Staffs page
Following on from the earlier mention of dark beers such as porters and stouts, Everards Pitch Black Stout featured on the Marston's monthly guest beer list and has been on sale at both the Ivy House in Newtown and the White Horse in Cheslyn Hay.The Hen House in Eskrett Street, Hednesford is reporting to be selling cask beer, appropriately Greene King Old Speckled Hen.
Champion Winter Beer
Porters and Stouts did well in the Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2008 Awards with the Gold Medal going to Wickwar Station Porter (6·1% ABV) from Gloucester. The beer is described in the Good Beer Guide as "a rich, smooth, dark ruby-brown ale. Starts with roast malt, coffee, chocolate and dark fruit, then develops a complex, spicy, bittersweeet taste and a long roast finish". Robinson's Old Tom (8·5%) a fullbodied complex strong ale from Stockport in Greater Manchester took the Silver Medal, and Hop Back Entire Stout (4·5%) from Salisbury in Wiltshire won the Bronze.
Lower gravity wonders
Thirty years ago Walsall was a mild drinking area, most pubs sold nothing over 4% ABV. Nowadays it seems many pubs think cask beer begins at 4% and goes up from there. Because of this what a lot of wonderful beers we are missing. Behind most premium national cask brands are fine lower strength beers we never get the chance to try because much of the
market seems obsessed with stronger beers. For instance behind Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Fullers London Pride and Old Hookey there lies respectively Golden Best, Chiswick Bitter and Hooky Bitter – all superb session beers. Of course we must have a complete spectrum of beer strengths and styles but increasingly it seems we now regard session beers at around 4.5%. The large pubcos and their limited portfolios are a big part of the problem. This is a
disturbing trend, not only are we missing fine beers we are creating the impression that to be good a beer must be strong. Lower strength beers are still extremely popular, witness the almost fanatical following for Oakham’s JHB at 3.8%. When a pub stocks five or more cask
beers surely one can be under 4%.
Keith Watkins, Walsall CAMRA