The Ale Archive

What they say: A deep golden coloured session bitter. A hint of spice with soft fruit flavours and well balanced medium bitterness. Named after Adventure Pit at Rainton Colliery. Just a few miles from the Caravan Cliub Site near Durham is the Three Horseshoes pub in Leamside which, conveniently also houses the Leamside Brewery set up in 2012, so it certainly wasn’t suffering from travel sickness. 3.8% and very acceptable.

What they say? Well, Tetley’s is owned by Carlsberg and there’s not a single mention of this on their website. However ratebeer.com have this description:  Robust & full bodied, with a firm, malty base. A sleek hint of complexity follows, the recipe drawing on a warming nip of Guyana sugar - specially formulated for Tetley’s. The characteristic country charm of the Northdown hop canters across the palate, for a rosy glow after a brisk chase to the finish. There was certainly a malty presence, but don’t recall anything cantering across my palate! OK but not particularly memorable.

What they say: India Pale Ale is brewed to a lower original gravity and this beer undergoes a similar process of maturation to the Blue Label . The result is a lighter, more mellow ale with a distinctive hoppy character. No complaints. Nice and light at 3.2% A.B.V. so a good session or party beer.

What they say: This premium pale ale is ‘dry hopped’ during the period of maturation prior to being bottled. It is our most popular bottled beer. It’s also the bottled version of Harveys Sussex Best which is rarely less than excellent. Delicious but 3.6% ABV in the bottled compared to 4% A.B.V from the cask.

What they say: Oldershaw’s best selling beer. A copper bronze best bitter with sumptuous caramel and roasted nut malts, grassy hops and a lasting bitter finish. A widely admired ale. On as a guest in our local club. This is the only beer to date that I couldn’t  finish. I was assured it wasn’t off but it smelt and tasted awful. Not convinced there wasn’t something wrong with it. Will try it again when the opportunity arises.

What they say: We wanted to create a low alcohol, easy drinking beer that is not lacking in flavour…….this ale is light amber in colour, has soft caramel and toffee notes and is dry hopped with an array of citrus-forward hops. Low alcohol? Christ! This weighs in at 4.7% A.B.V. An American brewery, this was actually brewed by Everards for Wetherspoons Real Ale festival and must be in contention for the weirdest name.  

What they say. Not a lot as it’s no longer on the brewers website but found this elsewhere: A golden ale, refreshing flavour and a fruity character which gradually emerges in the finish. A Friday night pre cinema pint in Wetherspoons and probably the first of the week too. Again I prefer my ale a little more bitter but it was ok. 4.5% A.B.V.

What they say: Track Record has a smooth yet slightly sweet finish which can only be achieved by adding just a hint of honey produced on the slopes of Prescott Hill Climb itself. An impressive ale from this relatively young (2008) Cotswold based brewer on offer at Wetherspoons in Devizes in February. 4.4% A.B.V.

In Wiltshire, Wadworth dominates but there are other breweries. Found this from a Marlborough based brewery in Wetherspoons in Devizes. What they say: we use pale ale malt and torrified wheat mixed with roasted barley to make this a brew with a malty flavour and bitter sweet finish. Enjoyed this even though it was not crystal clear. The end of the barrel rather than end of life I’m guessing. 5.0% A.B.V.

What they say: A beer of full body and robust bitterness with a fiery amber hue - just the stuff for dragon slaying! The palate is crisp and tangy, leading to a long dry 'digestive biscuit' finish with hints of orange and blackcurrant. One of their regular seasonal beers. A bit fruity for me but again in excellent condition. 4.5% A.B.V so no lightweight.

What they say: Easy drinking all year round and robust enough to accompany most foods, Horizon is light in colour, but full flavoured and best enjoyed cool. Pleasant but a bit golden for me. Would be nice in the summer I imagine though. Was in excellent condition – like all the Wadworth beer’s we’ve had, but then the brewery was only a few miles away

What they say: A golden brew with an intriguing aroma from the delicate Saaz and spicy Styrian Goldings hops. The full flavour is well balanced with hop bitterness giving a clean finish for easy drinking. It is certainly easy drinking, but it is also 5% A.B.V so it’s not a session beer unless you’ve a high tolerance or a love of paracetamol. Enjoy

What they say: Wadworth's winter beer. Rich copper brown in colour with a strong malty aroma and a full bodied, intense flavour. Wadworth’s seasonal winter ale is just the thing in front of a roaring fire on a cold winters night. 5.8% A.B.V. Powerful stuff and it’ll drown out anything less punchy that follows.

Our February half term break in the caravan was at the Camping & caravan Club site on the outskirts of Devizes, which is also home to Wadworths brewery. How convenient. Even more (or perhaps too) convenient was the pub that was just two minutes walk from the caravan site. Some of the Wadworth regular ales, I‘ve had before, such as 6X and Henry’s – and these are already on the blog somewhere. What the brewer says: With a gentle rum aroma and dark, unrefined sugar adding a rich smoothness, it is a full-bodied, deep copper coloured ale with a base of crystal malt and delicate Fuggles and Goldings hops. The rum aroma comes from the addition of Pussers rum to  their 6X and brings a slight sweetness to the beer. Would happily drink again. 5% A.B.V

What they say: A tawny brown beer, fruity aroma, lots of malt and fruit flavours and hoppy bitterness to finish. I honestly don’t remember much about this – and no, I hadn’t been overdoing the ‘research’. However I finished it so it must have been ok.  A January special from this West Sussex brewery at Wetherspoons on the Marina.

What they say: Classic English tawny pale ale, brewed with pale, chocolate, crystal and wheat malts, blended with spicy Challenger, Styrian and Golding hops, to create a fruity beer with peppery aroma and fruity, biscuity flavour. Probably on as a guest in LLoyds No 1 (I.E. Wetherspoons) on Brighton Marina. It was the first Friday after New Year and having started a diet – of sorts – this would have been the first pint of the week and would have hardly touched the sides. Tasty, but at 4.5% take it easy.

What the brewer says: A mid amber bitter with a nose of sweet Satsuma and a hint of spice on the palate from the addition of cloves to the brew. The mouth feel is long with a crisp dry spicy hop finish. Not sure about the satsumas but it was very nice nonetheless, but then Wadworth beers rarely disappoint. Found this in our local on our return from Crystal Palace after New Year. A seasonal beer, obviously.

What the brewer says: this brew boasts a refreshing, highly drinkable flavour, flowery and fresh, with very well developed hop characteristics (a mixture of the Northdown and Challenger varieties). It was certainly drinkable, and at 3.5% ABV a good session beer but not surprisingly lacks the flavour of it’s more potent stable mate London Pride. Inoffensive and easy drinking.

What the brewers say: A refreshing golden ale made with English Pale and Munich Malts, combined with Bohemian and American hops to give a real international flavour. Another guest at Westow House in Crystal Palace, Yep, regulars will know that this is not really my sort of beer – a bit too light and hoppy for me. However it was in good nick and crystal clear. I might be tempted in the warmer weather.

One of the first ales of 2014 to pass my lips. It was a while ago now but as I recall it was a very tasty offering from this young (2012) Middlesbrough based brewery.