[Archived] Real Ale

[PAFELL]

NIPA 5% by Rother valley was on in my club last night. A very nice beer. Rother valley do some good beers to be honest.

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Had quite a few pints of Jaipour 5.9% by Thornbridge. A really good beer.

[Hanks]

Had quite a few pints of Jaipour 5.9% by Thornbridge. A really good beer.

Bit early in the day for me, Do you think you will make it to last orders?

[PAFELL]

Bit early in the day for me, Do you think you will make it to last orders?

I should have said, last night.

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So, encouraged by the discussion on Thwaites new "95" available at the Fanzone, I thought I'd see how many fellow real ale drinkers we've got.

A few years ago I found myself drifting away from fizzy, chemically lager and onto real ales and I've never looked back. I'm now a signed up CAMRA member (it's not all beards and sandals) a, I go to the amazing PBF every year and track what I like here.

So, any other real ale fans? What do YOU drink?

Nearly a year since you started this thread. Been a good thread. interesting comments.

Unless were all pi--ed and don't know what the hell is going on.

[PAFELL]

My mate and I just been asked - this lunchtime, can we organise an event for Saturday and Sunday 13th & 14th April 13 for an over 50's event in Eastbourne. Expected 5000 customers.They want a minimum of ten beers. ( cos somebody dropped out)

We had just drank about 5 ish pints of Rother valley NIPA 5% and said yes. An hour later - it was a matter of "oh kean, why did we say yes". Even though we have done something similar before.

It is then we learnt the support we had from other folk around us.

Stilage - done

Beer chosen (thank you boggarts, whites etc etc) - done (ten different firkin of beer - 720 pints - not enough, so we have got 15 ( as of lunchtime) Though I have grovelled to a local brewer,(Franklins / filo).

Glasses - sadly hard plastic, done.

Staff - Sorted - they just don't know it yet.

CAMRA contacts - done.

Printing done

Beer price £3.40 a pint (Been instructed to do so - MEGA CHEAP for the SOUTH - my club does it £2.60 a pint)

Days off between now and then - cancelled (Had two days off in past 2 months - went to beer festivals those days)

We're not completely mad - it is a week before my clubs 'small' beer festival - so flyers will be going out.

Hectic, but I love it.

[thenodrog]

My mate and I just been asked - this lunchtime, can we organise an event for Saturday and Sunday 13th & 14th April 13 for an over 50's event in Eastbourne.

Glasses - sadly hard plastic, done.

The world has gone bloody bonkers!

Sorry Paf but wild horses wouldn't get me there. No doubt there will be some dull, pasty faced, limp wristed H&S shuffler responsible but I'd not even consider drinking lager out of plastic never mind the good ol fashioned cask conditioned stuff. It will ruin the taste completely.

[PAFELL]

The world has gone bloody bonkers!

Sorry Paf but wild horses wouldn't get me there. No doubt there will be some dull, pasty faced, limp wristed H&S shuffler responsible but I'd not even consider drinking lager out of plastic never mind the good ol fashioned cask conditioned stuff. It will ruin the taste completely.

The plastic glasses thing is something we battled against today - and won.

To be honest though there are some decent plastic glasses around. I don't mean the soft plastic that football clubs use.

[Sparky Marky]

Glasses for 5,000 people...that would be carnage and expensive. Sounding iffy this Pafell

[PAFELL]

Glasses for 5,000 people...that would be carnage and expensive. Sounding iffy this Pafell

Only if we were the only stall there.

[thenodrog]

Few beers in the local last night and sampled two new beers from Thwaites. TBC Bitter and some light beer on draft whose name I cannot recall. Both crap so I went on to the old faithfull Wainwrights. Bloody good it was too after those other sour offerings.

Biggest disappointment was learning that the best beer they heve ever brewed in my lifetime is not coming back. I was informed that 'Fine Rain' has been consigned to the history books. @#/? knows who makes these decisions. I can only assume she must work in the accounts of marketing depts.

[PAFELL]

Few beers in the local last night and sampled two new beers from Thwaites. TBC Bitter and some light beer on draft whose name I cannot recall. Both crap so I went on to the old faithfull Wainwrights. Bloody good it was too after those other sour offerings.

Biggest disappointment was learning that the best beer they heve ever brewed in my lifetime is not coming back. I was informed that 'Fine Rain' has been consigned to the history books. @#/? knows who makes these decisions. I can only assume she must work in the accounts of marketing depts.

