Favourite beer?

Been a while since we did this. My drinking tastes have changed fairly dramatically over the years. Massive real ale twat nowadays after years prior of bouncing between lager lout-ism, Guinness and clear spirits.

Favourite pint these days is the Plum Porter brewed by Titanic Brewery. Honourable mentions to Oakham Citra, Ossett Silver King APA and Brass Castle Bad Kitty Vanilla Porter.
 
I was doing a small pub crawl down Otley Road in Leeds a couple of months back not the full Otley Run but a few of the pubs at the top end of the run.

It was midweek so I was choosing low strength beers. I noticed three pubs on a row were selling a 3.2% beer.

I quizzed the landlord of the third and apparently there is now a tax break for breweries who brew at this strength or less, presumably stealth to weaken some beers for health benefits.

Since then I’ve noticed Green King IPA, which always used to be 3.6, is now a 3.2% beer. Did they reduce the prices at all? I doubt it very much certainly not at the bar. If pubs are paying less and making a bit more profit then fair enough but I imagine the extra profit is straight into the coffers of the behemoth brewer.

There are more and more coming out at this strength by the micro breweries and the real art is to pack it full of as much flavour as possible.
 
It's bad for the environment - I have to drink more to get "relaxed" and therefore my waste production increases prorate
 
The 'Spanish style' beers currently popular, Madri & Cruzcampo' hit the mark.
TT Landlord great ale up north but not down south where they don't know how to keep it.
 
I'm liking Chiffchaff from Digfield Ales at Barnwell and, last year in Cornwall, Atlantic Pale Ale by the beach was very nice
 
I do a beer app called Untapp’d so you could say I collect beer. That’s why those I meet in the pub on match days see me taking photo’s of my pints.

I usually only check in new beers and I try to search out new beers wherever I go.

I have rated just 12 as 5/5 over the years. The last was Little Cracker by Gadd’s the Ramsgate Brewery at The Hoptimist Taproom and Bar in Dover on 12th January. It was the night before I drove across to Mönchengladbach.

Since December 2020 I’ve checked in over 1,500 new different beers.
 
Have you tried Morlands Session Hen? It's 3.4% so probably summat to do with the tax but It's quite tasty
 
They’ve changed from the old Albion system of brewing to the newer continental style. They say it’s not affected the taste but…..
 
Sorry, it’s not the Albion system, it’s the Burton Union that they’ve changed. (There was a picture of it on the Albion pub sign on Shobnall road next to the brewery)
 
I do a beer app called Untapp’d so you could say I collect beer. That’s why those I meet in the pub on match days see me taking photo’s of my pints.

I usually only check in new beers and I try to search out new beers wherever I go.

I have rated just 12 as 5/5 over the years. The last was Little Cracker by Gadd’s the Ramsgate Brewery at The Hoptimist Taproom and Bar in Dover on 12th January. It was the night before I drove across to Mönchengladbach.

Since December 2020 I’ve checked in over 1,500 new different beers.
I am on untapped daggers. Decent app. Only 42 check ins here though.
 
Ruddles County doesn't taste anything like it used since they closed the brewery at Langham. It's all down to different water.
George,

Having done the brewery tour at Greene King, Bury St Edmunds, when they brew to a recipe from a pn acquired brewery (Ruddles, Morland (who initially bought Ruddles) Hardy and Hansons etc) Greene King has technology to change the PH of the water to be the same as the original water used. I think Morland may have changed the recipe or something is missing from the recipe used at Langham. They’ve probably stripped out some ingredients or shortened the brewing time to allow Wetherspoons to sell at such a cheap price.
 
George,

Having done the brewery tour at Greene King, Bury St Edmunds, when they brew to a recipe from a pn acquired brewery (Ruddles, Morland (who initially bought Ruddles) Hardy and Hansons etc) Greene King has technology to change the PH of the water to be the same as the original water used. I think Morland may have changed the recipe or something is missing from the recipe used at Langham. They’ve probably stripped out some ingredients or shortened the brewing time to allow Wetherspoons to sell at such a cheap price.
The Ruddles beer at Spoons is supposed to be a version of the old bitter, not County, the bitter was a crap beer even when Ruddles brewed it! County was my favourite beer at the time. Supposedly Grainstore 1050 is based on the County recipe, decent beer but nt as good imo.
 
