BEE'S ORGANIC ALE - 4.5% - Arkells Brewery, U.K. - (Bottle)

http://www.arkells.com

beeryweirdo says . . .  An excellent organic ale made with organic honey. Extremely refreshing and well balanced, hoppy but not overly, a lovely summery brew with real character. Buzzin.

GROZET - 5% - Williams Brewery, U.K. - (Bottle)

http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/

beeryweirdo says . . .  Delicious light lager. Fruity pear and citrus and a touch of gooseberry. Slight sea breeze aroma as with all Williams brews, long fruit salad finish. Very easy drinking, refreshing. Distinctive and really rather good.

ST PETERSBURG - 7.7% - Thornbridge Brewery, U.K. - (Bottle)

http://www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/

beeryweirdo says . . .  Well, what a distinctive stout we have here! A fantastic lively body, chocolate malt and smoky notes with a creamy finish. Very warming, with a good long burnt toffee and liquorice finish. At 7.7% it is pleasantly boozy and easy drinking. A high quality and delicious beer - shame there's only one in the beer cellar.

FOREIGN EXPORT STOUT - 8% - Ridgeway Brewery, U.K. - (Bottle)

beeryweirdo says . . .  A truly wonderful stout. Beautiful subtle chocolate tones. Strong and luxurious. Coffee and spice lead to a deep fruit flavour and creamy aromatic finish. Wonderful full body and complex aromas. It's hard to beat a beer like this - essentially it is perfect! (and from my home turf too). Bring me the oysters!

ESPRESSO - 4.2% - Dark Star Brewery, U.K. - (Bottle)

http://darkstarbrewing.co.uk/

beeryweirdo says . . .  An unusual beer probably not for the purist which is a shame because it's very good indeed. Superb roasted barley malt combined with actual coffee beans to make a luxurious and complex brew. Works well - two of the world's greatest drinks in one!

SUNBURST - 4.8% - Dark Star Brewery, U.K. - (Bottle)

http://darkstarbrewing.co.uk/

beeryweirdo says . . .  Top notch, beautiful amber gold ale. Zesty fruity tones with a smooth and slightly grapefruit finish. Very refreshing, nice body, fast finishing but very satisfying. Good as a solo mid-afternoon ale or as a stronger lunchtime pint when the company is a little challenging. Good stuff!

SMOKIN' STOAT - 6.4% - Brodie Brewery (Private) , U.K. - (Bottle)

beeryweirdo says . . .  Wow! This is a truly excellent black beer - hand made with home roasted barley! - unfortunately not commercially available - a superb recipe from the Brodie family that I was lucky to sample. Strong, punchy and extremely well hopped. Dry, bitter and smooth with prominent roasted coffee and barley flavours. So good that I wholeheartedly recommend that the Brodie's think about a change of career! A very rare treat indeed, please brew more! - this is gold dust.

KELPIE - 4.4% - Williams Bros. Brewery, U.K. - (Bottle)

http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/

beeryweirdo says . . .  Wow! This superb beer uses seaweed mashed in with malt and roasted barley. Powerfully chocolatey but not rich. More like a fluffy mousse made with high quality dark chocolate. I want to keep a few of these in reserve to give those who have not tried it the chance to sample. Truly exceptional. Drink this!.

OLD LEG OVER - 4.1% - Daleside Brewery, U.K. - (Bottle)

http://www.dalesidebrewery.com/

beeryweirdo says . . . deep brown colour. Delightful complex flavour with a good balance of hop and malt. Firm body, nutty with chocolate tones and a hint of burnt toffee. A warming and woody beer. Very nice indeed.

POSTCARD REVIEW: The White Swan, Leeds. U.K

THE WHITE SWAN - Leeds, U.K.

http://www.leedsbrewery.co.uk/

beeryweirdo says . . .

WHO? 

- The White Swan - Leeds' Brewery's latest pub.

WHAT? 

- A nice bar adjoining the theatre with a fine selection of drinks and food. Contemporary light and pleasant environment with a nod to its theatre heritage.

WHERE? 

- Swan St. Leeds - Next door to City Varieties.

WHY? 

- Really excellent service, wide selection of Leeds Brewery's own beers plus good guest beers and a well stocked fridge of continental delights. Nice to see a reasonable collection of spirits too - all to often specialist beer bars seem let down by a poor spirit shelf but thankfully not here! 

beeryweirdo recommends . . . 

TO DRINK: A pint of the Leeds Brewery 'Quality Pays' my full beer review HERE

TO EAT: Moules Marinieres and the Potato dumplings with Yorkshire blue cheese.

QUALITY PAYS - 5.3% - Leeds Brewery, U.K.

http://www.leedsbrewery.co.uk/

beeryweirdo says . . . brewed specially by the Leeds Brewery to commemorate the end of Tetley's Brewery in the city. A bold but fair statement, quality does indeed pay and this beer has bags of it (unlike any Tetley's brew in the last ten years at least). A powerful, full bodied hoppy ale with a beautiful full and deep flavour. This is an arch and artful statement from the 'real' Leeds brewery to mark the passing of the old and the coming of the new. My only hope is that it stays available! Excellent beer indeed.

TEA - 4.2% - Hogsback Brewery, U.K. - (Bottle)

http://www.hogsback.co.uk/

beeryweirdo says . . . TEA stands for 'Traditional English Ale' which this certainly is. Amber brown in colour with hints of malt loaf and soft fruit in the aroma. A sweet and fruity well rounded flavour with a nutty finish with a hint of banana. This is a truly excellent beer and an excellent alternative to a mid afternoon Earl Grey.