The Ale Archive

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: "Presenting a mild malty sweetness, with spiced and floral flavours, Cleric's Cure is our India Pale Ale." November 2023  

What they say: “IPA was once a mainstay brand of countless traditional breweries. Often referred to as ‘ordinary bitter’ by way of differentiation, there is little that is ordinary about it. Premium malted barleys and local aroma hops combine to create a beer that is light and refreshing. Fragrant hop flavours impart a full but delicate bitterness to this classic table beer………….Light and refreshing. Delicate, grassy and earthy hop aroma. Bitter and balanced malt flavours.” The 500th entry into the Archive is brewed just a few miles away and is a stablemate to the excellent Sussex Best Bitter – one of my all time favourites. Light & refreshing it certainly was and was a pleasant ‘school night’ treat thanks to the lower alcohol content. Served a bit colder would make a nice summer ale too. 3.5% A.B.V. October 2017

What they say: “An amber coloured, special bitter with a distinctive fruity hop character, and lasting bittersweet finish…..91% Maris Otter pale ale malt, plus crystal & chocolate malts in the mash tun….English Fuggles & Goldings hops in the copper….Late addition American Cascade and Amarillo hops in the hop-back for aroma.” That fruit hop carry on, although subtle meant that I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as their IPA – still a nice pint though. 4.2% A.B.V. The Green Man , Denham, Buckinghamshire. October 2017

What they say: “An International Brewing Awards 2017 Silver category award winner, Otherside IPA is a Maris Otter pacific pale ale packed full of antipodean promise. We’ve selected four of the best New Zealand grown hops to provide a feast for the taste buds. Expect a host of tropical fruit notes against a background of citrus and pine from dry hopping with Motueka.” Not for me this – there was nothing wrong with it – clear and bright but just too hoppy and fruity for me. Good to see variety though at this great pub that always has a great selection of real ales. 4.5% A.B.V The Jolly Brewers , Milton, Cambridgeshire. October 2017

What they say: “Golden colour with an orange tint, brewed with five hops from the UK and USA and fermented longer to give a clean and dry finish.” Sadly the last to come from the guys from St Albans but there’s three more in the range that I hope to get my hands on at some point. Another enjoyable ale that went down rather too well considering it’s ABV – 4.6%.  December 2016

What they say: “India Pale Ale is a full-bodied beer that all cask ale connoisseurs will recognise as a “classic”. We use specially kilned amber malt to give it its deep rich flavours. One of our head brewers favourites.” The third and sadly last of the McMullen beers we got to try during our stay in Hertfordshire. Another great pint. 4.8% A.B.V. The Plough , Crews Hill, Enfield, Middlesex. December 2016

What they say :” Golden, caramel, fruity…. An American style IPA. Straw coloured with tropical fruit and pine notes” The first ‘new’ beer I found on our trawl around some of Birmingham's Pubs, sorry, research venues. The Hadley in the name is Tony Hadley – yes, he of Spandau Ballet fame whose own micro brewery  works with the Great Yorkshire Brewery where the beer is produced on the North Yorkshire Moors. Not my favourite style of beer but the surroundings were convivial and the company good. 5 % A.B.V. The Shakespeare Inn , Summer Row,  Birmingham, October 2016