IT wasn’t just the beer on offer at The Taste of Timothy Taylor evening last night at The Hed’On Inn!
As well as sampling the four beers on offer (Ram Tam, Boltmaker, Dark Mild and Le Champion), customers got to discover all about one of the key ingredients which make Timothy Taylor brews quite unique: Whole leaf hops.
Rob Oxer from Timothy Taylor explained how they were one of the last brewers in the country to still use British whole leaf hops in their brews which add the distinctive flavour. Customers had the chance to study the Kent-grown hops at their tables with most crushing the dried flowers between their fingers to release the citrus-like aroma. Some people even tried to eat it!
It’s a tough job being a beer blogger, but somebody’s got to do it! So here’s my thoughts on the beers.
With a fondness for dark beers, that’s where I started. The Dark Mild will please all those of a certain generation who remember drinking mild in the mainstream pubs and for that reason, I use the word ‘nostalgic’ to describe it. Anyway – it’s nice. The Ram Tam had a similar taste to the mild but was certainly stronger – a few of those and I’d call it my ‘singing’ beer! Boltmaker was next – already a session beer at the Inn, this is one of those bitters that you could steadily drink all night if not in the mood to ‘sample and choose’ your next drink. Last drink was Le Champion which is a French style blonde beer brewed to mark this month’s start of the Tour de Yorkshire. The brew didn’t look as good as it should do last night due to ‘settling’ issues, but after insisting for a half, I found it to be quite strong but taste-wise refreshingly light and pleasant. Le Champion should be on top form by the time most people read this article.
Find out more about the Keighley-based brewers at their website.
Visit: www.timothytaylor.co.uk
And find The Hed’On Inn on Facebook.
Note: Amateur beer blogging is just a bit of fun. Everybody has different taste buds – and I’m not without bias favouring darker beers. So don’t take my word for anything! Pop into the Inn with your friends and have your own tasting session. Enjoy! 🙂
Ray Duffill (would-be beer blogger!)
Timothy Taylor’s landlord is my favourite tipple.