A strong golden beer with a fresh hop character. This ale has a smooth taste with a balanced sweetness throughout. Devonshire through and through!
Even better on draft
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(4 / 5)
Category Archives: The Harper Arms Rating
Our unique rating scale (5=Tribute, 1=Carling)
Siren Craft Brew – Twin Flames
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)
Stardust Brewery – Optic
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)
UPDATE: Double-Barrelled – Parka
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)
Phantom Brewing – Feeling This
UPDATE: Siren Craft Brew – Undercurrent
A 4.5% pale ale with spicy, grassy aromas and a taste of grapefruit and apricot.
Undercurrent is part pale, part oats and part caramel barley. Her swirls of bold, bready and nutty malt whirl into a concoction of spicy, citrus, floral hops. Mystery lurks in those cascade and palisade hops.
Her silky, creamy body will pull you under.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(4.3 / 5)
Elusive – Punch Out Round 9
Punch Out dives through the ropes and back into the ring to showcase two delicious hop varietals from New Zealand. Waimea brings fruity resinous notes (think Columbus) and Wai-Iti adds spritzy lemon.
We sneaked a little bit of Nelson in too, because why not?
4.3% ABV
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)
Rebellion – Beer X
Beer X is a trial brew of a medium strength golden beer. It is an easy-drinking, well balanced pale ale with a pleasing hoppy aroma.
Brewed with exclusively 100% Marris Otter pale ale malt which gives a clean and crisp base. British hops, First Gold, and Goldings add citrus and floral notes. American Citra hops added to the hopback add a distinct aroma of grapefruit and tropical fruit.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(3.4 / 5)
UPDATE: St Austell Tribute Ale
The Harper Arms regulars were sad to learn of the death of Roger Ryman, the St Austell Chief Brewer who created Tribute, the Harper Arms benchmark beer.
As our own tribute, we held yet another tasting of this excellent beer.
Tribute as it’s light, hoppy, zesty, easy to drink and consistently delicious.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(5 / 5)
Rebellion – Zebedee
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)
Rebellion – Square Leg
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)
UPDATE: Rebellion – IPA
Elusive – Overdrive
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)
Double-Barrelled – Parka
UPDATE: Loddon – NOTUS
NOTUS is a perfectly balanced APA
A multi award-winning American Pale Ale, including, Beer of Festival at Burghfest in 2016.
Hops: Citra, Centinnial, Sterling, Cascade
Malt: Low-colour, Maris Otter, Rye Crystal, Cara, Amber, Wheat, Chocolate.
Now brewed unfined for an even more hoppy taste.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)
UPDATE: Siren Craft Brew – Undercurrent
A 4.5% pale ale with spicy, grassy aromas and a taste of grapefruit and apricot.
Undercurrent is part pale, part oats and part caramel barley. Her swirls of bold, bready and nutty malt whirl into a concoction of spicy, citrus, floral hops. Mystery lurks in those cascade and palisade hops.
Her silky, creamy body will pull you under.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
UPDATE: Wild Weather Ales – 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.
Having enjoyed this at The Weather Station the LandL0rd procured a keg for The Harper Arms Christmas party. It tasted even better than before!
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.5 / 5)
Rebellion – Wing Man
An amber and malty classic bitter. Chocolate and double roasted crystal malts add a rich caramel and a light roasted flavour. Oats add a satisfyingly smooth mouthfeel.
Phoenix and Progress hops have classic British hop characteristics with subtle floral and spicy notes. Lemondrop adds, as the name suggests, a mellow citrus character to lift the beer. Overall a well-balanced, well crafted, east drinking traditional British bitter perfect for a late Autumn day in the pub.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Loddon – Citra Quad
Citra Quad is a quadruple-hopped session IPA which honours that juiciest and most tropical hop – Citra.
Abundantly hopped with Citra over four stages of the brewing process, this 4.4% beer packs a punch of intense flavours and aromas that will be sure to get your mouth watering.
A soft water profile and heaps of oat malts provide a rich mouthfeel and help accentuate the pungent citrus overtones desired by this style.
