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Great British Beer Festival 2008 (CAMRA Beer Festival)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Dogfish Head - 90 Minute Imperial IPA |  | 1 |
| Stone - Barrel Aged Smoked Porter | | 1 |
| Bartrams - Comrade Bill Bartram's Egalitarian Anti Imperialist Soviet Stout |  | 1 |
| De Molen - Tsarina Esra Reserva | | 1 |
| Eastwood & Sanders - 1872 Porter | | 1 |
| Grainstore - Rutland Panther | | 1 |
| Lost Abbey - The Angel's Share (Bourbon barrel) | | 1 |
| Mayflower - Mayflower Porter | | 1 |
| Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery - Porter | | 1 |
| Porter House - Plain Porter | | 1 |
| Rogue - Glen Ale | | 1 |
| Whim - Flower Power | | 1 |
| Ascot - 5/4 Favourite (formerly Alligator Ale) |  | 1 |
| Ashover - Coffin Lane Stout | | 1 |
| Buffy's - Mild | | 1 |
| Captain Cook - Black Porter | | 1 |
| Chelsea Brewing Company - Henry Hudson IPA | | 1 |
| Church End - Grave Digger's Ale | | 1 |
| Consett Ale Works - White Hot | | 1 |
| Dogfish Head - Palo Santo Marron | | 1 |
| Felstar - Crix Forest | | 1 |
| Grain - Tamarind IPA | | 1 |
| Hebridean - Berserker Export Pale | | 1 |
| Hobsons - Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Moor - Ported Peat Porter | | 1 |
| Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery - Dry Stout | | 1 |
| Organic Brewhouse - Black Rock Stout | | 1 |
| Redhook - Long Hammer IPA | | 1 |
| Sly Fox - Route 113 IPA | | 1 |
| Stewart - Pentland IPA | | 1 |
| Stone - 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout | | 1 |
| Ulverston - Bad Medicine | | 1 |
| Woodlands - Midnight Sun Stout | | 1 |
| Acorn - Summer Pale |  | 1 |
| Brimstage - Trapper's Hat | | 1 |
| Brooklyn - Blast | | 1 |
| Cape Ann - Fisherman's IPA | | 1 |
| Captain Lawrence - Brown Bird | | 1 |
| Cricket Hill - Colonel Blide's Altbier | | 1 |
| Crouch Vale - Summer Breeze | | 1 |
| Devon - Thick Black | | 1 |
| Frome (formerly Milk Street) - RA (was 4.3%) | | 1 |
| Glentworth - Lightyear | | 1 |
| Great Gable - Burnmoor Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Gritty McDuffs - Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Gritty McDuffs - Punch You in the IPA | | 1 |
| Hobsons - Manor Ale | | 1 |
| Humpty Dumpty - Little Sharpie | | 1 |
| Iceni - Celtic Queen | | 1 |
| Islay Ales - Finlaggan Ale | | 1 |
| Marston's - Night Watchman | | 1 |
| Martha's Exchange - Collabor-ale | | 1 |
| Martha's Exchange - Der Schnitt Oben | | 1 |
| Mauldons - Silver Adder | | 1 |
| McNeill's - Dead Horse IPA | | 1 |
| North Cotswold - Hung, Drawn 'N' Portered | | 1 |
| Nottingham - 150 Not Out | | 1 |
| Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery - Red Rock Ale | | 1 |
| Portsmouth Brewery (New Hampshire) - Oatmeal Stout | | 1 |
| Shalford - Stoneley Bitter | | 1 |
| Smuttynose Brewing Company - Pumpkin Ale | | 1 |
| Spectrum - Bezants Bitter | | 1 |
| Thwaites - Mild | | 1 |
| Timothy Taylor - Dark Mild | | 1 |
| Tipple's - The Hanged Monk | | 1 |
| Tirril - Old Faithful | | 1 |
| Townes - Speedwell Bitter | | 1 |
| Vale - Gravitas | | 1 |
| Climax - Extra Special Bitter |  | 1 |
| Dunham Massey - Chocolate Cherry Mild | | 1 |
| Iceni - Raspberry Wheat | | 1 |
| Otley - O-Garden | | 1 |
| Philadelphia - Newbold IPA | | 1 |
| Wem (formerly Hanby) - Cherry Bomb | | 1 |
| Bartrams - Marld |  | 1 |
Visits Details
08 Aug 2008 (Ian)
