Going through a list of 16 Ales on at The Wellington, Birmingham, looking them all up to see if there were other milds than the tellingly named Monsoon Mild, I was beginning to lose hope towards the end. However, number 16 was the Dark Raven from Beowulf, and their website explained that it was a traditional mild. It sounded promising and when I saw it poured it increased my expectations. It was a deep brown with a nicely tan head. The smell added to the joy, with sweet roasted and caramel overtones. The only slight disappointment, helped on by the now very high expectations, was the taste. While it had some roasted caramel and fruity characteristics, it was dominated by a bitterness that I felt was drowning out the best parts of its flavour. Maybe it is just too strong at 4.5%. It’s still a nice beer, but after seeing and smelling it, though before taking my first sip, I thought it might have been one of my favourites. It is not. There’s a long way from this to a Welsh Black (Great Orme) or Oscar Wilde (Mighty Oak). However, I’m glad of every new mild I discover, not least during Mild Month May.
Category Archives: Entertainment
Svend’s Beer Log 2014 04
(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)
Tring – Death or Glory 5
Banks’s – Sent Sunbeam 4
St George – Larger 2
Fuller’s – London Pride 3
Langton Brewery – Duncan’s Drop 4
Oldershaw – St Pancras Beer 2
Beavertown – Smog Rocket 4
Lagunitas – IPA 3
Magic Rock – Rapture 3
Atom – Dark Alchemy 3
Crouch Vale – Yakima Gold 3
Darkstar – Heart Of Darkness 3
Rooster’s – 41 degrees south 3
Sonnet 43 – Brown Ale 2
Purity – UK 3
Red Fox – Coggeshall Gold 4
Tring – Side Pocket For A Toad 4
Adams – Southtown 3
Calvors – Smooth Hoperator 3
Bateman – Black & White 3
Shepherd Neame – Early Bird 2
Colchester – Brazilian 4
Mauldons – Suffolk Punch 2
Portobello – Star 2
Dark Star – Six Hops 3
Oakham – Davy Jones 3
Banks – Mild 2
Thwaites – Lancaster Bomber 3
Cotswold Spring – OSM 4
Batemans – Springtime 5
Lacons – Pale Ale 3
Adams – Mosaic 4
Farmers – Hotel Porter 4
Colchester – Metropolis 5
Oakham – Curmudgeon 4
Rebellion – Zebedee 4
Woodforde’s – Great Eastern 3
Purple Moose – Glaslyn Ale 4
Great Orme – Merlyn 3
Cwrw Llyn – Seithenyn 3
Batemans – English B Bock 4
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.
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
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 |
First mild of mild month May
Yesterday was the 2nd day of May, and I had my first mild to celebrate Mild Month (see Camra’s Mild Month page). It was this lovely Bostin’ Mild from Windsor & Eton Brewery, served to perfection in the bustling and sunny Bree Louise near Euston Station.
Messi vs Robot
Lionel Messi is only 25 but has already scored over 300 goals for Barcelona. However, those have all been against mortal human goalkeepers. How would he fare against a robot? Thanks to Japanese engineers, we can now know. Check out the video below:
Eliza Shaddad – January ~ March
A couple of months ago, a friend of mine was visiting us for a weekend, and he asked if there was any music on. Knowing that there would be loads of music on somewhere in London, but having no idea what, where or when, I turned to the internet. Not surprisingly, there was indeed loads going on. We finally decided what to see and only when we were pretty much on our way out the door we realised that our chosen gig was on the Sunday and not the Saturday as we thought. So we had a quick panic and returned to the list from earlier and picked the second choice. This was how we ended up going to The Wilmington Arms to see Eliza Shaddad and The Worry Dolls. We managed to sit at a small round table a few feet from the stage, and witnessed some great performances.
Tonight, I’m going with Katie to see Eliza Shaddad again this time at the St Pancras Old Church; a beautiful venue where we’ve seen Emmy The Great in the past.
Check out her music here and if you like it, buy it and share it!