Two very nice seasonal ales sampled in the Red Lion last night in the shape of Saltaire's Winter Ale 4.9% and Bath Ales Festivity 5.0%. The former a lovely malty bitter and the latter a coffee porter with rum.

Also tried Belhaven Smoke Stack Stout 5.0% in Cask Corner and Birrificio Del Ducato A.F.O. (Ale For Obsessed) an Italian brew at 5.4% in the Angel.

Another seasonal ale was next up in the Gatehouse, this time Hook Norton's Twelve Days 5.5% a delicious malty and nutty brown beer.

Finally, Elgoods CXXX 4.2% in the Tut n Shive, which appears to have had a change in management.

If you are ever in the Denholme area of West Yorkshire or making your way to watch the Dons play at nearby Keighley pop in to the Keelham Farm Shop they stock a very large selection of beers from all over the UK
Keelham Farm Shop
Brighouse & Denholme Road
Keelham
Denholme BD13 3SS

Frodsham & Moore in Cheshire last night;

Frodsham
H&H Rocking Rudolph in the Bears Paw
Blueball Irish Red Ruby ale 4.3% in Kash 22
Weetwood Bitter 3.8% & Spire Chesterfield Best 4.5% in Helter Skelter

Moore
Brains Fir King Good 4.0% & Wells A Good Stuffing 4.5% in the Red Lion

Enjoyed each and every one but slight preference over all was for the Spire bitter.

Leeds last Tuesday;

Becketts Bank - Fuggle Bunny Oh Crumbs 3.8%
Mr Foleys - Tiny Rebel Dirty Stop Out 5.0%
Horse & Trumpet - Cottage Christmas Cracker 4.5%
Whitelocks - Wharfe Bank Smoke Stack 5.2%
Tapped - Hop Studio Porter 4.3%
Weatherspoons (Station) - Bridgehouse Rudolphs Ruin 4.1%

Favourites were the Dirty Stop Out (a smoked oat stout), the Christmas Cracker and the vanilla-flavoured Porter.

Christmas Eve in Doncaster;

Went with the Christmas theme ...

Flying Scotsman - Robinsons Frosty Frolics 4.4%
Red Lion - Kelham Island Festive Reserve 6.0%
Gatehouse - Hook Norton Twelve Days 5.5% & Everards Nutcracker 5.0%
Tut n Shive - Pennine Jingle Bell Rock 4.2% & Pennine Yule Pride 4.2%

I've had the Hook Norton and the Everards ales before (both very nice).

Best of the new ones were the Frosty Frolics and the Yule Pride.

Thought you may have sampled some Rotherham ales today, Gary. Pity about the result.

We had originally planned to go until finding out some weeks ago that there would be no trains. Probably had a lucky escape ... something Wanderers have no chance of sadly. Years of financial mismanagement coming home to roost coupled with a manager who couldn't get a team to defend if his life depended on it.

Sampled two ales new to me last night in Doncaster;

in the Angel, Acorn brewery The 13th Noel 6.0% described as Christmas pudding in a glass and
in the Gatehouse, Stone Brewing Co (Germany) Amber Ale brewed for JDW's at Adnams brewery.

The Gatehouse offered a couple of new ones on Tuesday ...

Driftwood Pale Ale 5.0%, a Canadian ale brewed for JDW's at Banks brewery and
Dukeries Farmers Branch 5.0%, another Pale Ale

Both nice enough for a change.

Derby yesterday ...

StationInn - Bass Premium Ale
Babington Arms - Grafton Christmas Present 4.5% & Caerphilly The Lost Antlers 4.4%
Royal Telegraph - Marstons Christmas Pudding 3.9%
The Brunswick - Brunswick Brewing Co Father Mikes 5.8%

Best of the bunch was the Father Mikes, a dark rich ruby ale.

Called in the Sheffield Tap en-route back and had a pint of Thornbridge McConnels 5.0%, a delicious vanilla and coffee stout.

