The Euston Tap is my favourite London pub. Not, I hasten to add, because London isn’t blessed with a number of very fine pubs indeed (The Rake, The Gunmakers and The Porterhouse are my three other faves to-date) but this is the one I get to call in at, usually once a fortnight or so, on my way back to Manchester after a day at my employers’ London HQ.

Last Tuesday was the latest such occasion. London was muggy that day; muggy, musty and dank. A couple of pints of something to chase away the heat were most definitely in order. Scanning the boards at the Euston Tap – with eight cask ales and no fewer than nineteen keg beers, ales, lagers and stouts to choose from – rarely makes for a quick or easy decision-making process. Not so last Tuesday. I spotted Fyne Avalanche and knew it had to be done. Crisp, fresh, dry, hoppy, golden, cool, grassy and floral; it tastes how I’d imagine it feels to stand in the middle of a Scotttish heather meadow on a cool spring morning. Just the ticket. It didn’t last long, but it took the edge off my thirst a treat.

Suspecting this might be the case, I’d already got my next one in, and at 6.2% ABV, this was one I was going to savour. A new stout / porter from Thornbridge y’say? Oh, I think so. Evenlode is a full-bodied dark mocha coffee stout (or porter) and a beer of two halves. It starts out smooth and rich with a slightly sticky mouth-feel and a distinctly coffee-dry finish. But half-way down the pint it flipped: suddenly it was a sweet strong stout with a lot more chocolate and more than a hint of treacle, as if the sugars were all hiding down at the bottom. And odd effect, but it didn’t detract from a generally excellent pint. What with the Evenlode and the Marble Ginger Stout the weekend before, it had turned out to be be an excellent few days for top-quality stout.

Reaching the end of that one with a soft sigh, I realised I still had ten minutes to kill. Another half of Evenlode? Tempting, but perhaps a little heady. So instead I asked for a half of Buxton Black Rocks – an intriguing-looking Black IPA – but it had just run out. I went for a half of Thornbridge Chiron instead. A fresh, malty ale; very lively with a caramel sweetness, a hint of lemon and a long, lingering hop finish. Another refreshing and satisfying summery ale, just what I needed to fortify me for the two hour train ride. And I’m looking forward to my next London trip already.

Brewery: Natural Brewing Co
Location: Brewed at Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, England
Style: Session Bitter
ABV: 4.3%
Version: Bottled
Source: Sainsburys

Acting on a glowing recommendation from The Beer Nut (and it turns out Roger Protz is pretty keen as well), I grabbed a bottle of Natural Brewing Company Irresistible Premium Ale on my last trip to Sainsbury’s and decided to give it a go yesterday evening.

Bloody hell, it’s gorgeous. Seriously, I’m going to have to expand my list of five favourite bottled session beers to include this one as a sixth. But you probably need a bit more detail before you’re convinced, right? Okay, here goes…

Popping the cap releases a flood of warm, malty, toffee-sweet aromas (that have lingered on in the bottle a good twelve hours after opening). The beer pours a lovely warm chestnut brown with a tight white head. The first sip results in the sort of flavour explosion you normally only get from a 6%+ winter warmer: a big hit of malt that’s quickly followed up by sweet (but not too sugary) fruity freshness (nectarines, clementines and raisins, mostly) with a satisfyingly crunchy, dry hop-bite on the after-taste.

There’s plenty of info on the Natural Brewing Co website about how well the purity of their ingredients, their tower brewery (or rather, Hook Norton’s tower brewery) and the experience of their head brewer (Julian Herrington is formerly of Shepherd Neame and Meantime) work in combination. Whatever they’re doing, they’re clearly doing it right, having come up with something pretty special: a bottled session bitter that isn’t just good, it’s remarkably good. Extremely drinkable, extremely more-ish, I was worried that “Irresistible Premium Ale” would turn out to be mere hyperbole, but I think whoever named it has nailed it. A truly lovely, rich, malty session bitter that’s packed with flavour. I could happily sup this one all night – if not all weekend – long.

Anyway, I’m back at Sainsbury’s tonight for a pre-weekend fruit & veg stock-up. I reckon I’ll be mosying on down to the bottled ale section and if there’s any Natural Brewing Co Irresistible Premium Ale in evidence when I get there, I’ll most likely be clearing the shelf.

Brewery: Moorhouse’s
Location: Burnley, England
ABV: 5.1%
Version: Draught
Source: Malt, Bury

Last Friday evening, Jo and I took our mate Paul up to The Met in Bury to see Roddy Woomble in concert. We made sure we got there in plenty of time for a pre-gig pint in Malt and thanks to the above-and-beyond dedication of whoever is in charge of @TheMet‘s Twitter account – they actually took the time to post a Twitpic of the day’s pump clips in response to an idle enquiry from yours truly about their current ale selection – I already knew what I was aiming for.

