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)
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)
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)
Pale Ale 4.5%
Take a detour with this super easy drinking pale. Crammed full of tropical fruit and citrus flavours with a crisp, balanced bitterness.
The Regulars had the opportunity to sample this n bottles and cans. On balance, the bottled version was marginally preferred as it seemed to hold the head longer. Further scientific analysis is required to determine whether this was related to temperature effects.
Can: Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(3.3 / 5)
Bottle: Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
Double Black IPA 8%
An amped-up version of Burghfest award-winning Shadow of the Beast. Bigger, bolder, badder!
Expect a balance of roast malt flavours with a blackcurrant undertone before a big hit of citrus hops washes over the palate.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling) (4.3 / 5)
Red & Malty 4.2%
Slipstream is red and full of malt character. Double roasted crystal, dehusked roasted malt and black malt all add a well-balanced and relatively subtle roasted flavour. WGV, a traditional British hop, adds floral notes and well-rounded bitterness.
Malt: Maris Otter Pale Ale, Double Roasted Crystal, De-husked Roasted, Black
Hops: WGV (Whitbread Goldings Variety)
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling: (3.5 / 5)
Black IPA 6.2%
A special collaboration between neighbours Siren Craft Brew and Elusive Brewing. As Andy from Elusive has been campaigning so successfully for #BIPACOMEBACK, it was an easy decision to collaborate on a Black IPA. A carefully considered selection of malts balances perfectly with complementary hops, leaving this beer buzzing in vibrant orange, pine and berry aromas.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling: (4 / 5)
The Party Seven was famous the world over and was at the heart of millions of parties in the ’60s and ’70s. Originally the Party Four, Watneys added the Party Seven to the range and started a revolution of party drinking and drinking at home.
Now it’s back – with a burst of tangerine and orange blossom in the aroma. This is repeated in the flavour with orange, grapefruit, and pine overlaying a base of malt biscuits. Smooth on the palate, the beer has a firm bitterness upfront which lingers on the finish.
… and no hammer and nails required.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling) 
(3 / 5)
West Coast Pale Ale – 5.4% ABV
A bold and bitter West Coast-style Pale Ale hopped with Centennial and dry-hopped with Simcoe for notes of orange and pine.
Third and final beer from the excellent Burghfield Santa’s Beer Takeaway service.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling) (4 / 5)
India Pale Ale – 5.2% ABV
This IPA was dry hopped at 15g/l, it has a soft mouthfeel with a rounded bitter finish, but first and foremost loads of tropical juice flavours that punch you in the mouth like a pineapple shaped boxing glove. Naturally hazy from the onslaught of hops!
Brewed in collaboration with West Berkshire Brewery.
Another selection from the excellent Burghfield Santa’s Beer Takeaway service.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Belgian Pale Ale – 4.4% ABV
A Belgian-Style Pale Ale with Huell Melon, Vic Secret and Southern Cross hops. Clean and easy drinking with notes of melon and passion fruit.
Another selection from the excellent Burghfield Santa’s Beer Takeaway service.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)
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
After the unofficial 5 star rating by Dave, back in June this beer sold-out and The Regulars were unable to validate the score. Phantom has at last brewed some more and fortunately we were able to purchase it draft from the innovative Burghfield Santa’s Beer Takeaway service.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(5 / 5)
As a service to The Regulars, The Harper Arms remains open but virtual until this pesky second lockdown is over.
A planned visit to Double Barrelled Brewery didn’t go ahead due to the second lockdown. However, The Regulars did join with our friends from the Muddled Memories brewing cooperative for a virtual tasting. We tried
Parka – 4.5% ABV and Harpers Arms old favourite,
Physiological Needs – 5.4% ABV Pale Ale. Citra, Comet and Centennial hops.
Keith on Banjo – 6.5% ABV IPA. Dry hopped with Vic Secret and BRU-1,
Judith on Tambourine – 7.2% ABV IPA. Big tropical nose from the Galaxy, Citra and Mosaic hops.
How often do they update the internet? – 7.3% ABV. West Coast IPA. A single Hop Showcase of Columbus
The common consensus was that it was a great selection of beers with Judith coming out on top and perhaps Physiological Needs could do with some refining.
6.5% Red IPA
The Harper Arms Regulars couldn’t resist the opportunity to compare nitro against classic carbonation for this Red IPA.
Our verdict will be announced shortly. Assuming that we can remember it after drinking these all evening…
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling):
Classic 
(3.8 / 5)
Nitro (3 / 5)
Pale Ale 4.2% ABV
An aromatic hoppy pale ale. Capturing the full potential of the fruity American hop flavours, this beer is designed to slip down easily while packing in the best of the hop properties. A smooth mouth feel with tropical fruits on the nose.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
Pale Ale 4.5% ABV
12g/L of Citra dry hopping gives you Citra’s vibrant citrus notes followed with an ever so slightly bitter finish, leaving you wanting more.
Parka is perfect for well balanced, sessionable drinking.
Rating upgraded to 4 on this second tasting!
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
A straw coloured, pale ale with a clean, fresh & uncomplicated taste. The hops add a crisp bitterness, making it very drinkable. Citra hops added in the hopback give Zebedee a tropical fruit aroma.