The Friday, and my last day at the festival. Odd to start with as there was a big table of people behind me playing drinking games. They all disappeared by 4pm, and so had the physical table. Then it became more relaxed. Once I had drunk my 100th beer (perry, cider, German/Czech keg lager as well as cask) of the festival, I just sat back and relaxed and tried some old favourites.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone - Barrel Aged Smoked Porter | 5.90 | | Vanilla and smoke on the aroma. Some really odd fruit in mouth, like blackberry and minty blackcurrant. Tastes like the barrels had been used for cabernet sauvignon or merlot. Vanilla is there, but the rest is lovely. Light, drinkable and juicy. It’s fantastic like red wine and porter. Quite a powdery dry finish. Superb. |
| Eastwood & Sanders - 1872 Porter | 6.50 | | Still one of the best in Britain. Great intensity of choc and great mouthfeel. Great aroma. Some sourness on end. |
| Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery - Porter | 5.00 | | Deep ruby, thin beige head. Very very choccy, quite an intense porter. Just very very good and deserves better of my beer judgement than I am today. It’s excellent. Good fullness, reall intense choc, but very drinkable at the same time. Good stinging bitterness from the choc on end. |
| Rogue - Glen Ale | 8.10 | | Hazy amber, no head. Rogue PNW grapefruit distinctive aroma. It’s a strong Rogue beer. But I love the hop, the malts, the strength. The insane hop is great. Grapefruit flavour is awesome. Not subtle but so enjoyable, it brought a big smile to my face. After another half of it, it did get a bit sweet. |
| Captain Cook - Black Porter | 4.40 | | Very dark brown, thin beige head. Pretty nice choc porter. Decent flavour in mouth, good drinkability, tasty, good fullness, makes me feel good. Bit of harsh roast which stings the tongue. Good. |
| Church End - Grave Digger's Ale | 3.80 | | Roasted malt aroma. some dark fruits, bit of damson. OK mild, needs a bit of condition. Good roasted malts though. Quite intense for a mild. |
| Organic Brewhouse - Black Rock Stout | 4.70 | | Black with dark brown edges and a thin beige head. Looked in good nick. Choc and a bit tarry. Bit powdery in mouth. Pretty tasty, some dry malt, hey, a good, English stout. Good, tasty. Easy drinking. |
| Consett Ale Works - White Hot | 4.00 | | Clear pale gold, thin off whtie. Yes very grassy hop aroma. On it’s day probably very refreshing. Citrusy, light, bit of sherbert. Better than average golden ale. |
| Ascot - 5/4 Favourite (formerly Alligator Ale) | 4.60 | | Gold, thin off white ehad. American hops, but not over the top, some good pink grapefruit. Some earthy leafyness. Tasty. |
| Ashover - Coffin Lane Stout | 5.00 | | Black, thin tan head. Roasty aroma, coffee and choc. Fine, good dark roasted flavours, very dark and roasted in fact. Fine, bit of ashtray, but a decent reasonably intense stout. |
| Thwaites - Mild | 3.30 | | Very dark ruby. Some butter, tad of diacetyl maybe. Some bitterness on finish. Decent fullness for a 3.3% beer. Some vanilla, some blackcurrant. Really quite impressive. |
| Islay Ales - Finlaggan Ale | 3.70 | | That’s an alright bitter. Decent hop, ok malts. OK bitter. |
| Spectrum - Bezants Bitter | 4.00 | | Gold, thin white head. Empty pale malts, bit of hay, not hugely exciting, bit of rubber, bit of drying hop on finish. Decent condition, bit of peach fuzz, but overall not interesting. |
| Great Gable - Burnmoor Pale Ale | 4.20 | | Gold colour with a yeasty aroma. Yeasty, golden bitter. Fine. Just not very interesting. Some bitterness on finish. |
| Humpty Dumpty - Little Sharpie | 3.80 | | Clear gold, looks like a lager and a thin white head. Some citrusy aroma. Looks good, but in the mouth it is very very dull. |
| Acorn - Summer Pale | 4.10 | | Gold, thin off white head. I mean, it’s actually a pretty good golden ale, but it’s still a golden ale. Fruit salad aroma, nice mouthfeel, some drying hop, more juicy fruit on the swallow. But hey, as I said, like a thousand other golden/blond ales. |
