RedWillow Ageless

RedWillow Ageless [baron rating 5/5] - 7.2% copper ale,vanilla tropical resin smell,resin herbal strong bitter taste,tropical bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris, Paul (Source Deli) and the Baron have to say about it.

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Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Toby from RedWillow Brewery for handing this over for a 'baron rating'!

Buy RedWillow ales from Source Deli

Summer Wine Diablo

Summer Wine Diablo [baron rating 5/5] - 6% gold ale,lime marmalade smell,massive pithy citrus big bitter taste,long peppery bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris, Paul (Source Deli) and the Baron have to say about it.

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Note: Not bottle conditioned

Thank you to Paul from Source Deli for bringing this round for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Summer Wine ales from Source Deli

Little Valley Python IPA

Little Valley Python IPA [baron rating 5/5] - 6% copper ale,sweet apricot & resin smell,peach apricot tangy taste,dry fruity bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

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Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to @bob_beer from Best of British Beer for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Little Valley ales from Best of British Beer

Mallinsons Stella

Mallinsons Stella [baron rating 5/5] - 4% pale gold ale,orange squash smell,strong pithy bitter taste,dry chalky endless pithy bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

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Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Tara (@Mallinsons) from Mallinsons for handing this over for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Mallinsons ales from Source Deli & myBrewerytap

Pipers Crisps rebranded for the better!

Back in April I was lucky enough to be sent some lovely crisps from Pipers Crisps.

Both Chris and I really enjoyed them and I posted our thoughts as audio reviews.

Pipers Crisps have recently rebranded and so sent through a selection of their rebranded packets and flavours:

• Anglesey Sea Salt - salt harvested from The Menai Straights
• Biggleswade Sweet Chilli - grow under glass near Biggleswade
• Burrow Hill Cider Vinegar & Sea Salt - cider vinegar from  Burrow Hill Cider farm in Somerset

• Karnataka Black Pepper & Sea Salt - peppercorns from the Western Ghats of Southern India
• Lye Cross Cheddar & Onion - cheddar cheese from Lye Cross farm near the village of Cheddar
• Unsalted
• Wissington Spicy Tomato - plum tomatoes from Cornersways Nursery

I asked Pipers about the reason for the rebrand:

After nearly eight years of sustained growth, Pipers Crisps is refreshing its brand and redesigning its packaging to accurately reflect its core values and emphasise what the brand stands for.

The new name on the pack is ‘Pipers Crisp Co’, highlighting not only the product itself, but also emphasising the company behind the brand - the people, the expertise and the great service that comes as part of the Pipers brand promise. The name boldly takes centre-stage on the new pack design and the updated logo incorporates the important message ‘Made By Farmers’.

Pipers Crisps are renowned for their great taste and strong flavours, sourced from passionate regional producers. The provenance of these flavours is essential to the brand, so the source of the flavour is named on every pack.

I really liked the original packets but these rebranded ones are even better, I love the retro look - it reminds me of the London Underground for some reason! These really are lovely crisps, if you ever see Pipers Crisps around make sure you try them.

Thank you to Zoe & Alex from @Pipers Crisps for sending these lovely looking rebranded packages through to me!

Looking forward to baron rating some Best of British Beers ales

I've been a bad Baron - since November we've been having an extension built. Two weeks ago the contractors had mostly finished and it was now our job to start decorating it. That's pretty much what I've been doing every evening and weekend for the past 2 weeks (apart from a much needed visit to NWAF).

Which means that although a couple of lovely looking bottles arrived from Best of British Beer last Thursday, I've only managed to find the time tonight to actually say "thank you":

Little Valley Brewery

• Python IPA - 6% straw coloured, double hopped, original IPA. Strong malty taste with a balance of hops and bitterness

The Celt Experience Brewery

• Bleddyn 1075 - 5.6% pale strong ale with a full bodied texture. Generous hopping with Atlantic & New Zealand varieties provide a lovely bitter tongue, crisp sweetness and citrus & grapefruit finish

Look out for 'baron ratings' for these Best of British Beer beers soon, and a big thank you to @bob_beer for sending them through to me!