Sad about Fine rain. That was a good beer. Though I suppose if enough folk wrote to them they would reconsider. Sadly this beer did not come to my area. I drank it when I came north. I think they just kept to the local area.

[PAFELL]

Glasses for 5,000 people...that would be carnage and expensive. Sounding iffy this Pafell

It is Eastbourne winter gardens. It is an over 50's event. Asked to do the beers at the last minute because somebody dropped out (weeks notice) Thankfully we have a number of CAMRA folk who are giving us their time. Carnage, no chance, when you have folk who know what they are doing.

It is a theatre - the place inside is huge. Every year they have a beer festival there with about 150 to 200 beers on. Tickets all sold.

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Somebody mentioned a beer called Jarpor recently by Thornbridge. Over the event I had at the weekend we tried another of Thornbridge's beers called, Kipling 5.2% so not too strong. Very nice indeed. We went through two firkin (144 pints) of it. Can't say sold two firkin - as naturally we tried one or two ish ourselves

[PAFELL]

has anyone tried any of these beers.

TRINITY 3% REDEMPTION BREWERY

MARY JANE 3.5% IIKLEY

JOSHUA JANE 3.7% IIKLEY

JAMAICAN MILD 3.8% TYNE BANK

WILD MULE 3.9% ROOSTERS BREWERY

BIG RED 4% OSSETT

I AM BEER 4.2% BOGGETS

JOSEPHINE BUTLER 4.5% LIVERPOOL ORGANIC

CARAFA JADE 5% DARK STAR

SPACE HOPPY 5% BINGHAMS

KIPLING 5.5% THORNBRIDGE

EXIT 5.7% ROTHER VALLEY

JAIPUR 5.9% THORNBRIDGE

ANASTASIAS IMPERIAL STOUT 8% ASCOT

Having these beers in our clubs small beer festival over the next weekend. Tapped them earlier today and each one was fantastic. We had TRINITY last year. Only 3% but tastes like a 4%.

[Willie Eckerslike]

Looks like a good line-up there Pafell.

Out of your list, I've had

Mary Jane

Wild Mule (great beer)

Big Red (I've never had a bad Ossett beer)

I am Beer

Kipling

Jaipur (a classic, doesn't taste like 5.9% but you soon know it is if you have a few!)

Hope your festival goes well

[PAFELL]

Looks like a good line-up there Pafell.

Out of your list, I've had

Mary Jane

Wild Mule (great beer)

Big Red (I've never had a bad Ossett beer)

I am Beer

Kipling

Jaipur (a classic, doesn't taste like 5.9% but you soon know it is if you have a few!)

Hope your festival goes well

Thanks.

Totally agree about Jaipur - it creeps up on you. Kipling is what I call it's little sister. Wild Mule, agree again. I had a barrel of Big red on an event we did at the weekend in Eastbourne. Out of 10 other beers, this sold out first - even though kipling was on as well.

Only a small festival this time - after all we are only a club. I will recommend one beer CARAFA JADE by DARK STAR I think it is seasonal. I recommend Dark Star as a brewery anyway. Especially the AMERICAN PALE ALE & REVELATION

I expect the stout we have on will go the fastest - we know we have local camra folk coming

[Sparky Marky]

They've got a ale festival on at Chorley FC at the end of May...Flyer just come through my door....There you go Pafell, get your mush upto Chorley for some real beer you southern softie.

[Neil Weaver]

has anyone tried any of these beers.

TRINITY 3% REDEMPTION BREWERY

MARY JANE 3.5% IIKLEY

JOSHUA JANE 3.7% IIKLEY

JAMAICAN MILD 3.8% TYNE BANK

WILD MULE 3.9% ROOSTERS BREWERY

BIG RED 4% OSSETT

I AM BEER 4.2% BOGGETS

JOSEPHINE BUTLER 4.5% LIVERPOOL ORGANIC

CARAFA JADE 5% DARK STAR

SPACE HOPPY 5% BINGHAMS

KIPLING 5.5% THORNBRIDGE

EXIT 5.7% ROTHER VALLEY

JAIPUR 5.9% THORNBRIDGE

ANASTASIAS IMPERIAL STOUT 8% ASCOT

Having these beers in our clubs small beer festival over the next weekend. Tapped them earlier today and each one was fantastic. We had TRINITY last year. Only 3% but tastes like a 4%.

Regular drinker of the two Ilkley Brewery ones there, only had bottled Jaipur. Out of the two Ilkley ones, prefer Mary Jane - won't knock your socks off but pleasant.

