A Nottingham Pub Crawl

It was a gloriously sunny day and after a good few drinks on the Friday night I was never going to get to the CAMRA AGM for the morning session but I did make it to the first planned pub before it was open so I headed back to the Cross Keys.  This plush pub on the fringes of the Lace District has pavement drinking where people were already soaking up the sunshine.  It appeared to have the full range of beers from the local Navigation Brewery plus a couple of others and I went for the Apus, a 5.5% American IPA.  I found the beer to be a little soapy with a few light lemony citrussy notes and overall a little disappointing.  I've had better from this brewery but this particular beer is obviously not one for me.  The pub itself is superb.  Very elegant with polished wooden floors, comfortable seating and high ornate ceilings.  Upstairs there is a dining room and outside you can watch the trams go by.      

I then headed back to my planned start point, Annie's Burger Shack, in the heart of the Lace District, and a perfect place for lunch.  This place is awesome, combining the best in British beer with the best in American food.  It was already busy with diners and the doors had only been open 10 minutes.  I looked along the row of 10 handpumps and noticed a few breweries I recognised such as the wonderful Thornbridge.  However, my eye was caught by a beer called New World (3.7% ABV) from Shiny Brewing.  I asked the young lady serving about the brewery but she could not tell me much but I ordered a pint to go with a Hawaiian burger (one of a choice of 30 different burger options).  Whilst enjoying the lovely crisp, citrussy, refreshing light pale ale I discovered that Shiny Brewing are based in nearby Derbyshire.  Shortly afterwards the young lady who served me came up and told me what she had found out about them too.  Excellent service.  If you like burgers and an excellent range of beer from local micros this place is for you.  First class in everything they do.                 

Now I was wondering whether to go to the AGM and listen to one or two debates or enjoy a stroll around Nottingham popping into the odd pub or two.  My plan was to meet up with an old work colleague, Martin, later on, as well as meeting up with Dawn and Scott, my sister and her other half, who I was staying with in Loughborough.  Now if it had been raining the AGM may have won but it was a beautiful day.  I decided to walk around Nottingham and headed over to the castle.  On the way I popped in to Langtry's.  A typical city centre boozer with a range of beer consisting mainly of national brands.  I tried a half of Nottingham Legend (4.0% ABV), the only local beer on offer.  The pub was OK for a quick drink but the beer was not to my taste.  I found it strangely aromatic and sweet with very little hop character.         

I then took a break from drinking and walked around the area of Nottingham Castle.  I noted one or two pubs I planned to go in later as well as seeing the famous 'Old Trip' pub, now owned by Greene King.  This small area alone had a number of pubs worth going in.  I was due to meet Martin at 5.00.pm in the Lincolnshire Poacher.  That meant hauling myself back across the city and on my circuitous route I spotted the Brewdog bar.  I didn't expect to see any CAMRA diehards in there and I was right.  In fact, it was empty although it did fill up while I was there.  I've enjoyed a few Brew By Numbers bottled beers recently so I opted for their 01/07 Saison Nelson Sauvin (6.0% ABV).  Tart and bitter it was a lovely beer to enjoy slowly whilst keeping track of the afternoon footie.     

When I arranged to meet up with Martin for a drink I remembered him extolling the virtues of the Lincolnshire Poacher.  Martin lives in Eastwood, a few miles out of Nottingham, but this is one of his favourite pubs.  I can see why.  Heading out of town on the Mansfield Road, it is an unassuming pub that is part of the Castle Rock empire.  As well as the full Castle Rock range it also has a superb range of beer from other local micros.  I opted for a Phoenix (4.8% ABV) from the local Newark Brewery after Martin had given me a tour of the multi-roomed pub.  Two front rooms, a snug, a conservatory and an outside walled garden.  The beer was a rich malty russet coloured ale that was quite pleasant.  It was certainly better than my next beer, the Castle Rock Screech Owl (5.5% ABV).  As with the Navigation Apus, it was too floral and aromatic for my taste with none of the tropical fruit flavours or citrusy bitterness I associate with an American IPA.  

We stayed for a third before I had to go and meet up with Dawn and Scott and once again I headed over to Derbyshire for a Black Iris Homeward Bound, a craft keg 7.2% ABV double IPA.  This was indeed a lovely beer.  Martin was enjoying a Castle Rock Sherwood Reserve, an excellent 4.5% ABV stout which I should have chosen instead of the Screech Owl.                  

