Friday 16 April 2010

Just because I wear a hoodie, it doesn't make me a bad person.


I gotta share this pic which goes a long way to describing how much I am enjoying the current Wetherspoons Beer Festival. This was taken at the JDW in Aberystwyth over the Easter weekend where I was on a family trip and by good fortune found some early festival beers.

First up was the Maui Coconut Porter (5%), brewed by Garrett Marrero from Maui Brewery, Hawaii who travelled to Bank's at Wolverhampton to brew a cask version of his beer. Look out for this, it is delicious - a classic stout with roast flavours mellowed by the smooth silky coconut with chocolate and coffee notes. Not to most of my family's taste but perfection for me.

After a couple of those next up was the Herold Black Chalice (4.8%) another stout imported this time from Czech Republic. Another winner.

I am not a particularly regular visitor to Wetherspoons, preferring a more traditional pub, but I really do enjoy the beer festivals - 50 odd beers over three weeks with some spectacular efforts brewed by visiting brewers (I am still looking for Honkers by Goose Island, Chicago) and some really good British beers brewed specially for the event - check out Sharp's Gentle Jane if you see it, a fruity and spicy 4.8% pale beer brewed using Belgian yeast.

Wetherspoon's beer festival goes on to the 25th April.

4 comments:

BryanB said...

We were in the Hounslow 'Spoons last night, and it had 7 festival beers on, including Coco Porter, Chalice and Honkers, plus an extra guest (Nethergate Ruby Mild), all in excellent nick.

I'd also recommend the Zulu Blonde (a blonde Zulu? Hey, why not...) and Otter Mild.

George "Slaphead" Merkin (Mrs) said...

I would wear a hoodie, if I were ginger...

Rudolph said...

LOL I like the picture :-) The Wetherspoons Festival has been excellent. I have found most of the beers interesting and tasty especially the foreign ones brewed here.

Martyn Cornell said...

" … smooth silky coconut with chocolate and coffee notes …"

I'd rather have a Bounty …