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Great British Beer Festival 2007 (CAMRA Beer Festival)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Stone - Ruination IPA |  | 1 |
| Oakham - White Dwarf |  | 1 |
| George Wright - Pipe Dream | | 1 |
| Smuttynose Brewing Company - Robust Porter | | 1 |
| Green Jack - Ripper Tripel | | 1 |
| Portsmouth Brewery (New Hampshire) - Bottle Rocket IPA | | 1 |
| Spectrum - Old Stoatwobbler | | 1 |
| Wear Valley - Morning After | | 1 |
| Marble - GSB |  | 1 |
| Oakham - Helter Skelter | | 1 |
| Tryst - Carronade IPA | | 1 |
| Milly's Tavern - Manch Vegas IPA | | 1 |
| Dogfish Head - 60 Minute IPA | | 1 |
| Otter - Head | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Hophead Extra | | 1 |
| Brunswick - Black Sabbath | | 1 |
| Yo-Ho Brewing Company - Tokyo Black Ale | | 1 |
| Smuttynose Brewing Company - IPA | | 1 |
| Facer's - Landslide 1927 | | 1 |
| Martha's Exchange - Golden Perch IPA | | 1 |
| Stone - Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Tring - Blond | | 1 |
| Thomas Hooker - Hop Meadow IPA | | 1 |
| Spectrum - Dark Fantastic | | 1 |
| Stone - IPA | | 1 |
| Fyne - Summerled |  | 1 |
| Redhook - Blackhook Porter | | 1 |
| Evan Evans - Cwrw (aka Welsh Ale) | | 1 |
| Caythorpe - Stout Fellow | | 1 |
| Palmers - Dorset Gold | | 1 |
| Rooster's - Special | | 1 |
| Humpty Dumpty - Golden Gorse | | 1 |
| Cambridge House - Abijah Rowe IPA | | 1 |
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | | 1 |
| Peak Ales - Bakewell Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Teignworthy - Old Moggie | | 1 |
| DarkTribe - Sternwheeler | | 1 |
| Station House - Lammastide | | 1 |
| Gardner Ale House - Naked Stout | | 1 |
| Falstaff - A Fist Full of Hops | | 1 |
| Inveralmond - Lia Fail | | 1 |
| Belvoir - Star Bitter | | 1 |
| Warcop - Pit Shaft | | 1 |
| Olde Swan - Light Mild (aka Original) | | 1 |
| Caledonian - Rebus | | 1 |
| Alcazar - Desert Fox | | 1 |
| Durham - Black Velvet | | 1 |
| Magpie - Early Bird | | 1 |
| Cheddar - Potholer |  | 1 |
| Bowland - Elderado | | 1 |
| Rother Valley - Hoppers Ale (now use 4.4% entry) | | 1 |
| Breconshire - Cribyn | | 1 |
| Pictish - Corn Dolly | | 1 |
| Wooden Hand - Cornish Buccaneer | | 1 |
Visits Details
11 Aug 2007 (Ian)
I gave my liver a day to recover and came back Saturday. OK so some beers had gone, but there was still a load of UK beers for me to try. Nice atmosphere on a Saturday, more non beer geeks.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 | | As per usual. |
| Green Jack - Ripper Tripel | 8.50 | | It’s Winter Champion beer of Britain, so I was excited by this. Amber, thin beige head. Good barley wine aroma, it is a bit sweet, but you’d expect that, intense toffee and grapefruit. It’s a good barley wine, takes you to a cloudy, fluffy, cotton wool world. Peppery hop. Hot alcohol. Some nice toffee. Great effect. |
| Wear Valley - Morning After | 4.80 | | Black with dark brown edges, bubbly beige head. Charcoal, smoke, oatmeal aroma, really tasty in mouth.. Good tarry, tasty, smoky stout. Amazing. |
| Otter - Head | 5.80 | | Chestnut colour with thin beige head. Some choc on aroma, bit syrupy in mouth. It’s fine, got some good grain and malt, nice strength to it. Bit too sweet maybe. |
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | Amber, lasting beige head. It’s an ok bitter, slightly creamy. Light in mouth. Moderate hop. Pleasant bitter. |
| DarkTribe - Sternwheeler | 4.20 | | Gold, lasting off white head. Fragrant sherberty hop aroma. Nice cascades on it. Moderate malt, little bit biscuity, dies a little after good up front hoppy aorma, a little ascetic. |
| Warcop - Pit Shaft | 3.40 | | Very dark ruby with lasting beige head. Yeast, charcoal aroma. Burnt, really burnt charcoal. Not a mild, not a stout. Bizarre. Tad of ashtray. |
