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The Bull (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Pictish - Sauvin Blanc |  | 1 |
| Salopian - Oracle | | 1 |
| Pictish - Simcoe | | 2 |
| BrewDog - The Physics | | 1 |
| Museum - Worthington's White Shield |  | 1 |
| BrewDog - 5AM Saint | | 3 |
| Pictish - Riwaka | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Golden Gate | | 1 |
| Pictish - Galena | | 1 |
| BrewDog - Punk Monk | | 1 |
| Whim - Flower Power | | 3 |
| Dark Star - Hophead Extra | | 1 |
| BrewDog - Punk IPA | | 3 |
| Marble - Tawny No. 3 | | 1 |
| Pictish - Brewers Gold | | 1 |
| BrewDog - Zeitgeist | | 3 |
| Marble - Pint (was 3.9%) | | 3 |
| BrewDog - 77 Lager | | 3 |
| Pictish - Black | | 1 |
| Pictish - Cluster |  | 1 |
| Grainstore - Phipps NBC India Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | | 1 |
| Pictish - Alchemists Ale | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Over The Moon | | 2 |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | | 1 |
| Pictish - Staddle Stone |  | 1 |
| Dark Star - Summer Meltdown | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Best Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Old Ale (aka Old Chestnut) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Marble - Manchester Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Sunburst | Not Tried | 0 |
| BrewDog - Trashy Blonde | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
03 Sep 2009 (Dubbel)
Arrived early for the start of the Pictish Brewery Showcase and did not want to drag myself away at the end of the night. Great beer, even better company and our team of dunces won two rounds of the bingo quiz. Smiles all round and no hangover the following day!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pictish - Simcoe | 4.40 | | Spectacular. Amber-gold, bready aroma with a slight malt whisky whiff. Flavour is apple and pearskins and some berry sweetness. Dry, powerful hop oil finish. |
| Pictish - Brewers Gold | 3.80 | | Quintessential entry-level session beer. Could sup away on this indefinitely. |
| Pictish - Galena | 5.10 | | Light and full of lovely pineapple flavour. Very drinkable for the strength. |
| Pictish - Alchemists Ale | 4.30 | | Still a bit buttery, but not unnervingly so. Not 100% convinced by this one though. |
| Pictish - Cluster | 4.10 | | Gold. Pungent, leafy hop flavour with a smack of sweet toffee & butterscotch. Very clean and packing a lot of flavour. |
| Pictish - Staddle Stone | 4.50 | | Ruby best in colour. Bizarre flat yet Yankee hopped experimental beer. For me it didn't quite work. |
| Marble - Manchester Bitter | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Sunburst | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| BrewDog - Zeitgeist | 4.90 | Not Tried |
31 Aug 2009 (Dubbel)
Pub was positively brimming on a strangely seasonal summer bank holiday. 3-deep at the bar and almost every blade of grass taken in the garden with Blues Abuse's seemingly never-ending riprawing set. A good time was had by all, except the poor, overworked staff!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrewDog - Zeitgeist | 4.90 | | Lovely roasty stouty beast of a beer. |
| BrewDog - Punk Monk | 6.00 | | Special brewed with Belgian yeast. Really very nice & extremely drinkable, if not instantly recognisable as a Punk derivative. I'm definitely coming round to the Belgian style. |
| Marble - Manchester Bitter | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Sunburst | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| BrewDog - The Physics | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| BrewDog - Punk IPA | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
| BrewDog - Trashy Blonde | 4.10 | Not Tried |
28 Aug 2009 (Dubbel)
Wound down into the weekend (and a 2 week holiday!) with a trip to my favourite pub.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrewDog - The Physics | 5.00 | | Outstanding. Fruity, warming and biting at the same time. The most I have ever enjoyed this beer. |
| Whim - Flower Power | 5.30 | | Sanity reinstated. Still a brutish hop weapon, 3rd barrel of it has mellowed considerably since last week. |
| Pictish - Riwaka | 4.40 | | Single hop I've never heard of. Lager-light, floral & very consumable. |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | | Beginning to think there's something wrong with my tongue. Lacking the ususal C-hop power and fruit zing. |
| Marble - Pint (was 3.9%) | 3.40 | | Good but less than dazzling today. Tail end of last year's hops. New crop should feature in the next run. |
