Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Happy Birthday to my Blog.

29 August 2012

Today is the first anniversary of the appearance on the Internet of Beers, Steam and Nationals.

I hope some of you have enjoyed sharing my travels around the UK, be it the bus bits, the train bits, the beer bits, or even all three.

It was diificult deciding the name of my blog but I believe the title has represented my hobbys well.

Coming soon (possibly) : MHR Autumn Steam Spectacular, my final bus rallys of the year, more on the continuing work on NPJ472R, beer festivals at Ascot, Nottingham, plus more pub visits.

Below is the most popular blog entries - is your favourite there?

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Friday, 17 August 2012

GBBF 2012

7th - 9th July

3 visits to Olympia for CAMRA's Great British Beer Festival. This is one of the few beer festivals I don't volunteer to work at. A pleasant change.





Below is a list of all the beers I sampled there. (A third of a pint of each). I enjoy tasting the American cask ales because in the UK they are 'rare as rocking horse s**t).


UK Beers
Allendale – Entrepreneur 4.7%
Allgates – Hopgate 4.9%
Anchor Springs – L..A. Gold 3.7%
Ashover – Hydro 4.3%
Beeston – Afternoon Delight 3.7%
Blackbeck – Black Beck Belle 3.8%
Brains – Organ Morgan 4.0%, Jack Black 4.3%
Brimstage – Rhode Island Red 4.0%
Butcombe – Adam Henson’s Rare Breed 4.2%
Cheddar – Crown & Glory 4.3%
Chiltern – WheelPower 3.9%
Clearwater – Proper Ansome – 4.2%
Dark Tribe – Sternwheeler 4.2%
Driftwood Spars – Blackheads Mild 3.8%
Elgood’s – 4 x Paw Hundred 4.4%
Facers – Splendid Ale – 4.3%
Falstaff – 3 Faze 3.8%
Frodsham – Mynza Mild 3.9%
Full Mash – Warlord 4.4%
Lees – British Jewels 4.1%
Malvern Hills – Cyneweard 3.9%
Maypole – Little Weed 3.8%
Newby Wyke – Orsino 4.0%
Ramsgate – She Sells Seashells 4.7%
St Austell – Trelawney 3.8%
St Georges – Keep Calm and Carry On 4.4%
Thwaites – Half Nelson 4.4%, 13 Guns 5.5%
Tydd Steam – RoadHouse Bitter 4.3%
Watermill – Isle of Dogs 4.5%
Weatheroak – Victorian Works 4.3%
Whittlebury – Green Dragon 4.4%
XT – 1 4.2%

Dutch Beers
De Molen – Rye IPA 6.2%

US Beers
10 Barrel Brewing – ISA 5.5%
Baxter – Stowaway IPA 6.9%
Bridgeport – Hop Czar 7.5%
Cape Cod Beer – Cape Cod Red 5.5%
Deschutes – Doc Watbrown 5.0%
Geary’s – Geary’s Pale Ale 4.5%
Grittys - Maine’s Best IPA 6.8%
Jack’s Abbey – Hoponius Union IPL 6.7%
Mayflower Brewing – Summer Rye 3.7%
Notch Brewery – Session Ale 4.5%
Oskar Blues and Brews – Deviant Dale’s IPA 8.0%
Rogue – Brutal IPA 6.2%
Run of the Mill – Summer Bitter, Some Not 4.9%
Sebago – Fry’s Leap IPA 6.0%
Sierra Nevada – Cosmic Haze 5.4%
Stone Brewing – Sublimely Self-Righteous 8.7%
Turtle Mountain Brewing – Arsenal Porter 6.5%
Watch City – Breakfast of Champions 4.5%

Saturday, 11 August 2012

A day trip to Worthing

Sunday 29th July

Another sunday, another bus rally. This time to the seafront at Worthing. I've missed this rally the last couple of years so it was good to go back. It was also a chance to visit a favourite pub of mine (The Seldon Arms) and visit a new one (The Spyglass for beers from Anchor Springs brewery), plus 2 Wetherspoon pubs.

Todays transport there was Leyland National GNU568N.

We were parked up at the far end of the rally site, so this meant I could take some bus photos as I walked towards the town centre for the pubs.











And then pub time.Walking along the front I got a shot of PCD80R heading back to the rally site.


4 pubs visited including the Seldon Arms. A delightful little free house near the hospital.




Then time for a couple of short trips on PCD80R on the station run.