| Fyne - Summerled | 4.00 | | Gold, lasting beige head. Nice biscuity aroma, ok condition. Decent hop, drinkable, inoffensive. No great hop. Bit of butter on aroma. |
| Palmers - Dorset Gold | 4.50 | | Gold, lasting beige head. Bit of butter on aroma. Some hop, good condition. Not keen though, dull in mouth, earthy hop finish. Nothing wrong with it, but just lacks chutzpah. |
| Teignworthy - Old Moggie | 4.40 | | Amber, lasting beige head. Caramel aroma, some hedgerow hop fruit. Good condition. Toffee in mouth. Tingly hop on tongue. Pretty good best bitter actually in a more caramelly malty style that I don’t often like. |
| Inveralmond - Lia Fail | 4.70 | | Attractive chestnut colour with thin beige head. Ashtray, smoky. Decent fruit. Some malts. Bit too smoky though. Thinnish for a strong bitter. Biscuits. |
| Caythorpe - Stout Fellow | 4.20 | | Dark brown, lasting beige head. No real condition on this, pretty good malts, but thin overall, bit acidic, sour, not great. |
| Humpty Dumpty - Golden Gorse | 5.40 | | Gold, thin off white head. Drinkable, some golden syrup malt. It’s inoffensive. Good mouthfeel, some peach/apricot. For a 4.4% beer I want more to happen. Good condition though. |
| Station House - Lammastide | 5.00 | | Gold, lasting white head. Citrusy, yeasty and cereal aroma. NIce summer blond beer with English hops and decent body from the addition of wheat. Fine. Doesn’t drink 5%, but isn’t as good as Oakhams White Dwarf. |
| Breconshire - Cribyn | 4.50 | | Gold, lasting off white head. Yeasty aroma, really just not very good. Thin, dull, some hop on end, bit of white pepper. |
| Wooden Hand - Cornish Buccaneer | 4.30 | | Copper, no head. Bit of diacetyl, some graininess in mouth. Not great. |
09 Aug 2007 (Ian)
Day 3 and Martin came to this day. Another good day at the festival, with plenty to choose from especially on the Bar Nouveau stand.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum - Old Stoatwobbler | 6.00 | | Black/very dark brown with lasting dark beige head. Rather a nice roasted fruity aroma. That’s a good beer. Lovely powdery/grainy mouthfeel. Very good and I loved it. Easy drinking for a 6% beer. |
| George Wright - Pipe Dream | 4.30 | | Gold, lasting off white head. Lovely fresh hop aroma, grapefruit, but restrained. Really lovely in mouth. Good condition. Fragrant hop. Nice beer, malts are fine, a little earthy on the end. |
| Brunswick - Black Sabbath | 6.00 | | Very dark ruby/black. No head. A rather nice aroma of dark fruit and liquorice. Very decent beer, that has some different flavours. Bit oily, some vegetable flavour, but in a good way. Interesting. |
| Facer's - Landslide 1927 | 4.90 | | Gold, thin off white head. It’s an OK golden ale. Decent citrus on finish, subtle and drinkable, some peach fruit. Rather lovely actually. |
| Tring - Blond | 4.00 | | Gold, lasting bubbly white head. Yeasty citrus aroma. Fairly typical Tring beer. Lacks a bit of intensity, still, nice lemon flavouors. Good sherberty finish. |
| Milly's Tavern - Manch Vegas IPA | 5.40 | | Haze amber, lasting bubbly beige head. A load of flowery grapefruit hop. Surprisingly full in mouth, decent syrupy toffee structure, herby grapefruit, not much condition, but a pleasant IPA and one of the few this week that’s had a good body. |
| Spectrum - Dark Fantastic | 3.50 | | Dark ruby. Some dark fruit and malt on aroma. Actually some very nice fruits. Plums, some raspberry. Juicy, very light prickly hop on end. Just a little light on intensity. Enormously fruity and enjoyalbe mild though. Good character. The balance of fruit and hop works well. Not overly roasted malt. |
| Rooster's - Special | 3.90 | | Gold, lasting bubbly beige head. The inital yeast aroma dies down to a slightly citrusy aroma. A reasonable Roosters beer, but lacks it’s usual oomph. |
