The Plate Up British Beer Play-Off - Round 1

Fursty Ferret

"Likable and Lickable"

Brewed by Badger (Hall & Woodhouse), who are consistently reliable for quality beers, their gorgeous Golden Champion being one of the top summer ales you can get hold of, from many pubs and mainstream vendors. Fursty Ferret is a ‘replica’ of an original cask beer that used to fall short of demand every year. Legend has it that ferrets used to sneak into the inn after hours to lick up the drips under the keg taps, and if I was a ferret… The original recipe has since been adapted to retain its original character, yet survive the commerical bottling process and become widely available. This is a refreshing, crisp ale with a nice balance of hops and malt and a light sweetness. It said on the label to expect an aroma of Seville oranges, and there certainly is a central flavour of citrus, but more like lemons. It is reminiscent of a 'lager-top' and as easily drinkable. This would be a fine beer for a warm midsummer’s evening.

Combined Harvest

"A cracking combination..."

In some respects this has a similar style to the Fursty Ferret, though is much more complex whilst remaining perfectly calibrated. It too has a fine balance between the spicy hint of hops and the maltiness that gives it a full, soft texture. There is citrus here as well and a deeper honey note countered by an aromatic fruitiness of pear-drops. It has a tongue tip freshness, backed up with a deep and rich mid-palate giving way to a slight bitter edge that acts as a full stop to the composition. There are subtleties along the way and the character develops and changes its bias with each mouthful. It responds well to food and could just as easily accompany rich dishes, such as roasts and grills, as it could go with crisp salads and light snacks. This has won a couple of top medals at festivals and there will be not argument with the judges here! A distinctive and well-crafted pale ale from Batemans that combines four grains – malted barley, malted oats, malted rye, and malted wheat to cleverly give a malti-dimensional flavour that ranges from floral and fruit to honey and a little pepper, and then back again.

Hobgoblin

"Y'know, I can taste something!"

Dark with a rich ruby hue. A bold beer with a satisfyingly deep flavour that first presents you with toasty molasses, then gives over to a lighter layer of flavour that has almost a citrus tang, though not really sweet, more like biting into orange peel. It leaves an almost dry, bitter finish on the sides of the tongue - like good dark chocolate can - and this immediately prompts you to take another gulp. Hobgoblin is one of the family of ‘craft-brewed’ beers from Wychwood. This tastes like a real ale should, and for a bottled beer that is fairly widely distributed, it is more like somthing you would be happy to discover in an olde country pub and would go with anything you may associate with good pub grub such as pie and mash, roats vegetables, barbeque meats... There is colour, texture, lots of taste, character and all for a fair price.

Ochr Tywyll Y Mws (Dark Side Of The Moose)

"Going flat-out for it"

Hold it up to the light and its rich colour builds some anticipation. It glows with a nice golden brown, like old leather… and it tastes, OK. It is a brown ale and similar in style to Hobgoblin, though much flatter in flavour and actually, pretty flat, with a head that persists for a moment or two before leaving the glass bereft of any sparkle whatsoever. We sampled it before, during and after a spicy king prawn rogan. It performed best alongside the food and seemed to crisp up its flavours as the meal progressed. It tastes like a good homebrew and this is not surprising as it is produced by Bragdy Mws Piws (Purple Moose Brewery) an independent microbrewery based in Porthmadog. It has won quite a few top medals at UK beer festivals and was given the ‘Beer Of The Festival 2007’ by CAMRA at Cambridge. We have tried all four of their regular label brews and although the flavours are not complex, they do have individual character, though there is little or no sparkle to assist the flavours onto the tongue. We have also sampled this one on draught at The George, in Dolgellau, and at the time this seemed superior to the bottled – there may even have been a few bubbles – though the warm day, cool beer and lovely view of the Mawddach estuary may have embelished the experience. All in all, not a bad drink, so long as you do not mind flat beer.

AND THE WINNER IS…

Well, this particular round of the Plate Up British Beer Play-Off took place on a fairly mild late summer afternoon, had it been on a chilly winter’s evening, then it might have turned out differrently with Hobgoblin being an ideal ‘winter-warmer’… but as it stands, Combined Harvest was neck and shoulder above the rest with its unique and sophisticated layering of flavours and textures.

Websites: Badger Ales , Batemans , Wychwood , Bragdy Mws Piws