Svend’s Beer Log 2014 03


(Rating system: 1-5. 1: undrinkable. 2: not nice. 3: decent/good. 4: extremely good. 5: one of the best I’ve ever had. Read more about my rating system)

Hog’s Back – TEA 3
Otter – Amber 3
St Austell – Tribute 3
Fordham – Route 1 4
Founders – All Day IPA 4
Young’s – London Gold 2
Cwrw Llyn – Brenin Enlli 3
Robinsons – Elbow 2
Dow Bridge – Acris 4
Spire – Sgt Pepper Stout 4
Heather Ale – Alba Scots Pine Ale 4
Dow Bridge – Onslaught 3
Er Boqueron – Beer With Sea Water 3
Lord Conrad’s – Conkerwood 2
Brains – White Out 3
Tring – Bring Me Sunshine 5
Cairngorm – Wildcat 4
Kilburn – Dark Moor 4
Trilby – A Head In A Hat 3
Fuller’s – London Pride 3
To Øl – Black Maria 4
Sagres – Sagres 2
Harviestoun – Ola Dubh 5
Hertog Jan – Tripel 4
St Stefanus – Blonde 3
Moncada – Notting Hill Stout 4
Samuel Smith – Pure Brewed Lager 3
Black Isle – Goldeneye Pale Ale 4
By The Horns – Stiff Upper Lip 5
Orkney – Dark Island 4
Brooklyn – Dry Irish Stout 3
Batemans – Mocha 4
Wells – Bombardier 3
Shepherd Neame – Spitfire 2
Batemans – Dark Lord 4
Titanic – American Red Ale 3
Castle Rock – Harvest Pale 3
Cambridge Brewery Co – King’s Parade 4
J Church Brewing – Jonah And The Whale 4
Grafton Brewing Co – Lady Ruby 4
Buffy’s – Vicenniale 3
Mayflower Brewery – Lancashire Stout 4

Svend’s Beer Log 2014 02


(Rating system: 1-5. 1: undrinkable. 2: not nice. 3: decent/good. 4: extremely good. 5: one of the best I’ve ever had. Read more about my rating system)

Oakham – Cambridgeshire Golden Ale 3
Tomos Watkins – Cwrw Gaeaf 4
Amager Bryghus – Amager Fælled 3
Coastal Brewery – Porter St Piran’s 4
Grea Orme – Groes Ale 3
The Langton Brewery – Welland Star 4
Harviestoun – Old Engine Oil 4
Redchurch Brewery – Bethnal Pale Ale 4
Durham Brewery – Benedictus 3
Cwrw Llyn – Seithenyn 2
Celt Experience – Golden Ale 3
Shepherd Neame – 1698 3
Samuel Smith – Old Brewery Bitter 3
Fuller’s – London Pride 3
Shepherd Neame – Spitfire 2
Whitstable Bay – Pale Ale 4
Scottish Borders Brewery – Wild Harvest 3
Windsor & Eton – Knight Of The Garter 3
Rooster’s – South 3
Goldmark – Flanker 4
Look up Brewery – BN2 3
Belhaven – Grand Slam 3
Hepworth – Prospect 2
Fuller’s – London Pride 3
Theakston – Old Peculiar 3
Courage – Director’s 3
Samuel Smith – Light Mild 2
Samuel Smith – Winter Welcome Ale 3
St Bernardus – Abt 12 3
Old Bear Brewery – Black Maria 4
Cwrw Llyn – Y Brawd Houdini 3
Purple Moose – Elderflower Ale 4
Great Orme – Welsh Black 5
Lincoln Green – Major Mild 3
Nant – Mwnci Nel 4
Purple Moose – Snowdonia Ale 4
Schremser – Doppelmalz 3
Purple Moose – Dark Side Of The Moose 5
Jennings – Cumberland Ale 2
Flying Dog – Doggie Style 4

Allo Darlin’

This is another new band that allows you to listen to their music online, even here on Shotgundentist. Give it a listen and if you like them, buy an album or go to a gig. I saw them recently in Islington, and I highly recommend them, for a brilliant performance.

King’s Place bull gone missing

Have you seen this bull?

20130909_080620-MOTION

It has recently gone missing, and in it’s place some strange pieces of metal have been found, presumably to mock the loss of the great bull. We’re not sure if this is a case of senseless theft or vandalism, or if the disappearance is connected to some big money deal that has been conducted in the dark while the public were asleep.

