Rolling Maul by Snaggletooth @ The Fort Arms, Clayton Le Moors

 (If you are holding your Wedding in Lancashire and want to find the right venue, dress or entertainment why not pop along to http://www.iweddingsinlancashire.co.uk or if you want to find out What's On in Lancashire go to http://www.insidelancashire.co.uk)

I've just been pounding at my keyboard for the last half and hour trying to get this blog thingy to start typing but instead my computer decided to do some weird freeze thing and steadfastly refused to type...  When did life get so dependent on the whims and machinations of computers?

Too often we have sacrificed the simple charms of a pint and a good pub atmosphere for the fascist diktats of the humourless mechanical gestapo...  anyway enough about the European Union!

 Yesterday I escaped from the lure of my electronic gadgets to search out more traditional charms and so made my way to the Fort Arms in Clayton Le Moors on a soaking, wet night.  I arrived miserable and bedraggled with my trousers clinging to my thighs like two overcooked cabbage leaves.

I received a really warm welcome which really cheered me so I put my buzzing mobile to one side and concentrated on the important stuff - which beer to drink.  Fortunately, the pub specializes in Real Ale and helps support our thriving local micro brewers

Aided by the charming and knowledgeable landlady, I chose the interestingly named "Rolling Maul" by Darwen producer, Snaggletooth (great name, named after their dog), which is a Pale Ale of an  4.1%  A reddish amber in colour, the nose is quite hoppy.  A medium carbonation gives a lovely silky smooth feel on the mouth.  There is a faint sweetness to the taste and a profound lack of bitterness which I found quite startling, as often these northern pale ales delight in giving that sharp metallic stab, almost like a signature tune.   

The brewers say that they have "late hopped" the beer with Centennial hops which should give it a citrus aroma.  I didn't get that, just that the scent is "hoppy" (maybe an imminent cold was on the way)

  The beer was served cool, not cold which allowed the taste buds to grapple with a supple malty caramel sweetness that made itself know without shouting for attention. 

If you find many beers too bitter for you then this is an ale for you.  It makes for uncomplex easy drinking but for those who prefer their beer with "bite" this "Rolling Maul" only gives a warm, pleasant lick!

Festival Ale by Daniel Thwaites (from the Manchester International Festival 2015)

   (If you are holding your Wedding in Lancashire and want to find the right venue, dress or entertainment why not pop along to http://www.iweddingsinlancashire.co.uk or if you want to find out What's On in Lancashire go to http://www.insidelancashire.co.uk)

 This ale has been launched by Daniel Thwaites with the minimum of fuss (judging by how little can be found out about it)

I was with "Our Peg und Brid" (wife and child), having a leisurely stroll around the Manchester International Festival outside the Town Hall, when mysteriously, and quite against my will, I was drawn to the bar.

Mouth suddenly felt parched as the Sahara, I coughed up the £3.80 and plumbed for something which I'd not seen before: the Daniel Thwaites "Festival Ale" 3.8%

Of the Pale Ale variety with a clear bright coppery colour, it had a surprising low carbonation which nevertheless foams pleasantly.  I gave it a quick nose, and was surprised again with a distinct fruity aroma.

Next to tasting: first impressions were WARM!!!  I'd been served a warm beer from the pump!  Couldn't believe it!!  At first, it disappointed with the warmth and a noticeable "Boddingtons" character...  Very Bitter .... and WARM!!!  However, unlike "Boddies" it wasn't in the least bit creamy.

Anyway, not one to jettison beers lightly (and finding that the water at the Festival costs nearly as much as the beer!!!) I decided to press on and attempt to sooth my Sahara with this warm pint.

As I supped, I was surprised again as the less obvious charms of the beer gradually became apparent: somehow the brewers had found the intersection where peach meets apricot.  The fruity sweetness, however was ably counterbalanced by a steely, bitter edge.  The more I supped the the more enjoyed it as the beer cooled down(!)  The sweetness of peach and apricot never overpowered or defined the pint and so whilst a seam of fruity sweetness is the beers controlling factor, it is constantly undercut by the bitter edge.

At the end of the pint I'd been won over:  "Festival Ale" won't be for everyone but if you are intrigued by the idea of a fruity Pale Ale it is certainly worth a try, if only for an beer with a difference.

Manchester Brown Ale by Joseph Holt

 (If you want are holding your Wedding in Lancashire but want to find the right venue, dress or entertainment why not pop along to http://www.iweddingsinlancashire.co.uk or if you want to find out What's On in Lancashire go to http://www.insidelancashire.co.uk)


Joseph Holt are a bona fide Manchester Brewery and have something of a tradition behind them having been brewing their own brands since 1849.