Citra Quad is the first new beer produced by the new Loddon head brewer Jake Bartleet-Perry and also the first beer served at The Harper Arms using our new draught beer equipment.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
ON TOUR: Wild Weather Ales – War Against Reality
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)
Little London – Santa’s Pride
Best Bitter
4.2% Amber
Specially brewed for Burghfest
An easy drinking, slightly tart pale bitter brewed from the finest Maris Otter, Crystal and Chocolate Malts and bittered with Fuggles and Goldings to deliver a lovely malt feel in the mouth with a dry, tangy fruit finish.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Brew Dog – Instamatic
White India Pale Ale
Instamatic is a Spring loaded, zesty IPA. As fresh as a Bel-Air morning. Tropical fruit aromas are rapidly pursued by pineapple, mango and lemon with floral undertones on the palate. Built from the ground up on a solid caramel malt superstructure. Wheat allows for a super smooth delivery. And a pronounced bitterness lingers to the end. Refreshing, fresh and fruity.
Instamatic – Rejuvinate your senses.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.8 / 5)
West Berkshire Brewery – Snake Oil
Hoppy as hell, masses of stone fruit and over-ripe mango on the nose. Biscuit and crisp bitterness in and around the mouth.
(0.5 / 5)West Berkshire Brewery – West Coast Pale Ale
Hyde & Wilde – American Style IPA
Hyde and Wilde is “Sainsbury’s own craft brewery” but its actually brewed by Marston’s exclusively for Sainsbury’s.
This one is the American Style IPA with a blend of barley and wheat, as well as Citra and Summit hops. According to Sainsburys …
Yee-Haw! Let’s thank the Yanks for their bold, citrusy hops! With a blast of grapefruit and a hit of gooseberry, this beer rocks!
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(3.3 / 5)
UPDATE: Little London – Hoppy Hilda
UPDATE: Wild Weather Ales – King St Pale
An easy-drinking hazy extraordinaiore of a beer, King St. Pale is loaded up with oats for a silky mouthfeel and topped off with a healthy charge of Mosaic dry hops.Longdog Brewery – Columbus Single Hopped Ale
Camerons – Ahop-alypse Now
Rebellion – Near Miss
Andwell’s Resolute
Taking its name from a town within the high Arctic, despite its cool name this is the sort of bitter that you’ll easily warm to.
Andwell’s Best Bitter combines the finest malt and hops to produce a well balanced malty and hoppy flavour with a light amber colour.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3 / 5)
Oakham Ales – Citra
Muddled Memories – Calmer Llama
Rebellion – Dive Bomb
Dive Bomb is a Golden Ale with a pronounced hop aroma. Mosaic, Nelson Sauvin, Azacca and Citra all vie for your attention, layering on flavours of Citrus and tropical fruits.
Malt: Maris Otter Pale Ale, Crystal
Hops: Mosiac. Nelson Sauvin, Azacca, Citra
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
UPDATE: Morland – Old Speckled Hen
A high proportion of crystal malt in Old Speckled Hen provides the key toffee/caramel flavour. The yeast used to ferment the beer provides the other key character – estery or banana/pear drop. This estery note provides the fruity and refreshing balance. The hops used add a palate cleansing herbal note and very slight orange citrus. A very malty, full bodied and warming ale.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3 / 5)
Zero Degrees – Downtown
Zero Degrees take on making a great American Pale Ale. British & German malts meet sexy American hops and their first brew!
Fruity is the first word that comes to mind – mainly tangerine, grapefruit and melon. Then you notice the pleasant, full bodiness of it and how easy it is to drink. ABV 4.6%.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
UPDATE: Wild Weather Ales – Shepherds Warning
UPDATE: Siren Craft Brew – Soundwave
A 5.6% west coast IPA: golden, immensely hoppy and alive with grapefruit, peach and mango flavours.
Soundwave carries her drinker to the west coast, to the golden shores of California where craft ale is nectar. She is the driest of Siren’s ales – full with flavour but subtle with bitterness.
