Drink Moor Beer! (I totally have this on a glass.)

SOMERLAND GOLD from MOOR BREWERY

Colour: Amber/gold, like apple juice.

Head: Aww not so much.

Fragrance: Label says fruity-vanilla. On The Hop says "apple-y".

More haunting photography : Burrow Mump, Sedgemoor, Somerset. Quite near the home of Moor Beer.

The fruity aroma belies the tang-free nature of this booze. Although if you savour it, rather than chuck it down your throat, you will find the tang does occur. (Who writes this crap?)
Deceptively strong - don't drink more than one of these in any one sesh. Well, you could, but don't expect to get owt done the next day.
A taste of the orchard from the heart of the peaty moor.
Gorgeous.                                                                          

Score on the Corinthian Pale Ale Scale:

 
 

The Sea, The Sea....

ICEBERG from TITANIC BREWERY

Colour: Bronze. Simple as that.

Head: You came to the right place, sir.

Fragrance: Lovely comforting malty fragrance - I could happily wear this as a perfume.

There's a haunting picture of the very iceberg that did for the Titanic, just for you.

And there is a haunting picture of the very pumpclip that advertises this beer in public houses and whatnot, just for you.
This beer is a wholesome, rounded face-full with a pleasing tang. There is a hint of strong tea in there, which I like because you can legitimately sink said face-full and go "Aaaaaahhhhhh, that's hit the spot" with relative impunity.
My notes call this an old-style booze with downability approaching a less tang-some, less alcoholic pint. I have no clue what I thought I meant by that. Still.
This from http://www.chesterbeerandwine.co.uk/, which is literally three doors away from me. So if you're in the area, pop round. Bring beer.
The bottle is clear glass, which I have since discovered is A Bad Thing. So, don't keep it in the sun. Luckily beer never hangs around long in my house. Unsurprisingly.



Score on the Corinthian Golden Ale Scale:

 

Cascade - not just a wanky business term for telling all employees the same thing.

 

CASCADE PALE ALE by SALTAIRE BREWERY

Colour: Bronze

Head: No thankyou, we're Yorkshire born and bred. (Shame).

Fragrance: Malty. Very malty. Like a malteser dipped into a blackcurrant pressé. Perhaps.

Oooooh now, that puts me in mind of Robinson's Unicorn (http://www.robinsonsbrewery.com/catalog/product/view/id/15/category/22).

This is good. Very full-bodied. Very nutty, and with a hazelnut tang like that, you could happily sink six of these in a riverside beer garden whilst being hassled by alcoholic vagrant squirrels.
This bottle was brought to me (or more correctly, bought by me) via the wonder of http://www.chesterbeerandwine.co.uk/

Corinthian Golden Ale Scale:
and a half Ale-urons.

 

The Englishwoman Who Drank A Beer That Was Named After A Mountain

 1085-SNOWDON'S LAGER by THE GREAT ORME BREWERY

From the genii who brought us the glorious Celtica comes this: an lager. 

Colour: Well, it's lager-coloured, innit? A good bit richer in amber hue though than the off-yellow piss you get under normal circs. 

Head: Ohhhhh yes. All of that.

Fragrance: A sharp, cidery aroma assails the nose-al area.

This lager is exceptionally crisp and fresh tasting. Fuller of body than what your mainsream drinks industry is pleased to call lager. 

This would be amazing to have out of an ice-bucket at a barbecue. But there again, so would Celtica. http://www.greatormebrewery.co.uk/cask_cd.htm

To be honest, I'd probably just drink the Celtica. Yeah. Do that. 

Corinthian Lager-beer Score:  

7/10 Ale-urons

Mr Mojo risin'?

Monty's Mojo. Catchy, ain't it? Also a throwing-down-the-gauntlet type of name - "We dare you to not enjoy this beer. This beer got it goin' ON" etc.
I encountered this challenge up The Old Harker's Arms (http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/harkers/) in Chester.
On their helpful little blackboards they said this: "Popular session beer, golden amber in colour, with hints of toast and marmalade."
Here is what we, at On The Hop, thought:

Colour: Caramel, with a sheen like ganache.
Head: Decent enough - you wouldn't ask for your deposit back.
Fragrance: Earthy - like a freshly-dug grave. Sans corpse, obviously.
Can't disagree with the "session" epithet, as it's very high on the quaffability spectrum.
Quite mild, and smooth as it goes down, leaving you with an earthy (there's that word again!) tang.
Marmalade? No. Beer? Yes. Can't say fairer than that.