  

It was time to meet Dawn and Scott at the Hand & Heart, a pub close to the AGM venue.  Martin decided to come along and catch a later bus (the 8.10).  The Hand & Heart had a mini beer festival as well as their handsome regular range of ales.  I went over the border into Derbyshire again and chose a St Bernard from the Intrepid Brewing Company, located in the heart of the Peak District.  Brown ales aren't my thing so not the best choice but it was drinkable.  The cheese & onion rustic roll was the size of a small loaf and went down better and all of this was swiftly followed by a Red Eye PA (5.2% ABV) from the Maypole Brewery, another Nottinghamshire micro.  This was gorgeous and the best beer of the day and by far the best beer from Nottinghamshire.  Martin was now scheduled to catch the 9.10 bus!!

We were sat upstairs in the Hand & Heart on a large table and, being close to the AGM venue, we were soon joined by a boisterous group from Yorkshire who told us a few of the highlights of the AGM.  They assured me I had missed nothing.  It's a large and literally cavernous pub because it is built into the sandstone so at the back it is a cave.  This cave at the rear contrasts with the Victorian frontage.  This frontage is further 'enhanced' by the glass conservatory above that was added in the 1980s.  A top class pub with excellent food and a great range of beer.                 

Next stop was the new city centre micropub, the Barrel Drop.  Martin decided to stay with us and catch the 10.10 bus home!!  His wife had said to him 'I suppose I will see you when I see you' which I translated for him to be 'stay out as long as you want and have fun'.  I had popped into the Barrel Drop the evening before after checking in at the AGM and was immediately impressed.  It is down a very narrow alleyway called Hurts Yard and for a micropub it is fairly large and it has a bar, behind which are about a dozen barrels so plenty of choice.  The guys running it are a young lot which is great to see and they were being rushed off their feet to serve everyone.  I was back in Derbyshire as I chose a delightful Euro IPA (5.6% ABV) from the Raw Brewing Company.  In fact it seemed that I was constantly switching between these two counties.  The previous evening I had enjoyed a porter from South Yorkshire's Stancill Brewery (4.4% ABV).  Plenty of chocolate notes with this one and a lovely bittersweet finish.

The Barrel Drop is a first class micropub.  There are three distinct areas.  A small snug on the right as you go in.  A larger room off to the right at the rear and a central area with small amounts of seating and standing room.  The list of beers are chalked up on a board to your left as you enter.  If I lived in Nottingham I would make this my local.                  

Martin finally called it a day so he missed out on the Crafty Crow.  This superb pub is located opposite the entrance to Nottingham Castle.  A central bar area with wraparound seating on two different levels.  All very modern and stylish.  We made this our final stop as I was beginning to tire and poor Scott was suffering from man flu.      

The Crafty Crow is owned by the Magpie Brewery.  There are 10 handpumps and only two are from their own brewery so it is a more like a freehouse with beers from independent micros both local and nationwide.  Add to this 8 rotating craft keg lines and you have a beer paradise.  This pub is not far from the Barrel Drop so perhaps they are the only two pubs you need.  I went for a Magpie beer, Huginn (5.6% ABV), which is an interesting and complex IPA.  An excellent end to a fantastic day of drinking.           

This was my first real drinking tour of Nottingham and the city is full of excellent pubs.  I did not always have success with the local beers, in fact the Derbyshire beer seemed more to my taste, but this was rectified towards the end with some crackers from Magpie and Maypole.  A couple of pubs that I missed but did not have time for were the Canalhouse and the Malt Cross.  It is always good to have a reason to go back though.  

Cheers.     

Charnwood Brewery

My second port of call on the way up to Nottingham last Friday was my home town of Loughborough.  Loughborough has always had a decent cluster of pubs but it has always lacked a brewery so I am delighted to say they now have one.  Charnwood Brewery opened for business last December and they are in a very attractive purpose-built building by the looks of things and it is a stones throw from the blue plaque on Bottleacre Lane that marks my place of birth (just kidding about the blue plaque of course!).     

The brewery is a real family concern.  Husband and dad, Andrew, seems to be running the sales and marketing side and after 14 years at Batemans he seems to be more than qualified.  The brewing has been delegated to wife, Andrea.  With no prior brewing experience she went over to Sara Barton at Brewsters to gain her knowledge and learn her new craft.  Son George is also pitching in and I'm sure it was probably him driving the company van that I saw along Epinal Way heading back to the brewery after making some deliveries.     