Her resinous finish will pull you off balance.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.5 / 5)
Binghams – Brickworks Bitter
Devil’s Backbone America IPA by Marstons
American IPA is the first Devil’s Backbone beer to be sold outside of the United States. The beer is an original Devil’s Backbone recipe showcasing American hops and brewed especially for the English palate. It’s a mix of English (East Kent Goldings and Admiral) and American hops added late in the process with a single-infusion mash of Pale Ale malt.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3 / 5)
Rebellion – Afterburner
Windsor & Eaton – Last Drop
Ossett Brewery – Yorkshire Blonde
A Fruity Pale Ale.
Yorkshire Blonde is a mellow, lager coloured ale. Full-bodied and low in bitterness, there is a delicate malty sweetness on the palate. The fruity hop aroma results from a generous late addition of Mount Hood hops.Our biggest selling beer, Yorkshire Blonde is a mellow, lager coloured ale.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(1.8 / 5)
Rebellion – Gold
A rich golden ale with an intensely hoppy aroma. We’ve crammed the hop back with as much American Mosaic hops as we could. This gives the beer a huge aroma of tropical fruits, citrus fruits and red berry. We’ve kept the bitterness relatively low despite the huge dose of late hops, so Gold retains its drinkability and balance. A truly contemporary golden ale.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Modue Brewery – Radgie Gadgie
New Wharf – Santa Brews
In collaboration with the Burghfield Santas
This small batch brew is packed solid with various hops from around the world. A solid malt back bone wisps away to leave deep peachy notes, leading to a light chocolate autumn berry sweetness.
This amazing beer was originally brewed exclusively for Burghfest where it won the coveted Beer of the Festival award. As it was so popular New Wharf brewed it again for Christmas.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.5 / 5)
Rebellion – Peacemaker
Peacemaker is an Oatmeal Pale Ale. The addition of oats adds a subtle nuttiness and a silky-smooth mouthfeel. The trio of Amarillo, Azacca and Citra hops give a real tropical fruit and citrus hit with a crisp and refreshing character.
Malt: Pale, Golden Naked Oats.
Hops: Amarillo, Azacca, Citra
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Ascot Brewing Company – Final Furlong
Rebellion – Virtuoso
Virtuoso is a deep amber ale with a pleasant hoppy aroma. Chocolate and Double Roasted Crystal malts give a subtle roast malt character which is beautifully balanced against the tropical and citrus fruit notes from the Simcoe and Motueka hops. Complex, subtle and expertly crafted; a symphony in a glass created by Rebellion’s virtuoso brewers.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.8 / 5)
Lagunitas – 12th of Never
“As the River Styx froze and the final pig took flight, when the last winged monkey departed the darkly fragrant netherlands, as wishes became horses and all the beggars rode… Under a newly-blued moon at dawn on the very 12th of Never: the second-to-last craft brewery in America pressed the green ‘start’ button on their canning line. We wanted to be the Last Small Brewer in the U.S. to can their beer and maybe, finally, by now, we are…The ‘12th of Never Ale’ is everything we’ve learned about making hop-forward beer expressed in a moderate voice. Pale, cold, slightly alcoholic, and bitter. It’s all we know.”
What more is there to say!
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)
Loddon – NOTUS
A multi-award winning American Pale Ale, including, Beer of Festival at Burghfest in 2016.
NOTUS is brewed with citra, centennial, sterling and cascage, making it tropical, fruity and completely delicious. At 4.7% it packs a punch, as well as offering perfect late summer refreshment.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
St Austell – Proper Job
A powerfully authentic IPA, Proper Job is brewed with a blend of imported American hops. It is a real treat of a beer with a growing reputation and is loved by beer enthusiasts far and wide. Perhaps the forerunner of all modern IPAs in the UK!
An award-winning modern IPA, packed full of citrus, pineapple and grapefruit resinous flavours with a fine crisp bitter finish.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.5 / 5)
Goose Island Beer Company – Midway Session IPA
Wild Weather Ales – King St Pale
Uprising – Treason
WIndsor & Eaton Knight of the Garter
A straw coloured golden ale with an initial hit of cut grapefruit zest giving way to a deliciously sharp sherbet finish.
At under 4%, this classic is an easy drinking year round favourite.
