MagicPhil's Tasting Notes 2009

25th London Drinker Beer and Cider Festival 2009

Camden Centre, Bidborough Street, London WC1,
close to Kings Cross/St. Pancras)

Celebrating waterways. 70+ real ales plus imported beers, ciders + perries. Tombola, table games + excellent food all sessions. Music free. Wheelchair access.

Wednesday 18th - Friday 20th March 2009
Open Wed + Thurs 12-3pm + 5-10.30pm;
Fri 12-10.30pm.
No admission after 10pm
Free Wed + Thurs lunchtime
At all other times UKP3.00, CAMRA members UKP1.50

Further info see: http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/

This and previous years of MagicPhil's Tasting Notes at:-
http://www.littlebluerhino.demon.co.uk/ldbf.htm
or at the US mirror site:-
http://www.magicphil.net/lbr/ldbf.htm

Magicphils Disclaimer:
No warranty is implied for any beer mentioned. It should not be implied that any beer not mentioned is disparaged.
Magicphil drinks ordinary bitters and does not drink milds; and does not, therefore, review them. If other persons wish to have Milds reviewed, it is open to them to do so. Any person who chooses to read the reviews below, or indeed to base their actions on them in any way is to be cautioned that Magicphil will not hold himself liable for the actions of such persons.
This disclaimer is forced on Magicphil by comments he has received at previous beer festivals.

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MagicPhil's Tasting Notes -Volume 1

Wednesday 5.25pm. 18/3/2009

1st Pint. Elland Brewery, Bargee, 3.8 %abv
Type and Festival Programme Notes(TFPN): B, Fruity, hoppy taste, with bitter edge in finish.
Type: B: Bitter, BB: Best Bitter, SB: Strong Bitter, BW: Barley Wine, DM: Dark Mild, P&S: Porter and Stout, S: Speciality
MagicPhil(MP) says: Mid- brown, pleasant, a touch sharp, nicely hoppy, not much citrus there, does not develop.


2nd Pint. Boggart Brewery, Ruby Tuesday, 3.8%abv
TFPN: B, Reddish-coloured hoppy session ale.
MP says: Ruby it is, with an early taste of raspberry! Soft in the mouth with a sort of fruit juice flavour. Pleasant, but undemanding.


3rd Pint. Wirksworth Brewery, Cruckbeam, 3.9%abv
TFPN: B, Full flavoured copper beer with a balanced malt & hop taste.
MP says: Rather darker than copper to my eye, ruby perhaps, fresh, young, lively, very nice, but really does not develop.


4th Pint. Salopian Brewery, Ghurka, 4.2%abv
TFPN: SB, A refreshing amber ale with lemongrass to add a flowery zing.
MP says: A dark straw coloured ale, with a fresh, lively body. It gets a touch too sweet for me as it goes on. It does not develop as I had hoped.


4 and a halfth Pint. Thornbridge Hall Brewery, Jaipur IPA, 5.9%abv
TFPN: SB, Superb strong, hoppy bitter.
MP says: Smells a bit sweet, some citrus there, good in the mouth with some grapefruit, but no development. Most disappointing, sweet, citrus, but it goes nowhere. At this strength there should be more flavours for longer. It ends up being too sweet and sticky.

MagicPhil's Session Pick: None

Magicphil's rant begins early!

Queues, lack of CAMRA line, failing to tell CAMRA members in the queue that there is (now) a CAMRA line, young new overanxious security people in paramilitary uniforms attempting to be over officious. Essentially nothing we have not had before. The fact that Camden will attempt, and probably succeed, in the selling of the Camden Centre, with its ballroom, to developers who will either demolish it or sequester it from public usage, is to be deplored. The fact that public bodies seem to choose to have no public duties, other than those that they are lawfully mandated to perform, is something that would be anathema to most councils between the first and second wars, and especially after the second war.

End of Magicphil's rant.


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MagicPhil's Tasting Notes - Volume 2

Thursday 2.50pm. 19/03/2009

1st Pint. Downton Brewery, Mad Hare, 4.4%abv
Type and Festival Programme Notes(TFPN): S, Spicy, spring ale.
Type: B: Bitter, BB: Best Bitter, SB: Strong Bitter, BW: Barley Wine, DM: Dark Mild, P&S: Porter and Stout, S: Speciality
MagicPhil(MP) says: I would not say spicy, and I would not say spring ale! But it is a perfectly good mid-brown beer with good flavour and depth. I am afraid I had to rush it due to my lateness, and did not give it all the attention it deserves. I hope to come back to this beer, but even now I recommend it.
Recommended.

2nd Pint. Dark Star Brewery, American Pale Ale, 4.7%abv
TFPN: BB, Last year's Beer of the Festival - still as good as ever.
MP says: Very pale, light straw colour, in perfect condition, citrus nose, citrus on the tongue, sweetness going in, perhaps too much of each? A very well made beer, in perfect condition, perhaps too sweet and sour for me. For a Pale ale, it ends up too sweet. However, even with those caveats it is recommended.
Recommended.