Buy these ales from Best of British Beer

Green Jack Red Herring

Green Jack Red Herring [baron rating 5/5] - 5% red ale,wood smoke house smell,balanced red currant plummy taste,smoky gentle bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

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Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Martin (@GreenJackBrew) from Green Jack brewery for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Green Jack ales direct and from Ales By Mail and myBrewerytap

Stringers Furness Abbey

Stringers Furness Abbey [baron rating 4/5] - 7% dark amber ale,herby brown sugar smell,sultana sweet vanilla taste,fruit burnt sugar finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

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Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Jon from Stringers Beer for handing this over for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Stringers ales from Ales By Mail, myBrewerytap and Source Deli

RedWillow Feckless

RedWillow Feckless [baron rating 4/5] - 4.1% dark amber ale,toffee choc smell,sultana classic English bitter taste,long fruity bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris, Paul (Source Deli) and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Toby from RedWillow Brewery for handing this over for a 'baron rating'!

Buy RedWillow ales from Source Deli

Jenning's Tom Fool

Jenning's Tom Fool [baron rating 3/5] - 4% amber ale,mild raisin smell,sultana orange English bitter taste,tingly dry bitter finish Baron Orm

Note: Not bottle conditioned

St Peter's Suffolk Smokey

St Peter's Suffolk Smokey [baron rating 3/5] - 4.8% copper ale,sulphurous TCP mild citrus smell,sugary smoky taste,bitter harsh TCP finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

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Note: Not bottle conditioned

Thank you to @StPetersBrewery from St. Peter's Brewery for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy St. Peter's ales direct 

Windsor & Eton Guardsman

Windsor & Eton Guardsman [baron rating 4/5] - 4.2% copper ale,mild oaky sweet vanilla smell,balance sultana bitter taste,juicy bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Note: Not bottle conditioned

This was opened with Chris's rediculously large bottle opener, it's over a foot in length and in this case size does matter as it was stupidly hard to get the cap off!


Thank you to @WindsorEtonBrew from Windsor & Eton Brewery for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Windsor & Eton ales direct or from Ales By Mail

Green Jack Ripper

Green Jack Ripper [baron rating 5/5] - 8.5% amber ale,peaches & grapes smell,herbal sticky tropical bittersweet taste,fruity bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris, Paul (Source Deli) and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Paul from AlesByMail for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Green Jack ales direct and from Ales By Mail and myBrewerytap

RedWillow Sleepless

RedWillow Sleepless [baron rating 5/5] - 5.4% dark amber ale,green hops smell,big bitter tropical candied fruits taste,herbal bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris, Paul (Source Deli) and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Toby from RedWillow Brewery for handing this over for a 'baron rating'!

Buy RedWillow ales from Source Deli

Looking forward to trying Kent Crisps

There are a number of simple snacks that go really well with beer and crisps are one of the best. I started chatting to Kent Crisps via Twitter and they offered to send a sample pack out of their flavours:

Kent Crisps

• Ashmore Cheese & Onion - made with Ashmore Farmhouse cheddar
• Oyster & Vinegar - Oysters collected around Whitstable
• Sea Salt
• Sea Salt & Biddenden Cider Vinegar - cider from Biddenden, Kent's oldest commercial vineyard

 Look out for audio reviews of these Kent Crisps soon, and a big thank you to Liz from @KentCrisps for sending them through to me

Stonehouse Wheeltappers

Stonehouse Wheeltappers [baron rating 3/5] - 4.5% gold ale,mild coriander smell,crisp peppery lemony balanced taste,honey zesty finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

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Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to @StonehouseBeer for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Looking forward to baron rating Green Jack Red Herring

I'm a big fan of the Green Jack Brewery and I've mentioned before that they are one of the brewing scene's hidden gems so when they offered to send some of their brand new "Red Herring" I didn't say no:

Green Jack Brewery

• Red Herring - 5% fruity red ale with a dry smokey finish, brewed using locally smoked malt

Green Jack have such lovely tall bottles, the 750ml swingtop looks so cool and the labels are always really detailed, see if you can spot the redder of the red herrings on the label.

Look out for a 'baron rating' for this Green Jack Brewery beer, and a big thank you to Martin (@GreenJackBrew) for sending it through to me!

Buy Green Jack ales direct and from Ales By Mail and myBrewerytap

Looking forward to baron rating Mallinsons single hopped ales

Mallinsons have been very kind to the baron in the past and dropped off a selection of their fine ales as they were passing through Ormskirk. Tara got in touch with me last week to be saying that they would be passing through at the weekend so she would drop off some of their new single hopped ales including a bottle of Stella:

The Mallinsons branded glass is awesome, I love the fluted shape it's really comfy to hold and looks much more stylish than a regular pint pot. There was also a tshirt for me and in my size as well! (medium if anyone else is interested in sending me branded clothing...)