A touch on the innocuous side for my palate (such as it is), but you know, it's good.

Score in ale-urons, out of a possible 10, on the Corinthian Golden Ale Scale:

A quick plug for the Harkers - amazing food, lovely atmosphere, and great selection of beers on the bar. Get there early, because it does fill up. Visit the other great pubs and eateries in the Canal Quarter too. Iss awl good.

White Hind, in hindsight

The second of the lovely Quantock Brewery beers I had the extreme good fortune to quaff was White Hind. A bitter. This is what I flippantly refer to as an LBJ (little brown job - term originally coined by the naturalist Gerald Durrell to describe the otherwise nondescript animals that nobody could be arsed to conserve, despite their obvious importance to biodiversity).

So anyway, this is a nice brown booze, and a nice beer-smelling booze. I'd agree with "biscuity" - like a good oaty nobbler, in the style of Hobnobs but, you know, craft-Hobnobs.  Head: not applicable.

I am going to categorise this as a session beer. Now, don't correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a beer can be
categorised in this manner if it's ABV percentage is less than 4.1.
White Hind comes in at 4.5% ABV, but I feel rules were made to be broken. White Hind, I name thee session beer, and it's my blog, so nuh.
If you're imbibing for the duration, then you'll be safe enough with this I reckon. Quaff away! Mea gulpa!
It's an agreeable drop this, but not outstanding. "Mild" is the word that strolls into the mind, swinging it's cane nonchalantly.
The labels are very evocative for me, as a Quantock kiddie......Take me back to the AONB, mamma! And so forth.
Also included in the Quantock Brewery taster selection, but not reviewed as yet, were Will's Neck, and Sunraker. Some day I hope these ales will cross my path again, and my gait will not weave so much that I am incapable of rational reviewing.
Anyway, it was a great present, and any other taster selections will be gratefully received......

Score in ale-urons, out of a possible 10, on the Corinthian Brown Booze Scale:

 

Red deer, brown booze

Being what my husband refers to as a "little Somersetian", the discovery of Quantock Brewery http://quantockbrewery.co.uk/ was more than usually exciting. I wouldn't normally shout about this, but I was born and "raised" here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgwater.
One of the perks of living in Bridgy is that you can see the Quantock hills from nearly everywhere. It's a beautiful, and valuable Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and if you ever find yourself down that way, go and have a mooch.
The brew I am extolling the virtues of now is the venerable Royal Stag, described by Quantock Brewers as a strong ale in the tradition of an IPA.

It shimmers in it's bronzed brilliance, but the lack of head was disappointing for a girl.
Gorgeous hoppy fragrance, with a hint of malt, but what you are mostly treated to is a hit of spicy dried fruits and a suspicion of bourbon.
 I was pleased to note an exciting tang upon the first quaff. It feels sharp, but pleasant
  going down, ironically compensating effectively for the lack of head.
  I expected a cloying malt taste, but instead was rewarded with a surprising
   sherry-esque flavour.
   It was massively hoppy on the after-quaff, and at 6% ABV is not to be argued with.
   Royal Stag is a clean brew, which means I would most likely drink far more than I 
    ought, were it not for.........well, not for anything really.
    If someone were impatient with my beer review stylings, and were to say to me: " Mel, enough of this unnecessary bloggery-pokery, give me the essence of Royal Stag in one word." After I had done snivelling, I would fix them with one of my old-fashioned looks, and say: "Piquant."

This here bottle was delivered to me as part of an amazing Christmas present from my sister-in-law, a Quantock Brewery tasting selection, from these outstanding persons: http://www.alesbymail.com/catalog/.

 Score in ale-urons, out of a possible 10 on the Corinthian Golden Ale Scale:

For those of a rambling, country pursuits bent : http://www.quantockhills.com/  Cheers!