Andrew is making the most of his extensive contacts in the industry and the beer is currently being sent up to their friends at Mordue for bottling.  I picked up a very nice box of their beers along with a glass.  I will sit down with these one evening soon and review them of course.  When I got home my wife was immediately impressed with the foxy logo and beer names.  They only have three fermenters currently so their three brews per week are flying out of the door.  Distributor Small Beer has been taking them as far south as my friend's micropub in Worthing, the Brooksteed Alehouse, and he was very pleased with the Old School (5.0% ABV) that he sold.           

Charnwood Brewery are only a few months old.  They have a great set-up with their modern brewery and on-site shop,  The shop sells their own beers of course with glasses, t-shirts, etc along with a nice range of Belgian bottled beers too but there is also an area to sit and sample one of their beers that can be pulled from the cask for you.  They have obviously put a lot of thought into what it is they want to be and the look they are after.  I was very impressed with what they are doing and they already have an excellent website.  It was not difficult to find their beers for sale later that evening in what are some of the best ale pubs in town.  I rounded off my evening with a pint of their Salvation (3.8% ABV), a lovely crisp, refreshing, modern session ale flavoured with a blend of the American hops Amarillo and Cascade.  I will look out for their beers whenever I head back to my home town as well as hopefully seeing them further afield at beer festivals and all the best micropubs and good beer pubs around.  Looking at their list of upcoming beers I will certainly like to find their APA (June) and IPA (September).  

Cheers.

    

Cotteridge Wines Update

Well I have recovered from my beery trip to the CAMRA AGM in Nottingham and the first port of call on my journey up there was to Cotteridge Wines in Birmingham.  It is over two years since I discovered this beer paradise that is nestled in the suburbs of Birmingham.  You can read what I said about them then here.  I no longer work near Birmingham but I have popped in to replenish my stock of beer whenever I have been in the area and each visit has seen an ever expanding beer choice.  On each visit Kal and Jaz, the two brothers who run this incredible shop, eagerly tell me about what they now have in stock and I can now confirm it is so much better than it ever was (and I never thought that was possible).  They are two of the friendliest guys you could ever wish to meet and that is part of the key to their success of course.  It is always a pleasure to visit and chat with them as well as buying their beer of course.  

On the outside it looks unassuming.  In fact, a few years back it was probably just your average local offie until they decided to begin stocking craft beers and to build for themselves a national reputation as a go-to place for beer.  It was early days in their life as a craft beer specialist when I first visited them.  On subsequent visits the selection has consistently grown and now it seems to have taken over the entire shop.

Beer as far as the eye can see

The aisle above consists of American and worldwide beers to the left and the new trendy 'craft' brewers from the UK to the right.  There is another full aisle now containing the more traditional UK and local microbrewers.  A section for cans is also taking shape too.  They must have in excess of well over 1000 different beers available now so you need to allow plenty of time for your visit.  

Another recent addition since my last visit is the tasting room along with new member of staff, beer sommelier Roberto Ross.  This was launched towards the end of 2014 and they have well over 10 beers available on tap in various glass sizes ranging from a third to the traditional pint depending on strength.  Quickly glancing down the list I spotted Magic Rock's Un-Human Cannonball (11.0% ABV) at the bargain price of £4 for a third of a pint.  I have never chased to get this once-a-year brew but perhaps I might from now on.  It is amazing.  Yes I can now see why the beery folk clamour for it and whilst I was there someone came in to order a 3.5 pint growler of it.  I hope he has recovered!  

Roberto pouring my UHC

Tasting events are beginning to be regularly held now in the small cosy bar for small groups to enjoy samples of the varied and wonderful beers available.  I should have noted down the beers that were lined up when I visited but I was concentrating on the UHC.  However, Weird Beard, Mikkeler, Buxton and Brewdog were all represented.  Roberto loves his beer and has a very easy friendly manner and will talk about beer as long as you wish.            

      

If you do not live locally you have a dilemma of course.  You could catch the train to Kings Norton where you will then be just a short walk away from the shop.  You can then enjoy the tasting room but you will then struggle to take away a large amount of bottles.  As usual I was driving so my third of a pint taster was more than enough and I was able to fill the boot of my car.  The best option of course is to get someone else to drive you there.  I'm sure they can supply a soft drink for them.  Of course, if you are going straight home you can take a carry-out of any of the beers on tap to help you get over your journey.  

