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Sunday, February 08, 2009

Taddington Moravka @ The Maltings, York



It's not often I need an excuse to go drinking in York. There are plenty of great pubs, spots to eat, and pints upon pints of good beer to be had. The cherry on the cake, however, has to be The Maltings' latest addition: Taddington's Moravka.


After lusting after this stuff for some time now - spurred on by Stonch's rightful championing of it - a pint was finally in my hands. And, lord, was it something. If this is the case for unpasteurised beer, then sign me up.


John, Sharon and I sat down and drunk: perfect citrussy, clean lager, but with an awesome creamy malt backbone, with a really interesting yeasty note lurking within. In perfect nick, the head was something to behold: billowing, fluffy and never dying. We tried to put what we were tasting into words, but at the risk of sounding like 'Beer Twats' we just shut up and drank. Talking was eating into drinking time.

I'm converted - if only all Lager could be like this. Much like pretty much everyone who drinks it, Moravka is now installed in my top ten list of beers, somewhere around the top.



Shaun, landlord at the Maltings, was more than happy to talk Moravka as he poured, and he proudly stated that it should now be on constantly at The Maltings. Clearly proud of the beer, the fact that he took time to talk aduring a packed lunchtime (and it was heaving) tells you what you need to know. Shaun wanted it here, and he took time to pursue it. The Fuller's London Porter was on storming form as well.

And that's just one more reason to visit York for beer.




I did try and take a picture of the pint for you, but pictures of pints in dark, packed pubs taken on cameraphone usually turn out crap. Rest assured, it looked as good as it tasted. During our afternoon out in York we visited the Evil Eye Lounge for some draught Kupper's Kolsch and sampled the Blue Moon Wheat beer, as well as a couple of pints of White Horse's Village Idiot at The Last Drop Inn.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Damn, Damn, Damn, this jolly was my idea and i could'nt go, Damn & Damn again I say.

Leigh said...

bigun - you misse an absolute treat. dont worry though - Moravka looks like it's there to stay at The Maltings.

Anonymous said...

For the love of god, don't tell him about the Fullers London Porter!

Boak said...

It's a joy alright. It's got that clean lager feel and yet tastes very fresh and alive. Probably my favourite British lager.

Mark Dredge said...

It is a fantastic beer, I had it in the Jerusalem Tavern in London and loved it. Why aren't all lagers like that?!

Zak Avery said...

York is getting to be a great beer destination. Is that common knowledge, or am I just way behind the curve?

Mark Dredge said...

s is a cracking lager, one of the very best around. I had it in the Jerusalem Tavern in London. Why doesn't all lager taste like that?!

Leigh said...

yep, it certainly sets a benchmark.

Anonymous said...

Fullers porter! double damn again, I'll bet it's replaced with "John Smiths" by the time I go.

Anonymous said...

Zak -- me and Boak had a great time in York last year. Czech Bernard Dark on tap; Brookyln, Anchor and Sierra Nevada; the York Brewery stuff, which is uniformly great... we made lots of discoveries and almost any random pub or bar we chose seemed to be cosy and friendly. And is York about the only city in Britain with a proper "altstadt"?

Leigh said...

Bailey - you may be right...and nice to see York's beers getting kudos from London - I fear sometimes we take them for granted a little here in Yorkshire, but for me they are just soooo consistent. And that's a big plus, as boring as it may sound, consistency.