CAMRA 2018 Champion Beer of Britain. Golden Ale – Bronze Award.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
Rebellion – Revolutionary
Revolutionary is a Red ale with roasted malt character and fruity hop notes. Small additions of roasted and black malts create the deep red hue as well as a depth and complexity. Subtle use of Azacca and Citra hops add a tropical / citrus fruit character.
Malt: Pale, Crystal, Dehusked roasted barley, Black malt
Hops: Azacca, Citra
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Marstons – 61 Deep
61 metres is the depth of the well at the Marston’s Brewery that gives this refreshing pale ale it’s name. The five American and Australian hops give it it’s fresh, zesty aroma, whilst the tropical fruit and citrus notes make it extremely drinkable.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.8 / 5)
Rebellion – Unifier
Unifier is a tawny pale ale with a distinctly hoppy character. We’ve added a prodigious quantity of American aroma hops to this beer to give it a very bold hoppy hit. The aroma is full of tropical fruit and citrus notes as well as pine, spice and herbal elements. It has relatively high bitterness but the extra sweetness from the addition of crystal and Munich malts help to balance this out.
Malt: Munich, Double Roasted Crystal
Hop: Progress, Simcoe, Mosaic
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.8 / 5)
Little London – Hoppy Hilda
Windsor & Eaton – Guardsman
The first beer brewed in Windsor for more than 80 years was launched on St George’s Day 2010 – it remains a best sellers to this day.
A lovely copper coloured session strength ale with a tangy taste, yet a really smooth fresh hop finish, ensuring that it is very ‘quaffable’
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
Bays Brewery – Devon Dumpling
Marston’s Bombardier – Glorious English
Savour the distinct aroma, then surrender to the perfect balance of malty richness, tangy hops and sultana fruit on the palate.
Natural mineral water, the ripest English fuggles hops and crushed crystal malt deliver this experience of England in a glass. Brace yourself for a long soft spicy finish.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(2.5 / 5)
Siren Craft Brew – Undercurrent
A 4.5% pale ale with spicy, grassy aromas and a taste of grapefruit and apricot.
Undercurrent is part pale, part oats and part caramel barley. Her swirls of bold, bready and nutty malt whirl into a concoction of spicy, citrus, floral hops. Mystery lurks in those cascade and palisade hops.
Her silky, creamy body will pull you under.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.5 / 5)
Rebellion – Legend
Legend is an oatmeal pale ale. The addition of oats adds subtle nuttiness, extra body and a silky smooth finish. Ernest is a rediscovered British hop that was originally disregarded due to its ‘new world’ characteristics. It produces complex fruity notes of apricot, citrus and spice.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3 / 5)
Sharps – Wolf Rock IPA
New Wharf – Erins
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…
Binghams – Citra Summit
Rebellion – 25
Brewed to celebrate Rebellion Brewery ‘s 25-year anniversary of brewing in Marlow.
25 is an extra pale ale brewed with Sterling hops, citrus peel and Belgian ale yeast. Sterling hops, not only have an entirely appropriate name for silver anniversary beer but also have a beautiful lemon and spicy character which work in harmony with the other elements of the ale. The inclusion of lemon and orange peel adds a subtle citrus aroma and the Belgian ale yeast contributes a spicy note and gives this beer a real Belgian ale character.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.8 / 5)
Purity Brewing Company – Pure UBU
Pure UBU (pronounced ‘OO-BOO’) is named after our faithful canine friend ‘UBU’, a maverick, brim full of character and the unofficial protector of our secrets. God love him, the dog is mad, but an inspiration to all who enjoy doing what they do and who want to be loved for being what they are.
Pure UBU (4.5% ABV, IBU36) is a distinctive, full flavoured beer with a sweeter finish. Brewed with English Maris Otter, Crystal, and Wheat malts, with Pilgrim and Cascade hops.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
Andwell’s – King John
This Pale Ale takes its name from the castle built by King John in 1207, which is located less than a mile from the original Brewery, and from where he rode out to Runnymede to sign the Magna Carta. The beer itself is deep amber in colour with a blend of pale ale and crystal malt. The bitterness and fruity aroma are developed from a combination of hops.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
West Berkshire Brewery – Maharaja IPA
Brewed strong and hoppy, Maharaja is a stunning example of an IPA. Masses of English hops and three different malts produce a complex flavour and strong citrus aroma. Smooth, deep golden and beautifully balanced with a crisp dry finish.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.8 / 5)
Rebellion – IPA
Rebellion – Roasted Nuts
A deep ruby, complex and flavoursome beer, packed with intense and distinctive malt & hop character.
