chill the stout to much.

Craddock's Round 2

Capra - 5%

You may or may not have noticed that I haven't linked to the website for the brewery yet.  The reason is it appear that the pub they are housed in (winner of pub of the year 2011) doesn't appear to have paid their graphics designers and the website points back to the hosting company.

Craddock's has been selling around the West Midlands though I haven't seen it getting as far east as Coventry yet.  Again these fine bottles came from a friend as wedding present.

Tonight's post gym beer is Capra and to quote the bottle "Pale, lightly hopped, fruity, premium bitter".  It is also great in giving you good storage and serving instructions.  These bottles have a good amount of sediment so a single good clean pour is your friend here.

This beer is spectacular.  Not overdone on the hops nor the bubbles I find Capra to be incredibly drinkable with a great well rounded flavour.  If I find more I'm snapping it up.

Can the final Craddock's measure up?