The Archibald Simpson (Wetherspoon)
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Visits Details
22 Sep 2010 (McGargle)
Busy. Plenty of staff so quickly served.
| Batemans - Autumn Fall | 4.20 |  | Full bodied dark copper ale. Classic Bateman's yeast on the nose and tastes of toffee apples. Smooth finish. |
| Rooster's - Bangtail | 3.70 |  | Dull mid-brown beer. Thin in the mouth with no real flavour or character. Finish? The quicker the better. |
| Strathaven - Claverhouse Red Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Strathaven - Avondale Amber Ale | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Houston - Black & Tan | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Davenport's - Fury | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
25 Aug 2010 (Ray)
Friendly service. Quiet.
| Burton Bridge - Battle Brew | 5.00 |  | Really liked this. Vinous hops with slight sweetness from the malts leading to a long fruity finish. Full bodied and smooth in the mouth it drank stronger than it's abv. |
| Deeside - Macbeth | 4.10 |  | After some poor Deeside beers recently I asked for a (large) taster. I'm glad I did - the beer was awful. No hints of citrussy hops. Assertive in middle mouth with unpleasant finish. |
| Belhaven - Caledonian Deuchars IPA | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Ruddles Best (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Cotswold Spring - Olde English Rose | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Spinning Dog - Celtic Gold | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Grafton - Summer Bliss | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Isle of Skye - Summer Blonde | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Houston - Castle Gait | 1.00 | Not Tried | House beer for the Archibald Simpson - abv not noted. Probably a blend. |
30 Jul 2010 (McGargle)
Really busy but plenty of staff so service was quick. Beers were well cellared.
| Vale - Grumpling Old Premium Ale | 4.60 |  | Dark chestnut ale. Some hints of earthy hops and toffee. Little else in a bland beer with no discernible character. |
| Rooster's - GCB | 3.70 |  | Pale straw colour. Aroma and taste dominated by elderflower (cordial??) left little room for anything else - no subtlety here. Bitter finish. Rooster's brew an elderflower beer at 3.7% so wonder if there's been a mix up? Doesn't really matter as it's poor anyway. |
| Cairngorm - Wildcat | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Deeside - Brude | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
22 Jul 2010 (Ray)
Surprisingly quiet but the hand pumps seemed to be kept busy. Excellent, friendly service.
| Brewster's - Hophead | 3.60 |  | Pale straw hoppy, floral ale. Well balanced with light sweet malt. Very satisfying hoppy finish. Almost there with the Dark Star original. Well worth 4*. |
| Coach House - Innkeepers Special Reserve | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Butcombe - Gold | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Isle of Skye - Young Pretender | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Deeside - Talorcan | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
15 Jul 2010 (McGargle)
Quite busy. Lots of people watching the golf.
| Cotswold Spring - Olde English Rose | 3.80 |  | Golden ale like so many others. Quite juicy with some hoppiness. Some fruit in the finish. Brewed to 4.0%. |
| Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Belhaven - Caledonian Deuchars IPA | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Isle of Skye - Black Cuillin | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Isle of Skye - Avelanche (aka Blaven) | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Deeside - Talorcan | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Houston - Granite City | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
15 Jul 2010 (Ray)
Curry night and most seats taken.
| Deeside - Lulach | 4.00 |  | Pale bitter. Thin in the mouth with no clear flavour. Too much emphasis on 'summer drinking'. |
03 Jul 2010 (Ray)
Good mix of drinkers and diners.
| Batemans - XXXB (now superseded by 4.8% version) | 4.50 |  | Full bodied, malty dark brown ale distinguished by Bateman's yeast. Dry, fruity finish. |
| Belhaven - Caledonian Deuchars IPA | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Exmoor (now brewed by Hogs Back) - Gold | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harviestoun - Schiehallion | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Salopian - Shropshire Gold | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Ruddles Best (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Cotleigh - Tawny | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Brains - SA Gold (now 4.3% see separate entry) | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Cairngorm - Highland IPA | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
18 Jun 2010 (Ray)
Busy with football fans.
| Cairngorm - Trade Winds | 4.30 |  | Back on top form. Fresh, citrus flavours with hint of elderflower. Dry satisfying finish. |
| Cairngorm - Stag | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Isle of Skye - Hebridean Gold | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Hanlons (formerly O'Hanlon's) - Firefly | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Banks & Taylor's (B&T) - Mad Hatter | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
01 Jun 2010 (Ray)
Surprisingly busy. Lots of students enjoying the ale (and wi-fi).
| Cairngorm - Black Gold | 4.40 |  | Jet black. Initially promising with roast coffee aromas. Tastes of chocolate and coffee quickly subsided to leave a slightly thin ale. |
| Ramsbury - Gold | 4.50 |  | Golden ale with unpleasant eggy/butyric aromas. Harsh malt in the middle of the mouth and short (mercifully) finish. |
| Highgate - Black Pig | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
26 May 2010 (McGargle)
Very quiet but great to see four milds available. The three I tried were all in good condition.
| Elgood's - Black Dog Mild | 3.60 |  | Classic lightly hopped dark mild. Very deep ruby red. Slight fruit on the nose with complex flavours that develop in the mouth. Satisfying. |
| Thwaites - Highwayman | 4.00 |  | Almost black with a deep beige creamy head. Some smoke and fruit on the nose. Rich, smooth flavour with hints of chocolate and liquorice and only lightly hopped. Long finish. |
| Hook Norton - SDM | 4.60 |  | A stronger dark mild, it pours a deep ruby red. Sweet and fruity aromas are followed up in the mouth. Tasted over-complicated and unbalanced with too much sweet fruit and little else. Might improve with keeping. |
| Otter - Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Isle of Skye - Red Cuillin | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Caledonian - Mild Mayhem | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
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