| DUNKLES & JAFFA CAKES |
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| e-mail Ian at ian@fodrocks.com |
My family were members of the Richard III Society; indeed me Mum was secretary of the Gloucestershire branch. Richard's personal emblem -- the wild boar -- has always been my choice for my next tattoo. |
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| Lord Roberts unveils his latest motor outside Roberts Manor. |
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| Lord Ian leaving Roberts Manor..."I use this motor when I do me shopping" |
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Year 2003 edition – draught beers 10. A pint of your very finest, my good fellow (Great Lakes Moondog Ale; Barley’s Centennial IPA; Wye Valley Hobson’s Bitter; York Brewery Yorkshire Terrier). 9. If not finest, then a pint of your best... (Shepherd Neame’s Spitfire Ale; Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale; Hook Norton Generation Ale). 8. A pint of something rippingly good, sil vous plait (Young’s Bitter; Fullers Chiswick Ale, Beamish Stout; Timothy Taylor’s Landlord Ale; Goff’s Jouster Ale). 7. This stuff’s good too, I might add (Fullers London Pride Ale; Donnington SBA). 6. This is pretty tasty, landlord (Double Diamond; Morland’s Old Speckled Hen). 5. Well, it’s not bad... (Stanney Bitter; Brain’s Bitter). 4. Could be a bit tricky... (John Smith’s Smooth Ale). 3. Well this is almost shite ! (Boddingtons Ale). 2. A sad shadow of its former glory, even in draught (Guinness Stout). 1. I say, this is total shite ! (Barley’s Pipebuster Brown; Bass Ale; Tetley’s Bitter). 0. Honestly Squire, I wouldn’t use this stuff to clean out a cow barn ! (Donnington BB; Courage Director’s Bitter). |
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Year 2003 edition – bottled beers 10. Absolutely supreme – the magnificent four (Anchor Liberty Ale; Avery 14'er ESB; Great Lakes Moondog Ale; Shepherd Neame’s Spitfire Ale). 9. Supreme (Young’s Celebration Ale; Sierra Nevada Pale Ale; Museum Bullion Ale; Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale; Wyre Piddle, Piddle in the Hole Ale). 8. Rippingly good (North Coast Red Seal Ale; Young’s Winter Warmer; Marston’s Pedigree Ale; Thames Welsh ESB; Beamish Stout; Sierra Nevada Winter Celebration Ale; any Belgian or German Wheat Ale). 7. No problems here either (Badger Champion Ale; Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale; Young’s Double Chocolate Stout; Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA). 6. Not earth shattering, but no real issues (Murphy’s Stout; Badger Tanglefoot Ale) 5. Not terribly thrilling (Pyramid IPA; Young’s Oatmeal Stout; Anchor Steam Ale). 4. Blimey, we’re heading towards shite (Mendocino Blue Heron Ale; North Coast Christmas Ale). 3. Almost shite (Anchor Christmas Ale; Young’s Waggledance Honey Ale; Marston’s Double Drop Ale). 2. A mere shadow of its former glory (Guinness "draught" Stout bottle/can; Morland’s Old Speckled Hen). 1. Total Shite (Mackeson). 0. Liquid Plumber (Fullers 1845; Young’s Special London Ale Millennium Edition; any British/European/American/Canadian Lager or Porter you may care to name). -1. The most hideous, gut-wrenching, vile tasting, not good enough to pour down the bog, reigns supreme as the worst beer in the world (Samuel Adam’s Double Bock). |
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Click on a link below to read the review |
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Click on a link below to read the article |
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Click on a link below to read the article |
| I was looking at some "Blog Voting website" beer reviews, and they are complete bollocks. It's just as Tim said about sites such as Rate Beer -- you get all these dingbats who think they are some sort of beer sophisticates (I think I made that word up) who write the same old boring drivel, while copying down word-for-word the details from the bottle. And they act like they're bloody experts, as if what they write is actually meaningful. Meaningful ? I call it bullshit. Yes, information from breweries or off the bottles can be used to help enhance the article, but credit needs to be given when a whole sentence is being lifted i.e. Arthur Mullards Dogshite Ale is described as "A concoction of triple malts roasted over a rancid sewer with hints of cowdung producing an entirely shitty aroma". Top swearing British Chef, Gordon Ramsay, has been a mentor of mine for about three years. I try to put his values into my own working life, and how I approach tasks outside of work. He would look at sites like Hoosier's and Rate Beer et al and say something like "where's the effing passion, the enthusiasm, the bollocks to speak the truth, and the humour ?" That's the beauty of D & JC. Take Tim's review of Bell's 8000 Ale. It's descriptive, funny (really made me laugh) and he's not afraid to voice an opinion. That's what we're all about -- and that's what puts us streets ahead of posey sites like Rate Beer, and pretenders to the throne such as that bloody Hoosiers site. |
| Deep Thoughts from Across the Pond |
| "A believer is a songless bird in a cage, a freethinker is an eagle parting the clouds with tireless wings". Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–99), American orator and lawyer |
| New Year's Eve 2007 brought the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) over Roberts Manor. Here's a rather spectacular display illuminating the lake at the bottom of the garden at the Manor. |
| This shot of the Northern Lights was taken on our annual New Year's Day walk on the Roberts Manor estate. Our peasants cottages are just out of sight behind the trees on the left. |
| Every Manor House has its own mountain range, and this is ours, providing a jolly good contrast against the Northern Lights, here in Columbus, Ohio. |
| A peek at the Roberts Manor Aquarium. All of our fish are named -- from right to left we have Fred, Doris, Ginger, Mable, Sparticus, Winston....oh, sod it -- keep still you lot ! |
| LORD IAN IS A CELE-BRIT-Y! CLICK ON HIS PICTURE TO LEARN MORE! |