| Olde Swan - Light Mild (aka Original) | 3.50 | | Gold, thin white. Thin, weedy. OK so it’s a mild and it is very mild. Decent condition, a little tingle on end. Pretty ok if you want a light beer, some citrus earthy finish. Nothing wrong with it at all. Very light. |
| Evan Evans - Cwrw (aka Welsh Ale) | 4.20 | | Copper, lasting beige head. Looks in good condition, bit of toffee on aroma, maybe ok, maybe very slight diacetyl. Soft and creamy in mouth, earthy hop finish, with merest tingle on tongue. |
| Magpie - Early Bird | 4.30 | | Gold, lasting off white head. Yeasty English hop aroma. Quite tasty, decent hop on finish, some juicy mallts in mouth. Goodish hoppy golden best bitter. Good condition for day 3. |
| Cambridge House - Abijah Rowe IPA | 6.70 | | Pink grapefruit aroma, little thin in mouth, lots of pink grapefruit everywhree, very mild bitterness. OK, but a little thin. |
| Peak Ales - Bakewell Best Bitter | 4.20 | | Copper, lasting beige head. Nutty. Like walnuts/Brazil nuts flavour. One of teh better bitters with nuts and restrained citrus. Fine. |
| Falstaff - A Fist Full of Hops | 4.50 | | Gold, lasting off white head. Slightly yeasty, lots of English hops. Some pepper. Bit too yeasty, but hops are ok and the finish is tasty. |
| Rother Valley - Hoppers Ale (now use 4.4% entry) | 4.20 | | Amber, lasting off white head. Distinctive hop aroma. Green apple though, so perhaps a little young, will be better on the next day or two. |
08 Aug 2007 (Ian)
Second day and although I went home the previous day at a sensible time, I was very tired and by 5pm I could have curled up in a corner and gone to sleep. Sat with the Ratebeer crowd. Festival was still ok to get around and plenty of beers to try.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tryst - Carronade IPA | 4.20 | | Golden with lasting beige head. Good subtle hop aroma. Decent hop, actually very good throughout. Bit thin on malts, but definitely a strongish hop. |
| Smuttynose Brewing Company - IPA | 6.60 | | Good IPA, nice hop, balancing juicy malt, great finish. Got some good grapefruit and it's drinkable with good hop harshness on finish. |
| Marble - GSB | 3.80 | | Pale gold, bubbly white head. Lovely hop aroma. Wow those Goldings are good. Very good, light golden beer, the Goldings are flowery and pretty good. Herb/hop finish. |
| Belvoir - Star Bitter | 3.90 | | Copper, lasting beige head. Actually decent session bitter. Little bit of toffee, some decent hop on end. Fine. |
| Durham - Black Velvet | 4.20 | | Very dark brown, bubbly beige head. Choccy porter aroma, little thin in mouth. A little watery, where are they malts? OK hop on finish. Just too watery. |
| Gardner Ale House - Naked Stout | 4.00 | | Actually quite a nice porter, it’s got plenty of choc, a little thin in mouth maybe. OK whisky type malt. Odd, Fine, Interesting. |
| Caledonian - Rebus | 4.40 | | Now I am a big Ian Rankin fan and I have a soft spot for Caledonian, so I really wanted this to be good. Chestnut colour beneath a thick beige head from a sparkler. Bit buttery/toffee. Some minerality and a bit of herb/spice. Poor. Some diacetyl. |
| Pictish - Corn Dolly | 5.00 | | Gold with lasting beige head. Yes, it’s got a lot of very tasty hop, but it is also full of diacetyl. I keep having these beers because Gazza raves about the brewery, but this has too much diacetyl. Otherwise good. |
| Cheddar - Potholer | 4.30 | | I had this as AndrewC had it in Bath and raved about it. Copper, lasting beige head. Bit of diacetyl. Some bitterness on end. Yep diacetyl. |
07 Aug 2007 (Ian)
Trade day. I bought a season ticket that let me in to every day. This was probably the easiest day for moving around the event. The Bieres Sans Frontieres foreign beer stand was fantastic.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone - Ruination IPA | 7.70 | | OK,so in bottle 2 years ago I loved it. In cask? ARoma is terrific, it's got the body to carry it, and then this mouth ripping hop on finish. For a hophead it's brilliant. Still a good beer. |