Malt: Pale
Hop: First Gold / Goldings / Citra
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Light amber in colour due to a small amount of lightly roasted crystal malt. This adds a slight sweetness and subtle caramel note that acts as a counterweight to the generous hop charge. We are using Goldings for its exceptionally smooth bittering quality and Citra and Mosaic for the hefty aromas they add. The result is a well-balanced hoppy beer with a wonderful tropical fruit aroma.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)
As a service to The Regulars, The Harper Arms remains open in these challenging times, albeit virtual.
The Regulars enjoyed Elusive Overdrive, West Berks Mr Chubbs and Good Old Boy, and St Austell’s Menha Dhu.
Normal tastings will resume as soon as The LanL0rd figures out how to coordinate beer delivery.
American Pale Ale 5.5% ABV
Overdrive is a crisp and clean American Pale Ale with an assertive bitterness and aromatic and flavoursome hop profile. Two different hops are used in the whirlpool and for dry hopping.
Special precautions were taken to sample this beer during the Coronavirus out-break. It was worth it!
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(4.5 / 5)
The Regulars decided it was time to visit Reading’s newest Craft Beer pub – The Weather Station.
The Weather Station is a showcase for Wild Weather Ales and had over 20 Wild Weather Ales on-tap – What’s not to like?
Well, trouble is that 18 of the 20 were sours….Ugh.
A Harper’s Arms favourite, Shepherds Warning, was available but the best beer of the night was War Against Reality. A soft, juicy New England IPA brewed in collaboration with New Lion Brewery. Hazy, smooth and double dry hopped with Mosaic and Simcoe. The required number of pints of this were consumed to allow us to rate it.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
A hard rocking full bodied American Pale Ale. Bursting with Mosaic hops, which leave a storm of tropical fruits dancing on your palette.
This was the first beer brewed at New Wharf.
Like all New Wharf beers it is unfiltered, unfined and unpasteurised.
Sampled by all The Harper Arms Regulars at the MicroBurghfest event held at the Burghfield May Fayre.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)
LandLOrd’s note: Normal Harper Arms rating rules have been applied – The Regulars had at least 3 pints each and some had a lot more…
Master Brew is brewed using only the finest Kentish barley and hops and is Shepherd Neame’s flagship beer in the brewery’s Kentish heartland.
The “Local Hero” is a distinctive, mid-brown bitter ale, with all the hoppy aroma you would expect of a beer brewed in the heart of the hop country.
Hand-crafted by the Faversham brewery’s talented team of experienced brewers, it is a well-balanced traditional ale.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
A warming, Autumnal red ale, rich & malty, with a balancing bittersweet hop character.
10% Crystal malt blended with Maris Otter pale ale malt in the mash gives the beer its reddish hue. English First Gold & Goldings hops added at stages in the copper for flavour. Late addition Bramling Cross hops in the hop-back for a fruity aroma.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3 / 5)
The Harper Arms are proud to award the coveted The Harper Arms Brewery of the Year Award to, Wild Weather Ales.
The Regulars have enjoyed some outstanding beers from this up and coming local brewery. See Wild Weather Ales Reviews for a selection of our tasting notes.
Not just the domain of the Belgians,the Scots have combined another two things they think they are great at – beer and soft fruits. Not too sweet though, for its great fruity addition, it’s got just the right balance of fruit and bitterness. A perfect beer for summer days (raining or otherwise)
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling):
(0 / 5)
The Regulars have been invited to a special tasting at Wild Weather Ales. Based in an industrial unit just outside of Tadley historic Roman Silchester, Wild Weather Ales has been producing some great beers since 2012 AD 43.
The Regulars hope to be sampling some of their favourites like Sunset Black IPA and Shepherds Warning Pale Ale as well as the latest addition Sunday League Relegation Playoff – a red IPA.
Note from LandL0rd. No beers will be rated on this visit. The Harper Arms by-laws state that a full evenings drinking is required in order to determine the Harper Arms Rating.
Theakston Best Bitter is the leading session ale within the Theakston portfolio and probably one of the longest established session ales in Yorkshire.
A full bodied, dry beer, made from five different hop varieties forming a complex but subtle taste profile. The combination of dryness as generated through the use of Target and Challenger hops, is balanced by sweetness created by the generous use of prime malting Barley providing the perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of food flavours.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3 / 5)
Trick Or Treat Treakle Stout – 4.9% ABV
A deliciously smooth stout with a thick and gooey black treacle base, starting with notes of chocolate and pepper, and growing into a bonfire toffee style finish. A must for deep contemplation in front of the fire.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
A genuine legend amongst snacks and the original Mr Porky product. Classic Scratchings that have been tempting taste buds for decades.
Made using quality rinds taken from pork shanks, the Scratchings are cooked until they reach that perfect level of crunchiness before being lovingly seasoned and packed in foil bags to keep them fresh and flavoursome.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Cockles, 1=Pickled Egg): (4 / 5)
Traditionally craft brewed with Chocolate and Crystal malts and a blend of Styrian, Goldings & Fuggles hops to produce a full-bodied, Ruby beer that delivers a delicious chocolate toffee malt flavour, balanced with a rounded moderate bitterness and an overall fruity, mischievous character.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3 / 5)
Tribute is the benchmark for The Harper Arms regulars.
A favourite choice throughout South West England as well as being one of the fastest growing premium cask ale brands in the rest of the UK.
Tribute as it’s light, hoppy, zesty, easy to drink and consistently delicious.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (5 / 5)
Golden Christmas Ale.
(2.8 / 5)
(1 / 5)
