Appendix 4
The Real Ale Challenge –54 Different Pints
| BREWERY or PUB | BEER |
| Exmoor | Stag |
| —“— | Hound Dog |
| —“— | Ale |
| Clearwater | Proper Ansome |
| St Austell | Tribute |
| Clearwater | Dympsy |
| Cotleigh | Barn Owl |
| St Austell | HSD |
| Dartmoor | Dartmoor Best |
| Shepherd Neame | Spitfire |
| Adnams | Broadside |
| Youngs | Best |
| Forge | Handsome |
| —“— | Maid in Devon |
| Otter | Otter Ale |
| Sharps | Doom Bar |
| Country Life | Old Appledore |
| Tintagel | Cornwall’s Pride |
| —“— | Castle Gold |
| Village | Ambassador |
| Tintagel | Harbour Special |
| St Austell | Tinners |
| Skinners | Betty Stogs |
| —“— | Willy & Kate Wedding Ale |
| Elgood | Spring Challenge |
| Sharps | Special |
| Skinners | Cornish Knocker |
| Morland | Old Speckled Hen |
| Ruddles | County |
| St Austell | Proper Job IPA |
| St Austell | Ventor ( bottled) |
| Springhead | Charlies Angel |
| Wychwood | Hobgoblin |
| Green King | Abbot Ale |
| Wells | Bombardier |
| Dartmoor | Legend |
| Branscombe Vale | Branoc |
| Otter | Amber |
| Palmers | 200 |
| George Gale | HSB |
| Wadworths | 6X |
| Courage | Directors |
| Ringwood | Fortyniner |
| Badger | Best Bitter |
| —“— | Tanglefoot |
| Hop Back | Crop Circle |
| St Peters | Organic Bitter |
| Downton Brewery | Apple Blossom |
| St Austell | Endevour |
| Skinners | Set Sail |
| O’hanlons | Yellow Hammer |
| Cottage | Mallard IPA |
| Dolphin Inn, Newton Ferrers | Dolphin |
| Mildmay Colours Inn | Colours |
Selecting my top five B&Bs or pubs was a positive doddle compared to trying to rank the beers that I drank. The task is not helped by the fact that we are so fortunate in having a plethora of excellent breweries in the south west, ranging from small back-yard outfits supplying the local area (like Country Life Brewery, Bideford) to the ubiquitous big boys (like St Austell) producing industrial quantities of ale and distributing it across the region. My assessment is also probably influenced a lot by the ambience- I mean, would I have rated my pint of Old Speckled Hen as highly if it had not been drunk with the backdrop of a setting sun outside the Sloop on the harbour side at St Ives?
Anyway, hesitantly dipping my toe into a subjective, deeply personal pool of controversy, I’ll have a go at my Top Five;
- Exmoor Stag
- St Austell Proper Job
- Skinners Betty Stoggs
- Otter Otter Ale
- Tintagel Castle Gold
Ask me another day though and chances are I’d give you a different five.
Over the hill-on the South West Coast Path 