However, this is all that was left behind:

Where's the bull?!

Where’s the bull?!

UPDATE:

This is the latest. Footage of the thieves working in the early morning. Unfortunately we can’t see any number plates or faces…

Bull thieves!

Svend’s Beer Log

2013 September
Mallinsons – Session Pale Ale
Vale Brewing Co – Thamin’ The Brew
Svaneke Bryghus – Lakrids Stout
Partizan – Mild
De Molen – Pijl & Boog
Cottage Brewing Co – Battle Of Britain Ale
Islay Ales – Dun Hog Head Ale
Hospital Records – Doctor’s Orders
Weird Beard & Sad Robot – Saison 42
Nottingham Brewery – Legend
Farmer’s Ales – Puck’s Folly
2013 October
Robinsons – Elbow
St Peter’s – Spelt Blonde
Tring – Tea Kettle Stout
Bath Ales – Toga Man
2013 November
Elgood’s – Black Dog
Woodforde’s – Wherry
Wychwood Brewery – Wychcraft
Fuller’s – Traitors’ Gate
Fuller’s – Seafarers Ale
The Durham Brewery – White Stout
Kapittel – Watou
Partizan – Mild
Buntingford – Highwayman
The Star – Comet
Buntingford – Belma
Blackbar – Constitution
Dark Star – Winter Meltdown
Thornbridge – Jaipur
Oakham – Green Hop Harvest Ale
Windsor & Eton – Windsor Knot
Thwaites (M&S) – Lancashire Dark Mild
Ellenberg’s Brewery – Stout
Cooper’s – Sparkling Ale
Marble – Chocolate
Titanic – Plum Porter
O’Hanlons – Dry Stout
Hogs Back – TEA
Badger – Hopping Hare
Jennings – Cumberland Ale
Marston’s – Old Empire IPA
Morland – Old Speckled Hen
St Peter’s – Mild
Badger – England’s Own
Greene King – IPA
Shepherd Neame – Bishop’s Finger
December
Dancing Man Brewery – Pilgrim’s Pale Ale
Dancing Man Brewery – Big Casino
Topper – Head In a Hat
Windsor and Eton – Windsor Knot
Purple Moose – Glaslyn Ale
Roosters – YPA
Hobsons – Town Crier
Celt – Silures
Celt – Apparition
Brains Craft Brewery – Bragging Rights
Timothy Taylor – Landlord
Raw – Citra
Pitfield’s – Norman’s Mild
Clarence & Fredericks – American Pale Ale
Okell’s – Olaf
London Fields – American Pale Ale
London Fields – Hackney Hopster
Shepherd Neame – Tins’ Ale
Ichnusa – Ichnusa
Sharp’s – Doom Bar
Twickenham – Naked Ladies
Old Dairy – Snow Top
Portobello – London Pilsner
Caledonian – Deuchars
Fuller’s – London Pride
Stroud Brewery – Big Cat
Skagen Bryghus – Lars Kruse
Skagen Bryghus – Gårdnisse
Skagen Bryghus – Bundgarn
Rækker Mølle – Esmarch Ale
Refsvindinge – Ale No 16
Viborg Bryghus – Peter’s Jul
Skagen Bryghus – Tordenskiold
Ceres – Xmas
Hancock – Høker Bajer
Fur – Renæssance
Skovlyst – Nældebryg
Hancock – Jule Bryg
Skagen Bryghus – Gl Skagen
Skagen Bryghus – Drachmann
Staarup Haandbryg – Juleklokker
Bryghuset Braunstein – Jule Bryg
Rækker Mølle – Jule Bryg
Ebeltoft Gårdbryggeri – Baltazar
Refsvindinge – Jule Hyg’
Thisted Bryghus – Thy Julebryg
Indslev Bryggeri – Frederiks Jul
Indslev Bryggeri – Jule Hvede
2014
January
Randers Bryghus – Jule Bryg
Randers Bryghus – Jule Øl
Hornbeer – Julehumle
Ugelris – Jule Ale
Randers Bryghus – Buur Øl
Vestfyen – Willemoes Ale
Vestfyen – Willemoes Jul 2013
Nant – Chwaden Aur
Conwy Brewery – Mulberry Dark
Purple Moose – Merry X-Moose
Purple Moose – Ysgawen
Conwy Brewery – Shipwreck IPA
Cwrw Llyn – Brenin Enlli
Meantime Brewery – London Porter
Batemans – Rosey Nosey
East London Brewing Co – Foundation Bitter
Great Orme – Atlantis
Partizan – Mild
Heavy Industry Brewing – Diawl Bach
Bateman’s – Christmas Eve
Goody Ales – Genesis
Cottage Brewing – Atlantic Mild
Stile Bridge – Crocodile Saison
Oakham – Citra
Brodies – Mild
Fugelestou Ales – Sledge Hammer Stout
Amager Bryghus – Dragør Brown