| Dark Star - Over The Moon | 3.80 | | Disappointing. Nothing wrong with the conditioning but lacking in flavour, hop bite & roasted malt. Basically everything that makes it special. A bit gravy-like. I do worry a bit for Dark Star. |
| Dark Star - Golden Gate | 4.50 | Not Tried |
24 Aug 2009 (Dubbel)
Saw the lineup on the Facebook group page and just had to have me some of it! Garrett now behind the bar on Mondays and as of next week, the pub will be open all day on a Monday.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pictish - Sauvin Blanc | 4.90 | | Single hopped with Nelsons. Real whiffy sulphurous nose, yeasty body, huge mouth-filling flavour & sapping dry finish. Outstanding. Bring on the showcase, I want to try them all! |
| Salopian - Oracle | 4.00 | | Fantastic, sweet golden wonder. Every sip a hoppy joy with an impressionable lasting finish. The most popular beer of the evening amongst the regulars. |
| Dark Star - Golden Gate | 4.50 | | My fuzzled ale memory doesn't recall this tasting like this last year. Very tangy, distinctly English hop & malt flavours. Clean and crisp. Lovely. |
| Whim - Flower Power | 5.30 | | In better form than last Thursday. Shimmering gold and devastatingly hoppy. This is right on the bitter edge of what my tastebuds can endure. One of the most powerful beers I've had. |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Pictish - Black | 4.40 | Not Tried |
20 Aug 2009 (Dubbel)
The place was as busy as I've ever seen it - a total contrast to the laid back visit the night before! Good natured jostling for position around the bar and when the complimentary Caribbean buffet was unveiled. Beer lineup and quality was exceptional. After receiving the CAMRA award for West Kent POTY, talk amongst the customers moved on to the overall Kent and Southeast regional champion awards. Surely a shoe-in?
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pictish - Simcoe | 4.40 | | Delicious and probably my beer of the night. I'd love to work my way through all 30+ of the Pictish single hop variety lineup. Beautifully floral and a good level of hoppy bitterness. Yum. |
| Marble - Pint (was 3.9%) | 3.40 | | Had to start with a pint of the unofficial Beer of the Year. Lots of people cooing about it. It was excellent but ever so slightly below its awesome best. Apparently the brewers aren't particularly happy with its recent form (!?) and are excited about the quality of this year's fresh hop harvest. Bring it on! |
| Marble - Tawny No. 3 | 5.70 | | A world exclusive from the cask. Big hitting IPA with the wow-factor. Ripened fruits and roasted malts battle with the extreme bitterness. Only loses a star due it being pretty heavy going by the end of the pint! |
| Pictish - Black | 4.40 | | I liked this a lot. In the mold of the likes of Castle Rock Black Gold and Dark Star Over The Moon. Great marriage of bitter burnt roasted malts and aggressive US fruity hops. Can't wait for the brewery showcase in a couple of weeks. |
| Whim - Flower Power | 5.30 | | Another real hop bomb. Interesting nose and I was quite enjoying my pint before someone pointed out that it smelled a bit cheesy. Began to get hop overload by the end of the pint. Would be interested to try some of the lower ABV beers in the range. |
| Dark Star - Over The Moon | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Museum - Worthington's White Shield | 5.60 | Not Tried | |
| Grainstore - Phipps NBC India Pale Ale | 4.20 | Not Tried |
20 Aug 2009 (Pedro)
Afternoon visit to check out what's on for the West Kent PoTY Presentation this evening.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Over The Moon | 3.80 | | |
| Marble - Pint (was 3.9%) | 3.40 | | |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Museum - Worthington's White Shield | 5.60 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Old Ale (aka Old Chestnut) | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Whim - Flower Power | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
| Grainstore - Phipps NBC India Pale Ale | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Marble - Tawny No. 3 | 5.70 | Not Tried | |
| Pictish - Simcoe | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Pictish - Black | 4.40 | Not Tried |
19 Aug 2009 (Dubbel)
Late night visit with James T. A total of 3 punters sat at the bar with Garrett and Lynne. Garrett revealed all for his special celebratory line-up tomorrow night.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Museum - Worthington's White Shield | 5.60 | | Spicy classical ale with no-nonsense English hops. Complex and mysterious palate but very drinkable all the same. |
