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Am stuck at home again and not really allowed out for a week or two. Haven’t got time to brew my own beer, so after some recommendations from the STW hive. first up I Ordered some from hawkstone brewery.
Then Trawled most of my usual go tos but I’m just not seeing anything, need some inspiration, not after head exploding super strong craft beer, just good tasting mid strength (or is it session strength?) ales, nothing fancy or too hipsterish, but maybe also not the usual.
I did search the site, but given the time of year all I got was low alcohol threads. I have got some of these already.
Back when there was a thread for folk on here to put up offers from businesses they're involved in, Itchen Valley Brewery was one of those. I've only ordered a couple of times since but am currently tucking into a bottle of their "Final Tap" which is a nice example of broadly what you describe. I like their Hampshire Rose very much. A better searcher than I would find who it is on here who's involved in the brewery. I ordered a few cases recently at a good price and they turned up very quickly.
No connection, but local brewery brew some lovely stuff.
https://greenduckbrewery.co.uk/shop/
Itchen has now closed down a month or so ago I think.
I use HonestBrew. Nice range of beers, always changing and they aren't owned or part owned by AB...as far as I am aware.
If you like porters Titanic Plum Porter is my current favourite
Depends where you are for locality
These do a nice variety and will deliver nationwide.
https://www.burnsidebrewery.co.uk/online-shop/
My local is
https://www.weetwoodales.co.uk/
Particularly like the Oregon Ale myself and local delivery is great. I did one order on a Sunday night and they dropped it off at 10am Monday. Sadly don’t to nationwide delivery
If you like porters Titanic Plum Porter is my current favourite
I had this on draught at Stoke train station the other day and was blown away by it. Absolutely gorgeous! Will definitely keep an eye out.
If you like porters Titanic Plum Porter is my current favourite
I think there's a bottle left at home. Nectar. Usually in Morrisons.
About 100 miles from being local to me, but always buy when I'm in my local Asda:
https://butcombe.com/brewery-shop-category/beer-bottles/
Gower brewery is my good local brewery - gower gold is the classic but I recommend their sunrise ale.
DM me your name and email and I'll send you a free crate of beer from beer52
Another thumbs up for that plum porter.
If you can get it Tiny Rebel's 'Peleton' IPA is IMHO awesome, but I've only found it twice.
Both times were _just popping out for a quick one_ turning into all evening sessions. So good, yum.
Shame you missed the cheap beer PSA offer last month when this was 12 for £8. That said I will probably buy more at 12 for £15. Not super strong, I find it very drinkable and delivery was quick:
Salopian ‘Oracle’ is my favourite tipple (draught). It’s nice bottled too. But no bottled beer is a patch on draught.
From tins I’ve been enjoying Fourpure ‘Citrus Session’. Bally NICE, if you like a citrus hoppy thing. Currently on offer @ Waitrose (£1.45ish)
Bigger hazier tins I’ve been sampling (also on offer in Waitrose):
Murk-Life Balance is a very refreshing hazy ale. If anything a little thin for my taste, but still surprisingly complex and hoppy.
Kaleidoscope is just about spot on. Nothing stands out just a really nice easy-drinking pale ale.
For the more traditional palate Bewdley Brewery ‘Worcestershire Way’ I could drink this all day long even from a bottle. For me it’s the perfect no-nonsense and perfectly harmonious session ale. (3.6%ABV)
Duval. From the chiller, chill the glass too.
Have 3 then go to bed.
Vocation do good stuff at a decent price.
Northern monk, siren craft, verdant and cloudwater all also do good stuff although at varying price brackets.
Vocation. See the cheap Vocation at Asda thread.
Tempest Brewery make the most consistently nice beers. The Dos Mios is brilliant (but sounds awful-Chilli anyone?)
If you can find them online anywhere (a long shot I think as they don't do direct sales online), grabbing some Nene Valley Brewery stuff is worth a shot.
Release The Chimps is my favourite IPA hands down, but they have some other cool stuff...
Big Bang Theory
Manhattan Project
Simple Pleasures
Pulping On Your Stereo
A Beer Named Leeroy
Anything from Vocation. All their beer is very good, you will not find any better.
https://www.vocationbrewery.com/
Wye Valley Brewery have some nice ales - https://www.wyevalleybrewery.co.uk/our-beers/ I like Butty Bach and HPA
Also like Gorge Best, a lovely traditional bitter, from Cheddar Ales - https://www.cheddarales.co.uk/online-shop/cheddar-ales/c/4/
Little valley brewery hebden bridge
Itchen Valley Brewery. A better searcher than I would find who it is on here who’s involved in the brewery. I ordered a few cases recently at a good price and they turned up very quickly.
it was singletrackmind. i contacted him a while back to check if he was still involved and chuck a few quid in his pocket. hes left now tho, said it was taken over and the new owners had a few fraudulent ideas on how to run it so he left.
ive just discovered Beavertown Neck Oil. seen it in a couple of pubs now and its a lovely fresh taste.
Everything I've had from Well Drawn Brewing near me in Bedwas has been lovely.
+1 for Beavertown
Neck Oil or even better, Gamma Ray. Up there with Vocation.
Tilman. Probably not available in the UK,it's not even available everywhere here where it's brewed.
However, their Helles isn't like any other Bavarian lager. It's got a richness and flavour to it. It reminds me of an English ale.
Some great suggestions there thanks guys. Please keep em coming, some of these I’ve never heard of and I don’t know you’d ever find them from a std google search.
First off I’ve ordered this, for something (hopefully) a little different - Pontcanna Pale, which has something called linden in it
https://welldrawnbrewing.co.uk/collections/all/products/pontcanna-pale
Williams Bro's brewery in Alloa do some fantastic beers. Fraoch is flipping lovely
The Tiny Rebel beer is good if you can get your head around the strange sounding names. The flavours are well balanced and come as a nice variation on standard beer if you want to push the boundaries.
