The Ale Archive

The brewery: From Wikipedia: "BrewDog is a multinational brewery and pub chain based in Ellon, Scotland. With production of over 800,000 hectolitres, BrewDog claims to be the "#1 Craft Brewer in Europe". It was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, who together own 46% of the company." The beer: "Our seasonal stout is a slice of liquid indulgence.​Cake Cartel pours dark and decadent with hazelnut and praline on the nose. The speciality malts used create layers of chocolate brownie and rich toffee wrapped up in a mouthfeel that’s medium-to-full.​" And very nice it was too. A world away from some of the other Brew Dog ales I've come across - laoded with hops and very fruity/citrussy. This was delicious. 6% A.B.V. June 2023. Related entries

The brewery: From Wikipedia: "BrewDog is a multinational brewery and pub chain based in Ellon, Scotland. With production of over 800,000 hectolitres, BrewDog claims to be the "#1 Craft Brewer in Europe". It was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, who together own 46% of the company." The beer: " Forget everything you know about stout. Forget what you think it tastes like. And forget having to go to Dublin to get a good pint of it. There’s a new stout in town, and it’s demanding your attention. Chocolate and extra dark crystal malts give layers of roasted, toasted coffee and cocoa, with a hint of caramel coming through. Classic stout, brewed in and for this century. Old dog, new tricks." Another very enjoyable dark ale from Brewdog, this was very tasty indeed. Top stuff. 4.1% A.B.V. June 2023. Related entries

 The brewery: The website doesn't appear to be up and running yet however I found this online:     "Trafford's first craft brewery opened for business in Dunham Massey in autumn 2007 and produces both cask and bottled beer....All the ingredients are English and are sourced from as local as possible. In fact the only things that go into the beer are water, malts, hops, and yeast. All the sugars are formed the old fashioned way by extracting them from the malt itself. Their philosophy is to use the best English malts and hops, with no added sugars, to brew quality traditional North Western beers." The beer: From the 'net: Stamford is a full bodied best bitter with a complex blend of hops, and a slightly dry finish" Enjoyed this very much, a very drinkable Best Bitter. Nice stuff. 4.2% A.B.V. June 2023. Related entries

The brewery: "Hafod is an independent, family run brewery in Mold producing an array of beautifully balanced, drinkable beers.....From humble beginnings in 2011, brewing 1 barrel at a time in the Hafod Road workshop, we opened our pocket battleship 17-barrel headquarters on Gas Lane, packed full of bespoke brewkit innovation, in 2015." The beer: "In 20th Century California, San Franciscans worked up a powerful thirst. Equipped with classic German ingredients they set about making beer to quench it.  Lacking the brew kit of German brewers they had to work with what they had and ferment their beers at higher temperatures and leave them to cool on rooftops in the chilly San Fran nights....The steam gave rise to the name Steam Beer, as created by Anchor Brewing. The resulting beers were crisp like a lager but full of real ale flavours....This style is now known as a California Common, and Powerhaus is our take on it.....Floral and slightly spicy aromas from Hallertau Mittelf...

  The brewery: "Hafod is an independent, family run brewery in Mold producing an array of beautifully balanced, drinkable beers.....From humble beginnings in 2011, brewing 1 barrel at a time in the Hafod Road workshop, we opened our pocket battleship 17-barrel headquarters on Gas Lane, packed full of bespoke brewkit innovation, in 2015."   The beer: " In the summer of 2022, brewer Phill was thinking about our next seasonal cask beer. After visiting relatives down in the Big Smoke he decided to brew an old school London style pale ale......Phill has tweaked our Welsh water to match the water profile in London, then used a trio of British hops to give gentle fruit & spice notes to the beer. For a twist on the traditional style we have used Belgian yeast rather than the traditional English ale yeast which adds distinctive fruity, banana and clove aromas to the finished beer....London Pale was so popular in cask last year we decided to add it into our bottled beer ...

The brewery: "Hafod is an independent, family run brewery in Mold producing an array of beautifully balanced, drinkable beers.....From humble beginnings in 2011, brewing 1 barrel at a time in the Hafod Road workshop, we opened our pocket battleship 17-barrel headquarters on Gas Lane, packed full of bespoke brewkit innovation, in 2015."   The beer: " This beer started out life as a house beer for the Tavern at Alltami. Head brewer Phill worked with the owners to create a crisp, refreshing pale ale to compliment the menu.......After being urged by the local CAMRA team, we decided that the beer was too good to just be available in one place. Renamed Sunrise, it quickly became our best-selling pale ale due to its clean flavours and very drinkable 3.8% abv.....Sunrise was also the first beer we bottled in our new format. The label shows a stylised picture of a sunrise at Talacre beach. Yes, not my sort of thing but I didn't find it too citrusy to be honest. A nice w...

