Hello, and welcome back to the Eternal Hoptimists!
Sam has been about and about in the wilds of Alnwick for two weeks, and we all know a walking holiday is nothing without a stop at a few watering holes.
Today we are making another stop at a pub from the good beer guide, we are of course talking about the John Bull Inn.
This one is the true definition of “a hidden gem” its down quite a unsuspecting back street, tucked between a row of houses, and according to Wikipedia has been an alehouse since their construction in the early 1830’s
Sam and Kayla were both made to feel welcome by the bar staff, and the locals were quite friendly too, this is not a “local pub for local people” although there are a lot of locals that go there!
But what about the beers?
The John Bull Inn offers quite the array of tipple from Real Ales & Whiskies to Belgian Beers. As Sam had already had three in the Tanners Arms previously, he thought it best to stick to a pattern of three so these are the ones he tried!
Fynes Ales Farm Brewery- Hurricane Jack (4.4% ABV)
Aroma: A Strong Hop kick and a twist of lime.
Appearance: Clear golden ale with a tight white head when poured
Body: Medium bodied well carbonated with okay head retention.
Taste: Quite the thirst quencher, quite subtle on the citrus / lime flavours but with a great hoppy support.
A very good example of a traditional blonde.
Sam’s Score: 3.6/ 5.0
Rudgate Brewing Co – Viking, Golden Ale (3.8% ABV)
Aroma: Very fine crisp hop scent
Appearance: Clear dark copper with a thin white head when poured
Body: Medium bodied, well carbonated with good head retention.
Taste: Easy drinking session with a strong hop support and a malty chase.
Middle of the road traditional ale; easy drinking but not as good as others we’ve had on the trip.
Sam’s Score: 3.3/ 5.0
Titanic – Cherry Porter (4.2% ABV)
Aroma: Deep cherry, and a touch of bitter dark chocolate.
Appearance: Veiled dark red ale, no head when poured.
Body: Thin to medium bodied, smooth, with a good level of carbonation and no head retention.
Taste: This one was a very rich velvety mouthful of sweet cherry and traditional porter flavours.
This one is for these with a rich palette. I certainly know at least one Hoptimist that would have scored this one a 4, but it’s just a tad too rich for me to reach those loft heights!
Sam’s Score: 3.7/ 5.0
This was another really nice traditional pub, I can see why it was rated so highly in the good beer guide. I highly recommend a visit to the John Bull Inn if you are in the area, after all if its been established since the 1800’s it cant be that bad eh!
The|Eternal|Hoptimitsts 