I used to drink Pendle Witches Brew quite often, back when I was a student and in the years just after uni. At the time it was a fair bit stronger than the stuff that was usually on offer (Boddingtons, Flowers, Castle Eden etc.) and if you could find it on draught in your favourite pub (The Crescent in Salford, or the Ox Noble in Castlefield was usually a good bet) then a good night was pretty much guaranteed.

Then I lost touch with the stuff for a while (I now tend to think of my nothing-but-Guinness drinking days as my wilderness years) until a couple of years ago, when I found PWB on draught in a Wetherspoons (the Paramount, in Manchester) and gave it a go. It was pretty naff – dull, flat and lifeless – and the one time since then that I tried it again, it was similarly uninspiring.

But on Friday night at Malt, I’m happy to say that the Pendle Witches Brew was excellent. It was in great condition, with a smooth, velvety body and a tight, creamy white head and the flavours danced over my palate; bucketfuls of sweet malt and fresh red berry fruits with just enough hop bite to balance it all out to perfection. The first pint went down a treat – it was even good enough to tempt Paul away from his Duvel and Jo had a sip and agreed it was nice, but declared herself happy enough with the Outstanding Silver Fox – and I took a second up to the gig; I would have had a third at the interval too, but Roddy Woomble played straight through (the gig was similarly excellent; consider me a new Woomble fan).

Ah well, two was fine on the night – after the gig we took Paul down the Trackside for a drop of Outstanding Piston Broke, him being a fan of the hoppier beers and all – and it was great just to have my faith in an old favourite most definitely restored.

Jo and I have ourselves something of a New Year’s Eve tradition that stretches back… ooh, must be three or four years now. In a nutshell: early doors curry, followed by a few pints and then back home before it all starts getting bloody silly.

For the curry leg, we headed over to our favourite curry house, the Lime Tree in Prestwich. Always great food, bottled Black Sheep Ale for those as don’t want to drink the lout, and conveniently located almost next door to the Heaton Park tram stop. Which makes it very easy indeed to get on up to The Trackside in Bury. A great NYE venue, this: no messing around with tickets on the door, no fancy-dress-clad youngsters quaffing shots and making a racket; just a selection of eight or nine real ales, a fridge full of bottled Belgians, and a clientele of similar mind to ourselves. Spot on.

Wandering up to the bar, I asked what was recommended and the landlord (who wasn’t serving, but was on hand having a pint) said he was drinking Moorhouse’s Broomstick, which was good enough for me. One of their monthly specials (actually October’s), this turned out to be a very light, fresh-tasting 4% ABV session bitter, with bucketfuls of clementine-hop flavours on a light malt base, with a more orangey marmalade flavour as the pint warmed up a bit. Very refreshing indeed, it was. Just the ticket after a curry.

I was going to have another one of those, but then my eye was caught by the Trackside’s house beer – Piston Broke, brewed by Bury’s own Outstanding Beers. I’ve had this one many times before and it’s something of a favourite: a 3.9% pale golden ale bursting with bitter hops and a good measure of orange-citrus, it’s like a cross between Marble Pint and Marble Best; lovely stuff.

After that though, I was in the mood for something a bit special and I caught sight of a bottle in the fridge that I’d been meaning to try for a while: Judas, an 8.5& ABV golden Belgian from Browerij Alken-Maes (which turns out to be part of the Heineken Group). The barman – a chap I’ve spoken to a few times before, who I know is a big fan of dark beers and porters – warned me that it might be a bit on the fizzy side, but I decided to give it a go anyhow. It turned out to be a pretty classic Belgian blonde ale, with that distinct Belgian yeast-tang. It was slightly effervescent rather than overly-fizzy and had a lightly-spiced flavour with a touch of floral honey sweetness. A very pleasant slow-sipper that I thoroughly enjoyed, so when Jo suggested we stay for one more after that I had another one of those.

Speaking of Jo, she’s asked me to mention the beer she was drinking for most of the evening: Edwin Taylor’s Extra Stout from Bedfordshire-based brewer Banks and Taylor. This 4.5% ABV stout was an almost opaque black and despite quite a thin mouth-feel it delivered a range of flavours, with very strong, dry coffee flavours dominating the after-taste to begin, but releasing sweeter, blackberry fruit notes as the beer warmed up a bit. Good enough for three halves, anyway, with a Greenfield Black Five thrown in for variety.