[PAFELL]

They've got a ale festival on at Chorley FC at the end of May...Flyer just come through my door....There you go Pafell, get your mush upto Chorley for some real beer you southern softie.

I am a northerner living in the south. I get beers from all over the country. The list of the beers on my clubs festival should have told you that.

Regular drinker of the two Ilkley Brewery ones there, only had bottled Jaipur. Out of the two Ilkley ones, prefer Mary Jane - won't knock your socks off but pleasant.

I did not know Jaipur was done in bottles. Really nice beer that. Mary Jane is also a very nice beer. I must admit I am pleased with our line up.

[PAFELL]

Looks like a good line-up there Pafell.

Out of your list, I've had

Mary Jane

Wild Mule (great beer)

Big Red (I've never had a bad Ossett beer)

I am Beer

Kipling

Jaipur (a classic, doesn't taste like 5.9% but you soon know it is if you have a few!)

Hope your festival goes well

Very successful - long day - day yesterday - just two more days to go. Hard to tell which will be the beer of the festival.

Always makes me laugh when hardened lager drinkers have an ale for the first time and are surprised how well they liked it. Mate of mine phoned me this morning, shocked he has no hangover - yet had tried most if not all of the beers.

I am not impressed with I am Beer. I would not have it again. But like all beers, you have to try them first to make a judgement on them.

[Willie Eckerslike]

That's the great thing about real ales though Pafell, isn't it - you get to try so many different tastes and odds are you'll get one or two that you don't like but plenty that are really good.

I know a guy who only drinks John Smiths because he likes to know it will taste the same in every pub he goes in. How adventurous!

[Al]

That's the great thing about real ales though Pafell, isn't it - you get to try so many different tastes and odds are you'll get one or two that you don't like but plenty that are really good.

I know a guy who only drinks John Smiths because he likes to know it will taste the same in every pub he goes in. How adventurous!

John Smiths, now that, together with Tetleys, is the absolute pits. Any lager drinker trying one of those would be put off for life. Unfortunately a lot of hotels serve them because they are easy to keep and that is when I become a lager drinker.

[PAFELL]

That's the great thing about real ales though Pafell, isn't it - you get to try so many different tastes and odds are you'll get one or two that you don't like but plenty that are really good.

I know a guy who only drinks John Smiths because he likes to know it will taste the same in every pub he goes in. How adventurous!

Met similar folk. The local brew down here is Harvey's. Some folk because they have always drunk it, will always stick to this and nothing will convince them to try other beers. Yet Harvey's, I don't like them and they don't like me. Although some of their beers are ok. I refuse to deal with them. One reason being their prices. They are from Lewes East Sussex. Yet just around the corner from their brewery a pub is having to sell Harvey's Prince of Denmark 7.4% for £8.00 a pint, because of their prices. To be honest it is a nice beer. But 8 quid a pint - no thanks.

Instead our club went for Dark Star's critical mass 7.4% for our Christmas special. We sold it, like all the other beers for £2.60 a pint (£2.60 is cheap for this area - normal pub price for a pint is from £3.00 to £3.60) We sold two firkin in two days. A dark beer, but it tasted as though they had put in some port (hard to describe taste in words) it was stunning.

Although we still have today to go. The first beer to sell out - so therefore should go down as the beer of the festival was JAMAICAN MILD 3.8% from Tyne Bank brewery in Newcastle. Although I am not much of a mild drinker and also prefer the stronger beers. This I have to admit was stunning. But for this to sell out before Jaipur etc speaks volumes to me. Well worth a try.

Regular drinker of the two Ilkley Brewery ones there, only had bottled Jaipur. Out of the two Ilkley ones, prefer Mary Jane - won't knock your socks off but pleasant.

Both Ilkley beers done well at our festival. Both nice beers.

[thenodrog]

Will you be there? I'll recognise you lying in a corner with the remains of a pint of Eurofizz balanced on your belly, a NY baseball cap on your ginger head, still with the size sticker on the neb and turned up jeans because they don't make them short enough for your little legs.

In terms of being rude I think you are the wrong one to complain about that.

John Smiths, now that, together with Tetleys, is the absolute pits. Any lager drinker trying one of those would be put off for life. Unfortunately a lot of hotels serve them because they are easy to keep and that is when I become a lager drinker.

Lager eh? For some reason I have conjured an interesting mental image of you respendent in your Albert Tatlock flat cap and belt and braces holding a bottle of 'Sol' complete with twist of lemon in one hand and your 'does in the other!