Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Dadsnet

Speak to new fathers on our Dads forum.

Original poster

Beer

31 replies

JimmyMcNulty · 07/12/2009 14:26

Not that only dads like beer (am partial myself) but thought this might be a likely place for ideas...

Wanting to get dh a selection of really nice and interesting proper beer for Christmas. He has had and liked some of the St Peter's range, also is a fan of Black Sheep and IPA, but I'm looking for some other things he might not have tried (and stockists!).

TIA

OP posts:
Malificence · 07/12/2009 15:22

The Titanic brewery do a nice range and I've just bought DH a pack from the Lymestone brewery.
There are several xmas ales around atm too

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 07/12/2009 15:27

Old Peculiar! Once he's tried it he'll be a fan for lfe.

Plus anything from the meantime brewery.

Grubbyfoot · 07/12/2009 15:35

It depends what area of the country you are in, as many breweries only supply local supermarkets. I can recommend the Bath Ales range, as well as anything by Cotleigh brewery. Which ales specifically depend on his preferences, personally I'm a fan of dark ales and stouts, but as he's into IPA perhaps something lighter would be better. Both breweries have online shops:

www.bathales.com
www.cotleighbrewery.com

Hope that helps!

claricebeansmum · 07/12/2009 15:38

Purple Moose brewery would be another one to look at.

Naetha · 07/12/2009 15:44

Asda and Morrisons(certainly where I live in Yorkshire) have a great selection of real ales, usually on some kind of 3 for £4 offer.

Favourites in our house are:

Brakspear Oxford Gold
Deuchars IPA
Badger Golden GLory
Badger Fursty Ferret
Badger Tanglefoot
Jennings Cumberland Ale
Jennings Sneck Lifter

The St Peter's range is great as well - DH likes the organic one, I prefer the autumn red one.

Personally I'd stay away from the gimmick ales - banana bread ale is disgusting!

Original poster
JimmyMcNulty · 07/12/2009 15:48

Thanks for the tips - we have a Morrisons not too far away so I'll have a look in there for starters.

OP posts:
Grubbyfoot · 07/12/2009 15:50

Naeth heresay! Banana Bread's one of the lightest ales I drink, and it is yummy. The list you wrote makes me thirsty, all good beers, but the same as they sell down here in Bristol, so getting something online or from out of your area would be a good plan if you want something new and unique.

I'd agree about avoiding gimmiky ales but adding fruit isn't gimmiky, it's very traditional, though bananas less so. I am usually wary of Christmas ales from breweries I've never heard of, or anything with a trendy-looking pump logo.

ThumbleBells · 07/12/2009 15:52

DH used to like the Badger stuff - I think he tried them all. We live just outside London and all the Badger ales were in stock in our local Tesco.

DadInsteadofMum · 09/12/2009 10:14

The badger selection box provides a nice variety as does the wychwood brewery box (hobgoblin etc) which hasn't been mentioned yet.

wukter · 09/12/2009 10:21

Get him a chocolate stout if you see one - my DP had one lately and is raving about it. Sorry can't help with brands as am not in your neck of the woods.

charlotteolivia · 09/12/2009 10:26

i think morrissey fox mulled ale is out and about in bottles now too..

DadInsteadofMum · 09/12/2009 10:52

I am not a fan of the Morrisey Fox range tbh, and would not recommend it as a present for anybody that had not already decided they liked it.

At last a thread on MN where I can talk at length about a subject I actually know something about.

AndiMac · 09/12/2009 11:15

Please try Innis & Gunn beer. It's wonderful stuff. It's aged in oak barrels and it gives it an incredible depth of flavour.

theminniebauble · 09/12/2009 11:28

Dorothy Goodbody or Butty Bach by the Wye Valley brewery. My family are all obsessed with it. Every ale fan that I've introduced to it seems to love it!

MadameDuBain · 09/12/2009 11:46

DP really likes Schiehallion and Latitude which are pale, and a darker one called Bitter & Twisted. You can get them at sainsbury's.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 09/12/2009 11:51

Youngs Double Chocolate Stout is fantastic with panettone.

Muon · 09/12/2009 12:12

Brewdog do a very good range and they'll post it to you as they're a tiny brewery in Scotland. www.brewdog.com have won loads of awards and I think they were on the Oz Clarke/James May best drink in Britain series. They also have quite amusing names (if you're not very PC).

tinylion · 09/12/2009 12:35

We run an award winning microbrewery in Northumberland! and have 13 different ales - you can buy them either from www.northumbriangifts.co.uk or from www.realale.co.uk or www.beer4home.com

I know we are the brewer, but I can honestly say that our beers are top notch . The websites sell them in 5 litres, 10 litres or 20 litres beer boxes (a bit like a wine box) or if you're in the area come and visit! We have an award winning visitor centre.

Try our best seller Nel's Best - a lovely 4.2% hoppy golden coloured beer, or maybe Matfen Magic - a 4.8% darker beer with a hint of blackberries and a chocolate finish.They're all named after our farm animals and my daughter!

If you need to know more please visit www.highhousefarmbrewery.co.uk

enjoy your drinking!!

squirrel42 · 09/12/2009 12:53

Stouts and porters are traditionally "winter" beers; they're darker, heavier and tend to have flavours like chocolate, coffee or treacle.

I believe that Wickwar's Station Porter won the Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2008. It's 6.1% and described as ?A rich, smooth, dark ruby-brown ale. Starts with a roast malt; coffee, chocolate and dark fruit then develops a complex, spicy, bittersweet taste and a long roast finish.?

I like a nice drop of the dark stuff and enjoyed this at the last Beer Festival I was at. I'll also add in a vote for "Dark Side of the Moose" from the Purple Moose brewery. Lovely!

MrsChemist · 09/12/2009 13:31

If you can find it, it's worth getting Youngs Winter Warmer.
Om nom nom.
I also think Marble Arch Ginger Ale (it's an ale, not a soft drink) is quite festive, although Marble Arch in a tiny wee brewery in Manchester, so not sure if you can get it anywhere else.

littleomar · 09/12/2009 13:38

i feel i should post because of OP's nickname

going further afield (although i am liking the local theme of this thread) sierra nevada ales from california are mmm. the standard is pale ale but they do a stronger winter/christmas one and a ridiculously strong one called bigfoot. sometimes have them in waitrose/sainers (and oddbins if there's any of them left).

Naetha · 09/12/2009 14:18

Another option btw is to get a takeout from a local real ale pub.

The bottled stuff is OK, but not a patch on real draught beer.

Most pubs will let you take beer away, you usually have to provide the container (some will sell some, but this is pretty rare). You'll have to drink it within 24 hours anyway, so something like an old milk container or pop bottle works quite well.

My favourite beer is Timothy Taylor's Ram Tam, however this isn't available in bottles, and only two pubs that I know of have it on tap permanently (Brown Cow in Bingley, and The Grouse in Oakworth - both excellent pubs).

ChocolateMoose · 09/12/2009 16:21

(no relation to Purple Moose)

If you're browsing in the supermarket look out for beers labelled as 'bottle conditioned', for something a bit closer to draught beer. Greenwich Meantime brewery does a good selection pack and their chocolate beer is lovely though their coffee beer is in my opinion Just Wrong.

There are online beer sellers such as Beers of Europe and BeerRitz - hopefully they will have some of the beers people have suggested. Have fun shopping.

HeiligFeierabend · 09/12/2009 16:25

I second Innis & Gunn. Lovely lovely lovely and would go with anything you eat around Christmas time!

HeiligFeierabend · 09/12/2009 16:27

They sell it at Waitrose.