On the way back, we broke with tradition by actually being sociable and accepting an invite to stop off at our neighbours’ place. This of course was purely in keeping with the spirit of New Year bonhommie and had nothing whatsoever to do with the dozen or so bottles of single malt in their possession… although it would have been rude not to, so I had a drop of cask-strength Talisker (again, just to be sociable). And then a drop of Balvenie Golden Cask (rum finished or something, not their best effort). And then a drop of Jura. After that then we headed home, to feed the cat and watch the run up to midnight with Jools Holland and his Fake Hootenanny (recorded a couple of weeks before, sorry folks…) and I toasted 2011 in with a drop of Caol Ila.

So, Judas turned out to be my last beer of the decade. Certainly not a bad one to finish on, all things considered.

Brewery: Brains
Location: Cardiff, Wales
ABV: 4.5%
Version: Bottled / Draught
Source: Sainsbury’s / Somers Town Coffee House

After a couple of years of careful consideration and much experimentation, I’ve come to the conclusion that Tandleman seems to be onto something: beer (or ale) – particularly session-strength beer (or ale) – really does taste better on draught, in the pub. Here’s a good example of the theory in action:

A while back I picked up a bottle of Brains’ The Rev James when it appeared in my local Sainsbury’s. I tried it not long afterwards and I have to say I wasn’t hugely impressed. My notes went as far as: “toffee aroma, ruby colour, nutty malt flavours, bit of a weird chemical tang” and then just petered out. It didn’t make much of an impression and I mentally filed it under “ah, well…”

A couple of weeks later I made a detour on the way back to Euston and on a whim, headed for the Somers Town Coffee House. Nice place – bit of a gastropub, lots of wood on the floors, chunky furniture, brass hand-pumps on the bar, about £20 for a steak, the usual sort of thing. Only a couple of ales on the bar, one of which was The Rev James (the other was probably London Pride, something fairly standard anyhow), so I went for the Rev. Much nicer it was too, even without the sparkler. The toffee flavours were enhanced, and those chemical notes had softened to a more rounded, herbal character. Altogether a much smoother, more satisfying pint. Perfectly pleasant stuff, thoroughly enjoyed it and I’d drink it again. Maybe not the bottled version, but on draught, no problem.

Brewery: Wye Valley Brewery
Location: Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, England
Style: Golden Ale / Bitter
ABV: 4.5% / 3.7%
Version: Draught
Source: The Bull’s Head, Chelmarsh, nr. Bridgnorth, Shropshire

“Goddamn, this stuff’s good.” Two mouthfuls into my first pint of the Wye Valley Butty Bach and I was already firmly convinced. Jo and I were staying at the Bull’s Head in Chelmarsh (just outside the picturesque market town of Bridgnorth in the middle of green-and-leafy Shropshire) and seeing as they’ve always had a good selection of ales on the bar, it would have been rude not to stop off for one before we set off down the road to the in-laws’ place.

Not too strong at 4.5% and boasting a rich, malty body with a delightfully crisp, sharp, hoppy after-bite, Butty Bach was incredibly refreshing and deeply satisfying; a classic English session bitter. That first pint was far from the last of the weekend, either. We were back down the pub again that evening after dinner (no point in turning in too long before last orders; it’s an old building and not exactly well sound-proofed) and I didn’t see much point in trying anything else.

The next day was Mum-in-Law’s 60th birthday and after a slap-up carvery-style binge at the Punchbowl (accompanied by a couple of pints of entirely acceptable Hobson’s Town Crier) Mum-in-law declared that she’d like nothing better than to pop up the road to the pub for the evening. Refuse the birthday girl’s request? That would have been unforgivably rude.

There was just one snag, though: the Butty Bach had run out (bloody afternoon wedding party). I tried a pint of something else that turned out to be thin, sour and best-forgotten and was contemplating turning to the ample charms of Dorothy Goodbody’s Golden Ale, but they put on a fresh cask of Wye Valley Bitter. It was only 3.7% and we were settling in for the evening, so I thought I’d give it a go.

I was very glad I did. Wye Valley Bitter tastes almost exactly the same as Butty Bach; a little lighter, a little less rich in the mouth-feel department, but otherwise: Butty Bach lite and quite lovely with it. Result.

Brewery: BrewDog
Location: Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Style: Amber Ale
ABV: 5.0%
Version: Draught
Source: The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh

I tried The Physics on draught in Edinburgh’s Guildford Arms a few weeks ago. At the time I tweeted that I thought it was “…interesting” and despite having sampled the bottled version since then, I have to admit I’m still on the fence.