| Glentworth - Lightyear | 3.90 | | Gold, sherberty. Some earthy hop. Dullish golden ale. I mean it’s alright, but nothing to distinguish it from 100 others. |
| McNeill's - Dead Horse IPA | 5.70 | | Hazy copper, thin bubbly beige head. Bit too earthy, probably on too early. Only a bit of carbonation. Decent hop, but just too muddy. |
| Mauldons - Silver Adder | 4.20 | | Gold, bit of a haze. thin off white head. Bit rubbery, may be not 100% ready, but the real beer is there somewhere. Shame as I like this brewery. Not quite settled. Rubber isn’t great up front. Shame. Will have it again. |
| Tipple's - The Hanged Monk | 3.80 | | Roasted choc aroma which is quite attractive, lacks a fullness in mouth. Good condition. Choc/coffee mild. Yep, ok, bit acidic on finish. |
08 Aug 2008 (Blair)
I arrived at around 4 and stayed until closing (not that I remember leaving). There was a fantastic atmosphere in here, I just love hearing thousands of people cheer everytime a glass shatters. Few too many yuppie types, but not much can be done about that. I had a great time.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porter House - Plain Porter | 4.30 | | Lovely full flavoured porter. Lot's of roasted malt and barley. Exactly as described, a plain porter. |
| Grainstore - Rutland Panther | 3.40 | | Red-black mild, fit a hell of a lot of flavour into a 3.4% beer. Incredible. |
| Bartrams - Comrade Bill Bartram's Egalitarian Anti Imperialist Soviet Stout | 6.90 | | Thick black russian stout. Really easy drinking with nice roasted malt and coffee flavours. Gorgeous. |
| Hebridean - Berserker Export Pale | 7.50 | | Had an almost cider like quality to it, nice beer. |
| Stewart - Pentland IPA | 4.10 | | Very refreshing, very hoppy IPA. I needed this after all the thick heavy porters and stouts I'd had. |
| Grain - Tamarind IPA | 5.50 | | Nice grassy IPA. Fruity flavours and a touch of malt. Good one. |
| Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery - Dry Stout | 5.60 | | Nice rich dark sout, chocolate and coffee dominate. Nice roasted maltiness as well. |
| Moor - Ported Peat Porter | 4.70 | | Dark brown/black beer, nice blackcurrant fruit flavous along with the roast malt. A nicelydifferent porter. |
| Ulverston - Bad Medicine | 6.30 | | Dark brown winter beer. Lots of coffee and liquorice with some grass and hops. Nice beer. |
| Devon - Thick Black | 4.10 | | As the name suggests this is a thick black stout. Very little to mention though, not much flavour just a little but of roasted malt. Very creamy. Not great. |
07 Aug 2008 (Ian)
I think that this was my favourite day. We moved where we were sat and this was a much quieter table. It was also pretty easy to move around the festival and get served quickly. Still with a whole load of ratebeer.com people plus I tried some perries as the cider and perry stand was right opposite where we were sat.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dogfish Head - 90 Minute Imperial IPA | 9.00 | | I had this twice, which I'm glad about as it only came on that day and ran out in less than 6 hours. My favourite double IPA from America. Just so drinkable even for a 9% ABV beer. The hops are gorgeous and the malt and alcohol balance the beer. Great stuff. |
| Woodlands - Midnight Sun Stout | 4.40 | | Black thin tan head. It’s a tarry stout. Not bad, pretty well made. It’s fine, a pretty drinkable, slightly smokey stout. |
| Hobsons - Best Bitter | 3.80 | | Clear copper, thin off white head. Frankly, a pretty tasteless bitter is what I first thought. Some subtle yeast malt and hop. Nothing wrong with it. The hop on the finish does get better. I can see people drinking pints of this in their local and loving it. Easy drinking with enough hop to keep you interested. |
