#castlerockbrewery

[syndromeblue-blog]

Let the #weekendbegin #weekendvibes #castlerockbrewery #craftyflanker #realale (at The Wheatsheaf Walsall)

[thehoppybeerble]

Have Fun Storming the Castle

The other day it occurred to me that I've lived in Nottingham for about six years now and those six years have conveniently been the six years I've been legally able to drink. As you would imagine that 18 - 24 period has seen it's fair share of alcohol consumption and when it comes to drinking beer in Nottingham there's always one brewery in particular that comes to mind - Castle Rock.

The Castle Rock Brewery has become a household name in Nottingham, so much so that these days you're just as likely to find folks in Nottingham town who have had a Harvest Pale as those who have heard of Robin Hood. While Castle Rock started off as a joint venture between Bramcote Brewery and Tynemill Brewery, Castle Rock soon made a name for itself in its own right, so much so that Tynemill bought out Bramcote’s share of the biz and changed its trading name to Castle Rock.

Such actions may sound like a ballsy move to some, but in actual fact there was such customer confidence regarding Castle Rock’s beers that the move made perfect sense. It wasn’t just the customers who liked to Rock, the brewery itself were also excited about the beers Castle Rock was crafting and quite rightly they should've been. Their Harvest Pale won Supreme Champion Beer of Britain in 2010 at the Great British Beer Festival, Screech Owl won Bronze in the Strong Bitters category at The Great British Beer Festival in 2013 and Castle Rock has bagged Pub Group of the Year in 2002, 2006 and 2008.

So what’s with the history lesson I hear you ask? Well when I thought about my years in Nottingham, I couldn’t help but think about how many Castle Rock beers I must’ve had and then I realised that I’ve never actually had their Elsie Mo beer. Now I'm not sure whether she's a Mrs or a Miss, but Elsie Mo is known at Castle Rock for being 'full bodied and irresistible'. Her name hails from the Low Colour Maris Otter malt used in the beer, which gives it it's vibrant golden glow. A lot like the Elsie Mo on the bottle, the beer inside is sweet and oh so smooth. The choice of hops blend well to give off a sassy citrus, floral aroma, no doubt the floral tones coming down to the use of those cheerful Challenger hops. All in all Elsie Mo is a crisp, refreshing brew with just as much beauty and cheekiness in the bottle as on the label.

What breweries and beers is your hometown known for? @HoppyBeerble @TheBigAH