Hopinn (Free House)
Visits Details
01 Dec 2016 (Nick Willis)
Quite a few in, much drivel spoke and I missed my bus home...
| Kernel (The Kernel) - Export Stout London 1864 | 6.40 |  | Keg. Very good well balanced stout. My 2nd version of Kernel's export stout and both have been very good. |
| Rat - Rat Hole | 4.20 |  | Very good golden session ale. |
| Bristol Beer Factory - Independence | 4.60 |  | Nice light session ale |
| Kernel (The Kernel) - Pale Ale - Galaxy | 7.20 |  | Keg. Decent. |
| Magic Rock - Magic Spanner | 3.90 |  | Keg. Quite fruity, Ok. |
| Siren Craft - Proteus 3:3 | 4.00 |  | Quite dry, pretty uninteresting. |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Espresso Stout | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Inferno | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Black Sheep - Best Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Mallinsons - Motueka | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Alphabet - A to the K | 5.60 | Not Tried | Keg. |
22 Nov 2016 (Nick Willis)
Standing room only at first then quietened down.
| Brodie's (latterly contract brewed by Rhymney) - Mosaic for Breakfast | 10.10 |  | Keg. Well balanced strong stout with a nice hop finish. |
| Abbeydale - Hop Smash | 7.40 |  | Keg. Well hopped collaboration with Kuhnhenn of Warren, Michigan. |
| Fyne - Green Gold | 4.50 |  | Nice sweet juicy well balanced beer. |
| Brew By Numbers - 21/04 Pale Ale - Motueka | 5.20 |  | Keg. Murky pour. Excellent fruity hop. |
| Mallinsons - Doukan Duck | 4.20 |  | A bit astringent. |
| Partizan - IPA Sorachi Ace Simcoe | 6.50 |  | Keg. Car crash of hops. Very unpleasant, grassy? It beat me. |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Newby Wyke - Bear Island | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Black Sheep - Best Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Citra | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Fyne - Jarl | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Small World Beers - Thunderbridge Stout | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Shiny - Elevation | 4.70 | Not Tried | Keg. |
07 Nov 2016 (Nick Willis)
Pretty quiet but Bass is selling very well.
| Hopcraft (experimental side of Pixie Spring) - Citra Plus | 5.40 |  | Keg. Good well balanced hoppy pale |
| Blackjack - Dead Man's Hand | 4.10 |  | Really smooth pale. |
| Kernel (The Kernel) - Pale Ale - Mosaic Cluster HBC 366 | 5.30 |  | Keg. |
| Mallinsons - Danger: Hops! | 5.00 |  | Overly hopped. |
| Chorlton - Slow Beer | 5.80 |  | Keg. Tasted like a sour cordial. |
| Shiny - Elevation | 4.70 |  | Keg. Described as a Tibetan lager with coriander and kaffir lime.....tasted like lager with Turkish delight. |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Inferno | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Salopian - Oracle | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Black Sheep - Best Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Sound Wave | 5.60 | Not Tried | |
| Shiny - Wrench | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Alphabet - Flat White | 7.80 | Not Tried | Keg. White stout. Had it in the past and has far too much coffee in it for me. |
28 Oct 2016 (Nick Willis)
Very busy in here. Always a good range which attracts the punter. You rarely get a duff beer in here.
| RedWillow - Weightless Mosaic | 4.20 |  | A very good single hop pale. |
| Small World Beers - Thunderbridge Stout | 5.20 |  | Really solid stout. No fancy dan flavours. |
| North Riding Brewery - US Session IPA (Cascade, Chinook, Galena) | 3.80 |  | There are lots of version of this with different hop combinations. Good solid hoppy pale. |
| Mallinsons - SPA Special Pale 15 | 3.90 |  | After the Redwillow Weightless this seemed quite bland. My palate got used to it. Pleasant. |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Inferno | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Black Sheep - Best Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Revelation | 5.70 | Not Tried | |
27 Nov 2014 (Nick Willis)
Probably the best pub in the Potteries at the moment. Adding new keg lines for "craft" beer in the next fortnight too.
| Rat - Black Rat Porter | 4.50 |  | Smashing porter. |
| Rat - Aristoc-rat | 4.10 |  | Very good pale. |
| Mallinsons - Topaz Extreme | 4.30 |  | A bit too extreme, finish is very sharp. |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Black Sheep - Best Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Citra | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Magic Rock - High Wire | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Tiny Rebel - Cwtch | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
17 Nov 2014 (Nick Willis)
The landlord certainly knows his stuff. Very rarely have dud beers.
| Oakham - 42 | 4.20 |  | |
| Hawkshead - ITI (little NZPA) | 3.50 |  | |
| Hopcraft (experimental side of Pixie Spring) - Belma & Brewise | 4.70 |  | |
| Mallinsons - Antipodean Session IPA | 4.10 |  | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Marble - Lagonda IPA | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Burton Bridge - Top Dog Stout | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Black Sheep - Best Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
13 Oct 2014 (Nick Willis)
Few in, the manager of the local Titanic pub was in here preaching about pubco's.
| Summer Wine (SWB) - Zenith Pale Ale | 4.00 |  | |
| Oakham - Hawse Buckler | 5.60 |  | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Black Sheep - Best Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Citra | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Mallinsons - Columbus | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
22 Apr 2014 (Mick)
Quiet early evening, only one other couple in. Was it you Nick that I chatted to about beer? Nice ales and at a good price.
| Oakham - Bishops Farewell | 4.60 |  | Very nice hoppy pale ale. |
| Summer Wine (SWB) - Barista Espresso Stout | 4.80 |  | Nice stout, black and rich with chocolate and coffee. |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Kipling | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Mallinsons - Amarillo | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Hopcraft (experimental side of Pixie Spring) - No Love Lost | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
22 Apr 2014 (Nick Willis)
A new addition to the North Staffordshire real ale scene. Popped in tonight and pleased with what I saw
| Hopcraft (experimental side of Pixie Spring) - No Love Lost | 4.30 |  | Excellent hoppy golden ale |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Directors (use Banks's entry now please) | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Bishops Farewell | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Kipling | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Mallinsons - Aramis | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Summer Wine (SWB) - Barista Espresso Stout | 4.80 | Not Tried | |