Mallinsons Brewing Company

• Bramling Cross - 3.8% golden ale with light blackcurrant fruit nose. Bitter fruity light blackcurrant taste and a fruity tart finish
• Brewers Gold - 3.8% golden ale with a fruity fresh hop aroma,hoppy bitter citrus taste & finish
• Citra - 3.9% very pale ale,amazing grapefruit & light mango nose,bitter hoppy citrus taste with a bitter grapefruit & light passion fruit finish
• Eye Pea Ay - 5% very pale blonde ale with a citrus hop aroma,tart bitter taste & a long lemon citrus finish (note: not part of the single hop range)
• Stella - 4% very pale blonde ale with hoppy floral notes and a slight spiciness on the nose. Taste is bitter & hoppy with a bitter, dry finish

I don't think there's any need to write my baron ratings other than provide the score as Tara has done a great job of describing these beers already! I really like it when brewers describe the flavours you should get from the ale rather than just putting "a tasty refreshing balanced ale"...

Look out for 'baron ratings' for these Mallinsons beers soon, and a big thank you to Tara (@Mallinsons) from Mallinsons Brewery for handing these over to me!

Buy Mallinsons ales from Source Deli & myBrewerytap

Homemade doner kebabs Boak & Bailey style

I'm a big fan of lamb doner kebabs but don't get that many chances to have them (I don't go out that much to be honest hence the addiction of drinking new bottled beers at home) so I when I saw a doner kebab recipe on Boak & Bailey's Blog I just had to give it a go.

I've removed the lamb's liver from the ingredients (it made me feel a bit funny) and I hand mix it rather than food processor it (I find the resultant meaty texture much more pleasing). I've made this around four times now and I'm very happy with how it comes out.

One word of advice: get your lamb mince from a local butcher rather than the supermarket, it will be leaner and tastier as a result.

Ingredients (suitable for 2 kebabs)
Kebab

• 300g lamb mince
• 30g porridge oats
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• spice and herb mix: tbsp garlic powder, tbsp Italian herbs, tsp Cayenne pepper, tsp salt

To serve

• large naan bread
• white cabbage, lettuce, onion, tomato
• Aldi's Hot Mango chutney, homemade raita and garlic mayonnaise

Measure out all the ingredients into a large bowl

Hand mix squashing it all together and folding it in until the powders and herbs are all nicely mixed (this takes some time but give a nice finished consistency.

Form the mixture into a fat sausage

Wrap tightly in oiled clingfilm (twisting the ends until it forms a tight roll)

Chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 120 degrees centigrade. Remove the meat from its wrapper and put it on a lightly greased non-stick roasting tin or baking sheet. Cook for two hours, turning after an hour.

Warm naan bread then cover in Aldi's hot mango chutney then add some thinly sliced doner meat. Add mixed salad next and then the raita and garlic mayo.

Enjoy!

Adnams Old Ale

Adnams Old Ale [baron rating 4/5] - 4.1% dark brown mild,cola & berries smell,plummy fruity cinder toffee taste,dandelion & burdock finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

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Note: Cask-conditioned with perfect carbonation on the first day, starts to subside after that

Thank you to Adnams for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Adnams ales direct

Looking forward to baron rating RedWillow ales

RedWillow Brewery has been brought to the Baron's attention via various people on Twitter talking about their ales on cask in various northern pubs. I didn't know that they bottled until Paul from Source Deli mentioned that Toby from RedWillow had dropped off some samples for baron rating:

RedWillow Brewery

• Ageless - 7.2% double IPA - assertively hoppy with a long bitter finish
• Fathomless - 5.2% Oyster Stout - made with hand-shucked oysters & hand roasted oats
• Feckless - 4.1% Best Bitter - smooth toffee & caramel with English hops,a classic bitter
• Sleepless - 5.4% American Amber Ale, made with Nelson, Galaxy & Amarillo hops

Look out for 'baron ratings' for these RedWillow Brewery beers soon, and a big thank you to Toby from RedWillow Brewery for handing them over for review!

Buy RedWillow ales from Source Deli

Windsor & Eton Windsor Knot

Windsor & Eton Windsor Knot [baron rating 4/5] - 4.5% amber ale,fruit pastilles smell,rounded tropical taste,long fruity mildly sharp finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Note: Not bottle conditioned

Thank you to @WindsorEtonBrew from Windsor & Eton Brewery for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Windsor & Eton ales direct or from Ales By Mail

Stringers Delta

Stringers Delta [baron rating 4/5] - 6.5% gold ale,sweet citrus & tropical fruits smell,pithy tropical citrus taste,big sharp bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation

Thank you to Jon from Stringers Beer for handing this over for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Stringers ales from Ales By Mail, myBrewerytap and Source Deli