Order Of Merit: Beers 9 to 16
To completement the main beer list I wanted to write a
bit more on some of my favourite beers. A top 10 seemed too
limiting and a top 50 seemed to lack discrimination so in
the end I have settled on an Order Of
Merit. Therefore you find here 24 beers, listed in
alphabeticaly order, that I believe have shown
distinguished service in bars across the world. Think of it
as my ideal mixed case.
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The Lake District is a great place for taking long
walks out onto the hills before heading into a pub in
the early evening for a well deserved pint. Most
likely the pub you walk into will be owned by the
Jennings Brewery who appear to have a strong grip on
local drinking houses. Thankfully the quality of
their beers are uniformly high. The Cumberland Ale is
a nice easy drink but the pick is Sneck Lifter, a
superb potent dark ale with coffee and chocolate
notes
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The only trappist brewer outside of Belgium, the
Dutch Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven in
Berkel-Enschot, Holland lost their trappist status
for a while due to close links with a commericial
brewer that the abbey felt were needed to assist the
aging monks. With that dispute now resolved the beers
proudly bear the trappist label again. Their blond,
which is the monks table beer is a gassy, blonde beer
with a smooth but full bodied taste with a hint of
spices. Very potent but with a subtle blend of
flavours.
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Say "Australian Beer" to an Englishman and you'll
probably here them mention Foster and XXXX. An
Australian is more likely to mention Victoria Bitter,
Carlton Cold or Tooheys. In both cases it is a great
shame that this microbrewery that only opened in the
year 2000 is unlikely to get a mention, but that may
yet change. Little Creatures Pale Ale is a fresh,
full and fruity beer that is exceptionally good.
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Meantime are a London based microbrewery founded
in 1999 who brew pretty much every type of beer under
the sun. From traditional London Porters to Coffee
Beer and Bock they look at the historical roots of a
drink and then try to see how they can do something
different with it. Early on they produced a range of
beers for other brewers, including Greene King's
'Beer To Dine For'. They now release a wide range of
award winning beers under their own name. Their
Pilsner is a smooth and almost creamy tasting lager
that holds it's head and has a very full taste and a
slight gassy crispness. Slips down wonderfully
well.
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A well balanced spontaneously fermented beer with
whole apricots added that balances it's fruit and
beer flavours beautifully. However this beer doesn't
come from Brussels, in comes from Stamford, a small
town in Lincolnshire in England and in the early part
of the 20th century it brewed Steam Beer. Now it
solely does fruit beer, but it does it very well.
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Duvel is one of those beers that has defined it's
place in the market. All big blonde Belgian beers now
either aspire to be like Duvel or conciously trying
to be different - none can really be claim to be
unaware of it. It is a traw coloured strong ale
(8.5%) that floats like a butterfly on the palate
whilst still packing a hefty taste and as such makes
a worthy benchmark to an entire class of beer. It
also taste good if you add a shot of the French
bitters Amer Picon to create what is known as a
Torpille.
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Creamy dubbel with a slightly dry, bitter hoppy
taste that drifts into a hint of fruit in the
aftertaste. A strong beer with full flavours that are
never overpowering and retain their subtlety.
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A superb example of a strident beer. A syrupy
sweetness competes with a taste of sour cherries
whilst a gentle gassiness lifts the taste and a deep
oaky base grounds it. Aged for 24 months in oak
barrels and well worth the wait. For those seeking a
more traditional lager, the brewers Speciale beer is
also highly recommended. For those who like the Grand
Cru the Verhaeghe breweries Duchesse de Bourgogne is
also worth trying.
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Order Of Merit:
Beers 1 to 8
Order Of Merit:
Beers 17 to 24