| Sly Fox - Route 113 IPA | 7.20 | | Amber, thin beige head. Slightly bitter peppery hop aroma which is very nice. Better than.... I have no idea as my notes stop at that bit and then start again with....lacks a big finish. Not really a 7.2% ABV. No real heat. Just dies a little, but drinkable enough. |
| Iceni - Celtic Queen | 4.00 | | Gold, lasting white head. Some yeast/hop on aroma. Bit yeasty maybe. Little bit dull. Building hop sting on the finish. It’s a golden ale. |
| Timothy Taylor - Dark Mild | 3.50 | | Very dark black with ruby hints. Thin dark beige head. OK, firstly it’s too cold. But it is a mild. It’s fine. Drinkable, not overly roasted. As a knock down drink with some flavour it’s perfect. |
| Townes - Speedwell Bitter | 3.90 | | Gold, hazy thin white head. Slight hoppy, good golden bitter. OK hops, bit of cheese somewhere. Fine. |
| Vale - Gravitas | 4.80 | | Gold, thin white head. It’s a fine golden ale, some toffee, some hop, some fullness because of the alcohol. But ultimately a little empty. Some lemon flavour towards the end. |
| Smuttynose Brewing Company - Pumpkin Ale | 5.10 | | Clear copper, lasting beige head. Definitely a spicy aroma. Lots of dried spice, nutmeg. I guess it’s a style you like or don’t. This is ok. I mean it’s interesting and the spice never runs away with it. |
| Frome (formerly Milk Street) - RA (was 4.3%) | 4.10 | | Gold, lasting off white bubbly head. An English golden ale. Some citrus on finish. Some pleasing English yeast on aroma. It’s alright, if not majoryly exciting. |
| Captain Lawrence - Brown Bird | 5.00 | | Attractive clear chestnut colour with a thin beige head. It’s a bit like a strong brown ale. A bit syrupy maybe, and just a bit uncultured. |
| Hobsons - Manor Ale | 4.20 | | Gold, thin beige head. Looked in good nick when poured. Digestive biscuits on aroma. Biscuits in mouth too. Pleasant if you like a biscuity bran-y bitter. |
| Marston's - Night Watchman | 3.80 | | Gold, lasting creamy head. Bit of Burton snatch on the aroma. Some biscuit, faint hop on end. Let’s say that Hoggy is a better night watchman than this is a bitter. |
| Gritty McDuffs - Best Bitter | 4.80 | | Clear copper, lasting beige head. Not a huge aroma. Well, yes, if you wanted to make an English best bitter, this is pretty close. Some grapefruit, but it’s got good biscuit. Enormously authentic. I would expect more malt from a UK beer, but as a US interpretation, it’s pretty good. They didn’t throw a whole load of hops at it like some brewers might have done. |
| Martha's Exchange - Der Schnitt Oben | 5.80 | | Hazy pale chestnut colour, thin beige head. Bit of puke on the aroma. A german alt/dunkel I’m guessing? It’s ok, settles down a bit, got a bit of grapefruit hop. It’s ok... it is just not interesting, well it is interesting as it’s a US brewery doing a German style. Bit safe maybe. |
| Iceni - Raspberry Wheat | 5.00 | | Gold, disappearing off white head. Some raspberry. It’s an odd beer. I kept forgetting that it was on the table in front of me, so I couldn’t have liked it that much as it took me so long to drink. |
| Philadelphia - Newbold IPA | 6.50 | | It is hazy amber. A little earthy on the hops. Not ready yet. Too muddy, earthy. It came on quite late on the Thursday as some US stuff was running out and I think they put it on strictly before it was ready. Not really sure that it is supposed to be this muddy/earthy. |
| Bartrams - Marld | 3.40 | | Cloudy dark brown. Aroma of big butter diacetyl. Things don’t improve in the mouth either. |
06 Aug 2008 (Ian)
Still sat in front of the American stand, still enjoying the variety of beers. Bit more of a settled day when I started exploring more of the festival.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whim - Flower Power | 5.30 | | A really hoppy strong gold ale. Soft in mouth. Great peppery English EKG style hops. Wow. The hops, the mouth feel, the lemon curd fruit. Great stunning bitterness. |