| Grainstore - Phipps NBC India Pale Ale | 4.20 | | Very decent hoppy sessionable bitter. Hints of banana, particularly upfront. The bitterness comes through the further you get through the pint. Enjoyable. |
| Dark Star - Over The Moon | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.80 | Not Tried |
15 Aug 2009 (Ian)
Brilliant pub. From walking in and chatting to the ex Goache's drayman to sitting down and chatting about beers with Garratt, Jeff and Jo and a couple of beer bloggers to saying hello to Andy and the other Saturday afternoon cyclists. Sat in the garden with great weather and some very good beers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Hophead Extra | 5.80 | | Cellar run. Finally starting to get this beer. Once it was decanted to get some carbonation out of it, the solid malts underlying the hops really worked, extra body from the alcohol too. |
| BrewDog - Punk IPA | 6.00 | | Really quite different in cask as to bottle. In bottle I think a lot hoppier, in cask fuller in the malt and fuller in the mouth. Drinkable and very good IPA. Marble Dobber and Thornbridge Jaipur are better, but I know that Garratt thinks differently which is great as everyone has their own favourite |
| BrewDog - 77 Lager | 4.90 | | My favourite British brewed lager. |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.80 | | Good hoppy session bitter, rather over shadowed by the higher ABV Brew Dog beers. |
| BrewDog - 5AM Saint | 5.00 | | I had 2 pints of this and still can't make up my mind. The hop aroma (Simcoes I think, but others say Nelson Sauvin) is brilliant. The biscuit on the malts are brilliant, but then the beer just dies and the finish just disappears. With one or two tweaks this beer could be a world beater. |
| Dark Star - Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Summer Meltdown | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| BrewDog - Zeitgeist | 4.90 | Not Tried | Jeff and Jo thought this was excellent |
15 Aug 2009 (JeffnJo)
A very special visit to the Brewdog BBQ. What better than a sunny afternoon discussing beer and drinking 4 B'Dog beers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrewDog - Punk IPA | 6.00 | | |
| BrewDog - Zeitgeist | 4.90 | | Fantastic flavoursome stout ale |
| BrewDog - 77 Lager | 4.90 | | |
| BrewDog - 5AM Saint | 5.00 | | Dark amber colour. Stated as with peach, strawberry, pine and caramel flavours (some more than others). Interesting 'grower' inviting another! |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Summer Meltdown | 4.80 | Not Tried |
14 Aug 2009 (Dubbel)
Headed up with a couple of mates after work for the BrewDog BBQ. Met up with Mark and his better half and Pete B, who told us all about his new job at Hopdaemon. Evening sun shone bright, the beers were typically excellent and Lynne's barbecued Jerk Chicken was spot on.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrewDog - Zeitgeist | 4.90 | | Undoubtedly the best beer of the evening. Stunning depth of flavour, roasted coffee bean and burnt chocolate malt, stout-like viscosity and spiky hops to finish it off. Wowee. |
| BrewDog - Punk IPA | 6.00 | | I detected an ever-so-slight buttery edge which tempered down the punchy grapefruit a little bit. Still astoundingly consumable though and unanimously enjoyed in the pub. |
| BrewDog - 77 Lager | 4.90 | | Really good lager-ale. Bitter and more lager-like than previous samples. |
| BrewDog - 5AM Saint | 5.00 | | I really enjoyed this. Ruby red. Nelson Sauvin hops (I believe) made it taste very American. Big hoppy palate and loads of curve ball fruity flavours vying for attention. I got the strawberries and tangerine notes. Very nice indeed. |
| Dark Star - Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Summer Meltdown | 4.80 | Not Tried |
About The Bull
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 62 |
| 156 |
| 68 |
| 14 |
 | 5 |
The pub is found in Horton Kirby, Kent, DA4 9DF.
Outstanding genuine freehouse. Ever-changing selection of guest ales and ciders, many rare to the area served in consistently excellent condition. Regular beer festivals, discos, BBQs and various other events. Monthly brewery showcase (1st weekend of the month) with at least six ales from one particular enterprising brewery. Friendly atmosphere and great home-cooked food (Tues-Sun) made with locally-sourced ingredients. Gravesend & Darent Valley CAMRA Pub of the Year 2008 and 2009 and West of Kent Pub of the Year 2009.
We have visited this pub 91 times, seen 200 different beers and tried 156 of them.
Postcode: DA4 9DF