Looking forward to baron rating Vedett Session IPA

Duvel Moortgat Brewery

• Vedett Session IPA - 2.7% slightly cloudy session IPA with powerful & fresh hints of citrus and pine

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending these through to me!

Looking forward to baron rating Marston's DE14 ales

An unexpected box arrived today, it's been months since any beer arrived for review so it was a lovely surprise. It was sent through from R&R Teamwork on behalf of Marston's to promote their new craft brewery brand "DE14":

The glass is a thing of beauty, the cans don't look too bad either

Marston's DE14 Brewery

• End Point - 5.6% IPA, combines pale ale & lager malts to create a light golden colour, hopped with Admiral, First Gold & Herkules hops as well as a trio of late addition American hops (Chinook, Cascade & Columbus)
• Flight Suit - 5.1% Orange Pale Ale, a punchy, refreshing ale, crammed with 5 different hops & dry hopped with Mandarina Bavariato give a heady  marmalade aroma & an impressive orange sharpness

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending these through to me!

Looking forward to baron rating Tiny Rebel ales

We've not had any Tiny Rebel at Baron Towers for quite some time, you don't really see it around in the North West that much and I'd not been ordering that much beer online either recently. Ales By Mail sent through a few beers last week as an early Christmas present and inside was quite a nice selection of Tiny Rebel Brewery ales:

Tiny Rebel Brewery

• Beat Box - 4.5% American Pale Ale
• Bo'Ho -  5% Bohemian Lager
• Hadouken -7.4% Amplified IPA

• Cali - 5.6% American Pale Ale
• Captain Insano - 10% Triple IPA
• Clwb Tropicana - 5.5% Tropical IPA
• Cwtch - 4.6% Welsh Red Ale

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Paul from Ales By Mail for sending these through to me!

Buy Tiny Rebel beers from Ales By Mail

Looking forward to baron rating Wychwood Hobgoblin IPA

I've been extremely fortunate to have been sent a lot of beer over the past eight years of blogging and every now and then a brewery includes a few extras like glassware, bar runners, stickers, etc.

On Friday I received what I consider to be the best and craziest thing ever to have been sent to Baron Towers.

A wooden chest, with clasp and handle looking like something straight out of a Harry Potter movie. On opening the chest I was presented with two bottles of Wychwood's brand new Hobgoblin IPA as well as a very nice looking Spiegelau IPA tasting glass.

A brand new IPA with the perfect glass to taste it with!

Wychwood Brewery

• Hobgoblin IPA -  5.3% India Pale Ale,heftily hopped & aroma packed. Brewed with Fuggles, Goldings & Styrian hops & then amped up by the addition of some mighty American hops (Mosaic, Chinook, Centennial & Citra).

Thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Wychwood ales everywhere!

Looking forward to baron rating Clay Brow Nano ales

I've been tweeting with "big niz"over the past few months knowing only that he's local and does what appeared to be some home brewing.

After further conversations and investigation I found out that he's been home brewing for over a decade and was approved to be able to supply his Clay Brow Nano Brewery beers for wholesale back in May this year, he's currently brewing with a half barrel setup.

So far his outlet is the wonderful CatHop Beers in Rainford but he's looking for more chances to get his bottles into the hands of beers lovers. He offered to drop some samples off at my house, which was extremely kind of him, here is what was left for Chris & I to baron rate:

Consistent branding and all bottle conditioned

Clay Brow Nano Brewery

• Eclipse - 5.4% oatmeal stout, a smooth velvety texture with hints of toasted oats & chocolate
• Mr P's - 5.7% coffee & milk stout, blended with seven different malts and infused with cold-brewed Guatemalan coffee beans
• Mrs P's - 6% black IPA, a dark, hoppy IPA hopped with Centennial, Mosaic & Vic Secret
• Parkin's - 4.5% pale ale, a copper-coloured pale ale hopped with Challenger & East Kent Goldings British hops

Thank you to Neil from Clay Brow Nano Brewery for handing these over for a baron rating!

Buy Clay Brow ales from CatHop Beers

Looking forward to Baron Rating Shepherd Neame Cinque

Another new arrival from the Shepherd Neame family, this is 'Cinque' - their five grain premium lager. The "brewers have blended barley, rye, wheat, maize and rice" (really?!? do we need maize and rice?) "with Strisselspalt hops to produce a clean, superior tasting, high-quality lager".

Shepherd Neame Brewery

• Cinque - 5% premium lager, barley,rye,wheat,maize,rice - brewed with a complex and balanced blend of five grains for a clean superior taste

 Look out for baron ratings for this beer soon, and a big thank you to  Benedict from Shepherd Neame for sending it through for a baron rating!

