In a forced change to The Harper Arms’ constitution standard protocol, the regulars have been set homework and this week sees a virtual double header tasting session!

One of our diligent members found a young garage-based local brewery in Thatcham. He got a little over-excited and ordered the regulars 2.5 Litres of both beers they currently produce (8-9 pints total). At an emergency committee meeting, it was determined that 9 pints on a week night was probably not a smart decision and so a vote was taken, ballots were correctly counted the first time, a result was declared, no legal battle ensued and the first piece of Harper Arms homework was thus set – to taste the weaker of the two ahead of Wednesday’s formal tasting session.

A traditional English Best Bitter with fruity, grassy and blackcurrant notes from UK grown Cascade hops. With a full-bodied malty backbone. Made from all English ingredients!

We’re not expecting the regulars to complain about being set homework with this delightful tipple, which currently has an average score on Untappd of 3.90.

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

Currently with an average score on Untappd of a very respectable 3.86 but with only 14 check-ins, World’s End is a Pale Ale brewed using a variety of different hops. UK grown Chinook teams up with US grown Amarillo and Citra for a cocktail of citrus fruit and resinous pine flavours. This mid-strength beer has a moderate bitterness and a soft orange hue from a little bit of Vienna malt in the mash.

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

Since the regulars made it known they were tasting Delphic, there has been a lot of local interest in the brewery, with them selling out of both beers last week! Have the Harper Arms regulars uncovered a new local gem of a brewery? Check the scores to find out!

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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. Apparently it pairs well with sweet potato & cauliflower massaman curry – the regulars have usually eaten by tasting time, so we’ll have to leave that for another occasion. Maharaja’s last official outing at The Harper Arms was back in March 2018, since then the branding has been revised a couple of times and the recipe has been refined. Will the regulars mark it higher than its current 3.8/5 rating?

This should be a lovely warming pint to enjoy on an autumnal evening.

BREWERS NOTES

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

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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)

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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)

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Cold-steeped Porter: 5% ABV.

A slight detour from the norm being the darkest beer yet to grace the Landl0rd’s key keg taps at The Harper Arms, Coldblooded is cold steeped overnight before the brew day, which gives a gorgeous chocolatey base. From there expect roasty notes layered amongst subtle smoke, coffee and dark chocolate. Coldblooded pours silky smooth and drinks with a satisfying richness. Un-chilled this is apparently perfect on a stormy night, so if it goes down well with the regulars, we may see it reappear when the weather changes.

Brewer’s ingredients
Untappd ratings

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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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NOTUS is a perfectly balanced APA

A multi award-winning American Pale Ale, including,  Beer of Festival at Burghfest in 2016.

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

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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)

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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)

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Burghfest Award Winner

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)

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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)

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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)

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Calmer Llama is an American IPA made with a blend of Biscuit and Vienna malt and the fruity flavoured single hop Citra all wrapped together to give a 6.6% ABV.

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

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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)

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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)

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A classic British brown bitter with plenty of dark malt and exclusively British hops. Roasted maltiness with spicy, earthy and floral hop aroma.

Dark & Malty – delicious!

Malt: Pale, Crystal, Chocolate

Hops: Fuggles, Phoenix, WGV

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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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…

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A special blend of citrus and tropical fruit hops. Part of the Binghams Hop Project.

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

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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)

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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)

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Brewed using the ever popular English Goldings with the addition of Fuggle Hops, pale and dark malts, with a small amount of invert sugar, combine to form a rich, smooth traditional dark ale.

4.6% Old Ale

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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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Serendipity is an explosively fruity American Pale Ale. Big American hops deliver a huge nose over a subtle malt bill.

3.9% Session Pale Ale

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

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Simcoe Hopped

American Amber

Er… That’s it from the boys at Wild Weather

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

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Sorachi Ace Red, combines huge Lime and Coconut flavours with a subtle rosemary hint from Sorachi hops. A strong bitter start soon gives way to a lingering smooth mouth feel.

You’ll love it or hate it. The Marmite of beers.

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

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Nelson / Simcoe Black IPA – 4.2%

Robbers is a twisted Black IPA. Starting by masking roasted notes with grape skin tannin and a subtle hint of raisin working through the spectrum and finishing with a massive pine and grapefruit finish.

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

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Thirty Lives takes full bodied fruit flavors and translates them into a tantalizing tropical tongue experience. Starting with mango’s and honeydew melon on the nose and leading into a rich mouthfeel with an explosion of pink grapefruit and white grape. A summer behemoth!!

Mosaic & Huell Melon American Wheat – 4.4%

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

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Simcoe Single Hop English Brown Ale – 3.9%

Who says an English brown ale should be dull?  Keyboard Warrior takes a traditional base and then rocks it’s world with a whole heap of Simcoe creating massive grapefruit, pine and lime notes finishing with a hint of orange zest.

Very appropriate name for The Regulars.

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

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Waterloo is a chestnut ale with a crisp hoppy finish. The aroma hop, Hallertau Blanc, was only released in 2012. It has a bold and fresh profile and will contribute gooseberry, lemongrass and passionfruit character similar to a glass of its namesake Sauvignon blanc.

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

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The beer, the newest to the Andwell’s range, uses malted rye to create its characteristic ruby glow. The flavours and aromas derive from a combination of English hops.

A rich ruby ale with a fruity  aroma.

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

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The latest beer from the Hobgoblin range.

A golden ale made from a combination of hops from England, New Zealand and the USA and a fusion of wheat and malted barley.

Expect a huge hop punch.

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

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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)

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A classic bitter brewed with a blend of rich malted barley and fruity hops to produce an exceptionally well-balanced and full-flavoured beer.

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

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