Made from a blend of Maris Otter pale ale, crystal & chocolate malt in the mash tun with a 3-stage addition of American Cascade hops for a powerful, intensely fruity flavour & aroma.
There are no nuts added to Roasted Nuts…
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Bond Brews – Bengal Tiger
Bengal Tiger’ is an English Style India Pale Ale. Brewed with a nod to the original English style IPA with 2 types of malted barley whilst East Kent Golding hops provides the Bitterness, Goldings for aroma and dry-hopped for good measure.
Won Bronze at the Silchester Beer Festival 2017
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)
Rebellion – Gold
A rich golden ale with an intensely hoppy aroma. American Mosaic hops gives this beer a huge aroma of tropical fruits, citrus fruits and red berry. The bitterness relatively low despite the huge dose of late hops, so Gold retains its drinkability and balance.
A truly contemporary golden ale. Who said seasonal winter beers had to be dark?
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): 
(3.9 / 5)
Shepherd Neame – Master Brew
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)
Loddon Brewery Razzle Dazzle
Wychwood Brewdolph
Golden Christmas Ale.Loddon Brewery Hocus Pocus
West Berkshire Brewery – Mr Chubb’s Lunchtime Bitter
UPDATE: Meantime Brewery – London Pale Ale
Meantime London Pale Ale combines lots of American Cascade and Centennial hops to give it a complex citrus aroma and buckets full of local Kentish Goldings to provide the bitterness that makes the style so refreshing. Together they conspire to assail the nose with a complex, heady mix of spearmint, grass and ‘hop sack’ aromas, fruity citrus flavours and a bitter finish that makes pale ale drinking a truly rewarding experience
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
Wild Weather – Babel Tree
3% Table Beer.Stone Brewing – Stone IPA
One of the most well-respected and best-selling IPAs in the America, this golden beauty explodes with tropical, citrusy, piney hop flavors and aromas, all perfectly balanced by a subtle malt character. This crisp, extra hoppy brew is hugely refreshing on a hot day, but will always deliver no matter when you choose to drink it.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.8 / 5)
Theakston – Old Peculier
The Legend!
Old Peculier is a beautiful, yet very simple beer, brewed using a very generous blend of finest pale, crystal and roasted barley with two bitter hops combined with the majestic and noble ‘Fuggle’ hop to produce a beer of awesome full-bodied flavour with subtle cherry and rich fruit overtones.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.8 / 5)
Oskar Blues – Dales Pale Ale
This voluminously Hopped Mtha delivers a hoppy nose and assertive-but-balanced flavors of pale malts and citrusy floral hops from start to finish.
Oskar Blues launched its canning ops in 2002, brewing and hand-canning Dale’s Pale Ale in the Lyons, Colorado, brewpub. America’s first-craft-canned mountain Pale is a hearty, critically acclaimed trailblazer that changed the way craft beer fiends perceive portable beer
American Strong Pale Ale 6.5%
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.5 / 5)
Rebellion – Red
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)
Rebellion – Blonde
A light golden Summer beer, with a citrusy hop character. Serve it slightly cooler than usual for an ale, to enhance its refreshing quality.
A blend of Maris Otter pale & extra pale ale malt in the mash tun. First Gold hops in the copper, for that distinctive citrus hop bite!
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
UPDATE: St Austell Tribute Ale
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)
Windsor & Eaton – Kohinoor
Based on a classic IPA recipe which uses Imperial Malt along with Chinook, Simcoe and Pacific Jade hops. However the additional special ingredients of Jaggery (raw cane sugar from India bought from Southall market), Jasmine Petals, Cardamom and Coriander produce a distinctive twist to this “Indies Pale Ale”.