Buy Shepherd Neame ales direct
 

Looking forward to baron rating Duvel Tripel Hop Citra

Duvel's Tripel Hop is a very special beer, one that I seek out each year and try (they have experimented with different hops over the past few years). Last summer they put out a six pack of unlabelled Duvel Tripel Hops, asking for people to record what they thought and to feedback the results. The overall winner by quite a way was the 2012 version, using Citra hops. So they have rebrewed that version and made it a regular line-up in their beer portfolio.

It "trounced the four American and one Japanese candidates"

Duvel Moortgat Brewery

• Duvel Tripel Hop Citra -9.5% Belguim beer super charged with Citra, an American hop from the Yakima Valley in Washington, used for its aromatic, grapefruit and tropical fruit notes

Thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending this through for a baron rating!

Looking forward to baron rating Williams Bros ales

Williams Brothers have been one of my longest supporting breweries, having first sent samples through back in 2010. They are one of the breweries that brew a consistent 'solid' range of ales as well as loads of one offs and stronger more specialist beers. They have supported a number of the Beer Blogger Conferences including sponsoring one of the evening meals.

I bumped into them again this year at BeerX and we got talking about what they were up to (as well as watching them win yet another SIBA Gold award for their "Williams Black".

This was the contents of their latest "care package" for the Baron:

Smart looking cans

Williams Bros. Brewery

• Caesar Augustus - 4% Lager IPA hybri, crisp clean notes of the finest lager, but with the discret, bitter finish of a well balanced IPA
• Double Joker IPA - 8.3% bitter sweet, with a big US hop punch, a bold Scottish style Imperial IPA
• Joker IPA - 5% fresh citrus aroma and bittersweet, full flavour
• Impale IPA - 5.5% hoppy insurrection, through biting bitterness and big tropical fruit aromas
• The Scorpion & The Frog - 8.9% mid-atlantic brown ale,a mistake during a brew of Double Joker IPA where dark malts found their way into the brew

Some really nice labels

Williams Bros. Brewery

• Iconic - 4.4% American Pale Ale, brewed with a blend of Scottish golden & crystal malts, the hops are all-American
• Paradigm Shift - 6.2% Enhanced Red Ale, brewed with a large amount of Crystal malt,this generously hopped red ale might be best described as a red IPA. Big, citrusy hop aromas and a bitter, malty-caramel flavour
• Perfect Storm - 4.5% epic IPA, delicious light IPA, full bodied with a striking bitterness and intense fruity hop character
• Re#Dial - 4% cold fermented craft lager, delivering a crisp & refreshing citrus taste
• Redact - 4.4% red lager/IPA hybrid, notes of sweet toffee & molasses, and the aromatic punch of Citra & Calypso hops
• Stravaigin - 6.4%  Scottish craft ale, a floral, light malt ale with a refreshing fruit & herbal finish

Thank you to Williams Bros. for sending these through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Williams Bros ales direct

Looking forward to trying these #BeerNow17 ales

I was at the beer bloggers conference last weekend, which was rebadged the Beer Now conference. I had a great time meeting brewers, beer bloggers and tweeters as well as trying a load of new beers. As always I went collecting samples for review, here are the bottles that will be receiving the 'baron rating' treatment over the coming weeks:

• Abbeydale Heathen - 4.1% pale ale, wonderfully refreshing American-style pale ale showcasing the marvellous Mosaic hop. Light and sessionable, bursting with tropical fruit flavours and a pleasant citrus bitterness
• Hardknott Long Drop - 4.8% exhilarating session IPA, great flavours, mouthfeel and huge satisfaction
• Hardknott Rheged Fjall - 4.5% pale ale
• Ilkley Alpha Beta - 4.5% rye session IPA, distinctive American hop character. Body and depth from the rye. A little beer that's big and bold
• Lost Industry Black Licorice Gose - 3.9%
• Lost Industry Serie Saison Le Pays Noir - 7.3% dry-hopped black saison

• Sharp's Cornish Pilsner - 5.2% bottle conditioned pilsner, fermented with Czech yeast then lagered on a bed of Saaz hops to create stunning, zesty herbal notes and a delicious clean, citrus flavour
• Twisted Barrel I was made for lovin' - 8% imperial stout
• Twisted Barrel It's Aliiive!! - 6.3% hazy IPA
• Twisted Barrel Soup Dragon - 5.8% lime and chipotle saison

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to all the breweries for handing them over to me!

Looking forward to baron rating Edinburgh Beer Factory's Paolozzi

An amazing gift pack arrived a couple of weeks ago, a beautifully branded blue box, with design on all sides of it.

