Cambridge Winter Ale Festival 2004

Beer & Cider

Whilst many beers here are Winter ones, as usual there are lighter varieties as well.

Beer descriptions are from the Good Beer Guide 2004 or from the breweries or from the Web or our own tastings.

Abbeydale, Sheffield; 1996

Black Mass 6.6%: Strong black stout, quite bitter and dry but full-flavoured with a characteristic hop aroma.
Last Rites 11%: A pale, strong barley wine bursting with flavour.

Badger (Hall & Woodhouse), Blandford St Mary, Dorset; 1777

Cold Turkey 3.5%

Bartrams, Thurston, Suffolk; 1999

Winter Daze 5.0%
Old Mother-in-Law's Tongue-Tied 9%

Brains, Cardiff; 1882

Rev. James Bitter 4.5%

Brakespear, Burtonwood Brewery, Warrington

Brass Monkey 4.0%

Brancaster, The Jolly Sailors, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk; 2003

IPA 3.7%
Old Les 5.0%

Buffys, Tivetshall St Mary, Norfolk; 1993

Bitter 3.9%

Burton Bridge, Burton-on-Trent, Staffs.; 1982

Rollercoaster 4.5%
Thomas Sykes Old Ale 10%

Caledonian, Edinburgh; 1869

Burns Ale 4.7%

City of Cambridge, Chittering, Cambs.; 1997

Boathouse Bitter 3.8%: Copper-brown and full-bodied session bitter, starting with impressive citrus and floral hop; grassy, fruity notes and cooked vegetables are present with finally a fading gentle bitterness.
Holly Heaven 5.2%
Parkers Porter 5.3%: Impressive reddish brew with a defined roast character throughout and short, fruity, bitter-sweet palate.

Cotleigh, Wiveliscombe, Somerset; 1979

Snowy 5.0%: A distinctive, pale-coloured seasonal ale.

Cox & Holbrook, Buxhall, Suffolk; 1997

Stormwatch 5.0%
Stowmarket Porter 5.0%

Daleside, Harrogate, Yorks.; 2000

Old Legover 4.1%: A well-balanced, mid-brown, refreshing beer that leads to an equally well-balanced, fruity and bitter aftertaste.

Dark Star, Haywards Heath, Sussex; 1995

Star of Wonder 4.2%
Winter Meltdown 5.0%: Brewed with Chocolate and Crystal malts to produce this deep bronze coloured beer with a hint of malty flavour, bittered by the traditional Golding hop varieties. This is a classic strong bitter complemented by the aromatic warmth of Chinese stem ginger.

Elgood, Wisbech, Cambs.; 1795

Thin Ice 4.7%: Fragrant hops and orange fruit aromas introduce this golden bitter. Citrus, resiny hop fills the mouth, and the finish is delightfully bitter, with hops and fruit persisting.
North Brink Porter 5.0%: Dark in colour resembling a dry stout, although less creamy and lighter in body with a coffeeish dryness.
Wenceslas Winter Warmer 7.5%: A rich red-brown distinctive warming brew, wine-like, with a full fruity aroma, a bitter-sweet flavour and a potent finish.

Enville, Stourbridge, W. Midlands; 1992

Nailmaker Mild 4.0%: With a more defined hop aroma and higher gravity than its counterpart Chainmaker Mild at 3.6%, this mild has a certain degree of sweetness associated with traditional mild, yet gives a drier finish.
Total Insanity 8.5%

Exmoor, Wiveliscombe, Somerset; 1980

Hart 4.8%
Beast 6.6%

Flagship, Chatham, Kent; 1995

Spanker 4.2%: A version of Ensign, a fruity, well-balanced ale.

Fox, The Fox & Hounds, Heacham, Hunstanton, Norfolk; 2002

L.J.B. 4.0%
Cerberus Stout 4.5%

Fullers, Chiswick, London; 1845

London Pride 4.1%

Goachers, Maidstone, Kent; 1983

Old Ale 6.7%

Green Tye, Much Hadham, Herefordshire

BBE 4.0%

Hampshire, Romsey, Hampshire; 1992

Not Tonight Josephine 5.0%

Hanby, Wem, Shropshire; 1988

Forgotten Promise 3.8%

Hardy & Hanson's, Kimberley, Nottingham; 1832

Old Kim 4.5%

Harviestoun, Dollar, Clackmannanshire; 1985

Jack The Lad 4.1%

Heather, Strathaven, Lanarkshire; 1998

Cock Sparra Red 4.5%

Hereward, Ely, Cambs.; Nov. 2003

Bitter 3.5%
Winter Ale 5.5%: Dark chestnut ale, sweet & nutty flavour.

Highgate, Walsall, W. Midlands; 1898

Old Ale 5.4%: A dark brown/ruby coloured old ale, full-flavoured, fruity and malty, with a complex aftertaste with hints of malt, roast, hops and fruit.