| Buffy's - Mild | 4.20 | | Very dark brown, lasting beige head. For a 4.2% beer it hasn’t got a lot of body, some mild plum fruit flavour. It is very very mild, which I like in a mild. Brewed very much to the style, some would say empty in the body, but it’s supposed to be. Good strawberry jam on finish. Some vegetal flavour. The strawberry is nice tough. A good dark fruity mild. |
| Chelsea Brewing Company - Henry Hudson IPA | 6.60 | | Hazy copper, thin beige head. Lovely grapefruit hop aroma. Good, tasty, nettley in mouth. Really very nettley, tasty though. That’s a pretty good above average IPA. Nice nettle hop. |
| Dogfish Head - Palo Santo Marron | 12.00 | | Black, no head. Intense alcohol aroma. Herby, hot alcohol. It’s very brandyish. Yes, some vanilla. It does remind me of cognac. Not unpleasant. Warming, good for a winter’s night nip, but for 12.30 lunchtime? Just a bit too much. |
| Felstar - Crix Forest | 4.00 | | Winner of the weirdest beer of the day. Cloudy dark brown with thin beige head. Bit of banana. What’s it supposed to be? A dunkel weisse? A bit of raspberry. Definite banana. It’s a dunkel weisse. Crazy, but really interesting. |
| North Cotswold - Hung, Drawn 'N' Portered | 5.00 | | Black, thin beige head. Powdery choc aroma, powdery in mouth. It’s ok, a little bit of hop on end. Little bit thin maybe. Some dark fruit. Just not there in terms of quaffability. |
| Crouch Vale - Summer Breeze | 4.20 | | Gold, lasting white head. Now that’s comforting, to have an English ale yeast again. Good nick, lovely hop. Bit of acidity. Aye, a decent golden ale but not as hoppy as the Brewer’s Gold. |
| Tirril - Old Faithful | 4.00 | | Copper, lasting thin off white head. Slightly yeasty. Some fruit salad, but not a great bitter. Some minimal hop sting on finish. |
| Martha's Exchange - Collabor-ale | 5.10 | | Hazy copper, thin beige head. Lovely grapefruit hop aroma. Good, tasty, nettley in mouth. Really very nettley, tasty though. That’s a pretty good above average IPA. Nice nettle hop. |
| Portsmouth Brewery (New Hampshire) - Oatmeal Stout | 5.50 | | Black, thin tan head. Hoppy liquorice aroma. Peppery hop, tarry, liquorice mlats. It’s a wee bit odd. Hops are too dominant and the liquorice isn’t my favourite flavour. Hops have a bit of cat pee to them. |
| Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery - Red Rock Ale | 6.80 | | Russet colour with thin beige head. Nice grapefruit aroma. Not too much intensity in the mouth for a 6.8% beer. OK, a bit like a bitter really. Bit watery in mouth. |
| Brimstage - Trapper's Hat | 3.80 | | Hey, it’s from the Wirral so I had to have it. Gold, lasting off white head. Nettle hop. Decent condition. Bit of sweaty sox. Nice enough beer. Certainly godl personality. Doesn’t develop much, but hte sherberty sweaty sox is ok. |
| Cricket Hill - Colonel Blide's Altbier | 5.50 | | Hazy amber. No head. Is it an alt? No not really. Too much American hop. Little bit of sourness. |
| Shalford - Stoneley Bitter | 4.20 | | Chestnut, thin lasting beige head. It’s a slightly fruity slightly sharp best bitter. Some toffee, bit of seawater on the end. It’s ok, not great, but its a decent yeasty best bitter. |
| Nottingham - 150 Not Out | 3.70 | | Clear gold. It’s what I expect from this very good English brewer. A great session bitter, good hops on finish, bit of butter on aroma, maybe diacetyl, but the hoppy dry swallow is excellent. |
| Wem (formerly Hanby) - Cherry Bomb | 6.00 | | Hazy copper, disappearing beige head. Cherry, marzipan aroma. Cherry throat lozenge aroma. It’s got some artificial sweet cough syrup cherry. Really quite poor. |