Manchester Brown Ale itself has been in production at The Derby Brewer since the early 1900s and its enduring appeal is certainly not based on flashy advertising campaigns

Declared as being "the taste of coming home" this ale is low on pretensions right at the outset.


Dark brown in colour with a pungent, hoppy aroma this ale delivers but in a deliberately understated way.  It is unremarkable on the mouth with a demure soft carbonation, but as you continue to drink the charms begin to seep through.

It is neither bitter nor sweet and yet... and yet was that the gentle undercurrent of treacle there?  The flours are as unobtrusively timid as they are pleasantly subtle.  An uncomplicated ale for social drinking.

Lancaster Bomber by Daniel Thwaites' Brewery

 (If you want are holding your Wedding in Lancashire but want to find the right venue, dress or entertainment why not pop along to http://www.iweddingsinlancashire.co.uk or if you want to find out What's On in Lancashire go to http://www.insidelancashire.co.uk)

  Hi there! After the last ale I thought I'd contrast it with something different - the Lancaster Bomber

The Lancaster Bomber ale is actually produced now by Marston's in Wolverhampton for Daniel Thwaites Brewer - so it stretches the definition of 'Lancashire beer' somewhat!

Named after the Avro Lancaster, a British Second World War bomber, this beer certainly packs wallop just like its namesake.



As you pop the bottle top there is the slight but pleasing hoppy whiff .  The chestnut colour gives further hints of the richness, but doesn't really prepare you for the warm, rich, malty taste and texture of the beer.  The first bitter palate gives way to a lovely, sweet malt involving and velvety lending a full, satisfying and lasting finish.

                     
This is a beer for winter evenings curled before a real log fire eating Lancashire hotpot!  I  really enjoyed the drinking experience... a full beer yet falls short of being overly rich or filing, it spills its payload with a fulfilling explosion of malty taste.

                         
The Gen on Hops

The beer, I'm told, uses a complex hop formulation of Challenger, Fuggles, Goldings and WGV.  The Challenger, Goldings and WGV will account for the sweetness and the  Fuggles and WGV for the robust fullness.

Moorhouse's Pride of Pendle

Hey, sorry for the lack of beer reporting lately, been busy with other pursuits like www.insidelancashire.co.uk and www.iweddingsinlancashire.co.uk and looking after two rabbits who want to take over my house: so we're calling them 'Asbo' and 'Bandit' - not your typical cute names but their not you typical cute rabbits either!  When their not chewing wires and decimating furniture they can be seen jumping on my bed in a morning to wake me up.

Maybe I should give them some of Moorhouse's Pride of Pendle to help them chill out and relax a bit more!

Moorehouse is an independent brewer located in Burnley and were founded in 1865 by William Moorhouse.

Moorhouse describe the beer as having 'An exceptionally fine balance of malt and hops to give beer a long dry and extremely satisfying taste.  They suggest 4/5 for bitterness and 3/5 for sweetness

The beer has a medium copper colour and a light, pleasant feel on the palate. Balance... that is the word to describe this beer and care has been taken to ensure that neither the hops nor malt dominate.  The blend is close to 50/50 with neither bitterness nor sweetness dominating.  I would suggest 3/5 for both bitterness and sweetness. There is the hoppyness of flowers and contrasting peatyness but both are light, subtle notes.  They adumbrate quiet chill evenings just as the sun is going down.  The brewer's website indicates a long finish but I didn't get this at all - more like a quick splash in a sparkling stream.

The hop used is Fuggles Willamette (fruity and floral)  - the fruity character appears to be outshone by floral aspects - but not really to the detriment of the beer.  It simply is a beer for jasmine-scented, light summer evenings.

Lancaster Black Stout

Lancaster Black

Lancaster Black is a traditional English Stout brewed by Lancaster Brewery Ltd but to my palate it isn't as bitter as a lot of stout.  Instead it seemed a little sweeter than most with a heavy dolop of smokey malt and easy on the bitter hops.  It said on the bottle that you could get hints of chocoate there but I got rather a more smooth, smoky, coffee-like taste

The brewery website says "An excellent fusion of malt, oats and wheat, balanced with Challenger, Perle and Cascade hops"

Cascade has a spicy, flowery slight citrus character; challenger learns toward marmalde, toffee and citrus; perle is floral and fruity.  These hops are less bitter than some and in this case appear so have reduced the bitter character of the beer and made for a very smooth yet tasty ale.

The beer is an S.I.B.A. Bronze & Gold Medal Winner.

 Where can I get this?

I got mine from Asda for about £1.50