Craft Beer Co. (Craft Beer Company)
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Stephen Harris
Visits Details
27 Mar 2012 (Stephen Harris)
I was here with a large group of CAMRA-types, filling out an already busy pub.
Black Iris - Intergalactic IPA | 6.00 | | Strong, golden bitter with a hefty dose of US-type hops. |
Fyne - Cobbler Stout | 4.20 | | A smooth, black, low-strength stout. |
Derby - Old Intentional | 5.00 | | A strong, fruity, copper-coloured bitter with a good hoppy finish. |
Fyne - Vital Spark | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
Fyne - Highlander | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
Fyne - Maverick | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Acorn - Barnsley Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
Marble - Dobber | 5.90 | Not Tried | |
Ilkley - Mary Jane | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
Kent - Porter | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
Redemption - Fellowship Porter | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
Kent - Clerkenwell Pale | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
Blue Bee - Lustin' For Stout | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
03 Mar 2012 (Pedro)
Afternoon
Magic Rock - Curious | 3.90 | | |
Kent - Clerkenwell Pale | 3.80 | | |
Dark Star - Revelation | 5.70 | | |
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
Dark Star - Golden Gate | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
Dark Star - Festival | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
Moor - Merlin's Magic | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - McConnel's | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
Acorn - Gorlovka | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
Magic Rock - High Wire | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
Moor - Amoor | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
Acorn - USA Northern Brewer IPA | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
Tempest - Cresta Black | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
08 Feb 2012 (Stephen Harris)
Uncomfortably busy here, with chilly weather limiting the numbers standing outside and everbody crammed within.
Revolutions - Severin Dark | 3.30 | | A dark brown, nicely roasted mild with no hop character. |
To Øl - Black Bull Porter | 8.00 | | On keg dispense. Once it had warmed up to an acceptable temperature, this proved to be a first class, black, smooth porter with aniseed and liquorice notes. Brewed for this Danish company at Proef in Belgium. |
Revolutions - Devolution | 4.50 | | Copper-coloured, malty and a bit hazy. |
Durham - White Gem | 3.90 | | Pale gold and hoppy, but a bit thin and one-dimensional. |
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
Ilkley - Best | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Ilkley - Lotus IPA (was 5.6%) | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
Dark Star - Partridge Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Magic Rock - Curious | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
Magic Rock - Rapture | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
Magic Rock - High Wire | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
Kent - Clerkenwell Pale | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
Ilkley - Fireside Porter | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Revolutions - Beat Red | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
21 Jan 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Dark Star - Milk Chocolate Stout | 4.50 | | Excellent full bodied silky stout with an intense mix of smooth chocolate and coffee flavours and a dry roast finish. My score 17/20. |
19 Jan 2012 (Stephen Harris)
A big crowd in tonight, including some people not-unconnected with Dark Star Brewery.
Arbor Ales - Inferiority Complex | 3.40 | | A dark bitter, quite hoppy and tasting above its strength. Certainly not a mild, as I have seen it described in some places. |
Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Black Harry | 3.90 | | Dark, fruity and smooth. |
Kent - Beyond the Pale | 5.40 | | Ramped-up version of the pale, with even more hops. |
Kent - Porter | 5.50 | | A murky, deep brown beer with lots of chocolate and coffee flavours. |
Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Wild Swan (was 3.5%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Kipling | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
Dark Star - Partridge Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Sequoia | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
Magic Rock - Curious | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
Magic Rock - High Wire | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
Arbor Ales - Bullion | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Dark Star - Milk Chocolate Stout | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
Kent - Clerkenwell Pale | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
11 Jan 2012 (Stephen Harris)