The Ruddles beer at Spoons is supposed to be a version of the old bitter, not County, the bitter was a crap beer even when Ruddles brewed it! County was my favourite beer at the time. Supposedly Grainstore 1050 is based on the County recipe, decent beer but nt as good imo.
Ah okay sorry I missread, I’ve not seen Ruddles County for years. Yes Grainstore ten fifty is supposed to be the same.
 
I'm a big beer fan myself, and I'm a homebrewer. I've run brewing courses, tastings and brewery tours, and I fairly regularly give seminars on off-flavours in beer. And I've read plenty of books on the subject. So you could say I'm a bit of a beer nerd. 🤓

Sadly though, since I haven't been to the UK since 2017 I've lost track of new developments. That said, I definitely love some of the ale classics, such as Timothy Taylor Landlord or Fuller's London Pride. And when I was still living in the UK, I also liked Harvest Pale and beers from the Kelham Island Brewery in Sheffield (of which I'm not sure whether it still exists).

My all time favourites are Czech Lagers though. They just hit the spot perfectly for me, even or in particular the weaker ones with 3-4 ABV! As a homebrewer, I will forever strive for the "perfect" Czech-style Lager, my personal "holy grail" - and I know I'll never quite get there! Pilsner Urquell or Budvar (preferrably fresh from the tap) would be good examples of the style but there are many more.
 
I'm a big beer fan myself, and I'm a homebrewer. I've run brewing courses, tastings and brewery tours, and I fairly regularly give seminars on off-flavours in beer. And I've read plenty of books on the subject. So you could say I'm a bit of a beer nerd. 🤓

Sadly though, since I haven't been to the UK since 2017 I've lost track of new developments. That said, I definitely love some of the ale classics, such as Timothy Taylor Landlord or Fuller's London Pride. And when I was still living in the UK, I also liked Harvest Pale and beers from the Kelham Island Brewery in Sheffield (of which I'm not sure whether it still exists).

My all time favourites are Czech Lagers though. They just hit the spot perfectly for me, even or in particular the weaker ones with 3-4 ABV! As a homebrewer, I will forever strive for the "perfect" Czech-style Lager, my personal "holy grail" - and I know I'll never quite get there! Pilsner Urquell or Budvar (preferrably fresh from the tap) would be good examples of the style but there are many more.
What are your German favourites? A nice German Kellerbier is a go to when I come across it.
 
What are your German favourites? A nice German Kellerbier is a go to when I come across it.
Style-wise that's a very difficult question! Too many to name and often based on current form and what's available!

I often like a good Bavarian Wheat Beer (e.g. Gutmann, Schneider etc.), a good Pilsner (e.g. Alpirsbacher) or a good Helles (Tegernseer). Or an Alt when in Düsseldorf (seldomly). Or a Kellerbier in Bamberg. Or....

If I had to name one city to visit for the beer alone it would be Bamberg in Franconia for the sheer number of small traditional breweries. Or Berlin for the variety of different styles, including modern-type craft beers.
 
Style-wise that's a very difficult question! Too many to name and often based on current form and what's available!

I often like a good Bavarian Wheat Beer (e.g. Gutmann, Schneider etc.), a good Pilsner (e.g. Alpirsbacher) or a good Helles (Tegernseer). Or an Alt when in Düsseldorf (seldomly). Or a Kellerbier in Bamberg. Or....

If I had to name one city to visit for the beer alone it would be Bamberg in Franconia for the sheer number of small traditional breweries. Or Berlin for the variety of different styles, including modern-type craft beers.
I know a few of those and agree with Tegernseer. Think I have had Alpirsbacher and liked it. Like the sound of Bamberg.
 
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