| Smuttynose Brewing Company - Robust Porter | 5.70 | | Black with tan head. It’s hoppier than the average porter, good dark bitter choc, espresso coffee, a bit like the Laurelwood Tree Hugger Porter, but more juicy in the mouth, less wide. It’s good. A hoppy choccy porter. |
| Portsmouth Brewery (New Hampshire) - Bottle Rocket IPA | 6.50 | | Copper with bubbly beige head. It’s got some good hops, one of the better IPAs today. It’s got enough balance to carry it off. Superb. Acutally does what it says. Good hop/malt balance. Good hoppy bitterness. |
| Oakham - Helter Skelter | 5.00 | | Gold, bubbly white head. Typical Oakham hop aroma. Alcohol is a little sticky, but in a good way. Excellent finish. Not as good as the Bishops Farewell I had later on in the day, which was perfect. |
| Dark Star - Hophead Extra | 5.80 | | Gold, lasting white head. Little bit of dull stale hay on aroma. Then more citrusy hop. Very good in mouth, full, little bit of syrup, but in a good way. Great hop finish. A brilliant strong English golden beer, but no way near as good as the regular Hophead. |
| Yo-Ho Brewing Company - Tokyo Black Ale | 5.00 | | Black colour with tan bubbly head. Good stouty aroma. Plenty of choc and coffee. Quite a dry stout actually. Bit of liquorice. Juicy. I would prefer it fuller in the mouth. Quite ascetic. Good beer though, decent hop on finish. |
| Stone - Pale Ale | 5.40 | | Amber, bubbly beige head. Subtle rather nice hop aroma. However, doesn’t do a huge amount in the mouth malt wise, even watery. Fragrant. Flowery. It’s just a little disappointing in the mouth. Nice though, good flowery hop. |
| Stone - IPA | 6.90 | | It’s just grapefruit juice. Gold with slight haze, bubbly off white head. Lots and lots of grapefruit. Fine in mouth. I was really looking forward to this and it’s still a little lacking in the mouth like the pale ale. Great, great hop though and decent balance. |
| Martha's Exchange - Golden Perch IPA | 6.00 | | Hazy copper, thinnish beige head. Nice grapefruit hop aroma. Grainy malt in mouth, some toffee. Bit empty in mouth maybe. Still good. |
| Thomas Hooker - Hop Meadow IPA | 6.50 | | Hazy amber, lasting beige head. It’s one of the maltier IPAs I’ve had today and it’s interesting, got some cereal character. Good grapefruit, a little thin somewhere. Very hoppy and actually a decent IPA if a tad unbalanced. |
| Dogfish Head - 60 Minute IPA | 6.00 | | Gold, lasting white head. One of the best aromas today. Juicy in mouth. Really piney. Again, like a lot of the US IPAs I've had today, fails in the mouth. Gorgeous hop though. Good grapefruit. |
| Alcazar - Desert Fox | 4.30 | | Gold, lasting white head. Cask conditioned lager. It’s got that sour lager yeast aroma. Good hop on end. One of the better cask lagers, bit bizarre, but a good finish. |
| Redhook - Blackhook Porter | 5.40 | | Black, virtually no head. Yes it’s got choc, but it’s a fairly unremarkable USA porter. Lacks intensity, except on a tingly finish. Not great. |
| Bowland - Elderado | 3.50 | | Gold, bubbly off white head. Decent elderflower aroma. Really attractive in mouth, maybe a little too cabbagey, lots of vegetables on finish and more elderflower. Lacks a little condition, but for a 3.5% beer, plenty of taste. A little carbolic even. |
About the Great British Beer Festival 2007
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 1 |
| 7 |
| 17 |
| 23 |
| 6 |
The pub is found in Earl's Court, Central London, SW5 9TA.
For the second year in its new home of Earls Court. Many of the problems faced last year had been resolved. There were more toilets, more seating, more beer. A huge event and worth coming to even for half a day.
We have visited this pub 4 times, seen 53 different beers and tried them all.
Postcode: SW5 9TA