I’m beginning to treat visits to this wonderful pub as educational visits – a kind of ‘Beer School’. The quality of the real ales is always exceptional, the breweries well-chosen and there is always a wide range of beer styles to chose from. There are no fillers on this bar – and that’s before you even look in the fridge or on the keg taps. Pretty busy; the January lull seems to be over already
Dark Star - Milk Chocolate Stout | 4.50 | | A very deep red colour, this is a chocolate milk stout, rather than a stout with milk chocolate. Barely perceptable toasted malt character. rather it is a lactose-sweet beer with a strong, but not over-powering chocolate flavour. Technically very clever. |
Arbor Ales - Brown Eyed PA | 4.70 | | Another new style on me. This is a full-bodied, deep red, "Brown Ale" that has been heavily hopped. A sort of Black IPA, only brown. |
Kent - Clerkenwell Pale | 3.80 | | This is a house beer here - a tweak I think of Kent Brewery's regular Pale. My fouth beer and taste buds are a little jaded by what has gone before, but clearly a high-quality, well-hopped, pale ale. |
Arbor Ales - Bullion | 4.00 | | A pale ale, heavily hopped with the near-extinct Bullion variety. Strong US hop aroma. Basically very hoppy. A good taste, but I would have liked a little more malt character to provide balance. |
Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
Dark Star - Winter Solstice | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Lord Marples | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Bracia | 9.00 | Not Tried | |
Buxton - Buxton Spa | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
Magic Rock - Curious | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
Magic Rock - Rapture | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
Buxton - Imperial Black | 7.50 | Not Tried | |
03 Jan 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Not too busy on the first Tuesday evening of the year,
Buxton - Moor Top | 3.60 | | Very pale and hoppy quaffing bitter with strong citrus hop bitterness. Dry, bitter finish. My score 14/20. |
03 Jan 2012 (Stephen Harris)
The quietest I have seen this pub. They've gone Buxton Brewery-bonkers and the lack of crowds gave a good chance for us to work our way down the bar trying the different styles from this well-regarded brewery.
Buxton - Kinder Downfall | 4.30 | | A hoppy, golden beer with citrussy/grapefruit flavour from the hops. |
Buxton - Blonde | 4.60 | | A very pale beer, 'flowery' hops and a little sweetness from the wheat. |
Buxton - Moor Top | 3.60 | | A very pale beer, both hoppy and sweet with a long citrussy finish from the Chinook hops. |
Buxton - Wild Boar | 5.70 | | A dry, hop-bomb of an IPA. |
Buxton - Imperial Black | 7.50 | | Labelled as a Black IPA. Strong alcohol kick and roasty malt taste disguise the high hop levels, with the bitterness only coming through at the end. |
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
Dark Star - Partridge Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Magic Rock - Rapture | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
Arbor Ales - Oyster Stout | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
Buxton - Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
Redemption - Mild Interpretation (collaboration with Mikeller) | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
Arbor Ales - Bushcraft | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
22 Dec 2011 (Stephen Harris)
Packed solid as usual.
Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | | |
Kent - Twelfth Night | 7.40 | | Barley wine. |
Dark Star - Espresso Stout | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Dark Star - Old Ale (aka Old Chestnut) | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Ilkley - Mary Jane | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
Ilkley - Pale | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Brass Castle - Bad Kitty | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
Redemption - Mild Interpretation (collaboration with Mikeller) | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
03 Dec 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
Busy at around 1 pm on a Saturday but emptied out a bit soon after.
XT Brewing - No. 4 Mellow Amber | 3.80 | | Good quaffing session beer with a good balance of malt and hop. My score 15/20. |
XT Brewing - No. 8 Dark Roast | 4.50 | | This could be a strong mild with a strong chocolate malt character with some hoppiness in the background. Dark brown in colour. The finish is rather dry and bitter. My score 15/20. |
Arbor Ales - Single Hop - Dana | 4.00 | | Pale bitter with the flavour of an Eastern European Styrian type hop. Fruity, citrussy finish. My score 15/20.
|
Redemption - Mild Interpretation (collaboration with Mikeller) | 3.50 | | Interpreted wrongly in my opinion.
1. Not at all mild - far too bitter.
2. No discernable malt character.
3. Far too hoppy, of the high bitterness variety.
Colour is ruby/brown, suppose a point for that.
So for a mild - 1/20, but for an unclassified beer - 12/20. |
Arbor Ales - Bushcraft | 3.90 | | Rather strange brew with coffee malt flavour in an amber beer. My score 14/20. |
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