The Beer at The Bear at Home Inn

Our beer is kept well and served correctly. We aim to keep two real ale pumps serving good quality local ales at all times with a third and fourth pump for guest beers. We support local breweries including West Berks, Loddon, Lovibonds and White Horse breweries as well as providing nationally-known pub championship beers such as Landlord from Timothy Taylors in Yorkshire. Click on the links to the left to review our regular beers.

Timothy Taylor Landlord Bitter 4.3% ABV

Classic Strong Pale Ale, with a complex and hoppy aroma, has won more awards nationally than any other beer.  This includes four times as Champion at the Brewers International and four times as CAMRA Beer of the Year. First brewed in 1952 as a bottled beer called Competition Ale. Transferred to the cask as Landlord in 1953.
Refreshingly reliable, nationally renowned, this full drinking Pale Ale has real "pulling power".  This beer has won prizes for many years,  the recent prizes are :

Great British Beer Festivals (judged by consumers)

2004              Bronze Award - Best Bitter category
2000              Bronze Award - Best Bitter category
1999              Supreme Champion Beer of Britain
1998              Bronze Award - Best Bitter category
1994/95         Supreme Champion Beer of Britain

Brewing Industry International Awards (judged by brewers).

2000             Draught Beer Challenge Cup.
2000             1st Prize & Gold Medal Cask Conditioned Beer
1998             2nd Prize & Silver Medal Cask Conditioned Beer
1994             3rd Prize & Bronze Medal Cask Conditioned Beer

CAMRA Supreme Champion 1982; 1983; 1994 and 1999.

Ingredients: Golden Promise malt; Styrian Goldings, Goldings and Fuggles hops; Oldham Brewery yeast.

Click here to return to top of page

 

White Horse Bitter 3.7% ABV & Wayland Smithy 4.4% ABV

The White Horse Brewery located in Stanford-in-the-Vale has been brewing since October 2004. Set up by two former Wychwood employees (Stuart Wastie and Andrew Wilson) They currently produce two beers: Oxfordshire Bitter (3.7%) and Wayland Smithy (4.4%).

 
http://www.whitehorsebrewery.com/
 

Click here to return to top of page

West Berks Good Old Boy 4% ABV

A “Good Ordinary Bitter” which won first prize at the White Horse branch of CAMRA’s beer festival, September 1995, and a gold medal at the 2002 SIBA South East Regional Competition. Strongly hopped and full flavoured - our best seller.

http://www.whitehorsebrewery.com/

Click here to return to top of page
 

Staropramen has been brewed for 125 years and is Prague's favorite beer. Brewed in the traditional Czech way using locally grown hops, Staropramen delivers a full and distinctive taste for the more discerning import beer drinker. Brewed and bottled by Prague Breweries, Ltd., Prague, Czech Republic

This beer is a strong lager. A well-balanced bitterness and appropriate fermentation has resulted in its very pleasant taste. A thick head and a strong flavour are characteristic of this beer. Staropramen Lager is brewed in a classical way where the beer is fermented in open fermenting cellars. Then it is ripened in lager cellars where eventually it acquires its unique and distinctive flavour.

http://www.staropramen.com/english/index.html

Click here to return to top of page

Brewed by Westons at Much Marcle in Gloucestershire this cider has a lovely apple flavour and is made from a mix of cider apples which include Court Royal, Dabinett, Brownsnout and Sweet Coppin.

Moderate in strength, but packed with flavour. Smooth malty body, quite bitter with the aroma and taste of east Kent Golding hops. A gorgeous beer made by Loddon Brewery a micro-brewery established by Chris and Vanessa Hearn in a two hundred year old brick and flint barn in the village of Dunsden, between Reading and Henley-on-Thames. This beer is the webmaster's favourite, similar to Brakspear ordinary but unlike Brakspear Brewery is still using original Chiltern hard water. A hoppy beer of the good old South of England bitter style.

http://www.loddonbrewery.com/

Click here to return to top of page

Foster's Lager is the largest selling Australian beer brand in the world with more than 100 million cases of Foster's consumed worldwide every year.

Brewed in nine countries and over 20 plants, Foster's Lager is widely sold and distributed throughout Australia, Asia, the Pacific, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. It is the world's third most widely distributed brand, available in more than 150 countries.

Foster's Lager is the international flagship brand for the Foster's group.

Clearly a bulk lager. Feel free to drink it. The Leibfraumilch of beers.

Click here to return to top of page

This beer uses several varieties (of hops), among which Goldings are perhaps the most influential. Guinness uses its original yeast, though this has been selected down from several strains to one, which was arrived at in about 1960. The Dublin brewery makes five or six principal versions of Guinness, in a total of 19 variations, and exports around 40 percent of its output.

All the grain used by Guinness is grown in Ireland. The non-malt grains used in the domestic product is 25% flaked barley and 10% roasted barley.

Click here to return to top of page

Fullers ESB  5.5% ABV

ESB's reputation as the best British beer around is borne out by the amazing number of awards it has won. No beer has won more CAMRA awards - ESB has been named Best Strong Ale in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1991, and went on to be crowned Champion Beer of Britain 3 times - in 1978, 1981 and 1985. Meanwhile, the US Beverage Tasting Institute named ESB 'World Champion Bitter' in 1997 and 1998

Andrew Jefford, the respected UK drinks critic, sums up ESB's flavour thus: ''an ample, grainy-nutty aroma and a broad, authoritative flavour, with lashings of dry marmalade-like bitters'', whilst 'Beer Supremo' Roger Protz describes ''an enormous attack of rich malt, tangy fruit and spicy hops in the mouth, with a profound Goldings peppery note in the long finish and hints of orange, lemon and gooseberry fruit''.

Lovibonds Henley Gold - 4.6% abv

Lovibonds craft Henley Gold by combining the freshest British malted wheat and barley, then ferment with a yeast culture from the oldest brewery in the world, giving this beer it's truly unique character.

Natural golden hue and thick creamy white head with aroma of banana and cloves.  A silky texture with fruit flavours, finishing fresh and clean with a touch of sweetness. This beer can be easily paired with most meals. Try it with a fresh salad or roast chicken.

Technical Detail

Original Gravity:  1.045 (11.1 Plato)
Final Gravity:  1.010 (2.6 Plato)
International Bitterness Units:  15
Colour:  4 SRM/Lovibond (8 EBC)