I attended the annual Wetherspoon 2011 Spring Real Ale Festival at various JDW establishments across London.
The Festival, which ran 14 March to 1 April 2012, featured 50 real ales and 10 ciders.
Five of the ales were by international brewers but specially brewed in the UK, shown by [international special] below.
Here’s the beers I sampled over the two and half week festival, along with marks out of ten and a brief comment:
- Cairngorm Red Mountain – 8/10 steel [international special]
- Caledonian Coffee Porter – 8.7/10 rich
- Celt Experience Newmans Spring Cottage Biscuit – 7.8/10 buscuity!
- Franklins Brighton Rock – 8.7/10 just mowed
- Highgate Bee-Zone – 8/10 golden
- Holts Two Hoots – 8.4/10 refreshing
- John Martin Pale Ale – 7.5/10 copper [international special]
- Nøgne ø Bitter – 7.75/10 lightly smooth [international special]
- Smuttynose Murrikan Mild – 7.7/10 lively
- Springhead Willy’s Wheatbeer – 6.5/10 fragile
- Titanic Nine Tenths Below – 7.5/10 brassy
- Wood Hopping Mad – 8.3/10 new woodland
- Wooden Hand Parte’s Gold – 7.7/10 lively
- Wychwood King Goblin – 8.5/10 deceptive
- Zululand Zulu Blonde – 8/10 golden [international special]
Full details are given in the festival tasting notes [6.7MB PDF].