| Dunham Massey - Chocolate Cherry Mild | 3.80 | | I mean, you just have to don’t you? When you are presented with a beer title like that, you have to see what it’s like. Dark brown/dark ruby. Thin beige head. Lots of cherry, but chalky cherry. Cough syrup type aroma. Pretty awful, just stewed cherry with a bit of malt. Awful. |
| Otley - O-Garden | 4.80 | | Hazy gold, thin white head. Nice hoppy/spicy beer. Lots of tea, not really a replica of Hoegaarden. Lemon/lime/herb. Pretty bad. |
05 Aug 2008 (Ian)
OK, so day 1 of my 4 day stint here all with various people from Ratebeer.com. Travelled up with Chris Excell from Ashford and blonked myself in front of the USA part of the Biere Sans Frontieres stand. Superb beer line up, bought a lot of bottles both American and German. Lots of some very special beers to try.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayflower - Mayflower Porter | 5.30 | | Very dark brown, very little tan head. Lovely tarry, chocolatey aroma. Good in mouth, nice choc. Pretty decent. Very full, good choc lasting finish. That’s a pretty good porter. Oily and tasty. |
| Lost Abbey - The Angel's Share (Bourbon barrel) | 12.50 | | Very very deep ruby with lasting beige head. Really very bourbon and vanilla aroma. Wow that’s just too much on the vanilla. Great flavour in the mouth. The original beer struggles through all that vanilla. Great toffee flavour. It’s very very intense. Big and huge. Hot alcohol. Pretty good once it settles down. |
| De Molen - Tsarina Esra Reserva | 11.00 | | Vanilla hits you first. Its an oily impy stout in the mouth. It’s a very intense beer, makes the hall go quiet and focusses you in onto this beer. Alcohol isn’t obvious in the mouth, but blows your legs away. This really is stunning. Strong, overwhelming and great. Drinkability? Perhaps not all the time, but as a finishing beer? Oh boy, one of the best. |
| Redhook - Long Hammer IPA | 6.50 | | Hazy gold, no head. Lovely hoppy aroma, some fruit salad in mouth. Nice to have some US hops at last. It’s somewhat peppery. Good tasty hops. Touch of syrup to the malts and a little too empty on the toffee malts, but fine. |
| Stone - 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout | 9.50 | | Black, thin tan head. Lots of bitter choc, some nutmeg. Still some American hops on end. It’s quite strong on the alcohol, bit of vanilla, bit too unsubtle. Hot alcohol and some whiskyish nature to it. |
| Gritty McDuffs - Punch You in the IPA | 6.70 | | Copper colour, thin beige head. Just a little too much butter for me. Some aggressive bitter hop on end. Just a bit too bitter and not floral hoppy enough for me. A little plain. |
| Cape Ann - Fisherman's IPA | 5.50 | | Reddish brown with lasting beige head. Fruity IPA, with a hoppy aroma. Maybe a bit thin in the mouth, lacks oomph, body and depth. OK leafy hop. Quite watery actually. Some peachy apricot fruit. |
| Brooklyn - Blast | 8.20 | | Clear copper with thin white head. Aggressive hop aroma. OK in mouth, some alcohol sweetness, lots of bitter hop on end. Hops are hot and good, but not sure the rest holds it up. Some good lime. It’s ok, if a bit harsh. |
| Climax - Extra Special Bitter | 5.50 | | It’s got that washing up water flavour some American beers have. Yeasty, earthy. Just very very odd. |
About the Great British Beer Festival 2008
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 2 |
| 10 |
| 21 |
| 35 |
| 6 |
The pub is found in Earl's Court, Central London, SW5 9TA.
Held in the Earls Court exhibition centre for the third year running. This is a huge event, with a huge number of beers. Fantastic festival.
We have visited this pub 5 times, seen 73 different beers and tried them all.
Postcode: SW5 9TA