On paper everything sounds straight-forwardly tasty. There’s a pleasant start – a red-brown bitter ale with hints of bitter chocolate – and a nicely hoppy middle section. But then it all ends on a slightly odd note – a sour-sweet grapefruit (or something tropical and fruity at any rate) tang – on the after-taste. The net effect was to leave me wondering whether I’d enjoyed it or not, which isn’t usually something I have trouble deciding. I’m trying to imagine someone offering me a pint of the stuff and my mental reaction – a momentary pause, a glance along the imaginary bar to see what else is on, a slightly uncertain “yeah, go on then” – probably sums things up. An unsettling pint of ale? Wouldn’t put it past BrewDog to come up with something like that quite deliberately, just for the hell of it.

@BeerReviewsAndy tweeted a response to my message on the night: “I couldn’t make my mind up on physics draught so had to have a few pints”. Maybe that’s the answer to the riddle of the Physics – try, try and try again, because familiarity breeds contentment? Mind you, Andy didn’t say whether those few pints managed to convince him or not… I suggest you carry out your own investigations. Feel free to report back with preliminary findings in the comments.

I’ve been sent a couple of sample packages in the past few weeks. First up, a four-pack of Windhoek lager all the way from Namibia Breweries Ltd, Namibia (or, just possibly, another Diageo subsidiary a little closer to home), courtesy of their UK PR people at Splendid Communications in London:

I’ve sampled this extensively and thoroughly (all four bottles) and will be posting the Tasting Notes shortly.

Package II was another four-pack, this time courtesy of the Strangford Lough Brewing Co in Northern Ireland’s County Down – a lovely part of the world, Jo and I have visited friends over there a number of times – which contained one each of their Barelegs Brew red-golden ale and Legbiter golden ale, plus a couple of bottles of St Patrick’s Best session bitter:

I expect I shall be cracking at least a couple of those open on Friday evening, as England take on Algeria. Tasting Notes to follow over the weekend, with any luck.

Brewery: Cairngorm
Location: Aviemore, Scotland
ABV: 4.5%
Version: Bottled
Source: Marks & Spencer

M&S Scottish Ale is brewed by Cairngorm of Aviemore and is one of the regional British beers that make up the majority of the store’s current own-label bottled beer range. And I’m guessing – based on the description on the Cairngorm website – that this is either a straight re-labelling or a very close relative of the brewery’s Blessed Thistle ale.

M&S Scottish Ale pours a rich, deep, red-brown with a thin head and carries a faint whiff of the sweetness and spices to follow in the taste. It’s a rich, slightly sweet malty ale and the addition of dried thistle and dried ginger, along with whole-flower hops, in the brew makes for a pleasantly spicy counter-point to the maltiness. There’s a slight hop-dryness but not much in the way of bitterness so you’re left with the after-taste of those spices on your palate.

Interesting flavours, well-balanced, easily drinkable and I’d happily do so again. I picked this one up in a branch of M&S in Southwark when Jo and I were down that way a couple of months ago, but I’ll be keeping an ye out for it in stores nearer to home in future.

Incidentally, you can pick up a twenty-pack selection of five of the ales in the M&S range: Cornish IPA, Yorkshire Bitter, Norfolk Bitter, Scottish Ale and Sussex Golden Ale, via www.marksandspencer.com, at a price of £39.42 (plus delivery).

Brewery: Fyne Ales
Location: Cairndow, Scotland
ABV: 4.8%
Version: Draught
Source: The Trackside, Bury

En-route to a Peter Kay warm-up gig at the Bury Met last night, Jo and I stuck our heads around the door of the Robert Peel to see what the Wetherspoons Festival had to offer. Answer: nothing that really grabbed us (there was one Belgian brew that I would have been happy with, but it would have left Jo on the Guinness draught) so we wandered around the corner to the Trackside, who can always be relied on to have at least one dark ale among their eight or nine pumps.

So, while Jo happily settled down to a very pleasant half of Acorn Darkness (an easy-drinking dark mild with a tight, stout-like head and a smooth, nutty flavour) I decided to go for a pint of Fyne Highlander. This ‘strong ale’ (is 4.8% really all that strong?) poured a bright, copper colour with a decent head and gave off a lovely whiff of hoppy oranges. Burnt-orange and caramel were the predominant flavours and the beer was quite dry on the after-taste, yet slightly sticky on the mouth-feel; hardly surprising that orange marmalade sprang instantly to mind and stayed there for the duration.

An interesting, tasty beer although not being a huge fan of marmalade myself, I did join Jo on the Acorn Darkness for a second one before we headed off to the gig. But on the strength of Highlander I’d definitely be interested in trying a few more Fyne Ales if I get the chance.