The brewery: "The Pied Bull is proud to have the only micro-brewery within the City Walls of Chester. Our keg and cask beers are all hand crafted by our award-winning master brewer, Richard Sedgewick, who selects hops and malts from all over the world to create a range of stunning beers that cover all types of real ale. From traditional bitters, Pale ales, IPAs, Red ales and Porters, we’re sure you’ll find something to wet your whistle!" The beer: Nothing on the website about any of their beers but this was described as a Black IPA and I have to say I loved it. It was like a meal on it's own and packed a punch at 6.5% A.B.V.   I would have love to have had the time to try more of their beers but this was certainly a good start. June 2023.

The brewery: The website doesn't appear to be up and running yet however I found this online:     "Trafford's first craft brewery opened for business in Dunham Massey in autumn 2007 and produces both cask and bottled beer....All the ingredients are English and are sourced from as local as possible. In fact the only things that go into the beer are water, malts, hops, and yeast. All the sugars are formed the old fashioned way by extracting them from the malt itself. Their philosophy is to use the best English malts and hops, with no added sugars, to brew quality traditional North Western beers." The beer: From the 'net: "Big Tree Bitter is our standard session bitter. It is a golden, full bodied bitter, with a good balance of hops and malt." Procured during a visit to the house of the same name, this was a lovely drop, far tastier than it's strength might suggest. A very nice ale indeed June 2023. Related entries  

The brewery: The website doesn't appear to be up and running yet however I found this online:     "Trafford's first craft brewery opened for business in Dunham Massey in autumn 2007 and produces both cask and bottled beer....All the ingredients are English and are sourced from as local as possible. In fact the only things that go into the beer are water, malts, hops, and yeast. All the sugars are formed the old fashioned way by extracting them from the malt itself. Their philosophy is to use the best English malts and hops, with no added sugars, to brew quality traditional North Western beers."   The beer: From the'net:  "Dunham Massey Deer Beer is a strong, malty bitter. It is a clean full bodied English ale, with a slight hint of toffee and is very moreish." Moreish it certainly was, a very tasty ale indeed. 4.5% A.B.V June 2023. Related entries  

The brewery: "Salopian Brewery first brewed in Shrewsbury in 1995. Founded by Martin Barry on the site of the old Onions Dairy and like many breweries the kit we first brewed on was small and rudimentary at only two barrels. The brew length gave us scope to innovate and brew some wonderfully different and eclectic styles of beers that laid the foundations of what would become our Black Range. Our chairman Wilf Nelson joined the brewery in 1998 – Wilf coming on board gave the brewery much needed stability and vision to move to forward." The beer: "Golden, with a floral aroma and a full hoppy flavour that is balanced by a crisp dry maltiness and a rich finish." Maybe it was setting - on a tour boat on the river around Shrewsbury - but this went down very well indeed, if a little colder than I'd normally prefer. A nice ale on a warm summer's day - which it was. June 2023.  

The brewery: "Nestled in the small market town of Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, our 17th-century brewery holds tradition in the highest regard, which is why our real ales are made the traditional way and crafted with the finest ingredients to give each one its own unique Three Tuns Brewery flavour." The beer: "A renowned beer with a 17th-century Three Tuns Brewery recipe, XXX is our premium pale ale" The Kings Head, Shrewsbury

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” I was unable to find an 'official' description for this, however it was a very tasty beer, perhaps lighter in colour than many Best Bitters I've come across. Very enjoyable and a fabulous pub too. The fireside leather chairs were very comfortable indeed. 4.2% A.B.V. The Cholmondeley Arms , June 2023

The brewery: “Based in the heart of Stockport for over 181-years, owning a collection of around 260 pubs, inns and hotels across the North West and North Wales, Robinsons is one of the most respected names in British brewing and innkeeping.” The beer: "TROOPER is a Premium British Beer inspired by Iron Maiden and handcrafted at Robinsons Brewery.....Malt flavours and citric notes for a unique blend of Bobek, Goldings and Cascade hops give this deep golden ale a subtle hint of lemon. TROOPER takes its name from the Iron Maiden song which itself was inspired by the famous Charge of the Light Brigade.....A real ale enthusiast, band vocalist Bruce Dickinson has helped develop a beer with a true depth of character." A nice drop, a good punchy premium bitter. Delicious. Dusty Miller , June 2023  

The brewery - from Beer Advocate : "The Eagle Brewery was previously a Charles Wells brewery site and is now part of Marston's wider business. The Eagle Brewery continues to brew many of the former Charles Wells brewery brands sold to Marston's." The beer: Indeed dark in colour and like black IPA's I've tried, the taste just didn't match the colour - an example of how we judge things by sight I guess. It did taste stronger than the 3.2% A.B.V might suggest though. Interesting that this doesn't appear on the McEwans' website - though there is a beer with a similar description and same A.B.V marketed as 60/-. June 2023