I've been experimenting a little with new beers, having 4 regulars is one too many, but the feedback has been good about them all. I have tried brewing one called 'St. James' 4.0% lighter ruby ale which was potentially to replace both Ernest George and Red Feather. It's brewed with a mixture of black and roasted malts and crystal malt for sweetness (I'm a fan of the crystal, incase you'd not noticed). I've used English hops to make this a really very English beer. It's an easy drinking, slightly nutty, roasted bitter which has received very positive feedback, so look out for a repeat performance.
In a totally different fashion, the monthly special for August was a highly hopped 4.7% pale ale which used New Zealand Moteuka and American Cascade hops which give it a really citrussy hit. The major flavour notes are lemons limes and grapefruits. I called it 'Fruit Arcade', which was a giant greenhouse type affair on the Welbeck Estate which they grew tropical fruits in.The general feedback was that hoppy pale ale fans absolutely loved it, but those darker or more subtle session beer fans thought it was a bit too much. Let me know what you think if you had any.