So I came away with the varied selection of goodies below.  Three of these will fill my Beer O'Clock Show '12 Beers of Xmas' slots this year.  A 10% maple imperial stout (Weird BrodMance), a Weird Beard / Brodies collaboration, a new one from Durham Brewery, a 10% Belgian stout (Finchale) and a 9% beer from Marble, Brew 900.  

Some new heavyweights from Durham and Weird Beard

Some new cans to try

Beer,

beer

and more beer,

Birmingham is possibly my favourite beer destination due to the number of excellent pubs in the city centre but any visit must include Cotteridge Wines.  It is only about 10 minutes from the M40/M42 junction so easily accessible to all from the south.  You could even combine your visit with a trip to the nearby Cadbury factory if you are also a chocoholic.  Whatever it takes just go and visit.  You will not be disappointed.

Cheers.

Yorkshire Ales Part 14 - Baytown

This is my final Yorkshire Ales review from my last purchase.  The cupboard is bare.  The series will be continued after I place my next order which probably won't be until later in the year.  This latest review is a bit confusing as to who actually brewed these beers.  The Baytown website doesn't seem to shed any light on it, stating that they are 'locally produced'.  Looking back at the Yorkshire Ales site it is stated here that the beers are brewed in Cropton, near Pickering.  However, the beers of Cropton are now brewed by Great Yorkshire but their website says very little about their brewery. The latest Good Beer Guide says Great Yorkshire took over the brewing operation of Cropton in 2012.  Great Yorkshire's website lists the beers they brew under the Cropton name but they give no mention to the Baytown beers.  So there you have it.  As clear as mud.

OK so what about Baytown then.  It may not have a brewery and it is also a made up place name too it seems.  It is the locals name for Robin Hood's Bay on the east coast south of Whitby.  It is all eloquently explained on the website though.  It is a part of Yorkshire I am yet to get to but the coastline looks stunning and inland there are the North York Moors.  Being coastal with dramatic scenery there are obviously stories of smuggling and Baytown attempts to celebrate this through the beers so let's get started.

Squire's Connivance (5.0% ABV)

On this beer label it says 'Enjoy the free spirit' and tells how the landed gentry in the area also tried to avoid central government control along with the smugglers.  Death and taxes can't be avoided though but this porter may make everything more tolerable.  It is actually a superb porter and exactly the kind I enjoy.  There are big aromas of dark fruit and treacle with big flavours too.  Hints of chocolate, liquorice and aniseed pop up to add some bitterness which balances well with the sweetness of the fruits leading to a smooth bittersweet finish.  This was a hit with the wife too so an impressive start with a 9/10.    

Baytown Bitter (4.0% ABV)

This looks and smells like your typical 'boring brown beer'.  Butterscotch and caramel are quite prominent giving a sweet malt character which my wife strongly objected to.  However, there is some spicy hop character in the finish which gives some bitterness and overall it is not a bad standard bitter but there is nothing remarkable about it either.  It therefore picks up a score of 6/10 from me.     

Smuggler's Haul (6.0% ABV)

For the final beer we up the strength and darken the colour.  My wife took one smell of this one and said 'twiglets'.  She wasn't impressed with the taste either.  This is not my kind of beer at all to be honest.  It is certainly malty which I normally enjoy in strong dark ales but there are strong earthy notes which clash badly with the sweetness of the malt character.  There are hints of tobacco too with small hints of smoke and chocolate.  It was the earthiness of it all I didn't enjoy though and the best I can give this beer is a score of 5/10.      

A bit of a mixed bag for these beers then so how do I rate the marketing.  Well this is what they seem to do very well with their strong theme of smuggling along with a celebration of Robin Hood's Bay and the surrounding environs.  I love the beer labelling and the logo.  The website is pretty good even though it avoids mentioning where the beers are produced.  Perhaps one day we will see a brewery appear in the town which would be excellent.  Overall I will mark them a 7/10 in this category but with a bit more clarity on the origin of the beer it may have been higher.           

1.    Acorn Brewery - 34 points
2.    Saltaire Brewery - 33 points

3.    Hop Studio - 32 points 

4.    Mallinsons - 31 points
5=   Geeves - 31 points

5=   Little Valley - 31 points

7.    Brass Castle - 30 points
8.    Bradfield Brewery - 29 points
9.    Here Be Monsters - 29 points

10.  Axholme - 28 points
11.  Yorkshire Heart - 28 points

12.  Revolutions - 28 points

13.  North Riding Brewpub - 27 points
14.  Baytown - 27 points

**  Where point scores are equal league position is determined by beer scores.

Cheers.

