Beer Notes 2009

Various sources, including the Breweries themselves, Ratebeer.com, Beerme.com , PintPicker,

Beers from this collection on offer (subject to availability) at the 2009 Shelford Festival & Feast
especially our Beer Festival from midday till 5.30 pm on Saturday July 11th.(events here)

BUILDING A BAR | DRINK

Woodforde’s Wherry Bitter 3.8%
Named after the unique shallow-draught sailing craft built for trading on the waterways of Norfolk in the early part of the 19th century.

Winner of numerous prestigious awards including: "Champion Bitter of Britain" 1996/97 and "Supreme Champion Beer of Britain" 1996/97.

Amber in colour with a golden syrupy flavour that binds a well-balanced, classic, creamy bitter.

A fine blend of hops, bitterness and fruit gives a light but complex feel. A long, consistent finish, with little flavour loss.

Adnams Bitter 3.7%
The classic Southwold bitter and the favourite amongst the Adnams’ stable of beers - brimming with the fragrance of hops and malt, dry yet refreshing and with a lingering bitter flavour.

A true session beer and a great favourite with Bunch members and Four Blokes Who Do Walks.

Adnams Broadside 4.7%
With a name that commemorates the fierce Battle of Sole Bay fought against the Dutch Republic in 1672 off the coast of Southwold, Broadside is rich, with aromas of almonds, zest and conserved fruit, and a perfect balance of malt and hop flavours - an award-winning pint to savour.

Adnams Broadside was Gold Medal Winner in the Strong Bitter Category at the CAMRA Champion Beer Of Britain 2003. One of the most popular beers at the Shelford Festival & Feast.

Black Sheep Best Bitter 3.8%
The Black Sheep brewery was set up by Paul Theakston, from the Theakston brewing family and is still based in Masham, North Yorkshire. Dales well water is used in Black Sheep beer. It has a light golden colour and a fairly dry taste, with a rich, creamy head. The flavour is subtle, not too strong. Perhaps a little woody, with a distinct sweetish maltiness, and a hoppy bitter taste that takes over. A very pleasant aroma rounds things off nicely.

Caledonian Deuchars 3.3%
Always a favourite, Very drinkable and refreshing, it is perhaps best suited to a summer afternoon. Its relatively low alcohol content means it makes an excellent session beer.

You would be hard pressed to enter a pub in Scotland and not find Deuchars IPA on tap.

In appearance it's surprisingly pale for a Scottish beer, a very clear, light golden, straw colour with very little head.

The body is a little thin, but it's still fairly smooth on the tongue. It's hoppy and bitter, like an IPA should be, but it's balanced with biscuity malt. There's a tart, citrus (grapefruit?) note to the flavour with a definite peppery quality. It has a long, dry and delicate hop finish with just a hint of peatiness.

Hook Norton Old Hooky 4.6%
A beautifully balanced beer, fruity by nature, with a well-rounded body and the suggestive echo of Crystal Malt. Golden-amber, slight haze. High carbonation and a thick head. Grassy, sweet aroma. Medium body. Sweetly malty. Mild grassy hop flavour. Clean finish.

Adnam's Explorer 4.3%
As a light and refreshing beer on a summer's day Adnams Explorer is an excellent choice.
It is aimed at younger drinkers and the light colour and fresh taste make it appeal to women too.
Explorer is a golden blonde beer with a fluffy reasonably long lasting off-white coloured head. The aroma is fruity and fresh and primarily of grapefruit and banana, very citrus. [from http://www.helium.com]

Wissey Valley Khaki Sergeant Stout 6.7%
Winner of "Best beer award” at Cambridge Midwinter Beer Festival. A good stout. Dark oak colour. Espresso coffee and licorice aroma. Heavy camp coffee presence in the aroma with roast malt. Slightly sweet treacle notes too. Very smooth silky texture. The alcohol content is well hidden.

Wissey Valley Captain Grumpy's Best Bitter 3.9%
Session bitter. Malt notes with some underlying hop tones.

Woodforde's Nelson's Revenge 4.5%
Norfolk premium ale, named after Norfolk's most famous hero and brewed to avenge the invasion of 'foreign' beers into Norfolk! A popular beer, it achieved "Champion Best Bitter of Britain (Silver)" 2001/02.
A full-bodied pale amber beer with the rich flavour of Dundee cake. Sultana fruitiness is balanced by a hoppy bitterness, to give a full, but light feel. The finish continues to develop into a warm, mellow glow.

Nethergate IPA 0.0%
An apple crisp session beer, hoppy throughout, with a lingering bitter end."Good in the mouth and quite a solid little performer." A good session bitter.

