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.