CAMRA AGM 2015

This weekend I will be attending the CAMRA AGM in Nottingham.  Although I am now active locally in CAMRA this is a bit of a rarity for me.  I was living in Norwich in 1990 when the AGM was in town there so I went along out of curiosity.  Three years ago me and my mate went to Torquay for the 2012 AGM for the simple reason it was his 50th birthday and we wanted somewhere to go to celebrate the passing of that particular milestone.  This time it is a chance to go back to my home town of Loughborough and enjoy some beers there as well as enjoying some of the finest pubs and beers that Nottingham has to offer.  I am planning on sitting in on much of the debates this time, especially on the Saturday, but of course it also means I have the rest of the trip to plan and enjoy.  

I have noticed that there is now a brewery in Loughborough (Charnwood Brewery) and looking at the map it appears to be about 100yds from where I was born and located on the site of the old factory my dad worked at for most of his life.  That will be my first port of call on Friday afternoon then.  I am also hoping to have time for a slight detour on the way up to call in at Cotteridge Wines on the outskirts of Birmingham to see how their tasting room is looking as that was in the planning stage when I last visited.  Having no beer at all in the house is another good reason for stopping by of course.

I am spending the weekend in Loughborough with my sister (Dawn) and her partner (Scott) and on Friday evening there will be time to visit some of the finer pubs in Loughborough with them.  The best of these are both owned by Nottingham brewers.  The Organ Grinder is Blue Monkey owned and The Swan In The Rushes (my old local) has been a Castle Rock pub for many years.  Hopefully my old geography teacher will be there to chat with.  He has been propping the bar up in there since I was at school.  He drove us on many pub crawls geography field trips and turned a blind eye to us slipping into the odd pub or two.                       

Saturday will be spent entirely in Nottingham.  I am currently compiling the list of pubs I want to visit when the AGM is not in session.  Being a fan of micropubs, The Barrel Drop will be top of my list.  It is a couple of years since I visited Doctors Orders, the first Nottingham micropub, and there are now four micropubs in and around Nottingham.  The Barrel Drop is the only one in the centre and is very close to the AGM venue so it could well be a tad busy in there this weekend!  With the help of the excellent AGM programme it has not been difficult to come up with a large number of pubs worth visiting and hopefully Dawn and Scott will join me for some of these if they last the pace following their boozy trip to Prague this week.

Hopefully I will survive the weekend to tell you all about it next week.

Cheers.

Brew Britannia

I think this is only my third book review but this one is well worth telling you all about.  Jessica Boak and Ray Bailey are seasoned beer bloggers via Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog which is always informative and interesting so I was expecting this, their  first book, to be pretty much the same.  It attempts to tell the story behind the recent resurgence in British Beer which sees the number of breweries to now stand at well over the thousand mark.      

The book begins by taking us back to the 1960s.  Dark days indeed for the British beer industry.  The story behind the emergence of the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW) followed by the CAMpaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has, I'm sure, been documented elsewhere but this is the first time I have read the story in this kind of detail.  My CAMRA days began thirty years ago but it is fascinating reading how it all began and how the SPBW actually came along first.  I remember the days when this strange organisation touted for members at the GBBF and it is reassuring to know they are still around today.  The story is written here in a very engaging fashion and, of course, you cannot document the rise of such organisations without saying why the beer industry was in a such a state and this is also explained eloquently.

The book takes us through the 80s and 90s and from hereon in it is like reading a narrative of everything I remember about drinking our national drink and how it has changed throughout the years.  There is the constant of CAMRA throughout all this of course and it is interesting to read how this has fluctuated throughout the years.  It is only recently I have become an active member so it is interesting to read how at times they struggled for members.  Then there was the rise of the Firkin chain in London as well as Werherspoons, both of which I remember vividly as I was living in SE London at the time.  Key characters throughout these years are interviewed and discussed and the narrative never gets tedious or repetitive.

The formation of the Small Independent Brewers Association (SIBA) in 1980 emerges midway through the book and this society, now known as the Society of Independent Brewers, plays a large role in what has happened in more recent years.  This is all explained in perfect detail of course and how everything led up to the 1989 Beer Orders and Progressive Beer Duty (2002).  The latter had an immediate effect on the brewing industry as I well remember with over a hundred breweries opening up between 2003 and 2005.  That may not seem too many nowadays as it seems we are seeing that many open up each year now but it was a massive leap at the time and the story then proceeds to explain how many of these new brewers spawned what we see today.  The family trees in the appendices at the back make for fascinating study.