Nethergate Old Growler 5.0%
Based on a 1750's recipe from the old Taylor Walker brewery for a mild with corriander. Launched in 1988 without the corriander as an Old Ale. The corriander version is sold as Umbel Magna. In 1994 the style was changed to a Porter. In 1998 sugar was removed from the recipe and the abv was dropped from 5.5% to 5%.
Very dark color, with red shades, thin head. Very light aroma, of caramel and sugar. Medium body strength, with a strong flavour of caramel and chocolate malt, and balanced bitterness.

Nethergate Umbel 3.9%
The wort is infused with coriander to give a wonderful, fruity tang to both taste and aroma. Golden with a decent white head. Nice floral and grassy hops with a good balance of malt underneath. Corriander is there but hardly noticeable.Taste is nice hop bitterness but very smooth and drinkable. Excellent thirst quenching beer.

Shepherd Neame Spitfire 4.5%

A Best Bitter. Originally produced in 1990 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle Of Britain. It is Shepherd Neame's best selling cask ale, supported by quirky Second World War-themed advertising.
"Lingering malt and hop flavour, with a well-balanced, lasting aftertaste." A Bunch favourite

Fuller's London Pride 4.1%
CAMRA Supreme Champion Beer Of The Year 1979.
Known and loved for its distinctive, rounded flavour, London Pride is the award-winning beer for which Fuller’s is most famous. In recent years its popularity has grown to the extent that it is now Britain’s leading premium ale: a welcome fixture in many pubs and off licences around the country, and now winning new friends abroad.
To the beer afficiando looking for the classic English pint, we say this: Whatever you do, take Pride.

Milton Pegasus 4.1%
Clean tasting bitter with hop notes, a hint of toffee and a lingering finish

Milton Nero 5.0%
Black with no head. Lovely roasted hop scent with malt notes. Quite thin. Smokey malts in the mouth. Neither particularly bitter nor sweet.

Sharp's Doombar 4.0%
"The aroma of Doom Bar is an accomplished balance of spicy resinous hop, inviting sweet malt and delicate roasted notes. The mouth feel is a perfectly balance and complex blend of succulent dried fruit, lightly roasted malty notes and a subtle yet assertive bitterness. The bitterness remains into the finish with dry fruity notes which implore the drinker to go back for more."

Doom Bar Bitter is named after an infamous sandbank at the mouth of the Camel Estuary in north Cornwall. The Doom bar is at its most dangerous between low and high tides when it is submerged by just a few feet.

Saffron Brewery's Pledgdon 4.3%
A copper coloured bitter with a slight white head. Aroma of biscuity malt with balancing grassy hops. Flavour started with some sweet malt before a decent bitter finish.

Tye Green, Union Jack 3.6%
caramelly on the nose, burnt toffee on the palate and hoppy too, a great session bitter

Harviestoun, Bitter and Twisted 3.6%
Bitter & Twisted is a golden coloured beer with a well defined light cream head. It is a clear crisp brew that is quite smooth in your mouth. For a beer of this low alcohol content it is surprisingly creamy and rich. The aroma is pleasantly hoppy and slightly bitter, with a good balance of maltiness and a little fruit. There is a hint of citrus too, giving you a hint of the lemon twist that is to come.

You will find a mix of maltiness, hops and a slight flowery flavour, together with a mild fruitiness and a caramel sweetness. This leads on to a finish that has a bitter lemon kick and a sharp dry aftertaste. There is a good balance of flavours in Bitter & Twisted that is refreshing and crisp.

Buntingford, Britannia 3.6%
Amber with a small white head. Floral hop aroma with fruit. Little sweetness; the taste is uncompromisingly hoppy. Bitterness lasts well. Decent beer.

Hopback, Summer Lightning 5.0%
Terrific straw-coloured beer with a fresh, hoppy aroma and a well rounded, malty flavour with an intense bitterness which leads to an excellent long, dry finish. Winner of numerous, prestigious awards, most notably Best Strong Bitter at The Great British Beer Festival in 1992/93.

Oakham, JHB 3.6%
A golden beer whose aroma is dominated by hops that give characteristic citrus notes. Hops and fruit on the palate are balanced by malt and a bitter base. Dry hoppy finish with soft fruit flavors. A nationally respected ale, winner of numerous awards, JHB is a blond baby packed with flavour & perfect for those long sessions as well as a quick pint at lunchtime. This popular beer was crowned Champion beer of britain in the bitter category in 2001 and 1999.

Everards Tiger 3.6%
A true best bitter with plenty of body and flavor. The character of the ale, as with all Everards ales, is enhanced by the traditional technique of "Dry Hopping" - where whole, dry, aromatic hops are added by hand to each cask of the ale prior to conditioning. An ale which has almost universal appeal due to the exceptionally fine balance of English malt and hops. The finish is long, dry and extremely satisfying.

Sinclair Breweries, Orkney, Red MacGregor 4.0%
"A beautifully simple session beer with a stunning balance of hops and malt - a new taste sensation."