Meantime Yakima Red

Not bottle conditioned

Meantime Yakima Red [baron rating 3/5] - 4.1% red ale,toast caramel smell,earthy toast, mild caramel taste,slight fizzy malty finish Baron Orm

Meantime London Pale Ale

Not bottle conditioned

It's got a lovely new look!

Meantime London Pale Ale [baron rating 4/5] - 4.3% copper ale,mild spicy citrus smell,crisp zingy citrus taste,dry bitter clementine 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

This was part of the autumn pack of the superb '52 week beer club' by myBrewerytap.

Join it now and make sure you say the baron made me do it!

Buy Meantime ales from myBrewerytap

Details of myBrewerytap's 52 week beer club (Autumn 2011)

The autumn box of myBrewerytap's excellent "52 week beer club" arrived at the end of last week, here are the details of what's in the box. Watch Chris & I unbox the latest myBrewerytap beers:

• Acorn Conquest [baron rating 5/5] - 5.7% well-hopped traditional IPA,hoppy aroma, good citrus flavour & lasting bitter finish
• BrewDog 5am Saint - 5% iconoclastic amber ale
• Buxton Buxton Gold - 5.2% refreshing golden ale with a wonderful aroma & flavour from Amarillo, Liberty & Nelson Sauvin hops
• Fyne Hurricane Jack [baron rating 5/5] - 4.4% blonde & fruitily hopped ale
• Hopdeamon Skrimshander IPA [baron rating 5/5] - 4.5% deliciously fruity with spicy citrus aromas, clean fresh taste & dry hoppy finish

• Ilkley Ilkley Black - 3.7% rich & satisfying dark mild
• Inveralmond Ossian [baron rating 3/5] - 4.1% smooth & drinkable with distinct nutty tones & fruitiness
• Meantime London Pale Ale - 4.3% pale ale brewed with Goldings & Cascade hops
• Saltaire Raspberry Blonde - 4% golden speciality ale with an infusion of raspberries

• Stringers Dry Stout [baron rating 5/5] - 4.5% bottled version of their Champion Stout of Cumbria
• White's Garter Star 1344 - 4.9% ???
• Williams Bros Profanity Stout [baron rating 5/5] - 7% rich, dark & dry hopped, blend of rich coffee & intensely fruity aromas with a velvety malty mouthfeel
• Wold Top Mars Magic [baron rating 3/5] - 4.6% dark aromatic beer, warm red glow & a smooth malty flavour

Thank you to Richard from myBrewerytap for the complementary membership to the club, I really enjoyed being a paying member of it last year and so far it looks like it's going to be even better!

Join it now and make sure you say the baron made me do it!

Meantime Wheat

Meantime Wheat [baron rating 4/5] - 5% cloudy gold ale,pineapple banoffee pie smell,clean lemon white grape taste,dry bitter lemon 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 part of the summer pack of the superb '52 week beer club' by myBrewerytap.

Join it now and make sure you say the baron made me do it!

Buy Meantime ales here

Baron on Tour: AlesByMail craft beer & food tasting

I was lucky enough to be asked by Ales By Mail if I would like to attend their first craft beer & food tasting night held at the Mustard Bar & Bistro a couple of weeks ago. It was a six-course meal with each food item paired with a specific beer, here is the menu:

• Sambrooks Wandle ale with homemade scotch egg & pork scratching
  I'm not a massive fan of Wandle on it's own but with the food it was the perfect match
• Pitfield Ginger beer with ham hock terrine & pineapple chutney
  The ginger ale lacked anything exciting about it but was saved by the lovely taste of the terrine

• Calvors premium lager with smoked bacon, brie & cranberry pie
  A perfect match - such a lovely lager and amazing pie - yum!

• Green Jack Canary Pale Ale with fresh mussels cooked in the same ale
  I'm not a seafood fan at all but the Canary is an amazingly delicious beer and worked nicely with it
• Meantime Chocolate beer with braised rib of beef,pototo puree, parsley & lemon
  Although the beef was extremely tasty, I felt the beer stomped all over it and was too brutal for the savoury course
• Stringers Dry Stout with chocolate truffles & peanut brittle
  The stout was not a good match for the truffles but worked amazingly well with the nutty peanut brittle

It was an excellent evening, both Richard of Mustard & Paul from Ales By Mail did a great job talking us through the courses and the food & drink was lovely! A massive thank you to Paul for hosting the event & looking after me, I'd certainly recommend this type of evening if you are in the area. Also thanks to Brentwood Brewing Company for being such lovely people - I was sat with them and they had to put up with me! :D

Details of myBrewerytap's 52 week beer club (Summer 2011)

The summer box of myBrewerytap's excellent "52 week beer club" arrived at the end of last week, here are the details of what's in the box as well as an unboxing video:

Watch Chris & I unbox the latest myBrewerytap beers:


Video recorded on Chris's excellent camera, the Panasonic LX5

• Bitter End Lakeland IPA [ baron rating 3/5] -5.5% ?
• Cotleigh Barn Owl [baron rating 4/5] -4.5% copper coloured premium bitter with hints of toffee & nut
• Dark Star Sunburst [baron rating 4/5] -4.8% gold ale with grapefruit aroma
• Hawkshead Red [baron rating 4/5] -4.4% bitter sweet rich & fruity
• Hewitt's Un-Hung Hero -5% refreshingly bottle conditioned pale ale

• Ilkley Mary Jane [baron rating 3/5] -3.5% crisp & pale with a citrus aroma
• Lymestone Foundation Stone -4.5% biscuit & chewy juicy fruit with spicy peppery taste
• Meantime Wheat -5% with characteristic banana toffee cloves aroma
• Moorhouse's Blond Witch [baron rating 3/5] -4.5% refreshing ale with a sweet citrus dry finish

• Oakham Inferno [baron rating 4/5] -4.4% complex fruits on the tongue with a dry fruity bitter finish
• Ossett Yorkshire Blonde [baron rating 4/5] -4.5% lager coloured ale,full bodied,well rounded & slightly sweet
• Williams Bros Seven Giraffes [baron rating 4/5] -5.1% 7 varieties of malted barley, wild elderflowers & lemon zest to create an aromatic moreish beer
• York Minster Ale - 4.2% premium bitter

Thank you to Richard from myBrewerytap for the complementary membership to the club, I really enjoyed being a paying member of it last year and so far it looks like it's going to be even better!

Join it now and make sure you say the baron made me do it!

Meantime London Pale Ale

Meantime London Pale Ale [baron rating 4/5] - 4.3% gold ale,marmalade smell, tangy fruity bittersweet taste,slightly tart lasting finish Baron Orm

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

Buy Meantime ales here

Meantime Chocolate

Meantime Chocolate [baron rating 3/5] - 6.5% dark ruby ale,sweet dark choc smell,refreshing bittersweet choc taste,bittersweet choc 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

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

This was also part of the autumn pack of the superb '52 week beer club' by myBrewerytap.

Buy Meantime ales here and here

myBrewerytap's autumn selection of the '52 week beer club'

Chris & I have been a member of myBrewerytap's 52 week beer club since December and our 4th quarter's pack arrived a this week. It arrived in perfect condition as always.

This pack is a bit of a special one as it's the end of mybrewerytap's first year of the club so Richard has pulled out all the stops to make sure it's a cracking pack. Chris & I have been very fortunate to sample some of the beers in this pack over the past year and there are some real winners in here.

Here are the details:

• BrewDog Punk IPA [baron rating 5/5]

• Crouch Vale Brewers Gold

• Felinfoel Double Dragon

• Hawkshead Lakeland Gold [baron rating 5/5]

• Hogs Back TEA

• Inveralmond Ossian

• Mallinsons Station Best Bitter

• Marble Manchester Bitter [baron rating 5/5]

• Meantime Chocolate

• RCH Ale Mary

• Saltaire Cascade Pale Ale [baron rating 5/5]

• Thornbridge Jaipur [baron rating 5/5]

• Williams Bros Good Times [baron rating 5/5]

As you can see from the above, there are some absolute crackers in this pack!

Join it now and make sure you say the baron made me do it!

Looking forward to 'baron rating' more AlesByMail ales soon!

I received an amazing heavy box of ale today from Paul at AlesByMail, twenty four different bottles to 'baron rate'! Check out the packaging (and the two Eat Natural bars!):

Look at them all, peeping out at me!

The box contained the following:

• Atlantic Blue - 4.8% rich porter

• Atlantic Fistral - 5.2% strong smooth & dry premium beer

• Bavik-De Brabandere Petrus Blond - 6.6% blond beer

• Het Anker Gouden Carolus Ambrio - 6% belgian beer

• Het Anker Maneblusser - 8% belgian beer

• Conwy Rampart -4.5% premium bitter

• Crouch Vale Brewers Gold - 4% pale hoppy beer

• Crouch Vale Essex Boys - 4% best bitter

• Crouch Vale FPA - 5.9% fine pale ale

• Crouch Vale Willie Warmer - 6.4% strong dark ale

• Downton Chimera Dark Delight - 6% complex dark ale

• Downton Chimera IPA - 7% india pale ale

• Hobsons Town Crier - 4.5% crisp golden ale

• Itchen Valley Wat Tyler - 5% dark brown hoppy ale

• Laverstoke Park Real Ale - 5% organic ale

• Laverstoke Park Real Lager - 4.5% organic lager

• Leek Dark Peak Ale - 9% strong stout

• Meantime Chocolate - 6.5% chocolate beer

• Meantime London Pale Ale - 4.3% pale ale

• Orkney Dragonhead - 4% stout

• Penlon Torwen - 4.5% dark fruit beer

• Titanic Captain Smiths - 5.2% red-brown full-bodied beer

• Wentworth Oyster Stout - 4.8% full bodied oyster stout

• Wentworth Rampant Gryphon - 6.2% strong pale ale

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

Meantime India Pale Ale (IPA)

Meantime India Pale Ale [baron rating 4/5] - this 7.5% copper ale has a high ABV hop aroma,a creamy malt spicy hop taste & spicy hop finish

Buy Meantime ales here