Cornish Ale Festival - Tasting Notes

PURELY CORNISH ALE FESTIVAL

Lower Quarter, Ludgvan, Penzance, Cornwall

Don't forget the "Purely Cornish" Ale Festival at The Old Inn, Ludgvan (near Penzance) this weekend. It's running from Friday evening, 26 February, to Sunday evening, 28 February.

I will be there during Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, see you there!

Definately don't forget -

All guest ales are only £2.00 per pint!

TASTING NOTES

ALES:

All Saints Brewery
St. Piran 4.0% ABV. No tasting notes available.

Coastal Brewery
Angelina 4.1% ABV. A hugely successful beer, golden colour, citrus sweet aroma, crisp hoppyness, clean and refreshing.

Keltek Brewery
4K Mild 4.0% ABV. A traditional dark mild but fruity in taste with great character. It is one of those products that catch the eye at the pump. Winner of the Mild Ale Class, SIBA Maltings Beer Festival.

Keltek Brewery
Golden Lance 3.8% ABV. Clear golden coloured with a fruit aroma and tangy citrus flavours. Very smooth with a full hop dry finish

Lizard Brewery
Kernow Gold 3.7% ABV. A light, golden ale. Crisp and refreshing, the malts used are Maris Otter Pale Malt with a touch of Amber Malt which gives a biscuity note. Challenger and Fuggles hops, finished off with Styrian Goldings which give fresh citrus flavours.

Wooden Hand Brewery
Cornish Mutiny 4.8% ABV. This fine beer enjoys a dark rich colour with a distinctive 'hoppy' character and a slightly 'biscuity' flavour.

Wooden Hand Brewery
Black Pearl 4.5% ABV. A tasty dark stout with a rich nut and hop prickle and a dry chocolate finish. Ingredients: Marris Otter malted barley, flaked and roasted barley; English grown hops.

Blue Anchor
Spingo Middle 5.1% ABV. Spingo is brewed from water drawn from The Blue Anchor's own well. Most of the fermentable sugar comes from malted barley. The beer is fermented for long enough to produce the required alcohol content but leave just a hint of sweetness which was common in Cornish beers of yesteryear.

Skinners Brewery
Heligan Honey 4.0% ABV. A light refreshing bitter, pale amber in colour with distinct hoppy overtones and the subtle addition of real Cornish honey.

Skinners Brewery
Ginger Tosser 3.8% ABV. Designed for red-headed pancake tossers (of course! What did you think the name was referencing…. for shame!). Originally created to aid the celebration of Pancake Day, now a permanent fixture among the Skinner’s stable. Made with only the finest Cornish Honey.
Clear medium yellow orange color with a average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted, citrus, ginger, toffee notes. Flavor is moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter with an average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is light.

Skinners Brewery
Figgy’s Brew 4.5% ABV. This is the maltiest of the Skinners regular range and slightly darker in colour. An expertly balanced blend of malt & hops, premium strength, full flavoured with a smooth finish.

Skinners Brewery
Cornish Lager 5.5% ABV. Golden/Blond Ale. Clear golden with large white head. Sweet malty aroma with caramel notes and fruity flavor. Ends sweet.

Sharps Brewery
Doom Bar 4.0% ABV. Somewhat hazy amber body, small white foam. Nice aroma, a good bit of spicy British hop and crystal malt toffee sweetness. Smooth texture, low carbonation, medium-lean body. Good hop and malt presence on the body. Solid bitter finish.

Sharps Brewery
6 Hop IPA 3.8% ABV. This is a brand new brew from Sharps, hence no tasting notes as yet. The Old Inn is privileged to have the very first off production, so being début here this weekend.

St. Austell Brewery
Cockleroaster 4.5% ABV. A newly launched ale, this is the first new beer in a seasonal ale programme launched by St Austell Brewery for 2010. Said to be a "rich dark stout brewed with pale and roasted malt with lashings of dark chocolate and finely chopped chillis.
Head Brewer, Roger Ryman, said: "We're really excited about launching Cockleroaster. Customers should taste the chocolate as the main flavour and get a subtle taste of chilli with the aftertaste."
Chillis from Devon.

Choughs Brewery
Serpentine 4.5% ABV. Reddish amber with a white head. Not best described as a bitter, more like crossing over to an Irish red Ale. Smooth and creamy with hints of sweetness initially. A fleshy fruitiness with a hoppy bitter finish. There is a lemony tartness at the end, quite quenching and full. Ingredients: Pale malt, crystal malt, chocolate malt, wheat malt. Hallertau hops.


CIDERS:

Skinners Brewery
Press Gang 4.8% ABV. Still, medium cider, described as light and refreshing with the delicate aroma of ripe apples.

Healeys Brewery
Rattler 6.0% ABV. A light haze. Sweet, slightly woody green apple aroma, hints of tartness. Prickly carbonation. Honeyed sweetness. A reasonable balance of the sweet and tart.

Headley’s
Special Cider 5.0% ABV Very locally produced. No tasting notes for this one, try it and see!


GINGER BEER:

Wheal Maiden
Grandma’s Weapons Grade 5.5% ABV Traditionally served “on gravity” (straight from the barrel). Gingery (!), fiery hot, fizz provided by natural fermentation.

Read down my previous blog for  further info on the pub.