The Blog o' Beer: Archive » devon

Blueberry Beer from Red Rock Brewery

Andy — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:51:22 +0000

So. Do you like fizzy beers?

Do you like a sharp fruity aftertaste?

Do you like really surgery tasting beers?

Then get here quick! Because we’re about to wash this stuff done the sink….

Pub Shots: Rugglestone Inn, Widecombe-in-the-Moor

Andy — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 22:47:46 +0000

The Rugglestone Inn, at Widecombe-in-the-moor. Fantastic beer garden, great food, decent people, and friendly chickens.

You may wanna bear those chickens in mind if you intend to go to this pub with a dog…

Why is “The Devon Dumpling” called “The Devon Dumpling”

Andy — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:01:00 +0000

Why we asked Bays Brewery why The Devon Dumpling was called The Devon Dumpling, and they answered our silly request:

Devon Dumpling is a nickname for someone who lives in Devon – like a Scoucer is for someone from Liverpool! We liked the name and thought it would also help promote the local element too…

Now whats the next silly question we can ask?

Beer Review: Summerskills Brewery – Guzzale

Andy — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:40:45 +0000

So. I tried “Devon Dew” from the Sumerskills Brewery… and it was goood.

I was looking forward to having a chance to sample “Guzzale”. Yes it has an unusual name, and yes buying this beer does in a way support the Plymouth branch of the RNA.

As far as the beer itself goes… its kinda Meh.

Look up “Typical Bitter” in the dictionary. You’ll find this. If you want something a little more interesting, get yourself Devon Dew instead.

– The Summerskills Brewery League Table –

1. Devon Dew

2. Guzzale

Beer Review: Summerskills Brewery – Devon Dew

Andy — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:05:25 +0000

Last Friday, alesbymail.com had the sort of offer that was hard to pass up.

Free postage and packaging.

Doesn’t sound like much, but when it comes to shipping beer bottles… the p&p does cost a little more then a couple.. but anyway – I found myself checking out the beer crates, and came across this little brewery from Plymouth.

Well I’m starting the tour though the Summerskills collection with “Devon Dew”. The first thing that strikes me is that the bottle, talks about leaving the bottle to settle to pour a clear beer. I’m not sure how long thats needed, but I got it cloudy… but it seems that a perfectly good other option!

The cloudy version of Devon Dew tastes like an odd combination of a cloudy wheat lager, and a light ale. In that its the sort of beer suited to a hot sunny afternoon in a beer garden, just make sure you expect a little bit of a ‘yeasty’ bite, with a citrussy twist!

I’m looking forward to the rest of the set!

Beer Review – Bays Devon Dumpling

Andy — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:02:05 +0000

If you drive from Exeter up to Crediton, and keep going until you get to the deepest darkest parts of Devon, you’ll come across an almighty fine pub called the Devonshire Dumpling.

This beer from the Bays brewery probably isn’t named after the Devonshire Dumpling, but I’m sure if it was. The owners wouldn’t complain too much.

It be a mighty fine fresh crisp beer, with a gentle hoppy over tone.

One warning. Its nice when its been chilled a little. Lovely when its cold. Stick this baby in the fridge / freezer and leave it there until its fairly cold.

If you’re in Devon, get yourself over to your local decently sized Sainsburys and pick one up.

Christmas Beers: Christmas Cheer – Red Rock Brewery

Andy — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:03:14 +0000

Nights are getting darker, the southeast is buried under snow (leading to wide spread panic), and Christmas is coming…. Leading to breweries around the world rushing to release their own Christmas themed beer.

I may sound like a cynic but my word, I’m a sucker for it. This lead me to almost being disappointed at the lack of Christmas beers at my local Sainsburys here in Exeter. It was at that point when I found hope in The Red Rock Brewery.

Red Rock Brewery, based in South Devon say this beer was hand made… it tastes like it.

Dark and cloudy, yet easy and thirst quenching. This gently spicy beer is a joy to drink.

The great thing is, Sainburys seems to like the Red Rock Brewery at the moment, so I imagine if you’re in the Devon / South west area it should be fairly easy to grab a bottle. If for no other reason – it could be a fairly cheap Christmas present for the beer lover in your life?

Red Rock Brewery

Christmas Beer: Otter Claus

Andy — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:18:24 +0000

Its not Christmas yet, but in a months time we’ll all probably be caught up in the madness of Christmas, and I’m sure you’re probably going to be wanting something for the beer lover in your life… or if you’re a beer lover then something for yourself. If you’re in Devon then you could do a lot worse then Otter Claus, the seasonal ale from the Otter brewery.

I say seasonal… not Christmas, as in the words of the Otter Brewery website:

We firmly believe that one particularly good beer is better than a bucketful of seasonals. So, although it may be a bit cheeky, we have one winter ale that forms the basis of our seasonal range. This delicious 5% beer is dark ruby in colour and has a well balanced flavour with a bittersweet chocolate edge. This comes from the careful use of Fuggles and Challenger hops.

Yes it is a little cheeky, but its a nice beer – and if Otter have an excuse to offer the beer at other times of the year, then it can only be good for us.

If you hang around Devon, then I would recommend checking out Darts Farm to pick up a bottle.

(Yes I am gushing… no this post wasn’t sponsored by Otter…)

The Blog o’Beer 2009 Awards

Andy — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:50:40 +0000

Best Pub
Well, what I mean by this, is best pub I paid a random visit to. Now there are plenty of places we could name, but we go there all the time. So I’m going to name the best place we’ve been once. This year the award goes to The Victoria Inn in Salcombe. Great welcome and fantastic beer, making this place worth while checking out.
Worst Welcome at a Pub
The Old Lock and Weir Inn in Bristol, wins this hands down! Not the most friendly people ever…
Best Brewery
Hands down, it has to be Skinners. It might have been because we were in Cornwall for a while and drank a fair bit from them, but they were all beautiful. Its just a shame that they were closed when we tried to visit!
Worst Breakfast
Breakfasts this year have included hotels, B&Bs, Pubs, and Cafes. The worst of them has to be found at the Plume of Feathers in Princetown, it was pricey and cold. Not nice after a bad nights camping on Dartmoor!
Crazy Media Story of the Year
Tactical Nuclear Penguin. Its a beer, designed to be drank like whiskey. How is this worthwhile news?
Disappointment of the Year
People dont agree with me and the rest of the table I was on that evening, but Titanic Velvet Curtain was so bad, we didn’t finish it.

Agree with any of the above?

The Salcombe Pub Crawl – The Fortescue Inn

Andy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:28:58 +0000

Well I have to admit, I don’t remember much of the stags Salcombe journey to the final pub, The Fortescue Inn. This was mostly because myself and another one of the guys walked on, while the stag was pointed in the right direction by a couple other members of our party… And to be honest…. From the looks of it the stag insisted on having a chat with anyone who took a slightest interest in the stag party.

The Fortescue Inn was a nice little place, split into two this is a pub that is tailed for many different people. One half, it’s a Very gentle looking pub, serving Otter. Now anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis should know, serving Otter is one way to get my love!

Walking towards the toilets and wondering into the wrong (or Right door) leads you into the bar section. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the main live music venue for Salcombe. Didn’t try any of the drinks here, but I imagine it’s much the same as the main pub. Sadly our evening came to an end here as the Stag was starting to feel a little worse for wear… Didn’t stop him from ruining some of the way back to the youth hostel!

Sorry for the mess btw…