My Dad stayed with us for a couple of nights earlier this week (he’s an IT Trainer and had a two-day client visit in Hyde) and he remembered to bring over those promised bottles of Acorn Old Moor Porter. We shared a bottle on Monday evening after coming back from a pub meal (and a couple of pints of Wells Bombardier) and it was very pleasant indeed, but seeing as he left a couple more bottles with us, I’m hoping to give it another sampling and write up some proper tasting notes before too long.

While in Asda he also picked up a couple of bottles of Hambelton Ales‘ Stud – a “robust beer” brewed with pale and chocolate malts which sounds rather interesting – and one of Rudgate Battle Axe (a bitter that once again includes pale and chocolate along with crystal malts).

My Dad very generously left those three behind as well when he headed back to Leeds and has promised to pick up some more Old Moor if he sees it next time he’s shopping. Good bloke, my Dad :)

Sainsbury’s have kicked off this year’s Real Ale promo and have the full range in stock at our local store, which made last night’s mid-week top-up shopping trip about twice as expensive, twice as heavy and ten times as interesting as it usually is.

I grabbed pretty much one of everything they had, which means I’m now the proud owner of a bottle of each of the following all-new (to me) beers:

• Allgates Brewery Porteresque – “classic style porter”, 4.4%
• Bath Ales Golden Hare – “full-flavoured light ale”, 4.4% abv
• Bays Brewery Bays Breaker – “award-winning ale with a chestnut colour and fruity taste”, 4.7% abv
• Greene King Bretwalda – “spicy and fruity ale”, 4.1%
• Hambleton Ales Taylor’s Tipple – “chestnut coloured ale with an uplifting citrus and berry aroma”, 4.5%
• Williams Bros 80/- Ale – “traditional Scottish ale brewed with an emphasis on the malt characteristics”, 4.2%
• Williams Bros Birds n’ Bees – “golden summer ale … brewed with a late infusion of elderflowers and lemon zest”, 5%
• Williams Bros Ceilidh – “crisp, citrusy lager”, 4.7%
• Williams Bros Williams IPA – “Aggressively hopped … an unusual blend of Bramling X and Amarillo”, 5%
• Wolf Brewery Woild Moild – “rich, fruity mild”, 4.8%
• Wolf Brewery Wolf Whistle – “lightly hopped reddish ale” 4.7%
• Wood’s Brewery Shropshire Lass – “a delectable blonde”, 4.1%

I picked up top-up bottles of BrewDog’s Chaos Theory, Dogma and Hardcore IPA as well, all of which I’m already quite familiar with and fairly stocked-up on already… but it would have been rude not to, eh? Prices ranged from about £1.59 to £1.89 per bottle, but with the ’4 for 3, cheapest free’ offer that dragged the averages down into bargain territory, particularly for those BrewDog brews.

Compared to last year’s selection there seems to be a smaller group of participating breweries this time around – whether this is down to their having stormed the taste-tests or for logistical reasons I don’t know – but still a reasonably broad range of beer styles. Nice to see a mild and a porter included, as well as a craft lager and, of course, BrewDog’s two hop-monsters and their rather delicious Dogma.

I think I’m most looking forward (BrewDogs aside, as I’ve already tried all of those) to the Allgates Porteresque, Williams 80/-and Wolf Woild Moild. I have a sneaky suspicion that the Greene King Bretwalda will be the dud of the bunch, but that might be my inherent ‘Greene King = kinda average’ bias creeping in. We shall see.

Update 28.08.09 Reluctant Scooper has posted a tasting round-up of the four Williams Bros beers.

Brewery: Hambleton Ales
Location: Melmerby, North Yorkshire, England
ABV: 5.0%
Version: Bottled
Source: Bottles, York

I first drank Nightmare Stout (or Nick Stafford’s Hambleton Ales Nightmare Stout, to give it the full moniker on the label) in Brigantes in York, when Jo and I stopped in for some rather tasty grub (the details of which escape me, but I know I tucked in heartily) a few months ago. I noted at the time that Nightmare stout was a very rich, creamy, dark ruby-red beer; quite sweet, with a chocolatey flavour and a tangy after-taste. Again, I remember being mightily impressed and would have stayed for a couple more if we weren’t on the way to a do at the York Brewery.

So when we were next in York and I found myself passing Bottles – a small, but impressively well-stocked specialist beer merchant on one of the city’s main tourist drags – with just enough time to nip in and grab the one bottle, this was the one I made a b-line for.

Sampling it last Friday evening I was pleased to discover that the bottled version is almost as impressive as the draught. This one poured a thick, almost opaque black and was slightly effervescent, making for a very pleasant mouth-feel. This time I noted a more herbal tang to go with the chocolatey notes; cough-drops was what sprang to mind (although in an entirely good way, I hasten to add) along with a touch of citrus. As you might expect, the bottled version wasn’t as rich as the draught pint, but it was still an extremely satisfying brew.

I’ll be keeping an eye out for it on future visits to York, that’s for sure. And if I can find a local retailer that stocks the bottled version, then that will do nicely for the time being.