Tag Archives: beer

Brewery tap beer cider & sausage festival this weekend, 4th – 6th december

The Brewery Tap Beer, Cider & Sausage Festival started this afternoon (Friday 4th December) and will run until close on Sunday evening. The pub is located on Ock Street in Abingdon.

There are 30 different real ales, 8 ciders and 20 different types of sausage, including Steak & Marmite and other interesting flavours.

There will be live music on Sunday afternoon. Additionally on Sunday, anyone showing a CAMRA membership card will be offered a discount on beer prices

The beer list has a good range, including many local beers from breweries such as Pitstop, Vale, West Berkshire, White Horse as well some from further afield. I particularly recommend you try some of the Pitstop beers as they are unlike anything else you will have ever tried (Try the Sump in half pints as it is very strong… and on Friday was amongst the most popular). The complete beer and cider list is reproduced below:

Brewery Beer Name
Morland Original
Hardy & Hansons Bitter
Hardy & Hansons Rocking Rudolph
Greene king Abbott Reserve
Greene king IPA
White Horse Wayland Smithy
White Horse Blackhorse porter
White Horse Rudolph the red nose reindeer
White Horse Village Idiot
West Berkshire Brewery Magg’s Mild
West Berkshire Brewery Alecost
Vale Brewery Grumpling
Vale Brewery Gravitas
Vale Brewery Black Beauty Porter
Vale Brewery Black Swan Mild
Banks & Taylor’s Autumn Porter
Mauldons Black Adder
Lancaster Amber
Hoggley’s Resevoir Hogs
Ossett Big Red
Ossett Treacle
Banks & Taylor’s Two brewers Bitter
Titanic Chocolate and Vanilla Porter
Stonehenge Great Bustard
Cannon Brewery IPA
Hook Norton Steam on
Limestone Stone Cold
Pitstop Sump
Pitstop Grandprix
Pitstop Monaco
Ciders:
Thatchers Cheddar Valley 6.0%
Westons Old Rosie 7.3%
Westons Country Perry4.5%
Westons 1st Quality 5.0%
Millwhites Premium Whiskey Cask Cider 7.5%
Millwhites Organic single orchard 6.7%
Millwhites Single variety Dabinett 8.0%
Millwhites Single variety Kingston black 7.0%
December 4, 2009Permalink Leave a comment

Roundup of Abingdon Pub news November 2009

I’ve been a bit busy recently and not kept things up to date, so here’s a quick round up of pub related things that have happened around town over the last few weeks

The Kings Head and Bell reopened on 30th October. This is everything I expected it to be, good beer, reasonably priced food. It has retained the traditional feel to it, but is more welcoming than previously. Judging by its popularity over the last couple of weeks it fits in with what many people want in a pub. Beers are mainly from Hook Norton and Adnams and Fullers London Pride arrived this week. It is good to see a regular outlet for Hook Norton in Abingdon. Hook Norton is Oxfordshire’s oldest brewery and has recently been winning lots of awards

The Brewery Tap has had a 6th hand pump fitted, and has a lot of beers from local breweries including West Berkshire Brewery, Hook Norton, White Horse Brewery, Vale Brewery. The list of beers on last week were:

  • Maggs mild
  • Morland original
  • Hardy’s and Hanson Bitter
  • Hook Norton’s Flagship
  • White horse Wayland smithy
  • vale Brewery Grumpling ale

They are having a Winter ‘Beer, Cider & Sausage’ festival between 4th-6th December. Featuring 30 different cask ales, 5 real ciders and live music from Big Boys Blues Band on the Sunday from 4pm.

Morland’s Old Speckled Hen recently celebrated its 30th birthday. I’m sure most people already know its history. For more info see this article in the Oxford Times and this youtube video of Ode To Joy being performed on Speckled Hen bottles.

The Old Anchor has a charity event on 5th December in aid of stroke survivors. The main event is sold out. However there will be live music at 9pm to which people will be admitted for a £3 entrance fee.

The Nags Head is continuing to maintain a good variety of real ales which change on a regular basis, although I understand that Fullers London Pride may become a permanent offering.

The Broad Face has a new sign depicting a broad faced man’s head more in keeping to how it was few years ago. They are serving a guest beer alongside the regular Morland Original and Abott Ale

The Stocks Bar is continuing to maintain a good range of real ales, and has just some refurbishment including new flooring in the bar. They also now have a facebook page

White Horse has a good range of beers and live music most Saturdays.

The Cross Keys has a good program of live music and serving good beer including St. Austell’s Proper Job.

Punch Bowl had a Morris Dancing folk music jam session last Sunday afternoon.

The Blue Boar appears to be having some interior refurbishment going on

The Plough is serving a reasonable pint of beer, serves lunchtime food and has live music most weeks

The Black Swan has had some outside refurbishment, but seems the same inside

November 20, 2009Permalink Leave a comment

Oxford Beer Festival 2009

Oxford Beer Festival 2009
It is the Camra Oxford Beer Festival next week in Oxford town hall next week. It runs from Thursday 15th October at 5pm-11pm until Saturday when it closes at 8pm.

There will be around 140 different ales and 20 real ciders and perry’s available. This is a good opportunity to try out beers that may not be available locally, try beers from local breweries and to meet other people who appreciate good beer.

You can find more information including an up to date beer list at the Oxford Camra web site.

A new industry report published this week about Cask Ale says:

…over the last few years, cask beer has seen a remarkable turnaround. It’s now outperforming every other beer style, benefitting from the increasing demand for products with local provenance, natural ingredients and interesting flavours.

October 7, 2009Permalink Leave a comment

Brewery Tap increases its range of real ales

This week the Brewery Tap on Ock Street in Abingdon, one of the two entries in this year’s Good Beer Guide, will have some more real ales available at the bar. These are:

They are also examining the possibility of installing another 2 hand pumps which will bring the selection of ales up to 7 pumps.

September 15, 2009Permalink Leave a comment

Abingdon Brewery Tap improves beer range

The Brewery Tap on Ock Street in Abingdon, is now offering a wider choice of real ales with two hand punps being free of tie. Initially these include White Horse Brewery’s Wayland Smithy, and Slater’s Top Totty.

The Brewery Tap has always been known for its quality of ale, and was the only pub in Abingdon to appear in the Camra 2009 Good Beer Guide and has been Cask Marque accredited every year since it started. However as it is a Greene King pub it has been restricted in its choice of beers.

The improvements are due to Kane who previously managed the Stocks bar, and has now moved to the Brewery Tap. Whilst at the Stocks bar, he was responsible for dramatic improvements to the beer range and quality, turning it into one of the top pubs in the Oxford area for real ale drinkers.

There are plans to hold a beer festival at the Brewery Tap at the beginning of December, and to try to obtain Camra LocAle status by permanently stocking beers from the White Horse Brewery.

This is good news for Abingdon, which over the last few years has seen a big improvement to the quality and range of beers.

September 7, 2009Permalink Leave a comment