772: Papworth | Pass The Porter

The brewery: “Papworth Brewery is the inevitable outcome of a beer-loving scientist becoming disillusioned with his career. Chances are that you’re a beer lover too and can understand why someone would give up a successful 25 year career to brew beer. It’s got to be more interesting than most other jobs, right? Well, that’s the way our beer-loving scientist saw it. When “job satisfaction” is the taste of a good pint, who can argue?”

The beer: “This strong porter is deliciously smooth and rich, with complex flavours from four dark malts perfectly balanced with bitterness from Centennial and Simcoe hops, providing a long, hoppy finish.

The last of my three from Papworth but certainly as enjoyable as the others. Full bodied it certainly was. Once again, bottle conditioned.

Coton Orchard, May 2022. Related entries.

771: Papworth | Robin Goodfellow

The brewery: “Papworth Brewery is the inevitable outcome of a beer-loving scientist becoming disillusioned with his career. Chances are that you’re a beer lover too and can understand why someone would give up a successful 25 year career to brew beer. It’s got to be more interesting than most other jobs, right? Well, that’s the way our beer-loving scientist saw it. When “job satisfaction” is the taste of a good pint, who can argue?”

The beer: “Robin Goodfellow is a shrewd and knavish sprite, the merry wanderer of the night. This full bodied ale is rich with dark fruit flavours and a mischievously smooth yet hoppy finish that belies its strength….Heavy and complex malts softened with dark fruit flavours, leading to a distinct velvety hop finish“.

My second from the Papworth stable and equally as enjoyable. Quite potent at 5.4% A.B.V and bottle conditioned.

Coton Orchard, May 2022. Related entries

770: Papworth | Old Riverport Stout

The brewery: “Papworth Brewery is the inevitable outcome of a beer-loving scientist becoming disillusioned with his career. Chances are that you’re a beer lover too and can understand why someone would give up a successful 25 year career to brew beer. It’s got to be more interesting than most other jobs, right? Well, that’s the way our beer-loving scientist saw it. When “job satisfaction” is the taste of a good pint, who can argue?”

The beer: “Named after the Old Riverport of St Ives, once a busy inland port and just a few miles upstream of our brewery in Earith on the River Great Ouse in Cambridgeshire. This traditional stout is silky smooth and ouses flavour, with rich cocoa, coffee and caramel notes in abundance.”

Seemingly endless visits to garden centres with my late mother-in-law - where she was interested in anything except the plants - have instilled in me a sense of foreboding of such places. However, when showing some friends around Cambridgeshire recently we stopped at one for lunch - and found a range of ales from a brewery that had, so far, not crossed my radar. I picked three and the first to pass my lips was this - very much a traditional stout and very enjoyable. Bottled condition though so store upright and pour carefully.  Coton Orchard. May 2022. Related entries

769: Weetwood | Cheshire Cat

The Brewery: “Weetwood Ales began brewing in 1992 when finding a great pint of cask ale was a challenge. The brewery was founded by Adrian Slater, a skilled brewer, and Roger Langford, a farmer with space in a barn and a love for proper beer. Roger’s farm is in Weetwood Common, near Tarporley in Cheshire and the brewery took the name”

The beer: “The ultimate session beer? Certainly in some pubs where we still supply this in 36-gallon barrels. Smooth and well-balanced with refreshing citrusy flavours. Very blonde and very easy drinking.”

I welcomed the chance to try another from the Weetwood range and, although I wouldn’t necessarily have picked a Blonde a friend was kind enough to buy it so I was kind enough to drink it!

Not my favourite style but after a warm day it went down well and was certainly easy drinking. May 2022. Related entries.

768: Vocation | Bread & Butter

The brewery: “From small beginnings in a unit that started out as a turkey shed, to a global brand for craft beer. We've come a long way but we're still true to our roots.
53 of us on top of a hill in Cragg Vale work to bring our passion to life and fill your fridge with beer.” Read more

The beer: “A satisfying reward that’s always worth the hard work. With layers of US hops combined with British malts, our fresh and easy-drinking dry-hopped pale is a solid staple that delivers every time. Proof that the simple things in life are often the best. Soak up refreshing flavours and aromas of pine, peach, lychee and citrus. Finished off with a smooth, rounded bitterness.”

Not one I’d normally choose but it was the only in in the line up I hadn’t tried, and to be fair it went down quite well. I look forward to the opportunity to try some of the darker ales in their range.

The Three Tuns, Fen Drayton, Cambridgeshire. May 2022.

767: Wantsum | Golgotha

The brewery: “In 2009, James Sandy started brewing “Fortitude” the first of what has become an extensive range of beers all named after people or pivotal events in Kent’s history…..Wantsum Brewery takes its name from the Wantsum Channel, the watercourse separating the Isle of Thanet and what was the mainland of the English county of Kent.”

The beer: “A rich, deep and broad malt base gives this stout a very long smooth finish with plenty of oats for added body and creaminess. Hops are prominent on the nose with blackcurrant, liquorice and cedar. “

And very tasty it was too, although several ales had already passed my lips by this point. A great find during an impromptu weekend in Margate.

The Lifeboat, Margate. May 2022.

766: Hambleton | Nightmare

The brewery: “Hambleton Brewery was born in 1991, when Nick Stafford decided to start a brewery at the bottom of his in-laws’ garden. Armed with nothing more than a pair of wellies, some old steel tanks and a rusty Peugeot 205, Nick built his brewery with blood, sweat and tears……Today’s demand has meant we have moved out of the garden, and we also have some slightly shinier tanks, but Nick’s original ambition still stands. We love making great beer. That’s what we do best. And everything we do at Hambleton Brewery revolves around this fact.”

The beer: “The result of a ‘Nightmare’ brew day that turned out awesome and went on to win CAMRA Champion Winter Beer of Britain!…Massively flavoured four malt Porter”

Procured from the Local Co-Op on Mytholmroyd on the last leg of my Easter caravanning trip - and another quality porter that really hit the spot. Top stuff. April 2022. Related entries.