The book builds towards the rise of 'craft' beer or modern 'keg' beer or whatever you want to call it and also touches on the relevance of CAMRA today.  For me, the rise of 'craft' is a welcome addition to the beer scene but I do not see that it will ever replace the importance of cask ale.  It is interesting that the book details the rise of the 'craft' bars ,which are obviously aimed at a younger clientele, without a single mention for the rise of the micropub.  The latter is doing much more for our national drink nationwide as outside the large cities 'craft' beer is still largely absent.  In fact, what we are beginning to see is some new micropubs showcasing both cask and 'craft' keg alongside each other which is great to see.  

To summarise, Brew Britannia is a book that everyone who loves our national drink will enjoy reading I think.  I definitely did and it certainly helps put many things into focus about how the important organisations formed and evolved to protect and develop what will hopefully always be our favourite tipple.  Boak & Bailey have obviously put many hours into researching this book and there are pages of notes and cross references to hundreds of publications and articles at the back of this book for those who want to dig deeper.  They should be congratulated on the outcome.    

Cheers.

  

Yorkshire Ales Part 13 - Yorkshire Heart

The latest brewery in my jaunt around the beers of Yorkshire also happens to be a vineyard.  The vineyard came first and they added the brewery in 2011.  The 5bbl plant of Yorkshire Heart is based at Carlton Farm which is just a short hop from the vineyard in the village of Nun Monkton between Harrogate and York.  It doesn't stop there though, as last year they planted a cider orchard so cider will also be produced eventually.  It is all family run with son Tim doing the brewing side of things so it is time to sample some of his work.

Hearty Mild (4.0% ABV)

This beer can really be described in one word.  Chocolate.  It is a decent strength for a mild and it is quite robust and both the aroma and taste are one of chocolate.  Very yummy.  A bit like a chocolate stout but without any bitterness.  A delightful smooth, malty mild indeed and I loved it.  My wife had pretty much the same thoughts too so this is a hit and collects a score of 8/10.

Lightheart Pale Ale (3.3% ABV)

This beer was particularly lively during the pour with a big frothy head quickly appearing.  The aroma was quite powerful and floral as well as a little yeasty which doesn't bode well for me.  My wife instantly hated this one and I wasn't sure about it.  The mouthfeel was quite light and sparkly which was pleasant enough.  It was pale and clear and looked inviting.  For a low strength beer there was plenty of flavour.  Initially though there was an off-putting flavour I couldn't quite work out and the best description I could come up with was metallic.  The floral hops came through though and began to dominate and the finish was scented and refreshing.  I actually ended up liking this one and a score of 7/10 gets awarded.       

Silverheart IPA (4.0% ABV)

For my final beer I chose the Silverheart IPA.  I like my IPAs to be well over 5.0% ABV although I have had some decent ones below that strength.  It poured a little flat compared to the previous beer and it was a light golden colour.  The aroma was distinctly fruity but for me this turned out to be just an average balanced golden bitter which was disappointing.  My wife preferred it to the Lightheart but I found it to be a bit bland.  The sweetness was dominating which I do not expect with an IPA and there was only hints of bitterness in the finish.  Certainly drinkable and no unpleasant flavours but nothing more than a 6/10 with this one.         

When it comes to the branding I was not actually overly keen on the labelling.  It all looks a bit basic and amateurish to me but my wife liked the look of it.  Who am I to argue with the marketing expert then?  Where they do score highly with me is with the website.  All the information is easily available with clear navigation and enough detail to satisfy the curious mind.  It's a shame though that the impressive logo here cannot be transferred onto the beer labels rather than just employing the heart outline with the beer name inside it.  I like what they are doing though and the fact that it is family run.  The beers are traditional and perhaps that does come across with the labels I'm not keen on.  I will award a score of 7/10 for this category which puts them on 28/40 overall.                     

1.    Acorn Brewery - 34 points
2.    Saltaire Brewery - 33 points

3.    Hop Studio - 32 points 

4.    Mallinsons - 31 points
5=   Geeves - 31 points

5=   Little Valley - 31 points

7.    Brass Castle - 30 points
8.    Bradfield Brewery - 29 points
9.    Here Be Monsters - 29 points

10.  Axholme - 28 points
11.  Yorkshire Heart - 28 points

12.  Revolutions - 28 points

13.  North Riding Brewpub - 27 points

**  Where point scores are equal league position is determined by beer scores.

Next time I will be reviewing the beers of Baytown.

Cheers.