Rapscallion 4.2% from Problem Child Brewing (of Parbold) was a welcome find in the Albion, Warrington last night. A deep amber best bitter with delicious malt and fruit flavours. Excellent!

A couple of interesting Caledonian brews on offer in the White Hart, Warrington last Saturday;

Double Dark, a dark roasted Oatmeal Stout 4.6% and
Winter Brau, a seasonal spiced Dark Ale 4.3%

Hardy & Hanson's Rocked Out 4.2% was very enjoyable in the Tut n Shive last night.

Acorn Kashmir 4.5% was on form in the Gatehouse.

Chantry Black Diamond Stout 4.5% in the Flying Scotsman was the pick of the ales sampled in Doncaster on Saturday evening, although the Wentworth Vanilla Stout 4.5% in Cask Corner was also nice enough.

Orkney Dragonhead 4.0% (Stout) and Moorhouses Winter Looms 4.2% (Ruby Ale) were two excellent finds in the Robert Shaw, Westhoughton yesterday lunchtime pre-Football. The latter had gorgeous Chocolate overtones.

Chorley, in the evening, was a tad disappointing in terms of my tastes with a number of pubs only having golden and pale ales. The Sir Henry Tate came to the rescue though with Belhaven Robert Burns 4.2%, a Brown Ale deliciously malty with Caramel and Toffee flavours.

I can't say that I've always got on with Springhead's beers but Robin Hood, a chestnut bitter at 4.0%, was pleasant enough in the Red Lion on Sunday lunchtime.

A couple of recently enjoyed ales ...

Fuggle Bunny Ruby Red Ale 4.5% (Tut n Shive, Doncaster) - Thursday evening.
Sonnet 43 Bourbon Milk Stout 4.3% (Tut n Shive, Doncaster) - last night.

Double Top Madhouse 5.2%, a very nice Porter found in the Flying Scotsman last night.

Talking of Porters, was also reacquainted with the delicious Brass Castle Bad Kitty 5.5% in Cask Corner.

Sampled two very nice ales in the Robert Shaw, Westhoughton on Saturday lunchtime ...

Peerless Oatmeal Stout 5.0% and
Naylors Velvet 4.0% (a mild)

Sunday lunch pre-Dons v Leeds ...

Derventio Mabon 4.3%, an excellent bitter in the Red Lion
but even that was surpassed by
Acorn Requiem 4.5%, a gorgeously rich premium bitter in the Gatehouse.

The Red Lion had another Derventio brew on offer on Saturday evening, this time King Arthur, another bitter at 4.3%. I'd take that over the Mabon but they're both very nice.

The Angel sprang a pleasing surprise in the shape of Saltaire's American Nut Brown 4.7%, nutty and malty, very much to my taste.

Did I really need two pints of Elland's 1872 Porter (6.5%) in the Gatehouse, no but I did enjoy them.

Two nice ales sampled in Bolton last night;

Nausta Lapland Red Ale 4.5% (Swedish, brewed for JDW at Wadworth Brewery) in the Spinning Mule
Bank Top Port O' Call 5.0% (a porter) in Barristers

A couple of unfamiliar but very nice ales tasted last night in the Prairie Schooner Taphouse, Urmston;

Sandstone Onyx Dragon, a porter at 4.0%
Wishbone Gumption, an excellent bitter at 4.5%

The Tut n Shive had a delicious Tawny Red Premium Ale last night from Goddards Brewery (Ryde, Isle of Wight). Fuggle Dee-Dum 4.8% was smoky & malty and I repeat, delicious.

The next Wetherspoons Real Ale festival kicks off this week with 50 beers available to sample.

The Gatehouse is off to a flier with three available (and sampled) today;
Caledonian Vienna Red 4.1%, an excellent Best Bitter with toffee and biscuit flavours.
Everards Yakima 4.0%, a ruby Best Bitter which mixes fruits and toffee flavours.
Acorn Barnsley Bitter 3.8%, often seen in Wetherspoons, a local Bitter.