Beer/ale recommendations

[timd77]

In my older age I’ve gone right off lagers and now tend to drink less fizzy beers, mainly pale ales. I love Hereford pale ale as well as enville (golf club sells hpa and my local pub sells enville and hpa usually). I like a beer with a nice head on it too.

When it comes to buying beer to drink at home I really struggle. Ales that are nice on draught are too fizzy out of cans and bottles, just like lager really, and also the head goes too quickly.

Draught Guinness out of a can is pretty decent but it’s more of a winter drink for me, and I’m not ready to go to John smiths or boddingtons out of a can yet! I’m guessing the widget in the can does the trick.

Has anyone got any recommendations for a nice ale out of a can/bottle that’s not very fizzy and keeps a head? Or is it like looking for a unicorn?

 

[RichA]

I'm an IPA drinker. Love a really astringent hoppy ale.
I haven't found that flat, foamy head you're talking about and suspect you only get it from draught ale. Out of a bottle you're only ever going to get big bubbles that disappear quite quickly.
My supermarket drink at home favourites are:
Shipyard American IPA
Sierra Nevada California IPA
St Austell Proper Job IPA
Northern Monk Faith hazy PA

 

[NearHull]

Have you researched local small brewers. My local brewer provides a good range of beers, all secondary fermented in the bottle from his garage.

 

[Grizzly]

If you know you will get through it, there are a number of good local breweries that sell their ales in mini casks of around the 20 pint mark - the Marlow brewery is one such, and do some genuinely lovely beers within their range. Crucially, they are serve like a hand pull rather than a bottled beer.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Whitstable Bay is my favourite

 

[GB72]

Look into a perfect draft. A pint of ghost ship off mine is heaven

 

[Fade and Die]

Found an absolutely delicious beer at Easter in the Lakes “Spun Gold” by the Carlisle brewery Co. It was on draught but it was available in bottles too, I’ve ordered 12 online to see if it’s as good.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I like a bottle of IPA - from an easy going one like Butty Bach (Tashyboy recommends this too) to a richer flavoured Bishop's Finger.

I find most Hobgoblins are very quaffable.

I was never a lager boy at any point.

 

[NearHull]

Look into a perfect draft. A pint of ghost ship off mine is heaven

When I lived down your way (ish) , my favourite was Oakhams JHB.

 

[Hobbit]

My favourite cans/bottles to have in are Hobgoblin. However, if we’re out and about I love to try any of the local ales. Perhaps my favourite when on our travels was an evening at the Woodforde brewery in Norfolk.

 

[Tashyboy]

I like a bottle of IPA - from an easy going one like Butty Bach (Tashyboy recommends this too) to a richer flavoured Bishop's Finger.

I find most Hobgoblins are very quaffable.

I was never a lager boy at any point.

Guess which tit smashed his Butty Bach glass a few months back

 

[GreiginFife]

Partial to a nice 80/- myself. The darker and more burnt caramel the better.

 

[timd77]

If you know you will get through it, there are a number of good local breweries that sell their ales in mini casks of around the 20 pint mark - the Marlow brewery is one such, and do some genuinely lovely beers within their range. Crucially, they are serve like a hand pull rather than a bottled beer.

Enville brewery is my local one and I do get a keg at Christmas, they have to be consumed within 4-5 days so no worries there, but I don’t really drink enough normally. It is nice out of a keg though.

 

[timd77]

My favourite cans/bottles to have in are Hobgoblin. However, if we’re out and about I love to try any of the local ales. Perhaps my favourite when on our travels was an evening at the Woodforde brewery in Norfolk.

I had a few cans of hobgoblin gold over the weekend, which is what prompted this thread. It’s very nice in draft but a bit too fizzy out of a can for me.

 

[Grizzly]

Enville brewery is my local one and I do get a keg at Christmas, they have to be consumed within 4-5 days so no worries there, but I don’t really drink enough normally. It is nice out of a keg though.

I think Marlow quote 10 days on their kegs, but they seem from a cursory glance to use a slightly different storage system.

 

[patricks148]

I'm a dark Belgian beer fan, and have discovered Tynnt Meadow, which is an English Trappist beer in the style of a Belgian. Malty and dark, strong.

 

[GB72]

In supermarkets northern monk are doing some good beers

 

[Backache]

I think nowadays there are an awful lot of superb local breweries that do excellent bitters/ pale ales or similar that are available in cans or bottles. I don't think though that I've had any that keep a head.

 

[BiMGuy]

Try some hazey IPAs.

Brew dog Hazy Jane is very nice. Northern Monk and Beavertown do too.

 

[RichA]

Cry Wolf black IPA from Black Sheep brewery is really good too and a bit different.