Camra

[Plough Boy]

Good work Fuse.

This thread has seen little action recently. Tonight prinnysquad and I (minus fag wuss vanpeebles) hit the Durham Beer Festival.

I had:
White Whoppper - Durham Brewery
Five Bridges - Mordue
Joblings Swinging Gibet - Jarrow
Fruit Bat - B&T
Tried and Tested - Caledonian
No Eye Dear - Goose Eye
Gingernut Premium - Coach House
White Knight - Goffs
Thumb Ducker - Fuzzy Duck
25th Anniversary Beer - Cotleigh
Weaver's Brew - Three B's
5th Anniversary Special - Hill Island

Superb Night. Fruit Bat was the winner for me with Tried and Tested close behind.
Donkers did 9 or 10 - another superb effort.
VP queereed out. (Just in case I didn't establish that)

[Paulos G]

So, just to clarify, VP was a big girl's blouse no show?

[IanE]

fuse - are you in the Cave In t-shirt? Fantastic band.

[Plough Boy]

So, just to clarify, VP was a big girl's blouse no show?

To Clarify:

YES - VP WAS A WUSS BAG NO SHOW.

Sorry for the capitals - just needed to establish the point!

VP - - you missed a couple of really quality beers. Really quality.

On a totally seperate note Paulos it has been brought to my attention that Tescos have discontinued Smokey Jims - at least here in the NE - buy up the Midlands as quick as you can my man - it's a goner in the near future!

[Jay]

Much as I love proper beer (mostly Belgian), beer festivals are both great and awful in equal measures. Nice beer, yes, which alsmot makes the experience worth it. But the CAMRA members who get to be barman for a day tend to get a bit overexcited at the prospect, especially when it's closing time. Then there are the weirdy beardies who inhabit such events, dreadful unfunny wacky t-shirts on sale, pub games (there's a reason you don't see see them in pubs any more) and the fact you're basically standing in a big, brightly-lit hall with all the atmosphere of a church jumble sale. Nice beer though.

[djjimbob]

Spot on Jay, but your closing comment is the most important. It's all about the beer.

Had a pucking dreadful ale last night. Was called Pumpkin Ale by Badger (which are usally excellent)

It was awful: sweet, acidic, cloying, bad aftertaste. Just nasty.
Avoid.

[fuse]

fuse - are you in the Cave In t-shirt? Fantastic band.

I am indeed in that shirt, but it's actually a Cave (as in the Japanese shmup game developer) as opposed to Cave In shirt

[IanE]

D'oh! I recognised the logo and forgot about the developer, duh! Oh well, check out Cave In.

[MatWoods]

introduced to real ale via the micro-brewerys of salford in the 90s and just spend last weekend at the peterborough beer festival with my father-in-law.

love the stuff, beats all the 'supermarket' beers hands down.'

Heads up to Oakham Ales down south, and Roosters in Harrogate!!!

Keep making them and I'll drink them!

[prinnysquad]

Well, boys, I've been mega-busy during my month-long enforced embargo.

Last year VP and I had about 50 or 60 new bottled real ales, not bad after recording them since 2001 in a region I've bled dry for new beers.

This year got off to a big stinking otter of a start - only about 5 new beers from jan to may. I feared the worst for the crusade to better last year's haul, until I planned a raid on Keswick.

34 beers nabbed from a superb supplier called Open All Hours.

Add to that the 8 new beers the missus had found me for my birthday, and a few lucky trips to Waitrose, Morrisons and Tesco's, and I've got about 50 beers lined up for the next few months. We've already had about 40 newbies this year, so I'm hoping to break the 100 barrier for the first time ever.

Furthermore, at the Durham Festival Plough Boy was talking about, I joined CAMRA for the princely sum of 20 quid.

Halcyon days indeed!!

[Ish]

How odd... I've been off the beer too. Drank some beautiful Buntingfords Dark last night however. Many many pints of it in fact

[prinnysquad]

To follow up Plough's account of the Durham CAMRA gig, these are my dudes, in order of consumption -

1) Durham Breweries - A White Whopper - 3.7% - very acidic pale ale - 7.5
2) Boggart - Sundial - 4.7% - A golden ale, with a smoky finish and a hint of toffee - 8.5
3) Barngates - Westmorland Gold - 4.2% - Solid taste, with a mouthmatering aftertaste - 8
4) Hill Island - Dun Cow Bitter - 4.2% - Toffee taste, a good session ale - 8
5) Southport - Natterjack - 4.3% - Toffee, coffee, caramel smell and taste. Superb. 9
6) Robinsons - Flash Harry - 4.1% - Spicy - 8
7) Millstone - True Grit - 5.0% - Pale and hoppy - 8.5
8) Lancaster - Flaming Nora - 4.9% - A smoother taste than the smell suggests - 8.5
9) Hill Island - 5th Anniversary Special - 3.7% - Smoky - 8.5
10) Coach House - Ginger Nut Premium - 5.0% - Erm, ginger nut - 8.5

These devils in a glass caused me to miss out on the whole of the next day, rolling around bed and the couch with a splitting headache and waves of nausea.

Still, it was worth it!

PS - Vanpeebles wussed out like a big stinky cissie.

[vanpeebles]

These devils in a glass caused me to miss out on the whole of the next day, rolling around bed and the couch with a splitting headache and waves of nausea.

Still, it was worth it!

PS - Vanpeebles wussed out like a big stinky cissie.

Says Prinnysquad who then wussed out on the traditional Friday night gaming session which was also the last one of the holidays!

[fuse]

Thought I was well versed in the way of Fullers (specially after doing the Griffin brewery tour), but found a new one last night in a local off-license - Golden Pride. Thoroughly enjoyable, but very deceptive: really didn't taste that strong, but it weighs in at 8.5%! Potentially a very dangerous one...

[prinnysquad]

Says Prinnysquad who then wussed out on the traditional Friday night gaming session which was also the last one of the holidays!

Bletch you! It was a mega-hangover. Of course, 'doing the car' (in what way, I wonder?) would preclude you from such activities.

Thought I was well versed in the way of Fullers (specially after doing the Griffin brewery tour), but found a new one last night in a local off-license - Golden Pride. Thoroughly enjoyable, but very deceptive: really didn't taste that strong, but it weighs in at 8.5%! Potentially a very dangerous one...

A dangerous game. The most evil beers imaginable are the session beers that taste great, but weigh in at hefty abv's.