Our Tastings


Stardust Brewery – Roast Note

Special Bitter 4.3% ABV

A best bitter with a fine blend of the best English roasted malts complimented by the country’s hops. Low bitterness to make the roast malt flavours the dominant characteristic.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): Tasting Tonight

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Rebellion – Smuggler

Special Bitter 4.2% ABV

An amber coloured, special bitter with a distinctive fruity hop character, and lasting bittersweet finish

Malt: Pale / Crystal / Chocolate
Hop: Fuggles / Goldings / Amarillo

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): Tasting Tonight

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Burghfiled Santa’s – Reinbeer of the Mohicans

American Pale Ale 4.2 % ABV

Burghfield Santas teamed up with Reading Amateur Brewers and Elusive Brewing to produce a special beer for Burghfest.

Congratulations to Ken Baker for the winning recipe and to two of The Regulars who helped(?) brew it.

This American Pale Ale is packed with enough hops to blow the mohawk off your head.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)

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UPDATE: Phantom Brewing – Ball Pit

Uber juicy and nicely hoppy an example of how a good NEIPA should be. Full of character with great aromas of peach, and a great finish.

HOPS: Idaho 7, Citra, Cryo Ekuanot

Still an all-time favourite of The Regulars!

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (5 / 5)

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Rebellion – Solidarity

Pale Ale 4.2% ABV
Malt: Maris Otter Pale Ale, T50 Crystal
Hops: Citra and Cascade

A straw coloured pale ale with a bright citrusy hop aroma.

For every pint sold, Rebellion are donating 10p to the Disasters & Emergency Committee’s Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal, so this is a great opportunity for the Harper Arms members to use their skills for the benefit of others.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)

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Bragdy Cybi – Banshee Bach

Rye IPA 3.8% ABV

Ipa gyda rhyg a haidd. Mêl lleol a hops o Seland newydd.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): Tasting Tonight

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Elusive – Oregon Trail

West Coast IPA 5.8% ABV

Oregon Trail is a classically-styled West Coast IPA. Simcoe, Chinook and Columbus hops combine to deliver a resinous profile with a citrus undertone. The bitterness help to balance the light caramel flavours of the malts.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.5 / 5)

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Stardust Brewery – Hop Tub

New England IPA 6.3% ABV

This unfined pale packs the fruity flavours like your morning fruit juice. Double dry hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Nelson and Simcoe.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.8 / 5)

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Brewmeister Snake Venom


67.5% ABV
!! WARNING !! This beer is not for the feint-hearted

Brewmeister Snake Venom is currently recognised as the strongest beer in the World. It is brewed in Moray from smoked, peated malt using two varieties of yeast, one beer and one Champagne. Like other ultra high strength beers it is frozen several times after the fermentation process, and the ice crystals removed. This concentrates the alcohol, flavour, and body of the beer as water is removed each time. The beer is then fortified with alcohol to increase the strength further.

The result is a powerful, viscous, intensely flavoured beer that should be treated more like a spirit with regards to its consumption. There is no carbonation as the liquid is too thick to hold carbon dioxide bubbles.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (0.3 / 5)

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Fullers – Vintage Ale 2021

Vintage Ale 8.5% ABV

Now on its 25th edition, 2021 is a landmark year for Vintage Ale. At its heart, Pale Ale and Caragold malts combine with DRC®(Double Roasted Crystal), to deliver a toffee and raisin sweetness. Turning to hops, we’re showcasing younger UK varieties for their luscious fruitiness. Endeavour brings plummy tones, while Olicana® and the yet unnamed experimental hop CF182 add tropical and orange notes. All complemented, as ever, by the zesty marmalade character of our famous Fuller’s yeast.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)

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UPDATE: West Berkshire Brewery – Maharaja IPA

India Pale Ale 5.1% ABV

This is WBB’s full-bodied New World hopped jaw-dropper of an IPA with full on tropical fruit flavours, mouth-watering bitterness and a rich, earthy finish.

It was even better this time out and so we have upgraded the rating.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)

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Stardust Brewery – English Bitter

Bitter 4.0% ABV

This beer is blended to bring out the very best of traditional British malt and hop flavours. The raised malt profile unlocks notes of roasted caramel, which mingle with classic hop aromas.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)

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Loddon – Colour Outside The Lines

Double Dry-Hopped IPA 5.0%

You can expect an immense fruit punch of flavours, from the abundance of El Dorado and Taiheke hops added throughout the brewing process – creating a gorgeous hit of lime, grapefruit, pineapple and watermelon.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)

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Delphic Brewing – Kurupt

IPA – Black / Cascadian Dark Ale– 4.0% ABV

A pitch black, heavily dry hopped IPA with Centennial taking the lead. So expect lots of citrus, pine and floral hop notes under a slightly roasty malt profile.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)

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Loddon – Dragonfly

Strong Pale Ale 5.2%

Sharp and refreshing with a crisp, clean bitterness and heaps of cascade and comet hops providing a floral, peppery aroma with hints of grapefruit.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)

 

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UPDATE: Phantom Brewing – Ball Pit

Uber juicy and nicely hoppy an example of how a good NEIPA should be. Full of character with great aromas of peach, and a great finish.

HOPS: Idaho 7, Citra, Cryo Ekuanot

An all-time favourite of The Regulars!

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (5 / 5)

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Rebellion – Red Card

Golden & Vibrant 4.2%

Red Card is a golden pale ale with a vibrant hop character. A smidgen of crystal T50 creates the golden colour and adds a bit of depth to the malt character. A trio of citrusy hops in Motueka, Nelson Sauvin and Amarillo add notes of orange, grapefruit and gooseberry.  A crisp, fresh, zesty and refreshing beer.

Malt: Maris Otter Pale Ale, Crystal T50

Hops: Progress, Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, Amarillo

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling: (3.8 / 5)

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UPDATE: West Berkshire Brewery – Good Old Boy

WBB-Good-Old-Boy-Pump-Clip-300x300
A multi award winning classic English Bitter with a silky-smooth mouth feel. Good old Boy is brewed with a blend of rich malted barley and fruity hops to produce and exceptionally well-balanced and full-flavoured beer.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling):  (4 / 5)

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Longdog Brewery – Basingstoke Pride

Best Bitter 4.2%

A traditional amber best bitter that is deceptively drinkable.

 Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3 / 5)

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UPDATE: Timothy Taylor’s Landlord

The Regulars celebrated the reopening of the pubs by a visit to the nearby Six Bells.

It seemed fitting to sample an old favorite Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. It is a classic pale ale with a complex citrus and hoppy aroma.

it has won more awards than any other beer, winning both CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain and the Brewing Industry Awards Gold Medal four times.

Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)

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It's all about the beer!