The box was sent through from R & R Teamwork who are the PR agency for Edinburgh Beer Factory's recently launched Paolozzi lager

The contents of the box was just as lovely the outside, a glossy booklet explaining about the origins of the Munich-style lager, some colourful beer mats as well as three bottles of the said lager and a lovely branded glass.

A very pleasant looking gift pack indeed!

A very smart looking bottle

Edinburgh Beer Factory

• Paolozzi - 5.2% full-bodied, unpasteurised 'Helles' lager, lusciously malty with a low bitterness. Brewed with Lager Pils & Caramalt barley malts and subtly hopped with Saaz & Hallertau

Look out for a 'baron rating' for this beer soon, and a big thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending it through to me!

Looking forward to baron rating Vedett beers

A "Duvel Vedett care package" arrived some weeks ago and I've been that busy/lazy/remiss that it's only now that I'm actually writing about it (so sorry R&R Teamwork!)

Great branding & a very stylish glass!

Duvel Moortgat Brewery

• Vedett Extra Blond [baron rating 4/5] - 5% "well-hopped pilsner" premium lager
• Vedett Extra Ordinary IPA - 5.5% "IPA, but not really from India and not really a pale ale"
• Vedett Extra White - 4.7% wit beer, bottle conditioned & unfiltered

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending these through to me!

Looking forward to baron rating La Virgen ale

Spanish beer? What do I think about Spanish beer? I think I've not tried very much of it! Luckily for me BASCO got in touch with me this week asking if I'd like to try some Spanish beer and snacks - sounds like a great idea! Not only did they send a couple of bottle of La Virgen Jamonera but also a lovely looking pack of Serrano ham!

Beer and cured meats, a match made in heaven!

La Virgen

• Jamonera - 5% amber ale

Thank you to @BascoFineFoods from BASCO for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy La Virgen ales from Basco

Looking forward to baron rating Wychwood Gratis gluten-free beer

Not only have Wychwood released a lager recently but they are now addressing the ever growing sector of Gluten-free beers. Brewed due to an enquiry from Marston's Inns and Taverns' pubs, it will be available in 330ml bottles. Apart from the bottle they also send some Gluten-free snacks, Rude Health's organic Mini Corn Crackers & The Pumpkin snack bar:

Gluten-free beer & snacks

Wychwood Brewery

•  Gratis - 4.2% crafted golden beer brewed with the flavoursome Styrian Golding hop to give a light floral aroma, but a heady and firm bitterness, for a sharp and bold aftertaste

Look out for a 'baron rating' of this beer soon, and a big thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending it through to me!

Looking forward to baron rating Hillside ales

I met Paul from Hillside Brewery back in May when judging at the SIBA Wales and West beer competition. He was showing us pictures of their barn conversion which looked like it was going to be an excellent bar, function area and a great addition to the brewery.

A month ago a box of Hillside samples showed up, here are the details:

Hillside Brewery

• Jolly Jester - 9% Belgian style beer
• Legend of Hillside - 4.7% English IPA, with a subtle honey flavour, and a strong hop finish
• Legless Cow - 4.2% best bitter, has a rich caramel flavour with a smooth citrus hop finish

• Over the Hill - 3.5% dark mild, a full bodied, single-hop malty dark mild
• Pinnacle - 3.8% pale ale, great session beer leaving a fresh fruity finish
• Summit - 4.9% ruby ale, a bold well balanced ale with rich malty flavours, deep caramel notes and a hint of toffee and chocolate to finish

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Paul (@Hillsidebrewery) from Hillside Brewery for sending these through to me!

Looking forward to baron rating Duvel's Tripel Hop Tasting Box

A couple of months ago I was invited by drink and food PR firm R&R Teamwork to join them down in London for a Duvel evening where you could try six of the previous Tripel Hop limited edition beers. Duvel Tripel Hop is a wonderful beer (in all it's versions) but London is just a bit too far from Ormskirk for an evening of drinking. I did suggest that if they wanted to send me the six beers then that would be great but it was more of a tongue-in-cheek comment rather than actually expecting to receive them...

6 bottles, 1 pencil & a Tasting Notes book

Duvel Moortgat Brewery

I'd normally explain what each beer in the pack is and what the bottle label says about it but in this case the only difference on the label is the number on the front. I can tell you that they are brewed to the recipes used over the past few years for the Tripel Hop specials. Each one is regular Duvel brewed with an additional hop, these are: Amarillo, Citra, Sorachi Ace, Mosaic, Equninox & HBC291.

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending these through to me!