MagicPhil's Session Pick: Downton Brewery, Mad Hare, 4.4%abv
MagicPhil's Reserve Session Pick: Dark Star Brewery, American Pale Ale, 4.7%abv

 Magicphil's rant 2

I hear from a very reputable source that this, or the next, London Drinker Beer Festival is extremely likely to be the last held in the Camden Centre venue that has hosted all 25 years of festivals in the past. The fact is, I am informed, that the 1960's Camden Town Hall built next door, is almost falling down, and needs something doing to it. This seems to involve demolishing it, and moving many things into the "Old Building", possibly the original Town hall next to it, and then redeveloping the site left. What the timescale is on this, is not known at present, but given the disrepair of the 60's building it is almost inevitable. The "Old Building" is listed, so is protected to some extent, but you never know how politicians or developers will get around all these protections.

End of Magicphil's rant 2

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MagicPhil's Tasting Notes - Volume 3

Thursday 5.30pm. 19/03/2009

1st Pint. Batemans Brewery, Good Honest Ale, 4.2%abv
Type and Festival Programme Notes(TFPN): BB, New beer,replacing Valient - hoppier than most Batemans beers.
Type: B: Bitter, BB: Best Bitter, SB: Strong Bitter, BW: Barley Wine, DM: Dark Mild, P&S: Porter and Stout, S: Speciality
MagicPhil(MP) says: Pale, a mid-straw colour, nice citrus, softer than the earlier American Pale Ale, lemony! A very pleasant pint, possibly a session beer. I could certainly drink more of it.
Highly Recommended.

2nd Pint. Loddon Brewery, Ferrymans Gold, 4.4%abv
TFPN: BB, Hoppy character with malty taste.
MP says: A mid to pale straw colour, not as lively as some of the others, but very good first flavours. A soft taste, with a nice balance of gentle citrus and sweetness, it perhaps promises deeper flavours than the Good Honest Ale, but does not deliver them. If I had not had the GHA, then I would have been very happy with this, therefore:
Recommended

3rd Pint. Hopdaeon Brewery, Incubus, 4.0%abv
TFPN: B, Fuggles, Challenger & Cascade hops give a smooth malty finish.
MP says: Mid - brown, pleasant, malty, nice! Good flavours, well balanced, no great sharpness there but no great development either. A good drinking bitter.

4th Pint. Dark Star Brewery, Battlebridge, 5.6%abv
TFPN: SB, festival special. Expect hops, hops, hops, hops & more hops.
MP says: A dark gold beer, slightly hazed, a touch of late citrus, quite sweet, but lacks the body and development for its strength. I might call it an alcopop, but it is slightly better than that.

MagicPhil's Session Pick: Batemans Brewery, Good Honest Ale, 4.2%abv
MagicPhil's Reserve Session Pick: Loddon Brewery, Ferrymans Gold, 4.4%abv

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MagicPhil's Tasting Notes - Volume 4
Friday 3.20pm. 20/03/2009

1st Pint. Hoggleys Brewery, Northamptonshire Bitter, 4.0%abv
Type and Festival Programme Notes(TFPN): B, Fuggles, Challenger & Cascade hops give a smooth malty finish.
Type: B: Bitter, BB: Best Bitter, SB: Strong Bitter, BW: Barley Wine, DM: Dark Mild, P&S: Porter and Stout, S: Speciality
MagicPhil(MP) says: A mid-brown beer with not much head, quite pleasant, a little citrus, a little sweetness, lacking in life. Perfectly quite ordinary bitter. Unremarkable.

2nd Pint. Crouch Vale Brewery, Boys Bitter, 3.6 or 3.8%abv
TFPN: Not in programme.
MP says: Mid-brown, slightly hazed, a little bit of bite to it, but almost no sweetness to start with. Again, unremarkable.

3rd Pint. Surrey Hills Brewery, Ranmore, 3.8%abv
TFPN: B, A straw coloured session beer with a surprisingly full flavour.
MP says: A mid to dark straw coloured beer, good condition, not much citrus, it ends up being too sweet without balancing flavours/sharpness. Perhaps I am asking too much at this strength, but other brewers produce more complex beers at 3.8%abv.

4th Pint. Otley Brewery, O1, 4.0%abv
TFPN: B, Excellent pale hoppy bitter. Proof that there are hops in Wales!
MP says: Mid-straw, slightly hazed, a little bit of livelyness, a little bit of citrus, some sweetness, but not too much. A slight sour flavour comes in after a while that is not entirely pleasant.

MagicPhil's Session Pick: None

MagicPhil's Beer of the Festival: Batemans Brewery, Good Honest Ale, 4.2%abv

MagicPhil's Reserve Beers of the Festival: Downton Brewery, Mad Hare, 4.4%abv, Loddon Brewery, Ferrymans Gold, 4.4%abv

MagicPhil's Sleep-inducing Beer of the Festival: Dark Star Brewery, Battlebridge, 5.6%abv

Magicphil's Final Rant?

I have moaned on many occasions and at many things that I have thought to be bad, or poorly organised in this Beer festival. I do not withdraw any of the things that I have said. But I must pay tribute to all of the people who have organised, run, worked and volunteered at the festival over the years. A list would not suffice, but I must mention Christine and John Cryne and all at CAMRA North London Branch. I may have moaned, but I kept coming back, and I brought friends and colleagues some of whom are now "The Establishment" in various countries round the world. We had many good pints of beer, and cider, at the festivals and they still talk of the London Drinker Beer Festival and its temptations and pleasures.

So, to all over the years, Cheers, and good drinking.

Magicphil

End of Magicphil's Final Rant?

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