Have you tried McEwan's Champion?
It's a belter. Not a session beer though. One or three and all is good with the world.
Have you tried McEwan’s Champion?
I've a couple of those lined up to see me through the Calcutta Cup later. It's a lovely dense, malty Winter brew. It'll be either helping me celebrate or taking the pain away depending how things go!
Currently liking vocation, pride and joy, divided and conquer, bread and butter being some of the favs
7 brothers brewers in Salford does some really nice stuff, the easy IPA and hoppy pale are really nice, the amber lager is also worth a try
I have also taken to west Berkshire brewery, the hopper valley and detour by pale are my choice.
Good thread! I’ll have to have a look at some of the other recommendations!
Vocation and Five Point
+1 on McEwan's Champion in bottles (the cans are only just about drinkable and smaller) - avoid buying from Morrisons though - just gone from four for £6 to four for the price of three at £2.35 each = £7.05! E-mailed customer services to complain - their reply was "do feel free to shop around"! Even the little Tesco shops are only £1.65 and it's chilled in there too 😸
Arundel Brewery, my local and some really really good beer.
Some good suggestions ^^^
A few from our European cousins - jupiler, kuppers kolsch, fruh kolsch, bruges zot.
Vocation, magic rock quality at brew dog prices.
+1 for Beavertown
Neck Oil or even better, Gamma Ray. Up there with Vocation.
just bought some gamma ray to trial that opinion. stronger and not quite as refreshing IMHO but i'll still enjoy drinking them.
second update, purchased some Vocation (both alochol free and alcoholic, which felt a bit wierd to do tbh).
and I just couldn't resist trying this Maharaja Ipa
Do feel I need to state that I'm not drinking a case a week btw, just trying a few and then putting the rest somewhere safe for sunnier times 🙂
Did like the look of the tap room at the Arundel Brewery - The Brewhouse Project looked great and worth a visit if I'm nearby. Would have bought some beer from the Arundel brewery - but the prices are eye watering for a single can of beer ! £4.80 (on sale) for Dave Says It will Be Fine.
Skye Brewery for interesting peaty beers (trust me it works better than you'd think)
Abbeydale Brewery for a range of interesting to wholesome beers from Sheffield
Loose Cannon and Love Brewery for Oxfordshire's good supping ales
Brightside Brewery - they do a really good trad box to try out their mainstream selection and an explorer box if you want to go a bit more left field
https://www.brightsidebrewing.co.uk/
I also love the Titanic Plum Porter. It's been on cask at the Black Horse in Preston on my last couple of visits.
Tiny Rebel's Stay Puft marshmallow porter was similarly lovely, more coffee-ish - like drinking a black russian.
Mmmmm.
I have no knowledge of beers but I do like what I have regularly tasted from Orkney Brewery (Dark Isle a fav) and most bottles from Purple Moose down south
just bought some gamma ray to trial that opinion. stronger and not quite as refreshing IMHO but i’ll still enjoy drinking them.
Yeah, neck oil is probably more refreshing as more a session type ale. I prefer the stronger tasting beers so gamma ray is my preferred drop - but neck oil ain't far behind. Both are very good.
I've been a big Tiny Rebel fan for a few years, their beer advent calendar was full of absolute bangers.
I recently discovered Drop Project, who produce some absolutely delicious beers, my particular favourites are the NEIPAs and TIPAs. They are quite strong, but that's fine as I generally only have 1 of an evening. The Vortex 10% TIPA is a smasher 🙂
Already mentioned:
Titanic Plum Porter - Obviously!!!
Williams Bros Fraoch - Great session beer
Wye Valley Butty Bach - +1 nice easy drinking
Tiny Rebel Stay Puft - +1 might be a bit too sweet for some
Weetwood - Eastgate - Sweet and malty.
I've been mostly drinking....
Bradfield Brewery Farmers Blonde, Brown Cow and Belgian Blue
Gower Power
Isle Of Arran Sunset or Blonde
Cross Bay Sunset
Hopback Summer Lightning
Summer Wine Oregon
Faversham Steam Brewery Whitstable Bay Red IPA or Organic Ale
Exmoor Gold.
All of the above are top quality and amongst my favourites. You won't go wrong with any of them!
@chestercopperpot good shout - Summer lightning! I’d forgotten all about it, haven’t had any for a very long time, used to be my favourite session beer when I could find it on tap.
Tiny rebel imperial puft, the stronger version loads better IMHO.
From tesco, North - Abstract lens DIPA & Brewdog roaster coaster 9% nitro stout. In my opinion best DIPA and strong stout in supermarket currently.
Anything from Verdant, Deya, Cloudwater, Track, Wylam for IPA/DIPA/TIPA.
@walowiz - It's easy to get hold of. Morrisons sell it on their 4 for 3 offer.
+1 Verdant and Cloudwater
Current favourite is Salt ikat though.
@reggiegasket ikat is v good but Abstract Lens is better, all down to personal taste but worth a go. I spent months avoiding Roaster Coaster as I love coffee but have never liked many coffee stouts, picked up the can most weeks and never purchased, massive error have probably had 30 cans of it now, best supermarket stout.
If you like a drop of whisky as well as ale, try Innis & Gunn Original. Matured in old whisky barrels, it really does take on a very mellow whisky side. I find it's a great slow drinking beer as I don't take another sip until the previous one has faded, and that takes a while.
Even my wife, who is not keen on ales but in a former life was a fully accredited beer taster/tester (!), was impressed... "you keep waiting for the bitter taste to come through, but it never does." High praise from her! Mostly I just get a grunt and a scowl when I hand over something tasty for a sip 🙂