Cask and Hand-pump

[wide eyed and legless]

But I reckon the hand pump makes all the difference to the experience and the beer. If it was served straight from the cask without the head it definitely loses something IMHO. So when you say homebrew bitter is just as good as say TT, that's homebrew through a pump yeah?

Yes through the hand pump, still is good with a gravity pour carbonated with its own gas but nothing beats a beer being forced through the pump with a sparkler fitted.

 

[koshari]

Yes through the hand pump, still is good with a gravity pour carbonated with its own gas but nothing beats a beer being forced through the pump with a sparkler fitted.

My sentments exactly. Just love watching the the cascading bubble effect on the side of the glass while the head is settling. And the feel in the tounge of that dense creamy head is special.
I did look into going the smoothflo/nitro route but the complications/cost of setting up Nitro put me off. Then i aquired pumps and the rest is history.
Pumps are a bit of an upfront hit then virtually no ongoing extra costs.
I still dont mind smoothflow. Drank many a smithwicks in ireland and still fall back on a john smiths if there are not any favorable real ales on offer. Also still like a draft ale such as brewdog, williams joker ipa and other dry hopped lines but i have really neglected lagers of late.

 

[koshari]

Another hunting scene handle arrived.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Another hunting scene handle arrived.

Bummer!

 

[Tricky Dicky]

My sentments exactly. Just love watching the the cascading bubble effect on the side of the glass while the head is settling. And the feel in the tounge of that dense creamy head is special.
I did look into going the smoothflo/nitro route but the complications/cost of setting up Nitro put me off. Then i aquired pumps and the rest is history.
Pumps are a bit of an upfront hit then virtually no ongoing extra costs.
I still dont mind smoothflow. Drank many a smithwicks in ireland and still fall back on a john smiths if there are not any favorable real ales on offer. Also still like a draft ale such as brewdog, williams joker ipa and other dry hopped lines but i have really neglected lagers of late.

Haven't tried Smithwicks but I've found the Caffrey's smooth flow a tad better than JS, I think the trick is with the smooth flow ales in cans is to allow them to warm up a bit after been poured, I think the malty flavours come through better. Just opened a Leeds Brewery's Leeds Best Bitter a very acceptable brew

 

[koshari]

Haven't tried Smithwicks but I've found the Caffrey's smooth flow a tad better than JS, I think the trick is with the smooth flow ales in cans is to allow them to warm up a bit after been poured, I think the malty flavours come through better. Just opened a Leeds Brewery's Leeds Best Bitter a very acceptable brew

Smithwicks is lovely. Nice hit of caramalt. You won't find much this side of the irish sea though.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Haven't tried Smithwicks but I've found the Caffrey's smooth flow a tad better than JS, I think the trick is with the smooth flow ales in cans is to allow them to warm up a bit after been poured, I think the malty flavours come through better.

 

[f00b4r]

There isn’t really any difference between north and south these days, that’s a thing of the past. Some drinkers like a creamy head some don’t. Malty beers can improve through a sparkler hoppy ones are usually best without.

Not at all my experience of pubs as you move south or north in England.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Smithwicks is lovely. Nice hit of caramalt. You won't find much this side of the irish sea though.

You’ll get there soon enough. At the last Illawarra Brewers Union real ale fest a few weeks ago a couple members mentioned how surprised they had been drinking ale in the UK and finding it no better than what we produce ourselves.

I’m back in the UK at the moment and have to agree. I’m drinking lovely beers, but no better than I get at home and club events. .

Whereabouts in the UK are you?

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Another hunting scene handle arrived.

Ripper handle, did you get it off eBay?

 

[koshari]

At the moment iam in warwickshire. And yes the hunting scene handle was on ebay. The bass ones are a bit more fragile as they are hollow.
I think i will be making a couple of neoprene washers up when i fit it

 

[koshari]

Not at all my experience of pubs as you move south or north in England.

My experiance. Far north ( scotland ) sparklers nice real ales and plenty of camra pubs. Heaps of single malts to choose from. But also very nice draft aipa ales such as brewdog , joker ipa and innes and gun ales and lagers very popular.

The north again plenty of camra pubs less choice of single malts. Some nice local ales. A pub in whitby had local ales for 1£80p a pint!!!

The midlands still plenty of camra pubs mostly using sparklers and plenty of camra beer festivals with cask gravity fed ales.Generally a choice of 1 or 2 single malts in pubs

Then the south.... well i havnt been past oxford or bath since 2000.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

My experiance. Far north ( scotland ) sparklers nice real ales and plenty of camra pubs. Heaps of single malts to choose from. But also very nice draft aipa ales such as brewdog , joker ipa and innes and gun ales and lagers very popular.

The north again plenty of camra pubs less choice of single malts. Some nice local ales. A pub in whitby had local ales for 1£80p a pint!!!

The midlands still plenty of camra pubs mostly using sparklers and plenty of camra beer festivals with cask gravity fed ales.Generally a choice of 1 or 2 single malts in pubs

Then the south.... well i havnt been past oxford or bath since 2000.

Managed to try Abbotts Ale, Fullers ESB, Ruddles and Doom Bar tonight, all hand pulled, what a bloody joy!

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Managed to try Abbotts Ale, Fullers ESB, Ruddles and Doom Bar tonight, all hand pulled, what a bloody joy!

If you come across Titanic Brewery Plum Porter try that, when I was over there I was looking for a particular beer which had whey added to it from the Stilton cheese unfortunately they had stopped making it but another brewery has started making it Belvoir Brewery and the beer is called Blue Brew.
https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2016/11/28/From-blue-cheese-to-Blue-Brew

 

[koshari]

Love my stilton but cant imagine it in a beer.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Love my stilton but cant imagine it in a beer.

I just thought maybe there would be no need to nibble on cheese while having a pint, came across a white Stilton when I was over there which was also delicious.

 

[koshari]

If your still in london TD check this out.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2110405879204115/

 

[Tricky Dicky]

If you come across Titanic Brewery Plum Porter try that, when I was over there I was looking for a particular beer which had whey added to it from the Stilton cheese unfortunately they had stopped making it but another brewery has started making it Belvoir Brewery and the beer is called Blue Brew.
https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2016/11/28/From-blue-cheese-to-Blue-Brew

Haven't found the Titanic Plum Porter yet but tried a bottle from St Peter's brewery, had some cheese with it and can see that Stilton would be a perfect food match. This drop has strong fruity, chocolate flavours and a hint of coffee the more it breathed, drank the pint but half would be enough it's that rich, but I pushed through . Very enjoyable.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I have tried to get the Prune juice concentrate, there is a place in South Melbourne which have it could be Sunraysia but I am not sure if they will sell it.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

If your still in london TD check this out.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2110405879204115/

I'm in Yorkshire mate but thanks anyway. Sampling as much hand pulled and craft beers as possible, craft beers and beers in general are so cheap compared with Australia, got to enjoy it while I'm here, it would be criminal not to!