Real Beer, or Ale as it where...

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The Big Lebowski

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 11, 2010
2,320
6
Sunny Wales!
Been trying a few ales lately... (not just tonight) :)

Bishops Finger, Old Peculiar, Courage Directors and I managed to work my way through the menu of a micro-brewery a few months back, in pleasant surroundings of a Mid-Wales hotel.

Any pointers for something off the shelf?

TBH, it all tastes pretty good :p

Cheers! al.
 
i tried sainsbury's own "taste the difference" london porter for the first time this evening, lovely pint (although not overly strong for a porter).
hobgoblin's good, black sheep also.......
i've just started compiling a list of good real ales in my head and quickly realised that i could end up typing all night so i shall leave you with those few for now! all good, dark, heavy, bitter ales, manly drinks!

stuart
 
i like my home mede pale ale, dead easy to make.....lol....

1 x tin of larger mix (any will do, cheaper the better)
2 x bags of mid brown spray malt

add the above together and some water into a big pot, then add a good handful of "fugalls" (sorry for spelling) hops and boil for 30-40 mins.....

5 mins before the end add another handful of the hops, boil for 5 mins then add cold water, strain into brewing vesel (40 pints in total) add the yeast to the tepid not hot mix.....

brew and bottle etc etc as normal.....

leave for 1 month before drinking after the brew has been bottled, if you can wait that long....;)

regards...

chris.....
 
Try anything from Badger....Tanglefoot and Golden Glory are good. Anything from Wychwood or Shepherds Neame are good too.
 
Some good suggestions already with thanks...

Nearly bought some black sheep tonight. Out of the three bottles above, the Shepherds Neame/Bishops finger was rather good! But the others where nearly as enjoyable.
I do like a pale ale, and stout, but cant remember the last time I seen any. Making something may be a future project, for now I'll just open and enjoy :)

One more question if I may, what sort of serving temps should ale be?
I gave the bottles half an hour in a chest freezer, they were nether warm or cold really.
Would be tempted to give them another 15, but I didn't want to spoil the flavour.

Regards, al.
 
Fullers' beers are well worth trying, London Pride is best served in a pub but the bottle is fine, their ESB is good and their 1845 but that could be a tad rich for someone getting used to bitter.

I tend to keep them somewhere cool and perhaps pop them in the fridge for a 30 mins if it's very warm.

Even if I do say myself, the Porter I brew with my own hops is rather good.:cool:
 
Porter sounds interesting :)

As Enville Ale or Waggle Dance... Honey gooood! I may have to cruse the ale section tomorrow and work my way through some of these suggestions LoL!!

Tried (on a basic level) from light to dark so far, and it all seems to be pleasant with subtle to quite complex tastes (rich). One on the micro-brewery list tasted like dark chocolate, and was simply stunning.

I think I'm well and truly converted.

al.
 
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Good call!

Just stopped in Tesco's today, 3 for two at £1.88 a bottle on quite a large range, dont remember seeing a Porter or Kentish Ale though, so Sainsbury's it is, thanks :)

al.
 
Watch out for beer deals at Lidl. From memory they regularly do Hobgoblin, Spitfire, London Pride, Martson's Bitter and a few others for £1 a bottle. All very nice.

Also check out stuff from the Black Sheep brewery - they are regulars on most supermarket shelves. The black sheep bitter is lovely and the RiggWelter will put hairs on your chest :)
 
I like a nice bottle of Doombar. Have to agree with the others selections Banana bread beer is nice although only a couple in 1 sitting and tribune is a nice tipple.
 
Some good suggestions already with thanks...

Nearly bought some black sheep tonight. Out of the three bottles above, the Shepherds Neame/Bishops finger was rather good! But the others where nearly as enjoyable.
I do like a pale ale, and stout, but cant remember the last time I seen any. Making something may be a future project, for now I'll just open and enjoy :)

One more question if I may, what sort of serving temps should ale be?
I gave the bottles half an hour in a chest freezer, they were nether warm or cold really.
Would be tempted to give them another 15, but I didn't want to spoil the flavour.

Regards, al.


Despite our reputation for warm beer, real ale should be cool enough to have some bite. I think cellars should be kept at around 55F but stand to be corrected on that.
 
Laughs... I guess we do have a reputation for warmer beers!

I would be happy to go colder than it was tonight, guess as resnikov posted, its all down to personal taste.

Looks like all the recommendations above should keep me busy for a while, appreciated. Regards, al.
 

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