Crouch Vale Yakima Gold

Crouch Vale Yakima Gold [baron rating 4/5] - 4.2% gold ale,citrus slight floral smell,spicy bittersweet citrus taste,juicy fruity finish Baron Orm

Note: Bottle conditioned with perfect carbonation
(bottling done by Mersea Island Brewery)

Buy Crouch Vale ales here

Crouch Vale Willie Warmer

Crouch Vale Willie Warmer [baron rating 3/5] - 6.4% black ale,sweet blackberry smell,plummy very sweet taste,fruity burnt raisin finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Paul from AlesByMail for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Crouch Vale ales here

Crouch Vale Essex Boys

Crouch Vale Essex Boys [baron rating 4/5] - 4% dark amber ale,nutty fruity smell,toasted bittersweet taste,nutty bitter slight burnt finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Paul from AlesByMail for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Crouch Vale ales here

Crouch Vale Brewers Gold

Crouch Vale Brewers Gold [baron rating 4/5] - 4% pale gold ale,orange citrus smell,refreshing bitter citrus taste,clean bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Paul from AlesByMail for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

This was also part of the autumn pack of the superb '52 week beer club' by myBrewerytap.

Buy Crouch Vale ales here and here

Crouch Vale FPA

Crouch Vale FPA [baron rating 4/5] - 5.9% golden ale,sweet malt & floral herbal smell,herbal creamy slightly sweet taste,zesty herbal finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Subscribe in iTunes

Watch us open the bottle!



Thank you to Paul from AlesByMail for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Crouch Vale ales here

Crouch Vale Apollo

Crouch Vale Apollo [baron rating 4/5] - 4.3% copper ale,pine & fresh hops smell,tangy juicy bitter hoppy taste,very hoppy dry finishBaron Orm

Buy Crouch Vale ales here

myBrewerytap's autumn selection of the '52 week beer club'

Chris & I have been a member of myBrewerytap's 52 week beer club since December and our 4th quarter's pack arrived a this week. It arrived in perfect condition as always.

This pack is a bit of a special one as it's the end of mybrewerytap's first year of the club so Richard has pulled out all the stops to make sure it's a cracking pack. Chris & I have been very fortunate to sample some of the beers in this pack over the past year and there are some real winners in here.

Here are the details:

• BrewDog Punk IPA [baron rating 5/5]

• Crouch Vale Brewers Gold

• Felinfoel Double Dragon

• Hawkshead Lakeland Gold [baron rating 5/5]

• Hogs Back TEA

• Inveralmond Ossian

• Mallinsons Station Best Bitter

• Marble Manchester Bitter [baron rating 5/5]

• Meantime Chocolate

• RCH Ale Mary

• Saltaire Cascade Pale Ale [baron rating 5/5]

• Thornbridge Jaipur [baron rating 5/5]

• Williams Bros Good Times [baron rating 5/5]

As you can see from the above, there are some absolute crackers in this pack!

Join it now and make sure you say the baron made me do it!

Looking forward to 'baron rating' more AlesByMail ales soon!

I received an amazing heavy box of ale today from Paul at AlesByMail, twenty four different bottles to 'baron rate'! Check out the packaging (and the two Eat Natural bars!):

Look at them all, peeping out at me!

The box contained the following:

• Atlantic Blue - 4.8% rich porter

• Atlantic Fistral - 5.2% strong smooth & dry premium beer

• Bavik-De Brabandere Petrus Blond - 6.6% blond beer

• Het Anker Gouden Carolus Ambrio - 6% belgian beer

• Het Anker Maneblusser - 8% belgian beer

• Conwy Rampart -4.5% premium bitter

• Crouch Vale Brewers Gold - 4% pale hoppy beer

• Crouch Vale Essex Boys - 4% best bitter

• Crouch Vale FPA - 5.9% fine pale ale

• Crouch Vale Willie Warmer - 6.4% strong dark ale

• Downton Chimera Dark Delight - 6% complex dark ale

• Downton Chimera IPA - 7% india pale ale

• Hobsons Town Crier - 4.5% crisp golden ale

• Itchen Valley Wat Tyler - 5% dark brown hoppy ale

• Laverstoke Park Real Ale - 5% organic ale

• Laverstoke Park Real Lager - 4.5% organic lager

• Leek Dark Peak Ale - 9% strong stout

• Meantime Chocolate - 6.5% chocolate beer

• Meantime London Pale Ale - 4.3% pale ale

• Orkney Dragonhead - 4% stout

• Penlon Torwen - 4.5% dark fruit beer

• Titanic Captain Smiths - 5.2% red-brown full-bodied beer

• Wentworth Oyster Stout - 4.8% full bodied oyster stout

• Wentworth Rampant Gryphon - 6.2% strong pale ale

Look out for 'baron ratings' for these AlesByMail beers soon, and a big thank you to Paul from AlesByMail for sending these through to me!

Crouch Vale Amarillo

Crouch Vale Amarillo [baron rating 5/5] - 5% pale gold ale,citrus & pine smell,pithy grapefruit bittersweet taste,long dry astringent finishBaron Orm

Buy Crouch Vale ales here

My mini #beerswap has arrived!

Back Back in April  a national beerswap was organised by @BeerReviewsAndy (of Beer Reviews fame) & @MarkDredge (of Pencil & Spoon fame). I sent my four bottles to Mitchel Adams of The Thatchers Arms pub.

Mitch liked my selection and mentioned that he would love to get bottles of Southport Old Shrimper & George Wright Cheeky Pheasant again. After a few tweets with Mitch an Ormskirk-Bures #beerswap was on!

These are the five beers that I sent:

• Cains Fine Raisin Beer [baron rating coming soon]

• George Wright Cheeky Pheasant [baron rating 4/5]

• Marble Lagonda IPA [baron rating 5/5]

• Marble Stouter Port Stout [baron rating 4/5]

• Southport Old Shrimper [baron rating 4/5]

And these are the five that I received:

• Crouch Vale Amarillo - 5% golden premium ale

• Crouch Vale Apollo - 4.3% intensely hoppy ale

• Crouch Vale  FPA - 5.9% extra strong fine pale ale

• Mauldons Suffolk Pride - 4.8% premium bitter

• Red Fox Wily Ol' Fox - 5.2% strong aromatic ale

Both lots were sent using myHermes as the courier and both parcels arrived safe & sound with no damage to the box or contents. I know this for a fact as Mitch used my box to return his selection in! The five bottles were sent using their 'between 2-5 kg' weight band so it cost just £5.86 to send them.

I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into these beers, especially the Crouch Vale stuff as I've heard a lot of good things about them!