I'm on the go now, Peterborough and Rye Again...

I have been travelling elsewhere too as the pandemic appears to be easing, and will soon (honest!), be writing about old haunts in particular, but on Saturday I revisited Peterborough, with a new pub added to those I mentioned in a blog last year. Indeed, my 'new' pub is the reigning local CAMRA Pub of the Year, the Ostrich Inn, 17 North Street PE1 2RA  (website). This pub first opened nearly 200 years ago, and maintains great character, serving up 5 real ales and a real cider from handpumps. Now I only found this great pub because, fortuitously, I again bumped into the brothers/son/nephew, Steve, Tony and Mark, although I had expected to meet up with them at Bumbles later, as we'd arranged. 😀

I drank 2 of the ales, first, from Zest Brewery of Grantham (website), their 5.5% Blond Volupta, their website says 5.0%, but I noted that the pump clip stated 5.5... Anyway, described as a "zesty tropical blond" which I found very easy drinking, with a slightly dry finish, not bad. But here I preferred, from the much more local Nene Valley Brewery (website), their 4.4% Release the Chimps, brewed with hops I do like a lot, including Magnum, Ella, Topaz, Simcoe, Ahtanum and Ekuanot, now there is a flavoursome mixture, and including late dry hopping!  It's a pale golden bitter with a dry fruity aftertaste, very decent indeed.

We then wandered round the corner to the Bumble Inn (Bumbles) at 46 Westgate PE1 1RE (website and mentioned in my blog last year), where I sampled the local Rockingham Ales (couldn't find a website, sorry) Dave's Not Here (4.3%), an American Pale Ale. Thus hops from across the Atlantic producing a pale fruity bitter with a dry finish. liked it, just a shame I couldn't find out more, though CAMRA's Good Beer Guide suggests they've been brewing for some time!

And a visit to Peterborough wouldn't be complete without a visit to Oakham Ales' (website) The Brewery Tap, (website and also mentioned in my earlier blog, as was their Charters Bar, though this, sadly, was very packed Saturday!), 80 Westgate PE1 2AA. Anyway, they always seem to have an ale on at £3.00 a pint, and on Saturday this was the excellent Inferno (4.0%), packed with hops from across the Atlantic, Sterling, Amarillo, Centennial, Cascade and Chinook, no wonder I love Oakham's ales! With a light golden colour, tropical and citrus flavours and aroma, and a light dry bitter finish, another great ale from Oakham Ales, and just £3 a pint, cheers! 👍

I also revisited Rye on Thursday, and the Rye Waterworks micropub of course, but seem to have lost my notes! As I have written about this excellent and very friendly establishment recently, I shall refer you to that blog, if you haven't already read it, otherwise it was again good to see David, Ulla, Eddie and Lotte, all serving up great ales and ciders, and an enormous Scotch Egg to me, many thanks! I also met a couple who know my mate Mark, from his parish...

I didn't drink anything I haven't drunk and mentioned before, I think, cheers!

And some details of, and history of the Waterworks, can be read at this older blog.

And, as I mention Peterborough Cathedral in my alter ego's blog, which I visited for the first time on Saturday, I'll mention the Parish Church of St Mary, Rye, in that blog too.

And beers in a bottle...

3 very decent bottled beers enjoyed by myself very recently, bought in a local off licence, 3 for £5.25 and I've had all 3 cask-conditioned in the past too... But where to start? It has to be the 2 Oakham Ales (website) first, paler, and actually the order in which I did drink them. 😉

So, and straight from the notes I took, with a wee bit added here and there because of my knowledge base, of course, Oakham Inferno (4.4% but usually 4.0% cask conditioned), labelled a 'Blonde Ale' but I wrote "pale golden" which is what I shall retain in my memory; blonde, golden, what's the difference really, just trendiness I suppose! Quality too, Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Sterling are the U.S. hops used. I wrote "very pale golden, citrus in the aroma with a hint of citrus in the taste, but quite subtle (amazingly subtle, considering the hops used! - me added just now) with a lovely dry bitterness, very nice!!" Excellent session ale.

Oakham Citra (4.6% but usually 4.2% cask conditioned) pretty much does what is says on the label, zesty hoppy citrus, a single hopped ale using Citra hops, and I believe it to be the first single hopped Citra ale brewed in Britain. Notes: "Not quite as pale as Inferno, but pale golden with a fruity citrus aroma, bitter orange and grapefruit in the taste, a drier pale golden bitter!!"

Says it all, both great ales indeed, but...

And now for something completely different! That is, Titanic Brewery (website) and their 4.9% Plum Porter! Straight to the notes: "Deep dark red colour, with a big fruity plum aroma, plum flavour and a hint of vanilla, bitter sweet really, with a dry bitter finish. Very good!"

So, hardly surprising that I liked the 2 Oakham ales, a brewery that I love, I can't say I've ever not liked any of their ales, and they brew excellent pale dry bitters, just what friends and regular readers will know that I like. However, I had forgotten just how good the Plum Porter is, the only shame is that I can't drink these 3 beers cask conditioned these days... 😢