The London Housing Problems

Recently the Mayor of London responded to a survey that Shelter had run, to try to solve the many housing problems in London, like astronomical rents, unaffordable mortgages and rogue landlords. One of the responses was posted on TalkLondon and reading it made me so cross I wrote a very long comment on the site. I then thought I’d post the comment here as well, as I think it’s relevant for everyone to read, not just the people at the council.

I couldn’t disagree more with the statement that buy-to-let landlords are central to dealing with the supply of new homes in London. They are the main cause of the current problems:

A) They force house purchase prices to artificially high levels, by buying up houses for personal gain and profit, but renting them to those who now can’t afford to buy.
B) This causes more people to be unable to save for mortgages, being forced to pay too high rent.
C) They keep rents artificially high, as well as the house purchase prices, to ensure profit of their “business”.

More about the London housing problems →

2013-08-13 Upcoming Beer Festivals

I realise that I hadn’t done one of these for a while and now is a good time to do one, as there are quite a few beer festivals coming up over the next couple of months. This ranges from the massive and heaving Great British Beer Festival in London, to the small and cosy St Ives “Booze On The Ouse”. Of course I can’t forget the world’s biggest beer festival (based on its range of beers) in Nottingham, where they’re planning to beat their own world record by offering over 1100 beers!

It’s difficult to make them all, especially with several of them overlapping, but at least it’s an overview of what your options are for those beer themed evenings and weekends.

Date Location Festival
13 – 17 Aug London Great British Beer Festival
20 – 24 Aug Peterborough 36th Peterborough Beer Festival
22 – 28 Aug Ipswich 31st Ipswich Beer Festival
 2 –  7 Sep Red Lion, Histon 15th Histon Beer Festival
 3 –  7 Sep Chappel 27th Chappel Winter Beer Festival
 5 –  9 Sep St Ives St Ives Booze on the Ouse Beer Festival
25 – 28 Sep St Albans St Albans Beer Festival
 2 –  5 Oct Bedford 36th Bedford Beer&Cider Festival
 3 –  5 Oct Chelmsford Chelmsford City Cider Festival
 4 –  5 Oct Ascot 7th Ascot Racecourse Beer Festival
16 – 19 Oct Milton Keynes Milton Keynes 20th Concrete Pint Beer Festival
18 – 19 Oct Cambridge 7th Cambridge Octoberfest
28 –  2 Nov Norwich 36th Norwich Beer Festival

Rage quitting: my experience with EE and T-Mobile – part 3

When I got the man for the job on the line, it was very hard to hear him in the noisy shop, and I had to make him shout. What added to my requests for him to repeat himself, was that I couldn’t believe what he was now telling me: reverting back to PAYG would take a month! I asked him why this was and he told me that it was because it was a 1-month contract. I explained that I had mistakenly been put onto the contract, and that it was mis-sold to me, but that made no difference. I told him that I would be happy to still pay for the full month, if he could just change me over to PAYG now, so I could make international calls again, but he said that it had nothing to do with the payments, which I found hard to believe as I could be transferred _onto_ the contract in less than a day, so why would it take a month to transfer me back.

More about rage quitting →

Rage quitting: my experience with EE and T-Mobile – part 2

Calling T-Mobile customer support is free. Or at least, they won’t charge you for the call. However, it does cost a lot of time, and they say time is money, so it’s not completely free. Especially as you have to go through about four or five levels of button-pressing, choosing between tons of almost similar topics (God forbid they’d have to ask you any questions once you get through to their outsourced, probably under-paid, telephone support person).

Mote about rage quitting →