Looking forward to baron rating Cornish Crown ales

A box of beers arrived from Cornwall the other week, from Cornish Crown Brewery:

Cornish Crown Brewery

• Golowan Ale - 4.1% pale in colour, a light beer with a citrus bitterness from Cascade hops
• One Hop One Grain - 4.1% light, hoppy session pale ale,brewed exclusively with the finest British pale maltsand is hopped with American Cascade
• Porter - 5.2% dark, rich beer that originates from London in the 18th century. well-hopped and made with dark malts. Infused with Madagascar Borbon vanilla
• Red IPA - 6% strong IPA with a distintive red hue. Medium bitterness. A blend of Pale and a touch of Crystal malts. Well hopped with Nelson Sauvin & Cascade
• SPA - 4.8% pale gold in colour, strong yet easy drinking, with medium to strong bitterness. Made with Pale malt.Summit bittering hops with Hallertau Mittelfruh and Pilgrim aroma hops give a strong citrus finish
• St Michaels - 4% light brown, mid amber in colour.Medium to strong bitterness. A blend of pale and crystal malts. Pilgrim bittering hops with a strong hop finish from Summit and Goldings

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Cornish Crown for sending these through to me!

Looking forward to baron rating these Wychwood beers

The good people at R&R Teamwork (drink & food PR) sent through a nice care package yesterday, containing some Wychwood cans including their new King Star lager as well as a selection of Mr. Trotter's Sausalami. King Star is an "extrovert, food-friendly lager showcasing the 5 special hops from which it is brewed" (Hallertau Magnum, Tradition, Hersbrucker, Styrian Goldings & British Admiral):

Wychwood Brewery

• Hobgoblin - 4.5% ruby beer, brewed with roasted malts for a well balanced, rich, smooth taste
• Hobgoblin Gold - 4.2% golden beer
• King Star - 5.6% crafted lager, a big and bold lager which is laced with flavour, enjoy a spicy herbal nose and a crisp quaffable elixir

Mr. Trotter's

• Cracked black pepper Sausalami
• Original Sausalami
• Jalapeno Chilli Sausalami

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending these through to me!

Looking forward to all these Best of British Beers!

I was fortunate to be picked as a beer judge at the recent SIBA Wales & West Region competition down in Ludlow, and bumped into Will and Gill from Best of British Beer. They have been a supporter of the Baron some time ago and it was great to catch up with them both and to find out that they are doing very well. They sold a load of beer in minutes via QVC, sell hand-picked beer selections as well as providing gift packs of ales, wines and spirits.  They said that they would send through some samples from their 'curated packs' and a couple of days later a box arrived in perfect condition:

These six beers were selected as part of their "craft" selection:

• 360 Degrees Project Gemini v2.0 - 4.3% twin hopped session pale ale
• Animal Oink! - 4.6% Yakima red rye ale
• Crate Pale - 4.5% fresh & aromatic, bursting with tropical aromas
• Electric Bear Livewire - 5.4% IPA, citrus & floral herb notes with perfectly balanced bitterness. It gives a punchy crisp finish
• Fyne Ragnarok - 7.4% double IPA - imperial Jarl, sweet hoppy aromas followed by citrus and toffee to finish
• Uprising Treason - 6% West Coast IPA, burning bronze in colour with a big hop aroma that gives way to a lingering spicy bitterness

These six beers are part of their "sub four" selection, all low ABV, but high on flavour:

• Allendale Pennine Pale - 4% golden ale, brewed with an outstanding trio of bold American hops for a full fruity aroma and flavour, with a refreshing citrus finish
• Brighton Bier Bier- 4% 'all-rounder' pale, progressive yet balanced, moreish and refreshing
• Bude Porthbud - 4% pale ale
• Exeter Avocet - 3.9% pale straw colour with a light citrus taste
• Peerless Triple Blond - 4% zesty blonde ale, a blonde ale using three malts and three hops. Brewing with a higher than normal percentage of wheat gives this zesty beer its unique flavour
• Shropshire Brewer The Golden Arrow - 3.9% pale ale, a moderate strength pale gold session ale with an abundance of hop character provided by a blend of New Zealand and British hop varieties

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

Buy these ales from Best of British Beer

Looking forward to baron rating Salopian Sienna

I was fortunate to be selected to judge at the SIBA Wales & West beer competition down in Ludlow last Friday which was as always an excellent event, some bad beer, mostly good beer and excellent people made for a great day trip from Ormskirk with Chris.

Salopian Brewery are part of that region and it's always good to catch up with the folks from the brewery and especially Jake who always takes time out to have a good chat to us about the brewery, new beers and life in general. He was also very kind and handed over a bottle of the next installment from their 'brown bottle no description' range:

It's a 4.4% something...

Salopian Brewery

• Sienna - 4.4% ?

Look out for a 'baron rating' for this Salopian Brewery beer soon, and a big thank you to Jake (@SalopianBrewery) for handing it over to me!

Buy Salopian ales from Holborn Ales