Holden's, Dudley, W. Mindlans; 1920s

Golden Glow 4.4%

Hook Norton, Banbury, Oxfordshire; 1849

Double Stout 4.8%: Very dark: a rich array of dark malt flavours includes cocoa powder, roast barley, hazelnuts and coffee is balanced by smooth, hoppy bitterness. The aftertaste is bitter, richly malty and lingering.

Hop Back, Downton, Salisbury, Wilts.; 1987

Winter Lightning 5.5%

Iceni, Ickburgh, Norfolk; 1995

Elveden Forest Gold 3.9%
Fine Soft Day 4.0%
Snowdrop 4.1%
Fen Tiger 4.2%: Full-bodied bitter with a hint of coriander.
Men of Norfolk 6.2%: Very dark brown and complex, with hints of roasted malt, coffee and fruitiness.

Marson's (Wolverhampton & Dudley), Burton-on-Trent; 1835

Old Empire Ale 5.7%

Milton, Milton, Cambs.; 1999

Minotaur 3.3%
Jupiter 3.5%
Aphrodite 3.8%
Zeus 4.2%
Menelaus 4.2%
Vulcan 4.4%
Nero 5.0%
Cyclops 5.3%
Colossus 5.6%
Nyx 6.2%
Biggus Dickus 6.9%
Mammon 7.0%
Saphos 7.9%
Caligula 8.8%

Nethergate, Clare, Suffolk; 1986

Umbel Ale 3.8%

O'Hanlons, Whimple, Devon; 1996

Double Champion Wheat 4.0%: This 1999 & 2000 SIBA Champion Wheat Beer of Britain has a fine citrus taste.
Dry Stout 4.2%

Oakham, Peterborough

JHB 3.8%
JHB Extra 4.2%
White Dwarf 4.3%
Bishops Farewell 4.6%
Black Hole Porter 5.5%

Oakleaf, Gosport, Hants.; 2000

Squirrel's Delight 4.4%

Old Mill, Snaith, E. Yorks.; 1983

Bullion 4.7%

Old Stables, The Sir William Peel, Sandy, Beds.; 2002

Palomino Pale 4.2%: Pale beer, flowery with a hint of peaches.
Black Beauty Stout 4.4%: Very black, with a dry roasty flavour and a lingering bitter finish.

Orkney, Quoyloo, Sandwick, Orkney; 1988

Dark Island 4.6%
Skullsplitter 8.5%: An intensive velvet malt nose with hints of apple, nutmeg and spice. Hops to the fore, balanced by satiny smooth with fruity spicy edges, leading to a long dry finish with a hint of nut. Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2001.

Quay, Weymouth, Dorset; 1996

Jurassic 4.7%: Dark amber beer, malty sweetness and a hoppy finish.

RCH, West Hewish, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset; c1980

Steam Sale 4.5%

Robinson's, Stockport, Cheshire; 1838

Best Bitter 4.2%

Roosters, Knaresborough, N. Yorks.; 1993

Body Warmer 5.2%

Salopian, Shrewsbury, Shropshire; 1995

Golden Thread 5.0%: Won two silver medals at the 1999 National Hop Association awards.

Smiles, Bristol; 1978

Old Tosser 4.3%: Pale Ale, Crystal and Chocolate malts produce a warming roast malt palate, with a gentle aroma of Williamette dry hops.

Stonehenge, Netheravon, Wilts.; 1984

Heel Stone 4.3%

Thwaites, Blackburn, Lancs.

Original 3.6%

Timothy Taylor, keighley, W. Yorks.; 1858

Landlord 4.3%

Tring, Tring, Herts.; 1992

Round House Ale 4.5%

Ushers (possibly brewed at Burtonwood, Warrington)

Winter Storm 4.0%: Brewed with Scottish Whisky Malt for a warming rich body. Styrian Goldings hops give the bitterness and floral aroma.

Ventnor, Isle Of Wight; 1840s

Wight Spirit 5.0%: Interesting pale, hoppy, strong bitter with a surprising reversal of flavours from taste to aftertaste.

Wissey Valley, The Bluebell, Stoke Ferry, Downham Market, Norfolk; 2003 (formerly Cap'n Grumpy)

Farmers Market Porter 4.0%: Dark chestnut in colour and packed with flavour.
Khaki Sergeant Stout 6.7%

Wychwood, Witney, Oxon.; 1983

Yorick 4.3%

Wye Valley, Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire; 1985

Butty Bach 4.5%

Youngs, Wandsworth, London; 1831

Winter Warmer 5.0%

Cider

Cassels, Gt. Shelford, Cambs.

Special 8%: Sweetish

The Waggon & Horses, Milton, Cambs.; 2003

Drunken Horse 6.5%

Cambridge Winter Ale Festival 2004