Usually when I'm ordering a drink in a half decent pub I'll take a few minutes deciding what to have, asking what the barman recommends, looking at the different beers on offer. I'll even go to the pub in order to try a specific beer I know they've got on if it's worth the trip.Other times, and this seems to happen less and less nowadays, I'll simply pop into the pub on my way home from work and order a quick pint of whatever catches my eye.
Tonight was one of those nights. Pretty busy pub, slightly understaffed, and by some sort of miracle I get served almost straight away. Now this is not a time to start messing around asking for samples, pissing off the guy at the bar next to you and generally being a beer geek. 5 seconds. What can I get you mate?
This is where the trusted pints list comes in. We’ve all got the list. That mental bank of beers that can be trusted. The likes of Landlord and London Pride are on there, of course, but also a handful, and I’m talking a very select group, of breweries also make the cut. Guys that seem to never swing and miss, and can be trusted to deliver a great pint, time, after time, after time.
One such brewery are Moor. I’m yet to try a beer of there’s I didn’t enjoy, fined or otherwise, and as soon as I spotted that distinctive pumpclip on the bar it was an easy choice. I was expecting a hoppy pale ale if I’m honest (I didn’t recognize the beer, turns out it was Amoor) but what I received was a lush, richly smooth, bitter coffee flavoured porter with a little berry fruitiness and nice dry finish that completely and utterly hit the spot. It was excellent.
Having a bank of trusted pints is great, but trusted breweries? They’re a Godsend.
The trouble is, it all comes down to the condition the beer is served in. I've had so many awful servings of what should be good, reliable beers, even in pubs that are mostly v good at keeping their ales, that it's hard not to have an outright policy of trying a tentative half of something (or sample if the bar staff aren't too busy) before going the whole way to commit to a pint, even from those beers/breweries I know to be reliable.
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