Your Favourite Ales/bitters

The White Lion in the centre is good, though not too much fun trying to get down the spiral stairs to the toilet after a jar too many!

The place to visit is Wilkins Cider Farm, at Mudgley, some of the best cider to be had, great place too.

Rich's Cider, at Watchfield, near Highbridge, is very good too.

Broadside is always nice, as for St Austell, go for the Proper Job instead. Far superior IMO.

Can't go wrong with RCH's Pitchfork or Double Header either.

 

ian, ones that i have being looking for to try: ROBISON'S OLD TOM, MANN'S ORIGINAL BROWN ALE AND MARSTON'S PEDIGREE, CAN'T FIND THEM HERE,

 

From bottles, Old Peculiar is a very long standing favourite. I recently tried Badger's Golden Champion for the first time, and that's really rather excellent as well.

Bishop's Finger and Old Speckled Hen have always disappointed me from a bottle. Hen is always much nicer from a tap however.

 

i think most of them are better from tap, when tap being well looked after, most pubs in london don't give a "T" about real ales/bitters.

 

I have just spent a nice couple of days staying at the Fleece inn just outside Evesham. 20 real ales on tap including Black Sheep. A few were downed. Best beer imho is Sheppard Neame Masterbrew. Unfortunately is doesn't seem to travel well and is rarely available outside Kent.

 

My all time favourite is a wheat beer from Germany called Erdinger ..... Tesco's sell them at £1.54 a bottle .... nice when chilled

A few pubs in Cambridge serve it on tap aswell

 

Pedigree is lovely, as is directors, black sheep, hobgoblin, harvey's (east? west?) sussex bitter (remember this being particularly drinkable), theakstons, sam smiths. All great stuff. Recently been partial to brewers dark from JW Lees. Weak and easily drinkable. Local pub has "good elf" at xmas. Again a dark, weak and very drinkable ale. Too many good ales to choose from!

 

Real ale

I do like a local micro brewery Salamanders ale.
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/videoandpictures/videonews/89814/read/

 

Having just returned from Lewes East Sussex Harvey's country and a mighty fine pint of best they do make, this evening will be London Gold by Young's

 

i just tried an ale from devon,forgot the name but gosh it is stong, tastes awefull, i belive the proof was between 8.2% i also think it was called special..?????/ something,

 

Camerons Strongarm of course

 

just found in my local the most wonderfull drink i ever tasted from fullers, it is in a bottle, limited edition (number 2) brewers reserve, oak aged ale, carefully matured in fine old cognac casks, in the fuller's cellar serial numbered, super but not cheap.
yummy.

 

FortyNiner

Ringwood Brewery

 

Marstons Double drop is a good un - I bought the last & only bottle at my local Lidl Saturday - I'm hoping they restock it soon

Current favourite is Tomas Watkins (any variety)

 

Have yet to come across a bad Greene King or St Austell Ale.

Had my first session with Shepherd Neame's "Late Red" last week, highly recommended.

Strangely enough, back in the late '80s I recall that Stones (hand pulled in Sheffield) was a cracker and nothing like the Stones that you'd get in pubs or supermarkets across the country.

Pete

 

For me its Coutry! simply superb

 

anyone tried the tescos finest ale brewed by bewdog? I.ve had many a brewdog in my time, from ipa, hardcore ipa, trashy blonde, chaos theory and one or two others, but the american double ipa brewed for tesco is rather special.

as you would expect from an american double ipa, it is rather strong but the hops are very floral and make up for the alchohol. It doesnt leave too much of an i[a taste in the mouth (as other brewdogs do), so after a shortwhile you can actually taste other things - good with food apparantly but I leave mine for late a night.

 

i have actually,not a bad brew, quite nice, also tesco's are doing canned london pride at a very good price and old speckled,

 

You'll need to move up north for most of that stuff, Nando. Old Tom is a winter brew and you find it mostly (perhaps only) in Robinsons pubs. There are loads in the Stockport/Manchester area. I have seen it in bottles, though, in supermarkets. Marston's Pedigree is widely available in the Midlands and the north. Manns brown ale I've only ever seen in bottles - did they ever do it on draught?

A few brewers that fire my rockets are:

Timothy Taylor
Oakhams
Ringwood
Osset
Storm Brewery
Thornbridge
Purple Moose

There's about 500 more, but that'll do for now.

While we're on the subject, I'm spectacularly lucky - my local carries 5 constantly changing real ales which are always kept in excellent condition. And as if that wasn't enough, the landlord has started brewing his own and by God, is he good at it.

 

i will look out for those, i will be going in my trip on ashby canal narrow boat in february "weather permiting" from stoke golding to market bolsworth all the way to the gate, must find some home brewed ales along the way, p.s. any hangovers?