Thursday, 9 August 2012

12th Egham Beer Festival - Provisional Beer List

EBF12

Beer List (as of 19th July)

 ASCOT ALES , Camberley, Surrey (2007)
- Single Hop Liberty (July) 4.5%
- Single Hop Cluster (August) 4.5%
- AJ Last of the Blue Devils TBC 8%
 
AYLESBURY BREWHOUSE COMPANY - ABC, Aylesbury, Bucks (2011)
- Swifter 3.8%
- H2O2 Blonde 2 4.0%
- Bay State 4.4%
- Higher 4.4%
- Stronger 4.9%
- Channel Surfing 5.0%
 
BALDY BREWERY, Horsham, West Sussex (2012)
- Brickworkers Mild
- Fiery Redhead Ruby Ale
 
BINGHAM’S, Ruscombe, Berks (2010)
- Brit Hop Pale Ale 3.7%
- Royal Ascent Mild 3.9%
- RyePA x.x% (collaborative brew with US micro)
 
CAVEMAN BREWERY, Birling, Kent (2012) – cuckoo brewed at Kent Brewery
- Citra 4.1% TBC
 
CRONX BREWERY, New Addington, Croydon (2012)
- Standard 3.9%
- Entire 5.2%
- Festival special TBC
 
DEVERELL BREWERY, Grays, Essex (2012)
- Tall Hot Blonde 4.0%
- Redemption 4.5%
 
GOODY ALES, Herne, Kent (2012)
- Genesis 3.5%
- Good Health 3.6%
- Good Heavens 3.9%
 
HAVANT BREWERY, Cowplain, Hants (2009)
- TBC
 -TBC
 
HOP FUZZ, Hythe, Kent (2011)
- The Goldsmith 4.0%
- The Chocolatier 4.2%
 
HOPMONSTER, Great Wakering, Essex (2011)
- Freakshow 4.2%
- Warlock Black IPA 4.5%
 
ISFIELD BREWERY, Maresfield, East Sussex (2012)
- Straw Blonde 4.1%
- Imperial Pale Ale 4.2%
 
KENT BREWERY, Birling, Kent (2011)
- Olympian Bronze 4.4%
- Going For Gold 4.4%
- TBC
 
LITTLE BEER CORPORATION, Guildford, Surrey (2012)
- Little Haka 4.5%
 
LONGDOG, Basingstoke, Hants, (2011)
- Super Dry Hopped Poacher 3.9%
- Pomegranite Porter 5.0%
 
LONG MAN BREWERY, Littlington, East Sussex (2012)
- Long Blonde 3.8%
- Best Bitter 4.0%
- Sussex Pride 4.5%
 
OLD DAIRY, Rolvendon, Kent (2010)
- Bebop Top 4.0%
- Diamond Top 6.0%
 
PIN UP BREWERY, Stone Cross, East Sussex (2012)
- Natural Blonde 3.8%
- The Brunette 4.0%
- Red Head 4.2%
- Milk Stout 4.5%
 
SIX TREES, Triscombe, Somerset (2012)
- Western Zenith 3.8%
- Hop Eights 5.2%
 
SOUTH DOWNS, Birling, Kent (2011) cuckoo brewed at Kent Brewery
- Ruskin’s Ram 4.0%
- Devil’s Dyke Honey Porter 5.0%
 
SUNNY REPUBLIC, Winterbourne Kingston, Dorset (2012)
- Beach Blonde 3.7%
- Huna Red 4.2%
- Dorset Cross 5.0%
- Hop Dog 5.5%
 
TILLINGBOURNE, Shere, Surrey (2011)
- Spring Ale
 
VALE BREWERY, Brill, Bucks (1995)
- QED 3.9%
- Decathlon 4.3%
 
WINDSOR & ETON, Windsor, Berks, (2010)
- Eton Boatman 4.3%
- Kohinoor 4.5%
- Festival Special TBC
 
XT BREWING, Long Crendon, Bucks (2011)
- XT 1
- XT 3 (new recipe)
- XT 5
- XT 42
- XT80 (collaboration IPA brewed at Thame Brewery)
 

Cider

Circle Cider – Swindon
 - S2 – 7.6% – Medium Dry, deep rich flavours with a really tangy bite
- Thirst Knowledge – 7.5% – fully dry and a little rough around the edges, this cider has a simple flavour is made for the real cider drinkers with a sharp tannin after bite.
- First Brize – 7.6% – Dry, smoother and more refined make this a light and pleasant drink glass after glass.
- Bella – 7.8% – Medium sweet, this is a refined and sophisticated cider, sweet and delicate, easy to drink with slight hints of tannin down the edges of the tongue.
- Butchers Boy – 7.7% – a best seller having sold out at this year’s Bath and West, a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity are what made this a firm favourite.
- Last Call – 7.5% – Sweet, for those with a sweet tooth this cider is perfect, fruity and ideal for those hot summers afternoons
 
All the above ciders are still and slightly cloudy
 
The above beer list may change between now and the festival so please check back regularly.
 

Festival Entertainment

Friday 17th – 8.30pm

Steve Carroll - welcome return to this popular Irish singer

Saturday 18th – 8.30pm

Bill Posters Will Be Band - musical mayhem from these remnants of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Bob Kerr’s Whoopie Band and the Temperance Seven!