The resultant beer is a pale, smooth, full IPA with a distinct bitterness and with a hop aroma that is enhanced by a touch of the exotic!
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Sharps Brewery – Atlantic Pale Ale
Atlantic is a deep golden colour. The aroma of Pale Ale is a blend of stunning citrus notes, juicy tropical fruits and fresh-picked hops with a touch of candy floss. The flavour has a delicate sweetness with fruity succulence and citrus spice to the fore. The finish is sweet at first becoming dry and lingering with hop zest.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
Renegade Brewery – Red Eye PA
A collaboration with Farmageddon Brewery in Northern Ireland, a fruity, hoppy, Red IPA with bags of flavour and a dry resinous finish.
Packed with Columbus, Galaxy and Centennial hops, this hoppy Red IPA begins with big aromas of burnt orange and passion fruit followed by sweet malt flavours and a dry resinous finish. Full-on with bags of flavour.
Specially sourced at Dave’s request following his sampling of Farmageddon – India Pale Ale
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3 / 5)
Brew Dog – Dead Pony Club
PAYING HOP-FLECKED HOMAGE TO THE GLORY OF THE PACIFIC COAST, DEAD PONY CLUB HAS BEEN CRAFTED FROM AN INSANE AMOUNT OF US HOPS, DELIVERING MASSIVE CITRUS AROMAS OF LEMONGRASS AND LIME ZEST.
Dead Pony is the invigorating surf that pounds the iridescent shoreline yards from the salt-encrusted asphalt of Route 1. The hop-heavy west-coast wonderland awaits.
Dive in and the toasted malt base soon yields to a huge box-fresh hop hit, washing tropical fruit, floral garlands and spicy undertones all over your palate.
Inspired by US-Style pale ales, Dead Pony is a low amplitude, high voltage hop hit; California dreaming for the craft beer generation.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.5 / 5)
Wild Weather Ales – Wild Boys
Collaboration with Yeastie Boys
Texas Brown Ale.
Drawing sweetness from a complex malt base but turning 360 with a vibrant mix of New Zealand & UK hops (with a handful of our favorite American hops in for good measure)
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4 / 5)
Wild Weather Ales – Back to the Winchester
Morland – Old Speckled Hen
A high proportion of crystal malt in Old Speckled Hen provides the key toffee/caramel flavour. The yeast used to ferment the beer provides the other key character – estery or banana/pear drop. This estery note provides the fruity and refreshing balance. The hops used add a palate cleansing herbal note and very slight orange citrus. A very malty, full bodied and warming ale.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (3.5 / 5)
Goose Island Beer Company – Goose IPA
An India Pale Ale that recalls a time when ales shipped from England to India were highly hopped to preserve their distinct taste during the long journey. The result is a hop lover’s dream with a fruity aroma, set off by a dry malt middle, and long hop finish.
Hops: Cascade, Celeia, Centennial, Pilgrim, Styrian Golding
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)
BrewDog – Hop Fiction
Harpers Brewing Company – Bottled Selection
A selection of beers from Aldi under the Harper’s Brewing Company brand.
Amber Stone is a traditional English bitter, Wild Billy’s IPA is an American IPA, Medusa is a ruby red ale and Golden Crown is a golden ale.
Brewed by Marston’s in the UK.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling):
- Golden Crown
(2.3 / 5) - Amber Stone (2.3 / 5)
- Wild Billy’s IPA (2.5 / 5)
- Medusa
(2.8 / 5) - Overall (2.5 / 5)
Note that The Regulars are currently in dispute with Aldi over the use of the Harper name. We want to ensure that the general public do not confuse these beers with our very own Harper Arms Hoppy Punch.
London Beer Factory – Paxton IPA
Paxton IPA is dry hopped with charismatic Australian hops known for their distinctive orange bouquet and wild herbal undertones. Full of flavour and attitude this beer does not apologise for what it is: a hard hitting, fully hopped IPA.
Featuring Vic Secret Hops – Check out the comments for the LandL0rd’s favourite Vic Secret pics.
Harper Arms Rating (5=Tribute, 1=Carling): (4.3 / 5)