Sunday, January 29, 2012

CBP Best Ale (Pt. 2)

Back in the 1980s when I first started drinking in Chester, real ale was available again in most decent boozers after being almost wiped out through industrialisation in the previous decade. The choice however was very limited. A pint of real ale usually meant Greenall’s bitter or Greenall’s original (a strong bitter). There was very little else. In contrast, the variety of quality real ale and craft beers available in the city today is vast and if the pub trade in general is in decline, the micro-brewery sector and those boozers free of tie that can access their products certainly are not. New ingredients, new beer styles and a lot of imaginative, driven people willing to embrace new ideas have reinvigorated the industry. Real ale is great. Real ale has even become sexy.

Last week I listed what we considered to be the best strong ales we’d encountered during 2011, but what follows is where we’re really at. Beer ponces stand aside. Here comes the list of the best British quaffing ales - mainly traditional bitters or modern variants thereof – that we drank in Chester last year.

Quaffers (abv 4.2% and below)

Before we get to the top five, the following excellent ales are all worthy of an honourable mention:

  • Timothy Taylor’s Golden Best - Olde Cottage (No. 25) & others
  • Weetwood Cheshire Cat - Red Lion, Handbridge (No. 8) & others
  • Allgate California - Carlton Tavern (No. 5)
  • Joules Pale Ale - Cross Keys (No. 40)
  • Everard’s Tiger - Union Vaults (No. 37)
  • Thwaite’s Wainwright - Coach House (No. 98)
  • Pied Eyed - Pied Bull (No. 86)

And now, beginning with the fifth placed ale and finishing with the winner, here are the best quaffing ales of the CBP:

5. Tetley Bitter (3.7%) – The Ship Victory (No. 100)

I’m not sure about the history here, but back in days of yore, the Tetley bitter found in and around Chester was a distinctly different and considerably inferior product to that found in Yorkshire pubs. This is because it was brewed in Warrington (Walkers ?) and not the famous brewery in Leeds, which made the good stuff and which now has sadly been closed. Lord knows where they brew it now, or indeed who brews it. However, the quality is right up there with that of the original Yorkshire ale – or at least it is in this fine ‘old school’ boozer, where it’s kept and served superbly. No ‘bells and whistles’ here – just a good old traditional pint. 

4. Higson’s Best Bitter (4.1%) – The Cellar Bar (No. 45)

Higson’s, the fondly remembered Liverpool brewery disappeared in the early 1980s when it became part of the Whitbread group. The brewery was closed, but then went full circle after it was bought by independent owners and re-opened under the Cain’s brand – Cain’s being the original name of the brewery in the early part of the 20th century before it was bought by Higson’s. The beers were lost though – that was until recently when the Liverpool Organic microbrewery decided to resurrect Higson’s Best Bitter. And they’ve done a fine job with it – possibly better than the original in fact ! It’s yesterday’s future nostalgia today – and a darn tootin’ session ale.

3. Marble Manchester Bitter (4.2%) – The Carlton Tavern (No. 5)

This is supposedly a clone of the original Strangeways Boddington’s bitter, which died with the demolition of the brewery – forget the mass marketed keg shite. Apart from the pale colour though, it doesn’t seem to bear much of a resemblance. It’s stronger and far erm, hoppier – not sure that’s actually a word to be honest. What I’m trying to say is that it’s better. This is a beautiful ale – bitter, citrus and dry. Lovely aroma as well. It’s an uber-quaffer of taste and distinction. And it’s not just a guest at the Carlton – it’s on permanently. Worth going ‘sarf of the river’ just to try it people.

2. Stonehouse Sunlander (3.7%) – The Marlbororough Arms (No. 56) 

This one took us by surprise – picked it up on the last night of the CBP after we’d been to the final pub. We’d visited the Marlbororough earlier in the year, but this new ale was still in development at that point. It’s a very pale bitter, and this, coupled with the name suggested it might be a sort of light summer ale. Strange then that it was being launched mid-winter. The name ‘Sunlander’ though is a nod towards Australia, as the characteristic feature of this ale is that it’s loaded with Australian hops. This leads to an impressive level of tropical fruit flavour and hop aroma for such a light beer. It’s stonkingly pleasant.

