Saturday 3 January 2009

YoB: #6, #7 & #8

Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Jarrow Bitter 3.8%,  Consistently enjoyable session bitter utilising the classic Cascade/Crystal hop/malt combo. 

Jarrow McConnells Celebratory Port Stout 5.4% - Tremendous! Neither really stouty or porty, nonetheless a great beer - undercurrents of treacle, chocolate and coffee with an abundant smack of hoppy orangey fruitiness. Despite pseudo-Victorian pumpclip imagery, it's actually quite modern in its flavour profile. 

Matfen Magic , 4.8%, toffeish, light bodied, website describes it as a brown ale. They'd possibly sell more of it in Newcastle by putting "Brown Ale" on the pumpclip

Look out for the Cumberland Arms in Oz Clarke and James May's new TV series.


1 comment:

Stonch said...

Last weke I had the Port Stout at the Robin Hood - site of the original Jarrow Brewery before they moved to Shields. Agree it's brilliant. Then the mum (or should that be mam) of a childhood friend came over and talked to me like it's been tin minutes (as opposed to eleven years) since we last met, and that freaked me out.