1. Brimstage Trapper’s Hat (3.8%) – The Cellar Bar (No. 45)

I’ve always wondered whether or not the use of rhyming slang in naming this fantastic ale was deliberate or inadvertent. I suspect the latter to be honest. I’ve got an image of these genial old duffers sitting round a table at Brimstage HQ experiencing a ‘Eureka’ moment in their quest to find a suitably quirky name for their new ale. “I’ve got it chaps. How about the ‘Trapper’s Hat’ ?” “Oh yes, that’s perfect – encapsulates rural tradition with a dash of bumpkin charm” So, not a reference to a laydee-part then. Ahem, branding aside this really is an unassuming but quite spectacular light golden ale and were it not for the late showing of the Sunlander, would have won this contest by a ‘country mile’. It’s still our numero uno though – a light beer with the complexity and hop attack of a heavyweight IPA. A glory to behold. Total brewing perfection.

Next week the sparks will fly. Or maybe they won’t. It’s Chesterville's bottom 5 pubs !   

18 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. tut tut jeff what have you blogged this time, not going on about me chopper again! on with the question in hand, tetly cask is brewed at banks woverhampton, smoothflow molson coors tadcaster and mild, dark mild and imperial at camerons hartlpool. hope that clears that up it was just worth a mention just like the cottage, where is that chopper?

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  3. It's good to see that all the names of the beers are normal, because one thing that gets on my tit-end is those hilarious jokey names like Old Fart, Piston-Broke, Buxom Barmaid, Yellow Snow, Old Spunker, Tom's Todger, etc that some breweries seem to think are so clever.

    Mind you, I'd not noticed Trapper's Hat as a muff euphemism, but then I missed last month's edition of Viz. Now, if it had been called Wizard's Sleeve, Bearded Clam, Split Kipper or Poacher's Pocket I'd have got it straight away !

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  4. Jeff - let's have it ! Can't have been any worse than the rubbish I write.

    Chunkamunka - ta for the info. Please put your chopper away though !

    Adrian - completely agree regarding toilet/tadger/oo-er what a carry on fixation of some brewers. Remember the WC brewery from Mickle Trafford ? All his ales were named after types of shite - IPA called 'the Bombay Trots'* and such like. Thing is, his ales were absolutely excellent. I'm sure it's Freudian - and I'd be quite prepared to explain how, if I was clever enough.

    * I've invented this, but you get the point.

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    Replies
    1. Tarquel, I do indeed remember the WC brewery - I actually had a discussion with one of the owners on Chester@Large about the very subject of puerile beer names:

      http://chesteratlarge.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=958

      He did not agree, oddly.

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    2. Top ranting there mate. The image is changing though - plenty of examples of cool branding about:

      http://www.summerwinebrewery.co.uk/beers.html

      http://www.brewdog.com/beer

      http://www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/thornbridge-cask-beer.php

      Delete
    3. They look okay on the name/marketing front.

      These are a couple of my favourites, all normal names (apart from one):

      http://www.copperdragon.uk.com/

      http://www.dalesidebrewery.com/index.php

      It's all about marketing, and there's no point having a good product if you market it badly.

      Delete
  5. 'Old Spunker' - is that a wheat beer ?

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  6. The post that i deleted contained secret codes and odes that would unleash the pulsating power contained within chunkamunka's chopper onto the world (and, more specifically, Tarquel, if the Olde Cottage doesn't make the top 10). I just couldn't risk it, so it had to go.The world is not ready for such extreme power.
    Yet.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the warming Jeff !

      Delete
    2. Sorry, meant 'warning' - wasn't being weird or owt !

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. Don't worry, you won't get a warming. Chunkamunka's Death Ray will ONLY be used if the Cottage makes it in the worst 5.

      Delete
  7. On the subject of real ale, this is my first comment about the matter because i know bugger all.
    I think i could actually be quite tempted by real ale when they have names like Quincy's Conk, Bombay Trots, and Arrogant Bastard(i kid you not! There IS a beer called this!!) just for the names alone.
    The acquiring of the taste may hopefully come later.....

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  8. just put it on Tolly English Ale 2.8 ABV and it tastes just fine. now thats one you could drink all night! Now then, why havent the top ten gone up? I DONT LIKE WAITING!!!!!!!!

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  9. Like the sound of that ale ! Top ten (Pt.1) 10 down to 5 coming up later tonight. Wrote it ages ago but still need to put about 30 friggin' links in. Stay tuned !

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